Book 5: Humanity

by Freedom0153

Korra wanted peace after defeating Kuvira. Then life happened. During her Spirit World vacation, an unlikely gift from an old friend caused a great rift between many spirits and humans. Even conflict with the Earth Empire wasn't over, Kuvira's surrender opening a vacuum. To restore balance, Korra needs any allies she can get, finding her growing love for Asami giving Korra peace.

52. Chapter 52: City of Two Lovers: Part 1

Chapter 52: City of Two Lovers, Part 1

Having felt something urgent waking her up and cutting short her session with the Avatar and her vital ability to give out knowledge with the touch of a hand, Yangchen expected to be told by the defector's "leader" Yuehan that General Wuqing had begun his assault on her city, Omashu. Yangchen was surprised to see her husband Xingyun shaking her back awake instead, sounding slightly annoyed yet proud as he said, "Little Gyatso wouldn't stop shooting air blasts at me until he got to see his new little sister again, even if she is still asleep. He's waiting outside right now. I don't know why that big bird spirit 'Alyssralove' came by earlier – probably Avatar stuff," smiling as he asked, "Can he come in?" He frowned slightly as he finished, "Please don't tell me the Avatar wanted something done, right now. Gyatso won't be happy if you brush him off – and you know neither of us will be either, and not just because he'd complain. We're good parents, after all."

Yangchen sighed, saying as she shifted from a "sleeping" pose to a meditative one, "You're right, but as you know, something outside our city could take precedence over even family at any moment. It depends – let me personally see if there are any Earth Empire barbarians knocking at the gates right now. Everything the Avatar gave me to do should take quite a while, especially if Alyssralove ends up being needed at the camp," smiling as she said, "So if we aren't under attack like I thought we were when you woke me up, of course I have time for family," adding, "Though protecting said family comes first. As it always has, and will." Yangchen remembered Korra's idealistic foisting of impossible to reproduce "Liser" designs on her with slight amusement. Omashu had plenty of metalworking industry and metalbenders, even some glassworks and the ability to produce some of the Liser's complicated components without synthesis, but they were much better equipped to produce lethal weapons. It's what both Kuvira and Jinshu Kuangmai, even the Earth Queen before them had geared whole swathes of Omashu industry to do, after all. None had dreamed of "Lipowder" or fire-earth, and the Earth Queen's industry never went beyond jeeps, extravagant personal items people had skimmed funds from out of spite, or parts for her laughable flying junk Cabbage Corp war balloons. Now that she thought about it, they even had some of the highly sensitive equipment to produce spirit weapon casings and barrels, the only physical legacy of Kuvira's short rule aside from one of her special actual schools - the spirit weaponry production capability something she had learned after Omashu's fall from the resident defector's leader, "Sergeant" Yuehan.

With all this equipment, for every Liser and new-model lightning generator she could make, Yangchen figured she could make ten Meesiles, maybe even another spirit weapon if she were inclined to add to the twenty-something already guarding Omashu – the tradeoff was obvious. Having only one non-technological source of electricity in the form of Alyssralove, the only equipment they had for producing lightning was in Earth Empire style – currents, unadjustable as far as she knew, and she wasn't about to waste valuable time perfecting nonlethal "zap". She had a nagging doubt in the back of her mind about how much they'd be up against, even how quickly - even discounting the reinforcements from Zaofu dragging mystery equipment Raava had hinted at. Three battalions struck her as underkill to invade Republic City, Spirit Civil War as a distractor or not.

Seeing her husband nod in apparent approval after explaining what she had just zoned out thinking about, even including the Lisers, knowing they would be of little use without tuber-vines anyways, Yangchen tried focusing on one Earth Empire commander's energy she knew already – General Chin. He was second in command behind his hotheaded, violent commander who was known only by the name Wuqing – even in the Earth Empire, from what some defected officers inside Omashu and Jasmine had said. Expecting to find General Chin in camp with his own three children and his conscripts, men and women she had gotten the impression he was very attached to, as attached to as she was to her own two children, she was surprised to find herself unable to connect. Instead of sight or even sound, all she saw was the endless black of the inside of her own eyelids, all she heard was her slightly rapid breathing - though she felt more than that when the implication dawned on her, breathing quickening further as she thought about the implications.

Remembering something about a spirit vine powered security system now enveloping Zaofu from what she had been told earlier, her heart sank – General Chin, inventor of the "fire-earth" in their possession, in Zaofu… likely working with Jinshu Kuangmai on new weapons, neither one caring about lethality one bit. The fire-earth weapons she had seen Chin designed didn't look nonlethal. For them, she figured, killing was a plus – not something to avoid. She had heard the dragon-bird spirit Alyssralove report a fair amount of night time air traffic between Zaofu and the armies outside Omashu, even seen it herself earlier, and Yangchen surmised Chin must have been one of the "things" exchanged, along with what appeared to be a massive number of mechasuits shuttled to the front.

Which, given what Raava had told them all about a defector telling Baatar Jr. of the Earth Empire's plans to transition to purely spirit vine power, gave her great cause for concern. Remembering a detail Jasmine had observed and relayed to her about the color of the mechasuits a short distance outside her camp, Yangchen was sure - all those mechasuits were "throwaways", and their color no long an accurate indicator of who was piloting the war machine. Yangchen sighed, quickly explaining what she had realized to Xingyun, not sure if she was annoyed or not when he looked surprised when she finished, "It's too bad - even I would have liked to be able to go easy on the conscripts." Slightly annoyed it was when he said, "Hey - I bet even the 'elites' aren't all bad; Yuehan and the rest of the defectors were 'elites', after all," feeling slightly pissed when he added, "Even tax collectors…" Yangchen shook her head, saying, "Hey! Watch what you're saying… You never know who will hear. We can talk about this another time - the 'feel-lovey-dovey' hormones are still clouding my judgment."

"Maybe they aren't clouding it, honey. Maybe they're unclouding it. We both know what you did before getting airbending, wanted to do again…"

Yangchen sighed again, saying tersely, "I've got something to do - another time. And the longer I delay, the longer Gyatso's outside," glad to see the appeal to family work when Xingyun nodded, sitting down next to a sleeping Jaina. Remembering the three children Chin had shown "her", Yangchen focused on the eldest's energy - the one most likely to be doing anything, given her brothers couldn't bend just like their twenty-something sister, and were too young to effectively pilot a mechasuit to boot, being eight and twelve and all.

Yangchen paused for a moment before attempting another projection of herself, a stray thought passing through her mind: "Chin lost the love of his life to chaos in the Earth Kingdom - Jayakan, if I remember right… and it warped him. Otherwise, he would have run away after Jasmine's speech… what would I do if I lost my husband?" She saw a brief unwelcome image appear of Xingyun's final breath, followed by herself taking the breath from many others out of a desire for vengeance. Finding the final vengeful part disquieting instead of justified as she might have normally, especially considering what they had just "discussed", another paraphrased thought entered her mind, something taught to the Air Nomad Avatar after her namesake's by the original airbender nation, something her parents had stressed to her while raising her: "Revenge is a two-head rat viper - while you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned yourself."

From what she had seen of Chin, this is exactly what happened to him - mind poisoned by the random act of violence that had taken his wife away; when she had visited him the previous night, disguised as his dead wife, he mentioned over and over how he blamed the Avatar and world for her death during her short visit, and was "seeking justice" - in all the wrong ways. Dismissing another thought about violence not being the answer, Yangchen did make one vow - she'd never kill someone just for revenge or vengeance. Actual justice, or ensuring peace, or preventing further loss of life and suffering, most especially protecting family, on the other hand…

She was closer to her namesake than Korra's predecessor during his lifetime on that, and from what Raava had shown her, Aang had "come around" slightly after death - probably after seeing what beings from another plane could do to their own planet for the first time. "Hell", he seemed more okay with taking life than Korra did now, from what else Raava had shown her!

Re-focusing her energy on Chin's eldest, trying to wipe images of Earth's destruction from her mind and hoping his dead wife might "help" again, she could see from the slightly shocked, slightly angry look on his twenty-year old daughter's face this wasn't the case. Frowning, green eyes glimmering with a hint of hatred, the enemy commander's daughter Jayashri said, "Wait - you're not Earth Empire. Projecting! You're an airbender… and last I checked, we don't have any of those." An unpleasant possibility occurred to Yangchen - new everything benders, truly everywhere - even inside the Earth Empire, given the lowlife Zaheer was given airbending by the clueless Spirit of Air, allowing him to throw the Earth Kingdom into chaos in the first place, indirectly killing the mother of the woman in front of her…

Noticing that the young woman looked to be getting ready to address a crowd of some sort, notes in one hand, wireless microphone in the other inside a large tent they were both "sharing", Yangchen felt guilty when Jayashri started crying, saying as she pointed the microphone at Yangchen like it was a sword, the words and tone hurting just as much as if the microphone had been real steel, "Wait a minute - I know how projecting works. How would you know my energy… Unless… YOU! It was you last night… you used our dead mother's form somehow to sneak in here and gain my dad's trust on a 'tour'! You were behind the revolt too, I bet! And I bet you've been hiding every airbender that failure of an Avatar or tyrannical Earth Queen didn't find! Little manipulative, cowardly, spying bi-" Yangchen sighed, figuring she may as well plant a painful seed of doubt if she had already hurt the young woman, saying, "I don't know how my projection looked like your mother Jayakan, and know my trick has hurt you a lot … but I do know any mother would be mortified to see her family out for blood in the name of her demise," not entirely sure what "she" had said last night - only what she saw.

Apparently, the actual Jayakan must have said something along a similar vein, Jayashri spluttering, "Wh - how did you know her last words, when she saw my mechasuit next to my little brother… Neither my father or I care what she said - he's still going to help re-unite the Earth Empire, and I'm still going to lead his men in his absence, while he's off on… business," Yangchen scowling slightly at the young woman's insight when Jayashri finished, "I know you think my father misguided - and I imagine if you captured or killed me, or either of my brothers, he'd have even more motivation to see things through to the end. Chin might even get his boss to be more 'human-y'." Yangchen sighed, annoyed by the young woman's perception when she said, "I won't tell you exactly why - you likely already have some idea if that Jasmine traitor's talked with you about him at all, or taken a good look at those war balloons you stole and my father's fire-earth. For all those 'reasons', my dad's too valuable to his leader to kill - and if you fools are aiming to have a 'peaceful' knockout end to this war, turn Jinshu Kuangmai 'good' like that other traitor Kuvira, both my father and I are too valuable to the Avatar to kill," saying with a final air, "You can stay here as long as you like - I'm not saying another word to you." Rats - so much for knocking out one of their commanders to get a surrender or sow chaos… though from what Jasmine told her of Wuqing earlier, he certainly wasn't off the table. Or rather, chopping block.

Remembering how key the relatively soft Chin could be to breaking down or even just curbing Jinshu Kuangmai's bloodlust, maybe even more important than "turning" Vaazula, Yangchen said, "You can be as vengeful as you like, but unless you force my hand, trying to attack one of my babies or my husband directly, going in for the kill, threatening our freedom again… I'm not killing you. All we want is to leave Omashu, and away from tyrant's rule, free as air, to live out in the open, no hiding my talent from the world - at last..."

To Yangchen's annoyance, the young woman's eyes stayed hard, grumbling, "Wh - I thought I told you to scram! The world didn't care when thousands, maybe even millions of babies, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters died in the rest of the Earth Kingdom from Zaheer's anarchy. Omashu, just like Zaofu, was spared from hurt in your decadence, arrogance and material wealth, and you know the price of resistance. Enough - I am done," Yangchen smiling slightly when Jayashri continued, against her word, looking slightly ashamed, "Though, I'd never kill a mother, child or father myself - not after what happened to my mother… only 17 when she died three years ago…"

Able to see in Jayashri's eyes she really was done talking, Yangchen launched a final barb, saying, "Everyone who acts like a real human being - even the misguided, like you and your father - is someone's mother, father, child, sister, brother… Maybe you need to either talk to your father's boss and try to change his evil mind in vain with Chin's help about slaughtering innocents, or re-consider who you show your allegiance to. Even your former 'Glorious Leader', 'Empress', Kuvira 'the Great Uniter' has changed sides." Getting the expected rude gesture at first, Yangchen was pleasantly surprised when she heard Jayashri mumble, "About the innocents… M-maybe I'll call when my dad isn't busy in the fabrica - ah, crap! Not another word! Get out of my sight! Don't you have something better to do?!"

With confirmation that Chin really was busy working on something, and the possibility of Chin's daughter working as a softening agent on Jinshu Kuangmai indirectly at some unknown point, Yangchen smiled, breaking the connection after saying, "If it looks like Wuqing , Jinshu Kuangmai or even you or your father are going to get their hands on Omashu or get into the prison camp and massacre the sexual 'criminals', all bets are off. We'll use everything at our disposal to stay free long enough to get out. We want to leave, even if you don't want us to - we won't be 're-educated' like Kuvira might have or enslaved like what Long Yumao wants to do to all of humanity. Your little Empire included. I'll just leave you guessing what we have at our disposal, just like we don't have a clue what your father is doing 'in the fabrica' with Jinshu Kuangmai. Probably something top secret, making things to kill people for his savage boss. Good day."

Focusing on a place instead, figuring she should still be safe and check her city, even if it did seem like Wuqing and Jayashri were making preparations and not attacks at the time, she found herself looking out at Omashu's surroundings from high above the base of the main earthen causeway into Omashu. Turning around, she still smiled, no hordes of green at her city's gates, even the thin-coat platinum bridges looking fine, idle spirit cannon turrets pointing outwards from the tops of Omashu's ancient walls. The industrial sector on the city's outskirts beyond the inner walls was untouched, finding herself glad to see people had been slow in carrying out the canceled order to gut the city - they'd need every bit of equipment to produce any more advanced weapons.

Satisfied for now that her city wasn't under immediate danger of attack, both Wuqing and Jayashri preparing their forces, most likely to hit the prison camp, knowing how much more hatred Toph's wayward son had for "sexual criminals" and Jasmine than mere rebels, Yangchen stopped projecting herself. She opened her eyes and found herself looking directly at her two going on two and a half year old son, Gyatso. At first, she felt a little annoyed – Xingyun had let him in without permission, and her husband was standing near the door, grinning mischievously! Looking at Gyatso's shimmering jade eyes and hearing the way he said, "Bab-y? See sister? Jai…na? Mom, name Jaina?" Yangchen softened, hugging him as she said, "Sure!", feeling love brush aside petty annoyances. Taking Gyatso over to the newborn Jaina, who looked hungry and about to fuss, having apparently waken up, hungry for her second ever breastfeeding, Yangchen wondered idly without any real purpose as her husband followed: "I am plenty attached to my earthly tether. And so is my husband – even if he's not the least bit dirty-mouthed during sex. Why can't I fly like Jinora, a 14-year old? What's wrong with me? She doesn't even have kids yet…"

Not sure what her "block" could be, Yangchen returned to the present when Jaina began crying - one of the few times since she was born, and not just because she had been sleeping for so long. She had chosen the name well - her baby little daughter cried only briefly after birth, all heart-warming coos and blissful suckling after that. Yangchen groaned internally – she should have fed Jaina first, then brought Gyatso over, though she realized she probably didn't have twenty minutes to feed Jaina anyways. But she'd have to make time… Jaina wasn't the only "one" fussing anyways – Yangchen must have suppressed the full and slightly painful feeling in her breasts earlier with how concerned she was about Omashu, then talking with Chin's daughter, and hearing Jaina cry certainly re-adjusted her priorities. Not sure how to get Gyatso away to prevent him from asking for any of Jaina's milk, especially considering how difficult it had been to wean him for both mother and child. Yangchen had acutely missed the feeling of peace, calm, love, even a little euphoria she felt when feeding him ever since she stopped feeding well over a year ago. Jaina's cries reminding her there was someone who definitely needed her, Yangchen found her body moving all by itself - her baby needed to be fed, and her body didn't care about her mind's quibbling, or time schedules. Laughing to see Jaina's eyes light up and glad to hear her stop crying when Yangchen exposed one breast, Yangchen ignored Gyatso's question of, "You take part of shirt off. Expose bouncy thing. Tell what do, mommy? Please?" at first, Yangchen finally answering, "Women feed their babies from their breasts with milk," after a small gust of wind from her son told Yangchen she wasn't going to get away with ignoring his legitimate question. One she was willing to answer – unlike one of his earlier ones…

Remembering she did have work to do, she told Gyatso after telling her husband to start searching for an Air Nomad-inspired baby carrier she had once used to carry Gyatso around, as well as the breast pumps, "Why don't you take just a little while longer to look at your little sister, then mommy needs to do stuff to make sure we stay free. Okay?" Apparently, Gyatso both understood and remembered more than Yangchen had hoped, saying as Jaina suckled, Yangchen's physical discomfort lowering even as emotional discomfort increased, "Remember crazy night…bad men go good, other bad men still bad outside. Also remember… what daddy call… 'mmmbag' earlier. Just barely. I hungry – can have some milk from mmmbag?" Yanghchen shook her head, saying strongly, the slight arousal she felt with breastfeeding and memories of Gyatso's annoying habit of biting at times towards the end only making her more adamant in her proclamation, "No – breast milk, not 'mmmbag' milk, is for babies only, and you're definitely a big boy now!" Yangchen "stood" her ground by blowing Gyatso away from her chest using airbending as she kept Jaina' head cradled over her fuller right breast, her husband laughing at his son's antics. Yangchen blushed slightly as she remembered who had first called her breasts "mmmbags" - and had accidentally called them that in front of Gyatso this morning during Jaina's first feeding! Was it an accident, or a hint to Yangchen about something for a few days from now…? Whatever.

Realizing she felt hungry herself, she told Gyatso sternly, her husband finally finding the clothes she wanted to change into once Jaina felt satisfied, "If you keep bugging mom, Jaina time might end again, like it did earlier, when you asked over and over where Jaina came from after we told you to drop it. Now do you want one of the first times you see you baby sister to end on a sour note, or do you want to touch her for a little while she eats? It won't be for long - mommy needs to change in a bit, then have a meeting. Daddy found the special mommy baby clothes." Gyatso's eyes lit up brighter than Jaina's had, saying with a toothy grin, "Forget mmmbag. Little sister again – big brother?" Now Yangchen found herself fighting Gyatso away from her chest for an entirely different reason, saying, "Yes – let me finish feeding your little sister first! If a woman doesn't feed her baby enough right after birth, when the baby grows up, the baby is weaker against infection," adding, "Not to mention if I don't feed often enough it feels terrible." Gyatso nodded, saying, "Okay – not feed bad for Jaina. 'Terrible' for momma too," Yangchen sighing slightly when he said pitifully, audibly annoyed as he looked at her chest, "I just sit here, hungry, while little sis gets fed. Hungry…" Yangchen gave him a small dirty look, saying, "Even if I did relent, which I won't, you probably wouldn't like it. 'Mmmbags' don't make normal-tasting milk at first. It's still good for the baby - and the baby needs every drop it can get."

Yangchen left out how she knew anything about milk's taste progression for the same reason she hadn't told Gyatso where Jaina came from earlier. After all, Gyatso certainly hadn't come up with the name "mmmbags", even if he used it earlier, and she more clearly remembered now the third reason she weaned everyone, pretty sure her husband's "slipup" hadn't been one after all - though he didn't look like he meant to say it in front of Gyatso. It was great for both parties at first, the first time amazing, but eventually "playfeeding" with her husband was just… weird. At least, that's how it had felt the first time she ever thought about what someone else would think of it. The first time someone in room service had knocked and asked with audible incredulity, "Just what in the blazes are you two doing in there?" in the middle being their playfeeding last ever. She wasn't looking forward to that conversation with Xingyun, should she and her husband even get the opportunity to make love anytime soon…

Though from what Yangchen had, or rather, hadn't seen, the Avatar seemed to make time, given all the gaps in what Raava had shown her. If Omashu wasn't under immediate threat… what difference would five minutes make?

Thoughts of her husband and love reminding her what she needed to protect, Yangchen re-focused, thinking, "If the Earth Empire gets in here, there won't be a family left to love, unless Jayashri works a 'miracle' on Jinshu Kuangmai… I still don't trust his vow to Korra that he will let the civilians evacuate, and Jayashri didn't get the memo apparently - so I doubt Wuqing did either." Asking her husband for a radio behind her as Gyatso played with his sister's auburn hair, Yangchen said into the radio, "Can I get some room service, please? Something big and tasty - I did just give birth not long ago. I feel like I could eat a whole plate of sushi…" Forgetting her dignity for a minute, Yangchen added, drooling a little, "Never mind red meat." Seeing Gyatso looking at her and laughing, "Baby sister not only one droolin!", she regained her composure after stifling laughter, "Oh – and tell our top engineers and the Earth Empire defector's leader Yuehan to get ready for a huge update. I'll let them know when to come to my private quarters," adding, "Bring something for my little rude precocious son as well," figuring she could multitask between family time and "work" time for the next twenty to thirty minutes.

Jaina let out a loud, contented-sound burp and starting to suckle less strongly, even though she had only been suckling for a few minutes. Yangchen remembered a bit more about Jaina's first time breastfeeding. Now sure that Jaina's odd breastfeeding habit of sucking for a while when she was first hungry then sleeping for ten to fifteen minutes, and waking up later to finish was likely not a fluke, Yangchen wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing. Knowing she had things other than breastfeeding training her daughter to worry about for now, coughing, she said, "Gyatso, mommy needs you to leave for a little bit," intending to use the time that Jaina was temporarily asleep to change her dress and draw schematics for her engineers.

With a last kiss of his sleeping baby sister, Gyatso left the room, thankfully shutting the door behind him, the light still on. Using her head to gesture towards the baby, Yangchen said, thinking of another use of her time, "Honey, given everything I'll need to do, I think if Jaina's going to feed irregularly, we might need to mix bottled pumped milk and actual breastfeeding. Get the hand pumps," hoping to divert her husband's most likely interest by saying, "I think I'll need an… assistant, if you know what I mean. My hands are 'tired'… and yours aren't." Xingyun nodded, saying with a smile, "Huh - playpumping. Sounds fine to me," Yangchen feeling a different kind of love when he said, "If you're open to it, later - I'm not stealing any… colostrum? from Jaina," giggling a little when he said, "Doesn't taste good anyways. I remember what does, though…"

Seeing her husband's smile, Yangchen arched her eyebrows, remembering another use for shared inner dream worlds aside from meeting, saying only, "I might be able to help with that. I'll explain…later," glad to see her husband nod and run off to find what she needed.

No longer feeling Jaina sucking, Yangchen felt comfortable assuming she was asleep, placing her daughter into swaddles in a corner, not needing to set a timer - Jaina would let them know when it was time for a feeding again. Her husband returning with the baby-holding clothes, bottles, breast pumps and pencil and papers, even though she hadn't said anything about needing those, Yangchen smiled, saying as she placed the pencils and papers to the side, "Thank you, honey. I didn't even have to ask." Xingyun shrugged, saying, "No problem. Now get out of those clothes," noticing with a smile he didn't say, "And into these."

Taking the last of what she had been wearing off, seeing her husband's glittering green eyes as he held the half knockoff Air Nomad robes, half baby carrier she had made what seemed like an eternity ago to carry a bouncing baby Gyatso around, Yangchen felt her earlier resolve about work and pumping while Jaina slept slip when her husband said, staring at her chest, "I remember the whole reason you designed this thing - make it easier to feed a baby on the go. I didn't say anything, but I also remember what we did accidentally at first before - where that nickname came from." He looked like he wanted to continue, but Yangchen held up a hand, saying as memory came back, "Like you said earlier, some other time... Jaina needs every drop for the first few days, and more importantly… don't forget we might be in a war zone soon," the color draining from her face when he said, frowning as he said with a slight tremble, "Honey, that's exactly why I brought it up, held the baby carrier back, admired your naked body - sex. I'm not stealing from Jaina either. I know you know what I'm going to say, but… I won't say it."

That this could be the last time, if they did anything now, and either one of them… died… later.

Though she didn't say anything, Yangchen thought, "If it could be… I want to make it count," not caring if she had just given birth a few hours ago. Unaware of her internal comment, Xingyun continued, saying, "I'll wait. C'mon - I won't do anything aside from what we came up with earlier right now, even that not without your permission." Yangchen remembering how lucky she was to have Xingyun - "Lucky" - as a husband when he said, "I haven't massaged you on your chest aggressively or really messed with your 'twin attractions' in a while, even though that part of your breathtaking body is my favorite… I remembered how far along you were with Gyatso when your breasts got too sensitive for real roughhousing, let alone the other thing, and made sure it was different this time. I hated how hurt you sounded, disappointed," all this talk having reminded Yangchen she missed more vigorous "play" there a lot as well…

Not sure how long they had before Jaina fussed, currently facing a wall fast asleep, or room service arrived, Yangchen smiled, looking down as she said, pointing between her husband's legs, "There's one spot that doesn't smart at all right now - and you're lucky it's on you, not me," laughing at his vaguely koala-sheepish expression, Yangchen insisting, "I don't mind - you heard what I said earlier about 'room service'… and it's a different kind of playpumping, after all." Her husband blushed slightly, saying as he undressed just the required amount, "O-okay. I won't complain - and I guess you're pretty sore down there, after giving birth and all," both laughing after he said "'Room service', coming up," though by this point Yangchen couldn't see the expression on his face - she liked his "expression" elsewhere better.

Beginning, even though a sense of oneness overlayed with physical bliss permeated her being, not a hint of shame, Yangchen felt something else - a small bitter melancholy that she found fouled the experience for her. She stopped for a moment and said slowly, mouth no longer otherwise occupied, "Sorry, I… I just hope this isn't the last time…" She was about to say something else, but found she couldn't, mouth again "occupied", crying slightly when her husband said, "I know - just be. Shhh… Don't think about anything else… I know I wasn't… Amazing…"

Doing just that, Yangchen began "speaking" her love without words and focusing on physical feelings and sensations. Yangchen successfully banished nagging thoughts once she felt oneness again, her mind fading shortly after that. Yangchen felt much better after, not sure how much time had passed - only that she had a great time, blood still pumping through both her and Xingyun. Given her husband's normally lackluster exclamation was abnormally strong this time and his heavy breathing matched her own, she felt happy, realizing she had given him her all without even thinking about it. She took a moment to savor her end of things, not protesting her husband's exploratory caress of her upper body after she stood up on an impulse, kissing him deeply without thinking about what lingered on and in her, involuntarily moaning after, "Do whatever you want, you lucky son of a -"

At first, he looked like he was about to forget all about what they had came up with earlier - trying to make "work" like breastpumping fun. At the last moment, he shook his head, saying, "Wait - be right back," Yangchen at first feeling annoyed to be left hanging. Xingyun coming back, it was a little physically awkward at first, the plastic and rubber decidedly not sexy. Hormones kicking in, Yangchen found the play almost as good on her one attraction as she had remembered, eventually taking the pump herself, saying, "I'll do it - you just… feel the other attraction." Yangchen let out another low moan as he repaid her favor while she worked instead, savoring the feeling of oneness and bliss she knew came along with any kind of adult play, thinking nothing about what they'd look like if someone walked in, only about what her husband was doing. She could have sworn she felt something on her other breast besides her husband's touch, but didn't care.

If it really was the last time… she wanted it to be memorable.

Again not sure how much time had passed, everything having passed in a panting blur of touch and pressures after the handoff, two hearts beating rapidly as one, Yangchen realized she'd look like a fool if she didn't clean up properly. More importantly, she probably needed to feed Jaina soon, hoping her husband hadn't drained the other faucet accidentally. Remembering what she had felt on her left breast, she cursed involuntarily - so much for being careful. She'd need to let Jaina have her fill - even if it meant producing "extra" milk down the line. She was sure her husband wouldn't mind in the least…

Re-adjusting herself lower, seeing he was "at attention" again, she cleaned up quickly after a much quicker go than before, her mind distracted by more welcome bitter things, snickering when her husband said, "Wow… There. You're all good - and we better have gotten everything off my face," nodding her head in agreement and not for another reason when he said, "Let's get you dressed again - make sure there's a next time," feeling content and motivated when he said, "If you're up to it, much later… Maybe even another kid - one who will only see peace." Yangchen beamed, feeling happy when he added as he caressed her, looking over her shoulder, "Jaina's so beautiful - just like you."

Hearing Jaina begin to fuss halfway through getting dressed, Yangchen feeling lucky she hadn't protested sooner, she felt extra urgency to finish getting dressed again, maternal instinct overriding any thoughts about room service or weapons, finally putting on the robe her husband had held out for her earlier. Having accidentally forgotten to keep her breasts in between the inner, skintight portion and baby-holding outer portion, both breasts lay outside the modesty and baby-restraining outer layer of cloth. Remembering Jaina was hungry, she only put the one both Jaina and pump already had a crack at away, asking Xingyun for a cloth to help obscure her left, open breast. Even though her breast hurt a bit from being "abused" earlier, in a good way towards the end, she didn't protest when Xingyun helped her and threw in a quick little something, glad to see him smile as much during the quick extra tender "assistance" as when she took Jaina out of her swaddling and onto her lap, supporting her head at her other, overly full breast. Seeing Jaina smile for a brief moment before suckling happily, Yangchen said, feeling light and not caring her breast was exposed, "To peace."

Her husband nodding and not making some exclamation about her levitating off the floor, vaguely remembering Raava showing her Jinora's "first time", Yangchen felt confused, feeling plenty love as Jaina was close to her and her husband holding her gingerly from behind and laying one hand on top of their youngest.

She wondered internally, vaguely angry with the Universe, "Wh- what's wrong with me?!"

Closing her eyes, she saw a cryptic image, seeing her own face to the right of what she knew from her studies to be Avatar Yangchen's face. She noticed that there were "less" familiar faces to the left of her namesake's. Given two of the younger ones had arrows on their foreheads, they must be Jinora and Kai, Jinora and another airbender Yangchen vaguely recognized as Opal "stacked" on top of Avatar Yangchen's head. Noticing another familiar Air Nomad Avatar's young face was far, far to the left and Jinora's desire for an Air Nomad military, Yangchen half wondered if it was a scale of some sort.

The last thing she saw before hearing a knocking sound was numbers appearing beneath Aang, her namesake's and her own face, the young idealistic Aang's face displaying the character for one beneath it, Avatar Yangchen's stern face having the character for ten beneath it…

And her own face, with the two characters that stood for eleven beneath it.

Opening her eyes, Yangchen tried to make sense of it - "turning it up to eleven" was an English phrase, a language she knew - so why bother with conventional characters? Was "someone" trying to make a point - stressing she was "one" over whatever was being measured? Or one beyond acceptable? So she went to eleven - but on what? Thinking back to what she had been doing with, or rather, to and with Xingyun before and loving it, she idly wondered if sex were the issue. She shook her head, thinking "No, no - that can't be right, even if Jinora did stop flying after trying to grab her boyfriend's babymaker prematurely. Kai didn't want any of it, and my husband obviously did just now, and every other time, so... and Aang had kids - Avatar Yangchen didn't!"

After she told her husband about what she saw and thought of it, as well as a crash course on earthly tether-embracing flight, yelling, "Just a minute!" to whoever was knocking on her door, Yangchen could see he looked off, eventually "commanding" him nicely, "Hubby, if we can both figure out how to fly - though I'm pretty sure what your issue is - we're a lot more likely to have many more, happier days together. Able to dodge attacks a lot better… Tell me - if you have an idea, say it." Xingyun sighed, saying lowly, "People can hear. This is probably going to fall on just as deaf ears as you telling me just now I need to cuss like a schoolboy like you do sometimes when we're 'tethering' ourselves, like we did earlier - man that was great - but… I think that scale had nothing to do with sex, just like you said. Aang had three kids. I do know one thing he was a 'one' on, and from what you've told me, Avatar Yangchen was a 'ten' on - willingness to take life."

Her husband right, Yangchen groaned, "Oh, what? I haven't even ever… that is ridiculous! We've been in hiding or incognito for three years! I've never had an opportunity to kill someone with airbending before!" The knocking getting louder, and Yangchen's stomach starting to protest more vigorously for food, her face flushed in anger and annoyance when she heard her husband say very quietly, "We both know that's true - before your first gift, that is. We 'talked' about it earlier…" her husband not needing to say anything else to remind her of a secret she wished she had never shared, even if she felt - and still felt - totally justified.

Her one-time act before Harmonic Convergence of carrying out vigilante justice on one of Earth Queen Hou Ting's worst tax collectors, Tanxin, who had abused Omashu and her own parents and family in particular for years, and the ironic fact that it was airbending that stopped her from continuing on his replacement. She was fine with Omashu providing services if they were paid for it, but couldn't stand the city being bled dry in other, less legal ways, like that rat had done to her family. By the time his jumpy permanent replacement had come to town for the first time - having been delayed by bandits from what rumors she heard, Yangchen having originally intended to make sure he met a quick and unsuspicious end as well before he could bleed Omashu dry - Yangchen was already organizing and shuttling airbenders underground, the Avatar by that time having already been "at war" with Earth Queen Hou Ting over new airbenders such as herself.

Thinking back to her feelings, what had motivated her to kill the man, she winced slightly - she had been slightly more interested in revenge for her family's suffering than any real "justice", even if it was still somewhat close. Maybe that was what was holding her back…

Realizing she had a job to do, Yangchen snapped back to the present, grousing slightly when she saw an outstretched hand, saying gruffly, "What do you want?" Hearing a female voice say calmly, "It is polite to tip those who serve you for their service, leader, and my children need it," Yangchen apologized, saying, "I was off in my own little world. Hubby, give the woman some money. Make it extra - she looks pregnant. Seven months, based on your belly, at that." Feeling famished, she turned to the smiling woman's face, asking, "Is room service here?" The woman smiled, patting her belly, saying, "Yup - seven months. Feel what I hope is a her kicking all the time. Our fourth - and possibly final! You're not the only working mother around here, Yangchen. Why don't you see who has come for yourself. It's about to get a lot more crowded in here."

Not sure if she had gotten everything cleaned up from earlier, Yangchen coughed, saying, "Wait - uh, I - uh my husband needs to clean the room quickly… it's… too dusty to eat in here!" The woman smiled knowingly, Yangchen blushing slightly when she said, "Whatever you two were doing in here before I came in, I can't see any evidence of it aside from a little sparkle in both your eyes," the blush fading when the woman admitted, smiling coyly, "Room service was a little slow for similar reasons - we should have been here five or ten minutes ago, but… myself included, people made some 'pit stops'." Looking a little wistful, the woman said, rubbing her belly, moving the light cloth that covered it around, "I do love kids, and what makes them, a lot… Maybe it won't be our final… You didn't sound overly urgent, so… people took their time." Remembering the entire reason people were making "pit stops" and remembering she did have a time constraint, logic overriding maternal instinct or the "logic" of desire that had made her a mother of two in the first place, Yangchen asked, feeling foolish, "Is Omashu still okay? I… totally lost track of time. What time is it?"

Yangchen breathed a big sigh of relief when the woman smiled, saying as another room service woman entered the room, noticing with curiosity that this second woman's eyes were blue, "It's just now 7:00 in the morning, and Omashu is fine, as is your baby, apparently - look at her go." Yangchen did just that, saying, "Wh - oops. Forgot to cover that," relaxing and deciding she didn't need to change a thing when the woman said, "No - I think it's beautiful," feeling a little embarrassed when the first woman added, cupping her slightly smaller chest like a gradeschooler, "Wish I had boobs that big, for myself, my husband and for when I was breastfeeding my youngest - you can probably hold a lot of reserve in there, as opposed to me," Yangchen noting with a little irony that Kipa's chest looked different than it should for someone seven months pregnant. Almost… further along, swearing she could see a tiny stain where the other woman's nipples would have been beneath the light cloth. Yangchen's own embarrassment turned to full out blushing when her husband chimed in, saying, "Yeah - there was plenty… for Gyatso when he was younger!" The room service woman raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. Yangchen wondered if she had heard the last playfeeding herself, exclamations and all. The woman's nine-month plus upper figure only increased Yangchen's suspicion.

Finally introducing herself, though Yangchen swore she recognized her, the first woman's light yellow eyes looking a little shifty as she spoke, "The name's … Xun Bihu. But don't worry about me - you need to eat, make sure your new child is fed, and see everyone who's come to see you. I'll be on my way back to my food stall now. Call if you need anything." Yangchen shook her head, saying, "Bring in the food - nobody else but Gyatso for now," noticing the woman's light yellow eyes widen as she said, "I know a fake name when I hear it. A bad and rather literal one, at that. Jinshu Kuangmai's name means something specific, and so does yours. 'Refuge seeker'… If you've got something to hide, like I hid the airbenders who came from and came to Omashu over the past three years, say it - we're free now, and if you know anything that will help us stay that way... until we can get out." Yangchen frowned slightly, feeling sad when the woman said, her voice sounding like she had seen much hardship, "M-my real name is… I - there's a reason I love my family so much, even expanding it, I guess, for its own sake - it's all I have left to remind me, of… my family's past… Yangchen, airbenders weren't the only ones who took refuge in Omashu. Or the one with a big secret. I never really felt safe telling anyone until now, without a tyrant over us and a chance to get somewhere truly safe, but… I might just seem like a food worker, but I've been helping run something inside Omashu for years, under everyone's noses - literally." Yangchen jumped slightly, her husband letting out a startled yelp and Jaina protesting at the interruption to milk first, then cooing softly when the woman produced a small flame, saying, "My real name is Kipa - and I am definitely not of traditional Earth Kingdom descent, and neither is the waterbender baby in my stomach," Yangchen noticing the flame was much larger now.

Shushing some part of her mind that wanted to demand how many more firebenders there were, where they had hidden for so long, and if there were any waterbenders other than this woman's husband, Yangchen listened as Kipa continued, ignoring her own stomach's growling, her only action to make sure Jaina could suckle again, "There… used to be a great city, to the north, where my ancestors lived - Garzai. When Earth Queen Hou Ting came to power - the same tyrant that forced you underground, with her airbender conscript army - a lot of people left the city out of panic, knowing from rumors she hated the United Republic not being Earth kingdom territory. People in Garzai figured old colonies would be even worse off, including my grandparents - though not everyone could afford to leave on boats, like a lot of the wealthier citizens did, headed for the Fire Nation or Republic City. People from poorer backgrounds like my family had to leave on foot, some like my grandparents unable to leave until a few years into Hou Ting's rule." Smiling slightly, she said, "There was a slow trickle out of the city, my own grandparents a little into their twenties when they bumped into each other on the road. My firebender grandmother was fleeing with her parents to an ancient city where she hoped to be safe from harassment and what her parents feared would come one day, and did - the roundup of firebenders and waterbenders. My waterbending grandfather was trying to flee the Earth Queen's excessive taxation to one of the few cities at the time where taxes were less inevitable than death," Kipa quipping nervously, a little light in her yellow eyes, "And taxes less likely to cause the other!"

After another growl from Yangchen's stomach and knocking on the door, Kipa sighed, saying, "I guess the more personal details will have to wait for some other time. Anyways, my parents and grandparents, a lot of other mixed heritage lovers like them and some earthbenders who were leery of living under Hou Ting inside a former Fire Nation colony eventually taking up residence in rooms they constructed. They figured the City of Two Lovers the perfect place to make a new life - even if they felt like they needed to vanish and hide." Smiling slightly, she finished, "I meant what I said about under your noses this whole time - everything was built out and up into the rock surrounding the city's sewer system. The thinking was nobody would check there - and they didn't. There's more than quite a few people living under Omashu secretly - my own husband is a waterbender, and we have a three kids," frowning deeply and crying slightly when she added, "Even though he's a firebender, one of my youngest has only seen the sun a few times in his two years of life, and my second youngest Katara has only seen the moon a few more times than her little brother Iroh, even though she's a waterbender and almost four. Our oldest, Jeong-Jeong, only nine, works hard, to keep our family fed, along with my husband at our food shop on the surface, my little man never firebending in public. His sister - I don't know if she'd ever be able to help up top and stay anonymous; she's just like what I've heard about her namesake at a young age - bending constantly, defiantly!" Kipa cried slightly, saying, "We've clung to legends, heroes for years, to weather the storms the Earth kingdom has been through, especially the… the former colonies… hoping for a day when it's safe to come out. We couldn't make it to the shining beacon of the world - Republic City. I heard what happened there, and I hope it is safe to come out now…"

Feeling disturbed, like she could produce blue fire if she were a firebender like this woman was, feeling so angry and rightfully so, Yangchen said, "Well then, go - get your families out of there and into the sunlight! That's just horrible!" glad to see Kipa looked like she understood when Yangchen said, "Plus, we may need everyone we can get to defend Omashu later, so I may ask them to fight," adding, "Not your babies, that is - I hope it doesn't come to that. If I need you, I'll ask for your other fake name and red meat." Kipa making to leave, Yangchen, figuring the woman likely had more to be righteously angry about then she did, said quickly, "Wait - I want to see you later," adding when she got a confused look, "You've got the right stuff, working seven months pregnant. I might just be able to coach you on how to make blue fire, and if every other firebender down there has as a heart-wrenching tale as you do… maybe everyone. I can't say how I've seen the Avatar and her experiences directly without a long explanation, but she 'told' me how she first made blue fire."

Kipa nodding eagerly and leaving the room after complimenting Jaina's looks and distinct hair, Yangchen swore she heard Kipa crying slightly but sounding happy, Yangchen sighing deeply as she said, "With love on our side, and a whole lot more help… I don't see how we can lose." Yangchen finally got to see what food Kipa had brought, digging in to the fresh greens and noodles topped with a large piece of what must have been a whole fish's worth of sushi along with Gyatso, her dutiful husband making sure both herself and Jaina could eat at the same time. She hadn't had any red meat ever since Omashu fell a month before Zaofu– everything high-quality went to Kuvira and then Jinshu Kuangmai's soldiers, and she hoped Jaina's health hadn't been affected. Remembering that Pema's children were perfectly healthy despite the whole family until recently having been vegetarians, she felt better – though she did wonder if the other woman's babies would have turned out taller or stronger with meat in their diets, and their mother's…

Kipa's own three children were likely worse off, having lived underground for so long, in fear of tyrants. Yangchen found herself identifying with the firebender just thinking about her, laughing slightly when she wondered, "What was her 'pit stop'? Maybe her hubby likes pregnancy like mine, but in a different way…"

Taking a break from eating herself, she checked to see if Jaina was full on mother's milk, and given she could still feel Jaina's tiny mouth sucking at Yangchen's left "twin attraction", it might be a while, hoping Jaina wouldn't mind being bottlefed the rest of what had come from Yangchen's right breast. Yangchen had heard mothers with twins managed fine, and remembering past playfeedings and Gyatso still having enough, she felt better about being able to provide enough for Jaina.

Remembering more clearly now how Gyatso had been about being fed and changed as a baby, Yangchen half wondered if she'd be directing defenses, evacuation, Varrick gun fire or military movements with her voice as she sat at the city's top, reassuring a suckling Jaina with the next breath. Distracting herself from such thoughts by digging in to the food brought to her with her right hand, Yangchen noticed that the fish seemed to satisfy her much more than usual, so busy eating she forgot to scold Gyatso when he tried sticking noodles in his nose. Hearing her husband say, "Hey, stop that – it might just stay in there! You want noodle nose for life?" Yangchen felt a bit more comfortable, laughing nonetheless when Gyatso disobeyed. Her son airbent a jam-packed nose full of noodles in his father's direction. Yangchen turned to look at her husband who was behind her, helping support both her productive breast and Jaina - Yangchen found herself appreciating the hold around her body as much as the help. Xingyun was only half-smiling at first, a few noodles landing on her shoulder. Part of the small bunch of noodles hitting the floor with a splat, all three burst into laughter - even Jaina sounded happy, giggling and then resuming her never-ending quest for more food, Yangchen sighing deeply again, finding more "spiritual wisdom" and true enlightenment coming from raising a family and her own body's workings than anything her parents had taught her about the Air Nomads.

Swearing she felt light, Yangchen dragged herself back to the present. Seeing the smile on the second still-present room service woman and remembering how the fish tasted better than usual, Yangchen asked, "Can't ask Kipa, given she's off getting her family, but… do you know if that fish anything special? It tasted better than anything I've had in weeks." The woman nodded, saying, "Now that we're free, for now, the Earth Empire 'occupation' troops started sharing their higher-quality rations… with a little guilt tripping from some children and pressure from their commander, the way I hear it," laughing slightly as she remembered aloud, "Even Kipa's eldest son was in on it, little Jeong-Jeong working the defector who oversees Omashu's food like a master. Anyways - If I had time, I would have cooked the se-tu I gave you, but you sounded hungry, so I just deep-freezed it to kill anything bad in it, with, uh… bah, secret's out; I'm a waterbender, if you hadn't figured that out by my eye color and what Kipa said." Yangchen looking forward to eating more se-tu in the future, the woman smiled, finishing, "Apparently, that fish is just as hardy and adaptable as we are, living somewhere it's not 'supposed to'. 'Quartermaster' Da said it came from one of the big lakes behind those old hydroelectric dams that dried everything up around Omashu before anyone in this room was born. Even though they are 'supposed to' spawn like sea salmon-bass, they're there in the lakes anyways, all these years later." Looking at Jaina, the woman smiled, saying, "Guess life finds a way. She's cute, and I love the color of her hair. Just like your husband's."

Sighing contentedly again, Yangchen felt glad for the compliments, to see a waterbender in front of her and to hear that some defectors were taking their change of allegiance seriously, and also glad she could eat se-tu again for both her sake and Jaina's. Yangchen almost cursed when she saw an Earth Empire defector standing in the now fully open doorway, a lot of geeky-looking men and women standing behind him. She was having difficulty getting used to the idea of defectors... Coughing, the man she recognized as their "leader", formerly Sergeant Yuehan said, nodding, "Yes – life does. I was the one who told that lard butt 'Da' to quit hogging the supplies earlier, with a little help from what must have been Jeong-Jeong. If the Avatar really does come through, she can get us a lot more food where that came from. Figure waterbending would make fishing real easy, and the waterbenders here might not be too keen on going to the dams just yet. And I heard everything Kipa had to say… when one of these goofballs wasn't knocking on the door. Anyways… I got your summons. Brief report for you here, Yangchen – under watch by some of your men, an officer of mine who can earthsense, just like me, says he made a confusing discovery far away from the city. Side trip while inspecting and reinforcing the dams against attack with metal. That order of yours is completed, as are the bunkers, by the way. We got a lot of material from bending out the new places. His claim - confirmed by a few airbenders checking out the site. We wanted to consult you before acting on it and sending anyone to investigate further." Looking down, he said, looking a little sad, "I can see you're otherwise occupied for now. Here - I'll show you the map."

Looking at the piece of parchment, finally taking back over supporting Jaina and her left breast from her husband so he could eat, Yangchen's eyes widened – it wasn't a report, it was a map of Omashu and its surroundings! Seeing all four bridges and the main approach to Omashu looked fine, the dams near and even far away from Omashu looking reinforced, Yangchen tried to find what was wrong, noticing the map included the Cave of Two Lover's… open twin entrances? Looking at the cave, hoping Yuehan followed her gaze, Yangchen asked, "Is this what the 'problem' is? That this cave system here should be shut up and closed off, but it's not?" Yuehan nodded, saying, "Exactly. I've heard stories that there are two badgermoles that live in the caves, constantly shifting the tunnels around. I say stories because my man didn't detect any seismic activity." Yangchen nodded, saying, "I've actually been there before with my husband, right before we got airbending." Seeing Gyatso running circles around the dour looking defector "leader", she continued, "I hope my little 'pest' isn't bothering you," remembering where he had been conceived - in the caves themselves. The sweet in a different way memory bringing her back to the present, she said, remembering what had provided them light to see one another by as they had made love for the first time after getting airbending, "Beautiful place, all the crystals – I've heard stories that badgermoles sometimes stop moving if they've just given birth recently, like… well, I have, hah." Yuehan nodded again, saying, "If you say so – I certainly hope that's what happened. Oh, uh - your son's not a pest, just… energetic. My scout said he felt creeped out, when he went in further. Weird faint smell unlike anything he's ever whiffed… and he swore he heard some kind of low moaning. Whole reason he decided to come to me instead of going in further."

Remembering a big part of the evacuation – the prison camp – depended on badgermoles, Yangchen found herself hoping she was right, the smell just a part of badgermole biology and not anything sinister. She had a harder time convincing herself the moaning wasn't sinister. Trying to adjust her seated position to make Jaina more comfortable, forgetting to move carefully, she felt a dull pain in her hips and crotch, the only outward sign she gave of any "weakness" a low pained "HUUuuhh". Then again, given how her vagina and hips, oh "God" her hips, had felt and still felt after giving birth… she wouldn't be surprised if it was the mother badgermole moaning in pain. Yangchen made a mental note to send a few loyal earthbenders and airbenders in to investigate once she was done with the technical parts of the defense and re-hauling everything, given she "now" had both waterbenders and firebenders to work with. All depending on how fit to fight or willing to fight they were, of course...

Jaina still busy feeding, Yangchen started to feel more lovey-dovey, only caring that Jaina now had an easier time nursing and not minding her own pain. Smiling, Yangchen said after she rubbed Jaina's little spit of auburn hair, "Thank you. Before meeting with you engineers, yes, I can see you back there, doing your best hopping llama impersonation, I'll have to see how Jasmine's holding up. Speaking of military… you have experience with mechasuits, and their lightning generation. Yuehan, have any idea if the… what, two dozen mechasuits we do have, could be modified so that the lightning doesn't kill?" Not entirely sure why, Yangchen found herself concerned with the target's survival beyond just the possibility of knocking out conscripts and "recruiting" them, so she felt frustrated when he shrugged, Yangchen surprised he didn't nod like he habitually did while saying, "Yes - I have a vague idea. But really, should ask the 'dorks', not me. A few of the 'dorks' are even Earth Empire – all I know is, the suits certainly don't have a power adjustor, just like the spirit weapons we have. Kuvira was never really one to care about killing in the end – unlike you airbenders, I guess."

Not sure what she was defending, Yangchen pointed to Jaina with her head, saying, "That's not entirely true – you've seen those explosive metal javelins. Anybody messes with my babies, they're dead." Yuehan nodded, Yangchen wondering if he did anything other than nod as he said, Yangchen feeling a little… ill at ease? as he said, looking sad at first, "Respectable – the babies part, that is. Still think those javelins are not right for the situation entirely, unless you want those waterbenders healing everyone's wounded and metalbenders playing 'remove the shrapnel from the conscript' while they could be fighting. Knowing Jinshu Kuangmai, he'll throw the conscripts at us or the prison camp first. People with babies of their own – and not even all the 'evil' metalbender elites or officer are single men or women like I am. Show them you're different than their current boss… who knows what could happen." Finding being lectured on morality by someone in Earth Empire garb ludicrous, even if he had defected and Korra might have told her the same thing, Yangchen snapped, crying a little, "Alright, that's enough! Stay your tongue - I still haven't figured out what these 'badgermole people' living beneath our city mean for the defense of the city. But if they're anything like Kipa, they have, we have, even more motivation to defend ourselves. I have heard rumors it was Kuvira who dismantled Garzai, being a former Fire Nation colony and all, and I won't give specifics, but I know her successor hates the Fire Nation passionately. And… I don't know why, but I'm having second thoughts about using the javelins as anything but a last resort anyways. I would rather get more people to join our side than kill men, but I'm not diverting a huge amount of resources to heal the enemy's wounded. Dismissed." Yuehan nodding once again, he made to leave, stopping dead in his tracks as he said, "Wait. That big bird spirit, Alyssralove - did she know about those people and their… 'housing' while making the reinforcements to the old mountain's base?"

Yangchen not knowing the answer to that, she shrugged lightly, saying, "Hey - I'm pretty sure Kipa would have pitched a royal fit if our lavabending reinforcement of Omashu's base had fried anyone," cursing in English when Yuehan shook his head, saying with a troubled look, "Not what I meant. If they turned the base of Omashu into a network of rooms and tunnels, even if they had good architects planning everything out... that's going to make Omashu a lot weaker against any attempt to topple or undermine the city. Even all that vertical metal and cooled magma base around the city's sides might not help. Undermine the foundation… I'll radio the city's head architect now." Yangchen sighed as Yuehan did so quickly, telling her husband to look for something suitable to help support Jaina while she continued to suckle. Her arms had started to get a little tired, but she didn't mind - for now.

What she did mind, and still would mind no matter how much "love hormone" was pumping through her veins right now, was shy people afraid to say their piece. Seeing all the "dorks" in front of her finally included a lightly panting man she knew to be both outspoken and an architect, having worked with Seiko before going underground along with her parents on the industrial sector's design. Yangchen looked at his eyes, realizing with a start they not only were a Fire Nation color - they were also golden, something usually associated with royalty, the upper class or the rich upper crust, like her family had been before that rat of a tax collector…

Yangchen shook her head, thinking, "Wow… I guess I really do have something I need to work on…" Remembering it wasn't just her family the tax collector had hit, she idly wondered if he had negatively affected Omashu's truly poor residents - the ones who had been hiding for years beneath their feet. Given she had seen Kipa before today, the woman's distinctive eyes seemingly vaguely familiar from four to five years ago before Yangchen herself had any cause to hide, Kipa would have had to pay tax at some level, being a part of society but still hidden. Remembering Kuvira and Jinshu Kuangmai's own "taxes", and the fact that Kipa's nine-year old son felt forced to work to support his family, Yangchen was pretty sure Kipa paid her fair share. Maybe, to avoid suspicion, even more - imagine all the opportunity to extort people with a secret…

Fully aware she had drifted off, Yangchen found herself wanting to talk to Kipa more than those in front of her, finding the task of relaying military technology something that got in the way of what she wanted to do rather than the other way around. Gesturing to Seiko first, she said to the man who was about as old as her own father, "Sorry - drifted off. Those eyes - Kipa from 'room service' told me all about the secret city beneath Omashu, and who lives there. You're a firebender, aren't you?" Seiko nodded, saying as he shocked those around him by producing a good size flame briefly, "Yes, I am - my deceased father was one of the first here, deciding to use his family wealth to help make sure the poor got as good a new start as possible beneath Omashu instead of going to the Fire Nation or Republic City. I learned architecture from him," smiling slightly as he said, "That wasn't the only thing I learned from him - he led a double life as I have, above and belowground, though for appearances we live up here. I've been carrying on his legacy of trying to make sure no one starves anywhere in Omashu, at the very least, no matter the circumstances." Yangchen nodded, saying, "Let's talk about this more personal stuff in a while," as her husband finally brought her the support table and blanket, giving him a quick smile and wink while looking at "him", mouthing as she looked at his crotch, "I'll tip you tonight," smiling broadly when he barely stifled a snicker.

Deciding to get the most important item out of the way first, she was direct, asking a smiling Seiko, "I've seen your visible work, and your father's visible work if I remember correctly, along the edge of the city. I know you're no fool, but I just want to make sure - when you and your father made all those tunnels and living spaces beneath the city, you didn't compromise the old mountain base, did you?" Seiko beamed, saying, "Thank you for the 'compliment' - everything is structurally sound, even steel reinforced in areas," Yangchen realizing how connected Seiko really was when he continued, "I know the basics about this evacuation. My father and I constructed everything we made with the possibility of needing to evacuate in mind." Holding up an architectural blueprint for Yangchen to see, he said, "Beautiful baby, by the way - and son," before saying, "The only problem is, it leads directly towards the nearest water, the tunnel exiting as a medium-sized 'cave' at the base of tall natural cliffs facing the peninsula containing the city where my ancestors lived - Garzai. Or rather, the ruins of it."

Yangchen didn't really see how this was a problem until he continued, looking even more sad, "From rumors I have heard, Kuvira never really saw the need for a navy of any sort. Apparently, Jinshu Kuangmai thinks a little differently from a little snooping someone did out of the tunnel far to the west - the whole reason I was late. There's nothing but barely started boat hulls and oblong shapes sketched into the earth the scout couldn't make sense of, but the boats didn't look like trade ships to him, given their steep draught…" Yangchen coughed, saying, "Okay - so from what I know of rail lines, and Jasmine's camp sitting smack dab on top of the one linking Zaofu to the most likely place for this naval base - west of the Cave of Two lovers near the seashore - there's no way Jinshu Kuangmai can get soldiers or supplies back and forth to this maybe naval base." Seeing Seiko looked confused, Yangchen guessed, "I've had indirect dealings with Chin before, and everything we've read about 'fire-earth' on the captured war balloons indicates he didn't think the ground or the air was the only place appropriate for it. This could be his work, his boss unaware of anything - from the notes we've read, the same held true for fire-earth at first. He must have been working on it for months - I half wonder if he's the only one on their 'brain trust'…" Asking for her husband to grab one of the blueprints, one which she hadn't been able to make sense of until this mention of a naval base, Yangchen made her first leap of faith with the baby-supporting table.

Jaina fully supported by the table and blanket, her right hand free to gesture and draw, still supporting her little baby girl's head with her left hand, Yangchen filled in what she thought were the missing pieces around one of the items that had perplexed even Alyssralove: a massive chamber of some sort, along with cryptic references to Satomobiles, drawing in the missing piece - massive, long gunbarrels. Having seen the power of Lipowder through what Raava showed her of Kuvira's inner struggles, Yangchen was certain it could propel something made of metal, the same volume as a Satomobile, if enough was used. And the scale of this chamber was massive!

Using her right hand to explain, she said, "My best guess is Chin wanted to make a kind of ship never seen before - a battleship mounting long-range, indirect fire weapons. Projectiles the size of cars! Jam fire-earth into the chamber, give it one or more ways out when it combusts, like the tubes I drew, put something in its way - you've got huge potential for damage, if it hits." Gesturing towards Seiko, she said carefully, "You've never seen proper fire-earth in action, and I've only 'seen' it second hand. Something like this would be able to hit almost any part of every nation if they refined it enough, ignoring mountains, unlike spirit vine weaponry. Given these notes about 'metalbent trajectory' and high angles, I think that's the idea… Jinshu Kuangmai's least favorite nation would be particularly vulnerable, being so close to the sea all around - the Fire Nation." Seiko nodded, staying positive in a way that surprised Yangchen, "Well, they haven't made any, and it doesn't sound like there are many people to cut off an evacuation. Why don't we just -"

Yangchen looked at him expectantly, saying, "Why don't we just what, Seiko?" The older man grimaced, saying strongly, "No - nevermind. In fact… my father, everyone below us has been running for two, maybe even three generations, hiding from the world. I helped expand Omashu's industrial capacity. We can hold our own, I think, and if the Avatar really is coming - why don't we just hold Omashu?" Yangchen sighed, saying, "While we do need to hold for now, if for nothing other than making sure the camp is okay… Do you really want me to explain the reason why? I gave half explanations before… Spirit weapons aren't the only 'horror' Jinshu Kuangmai is believed to have."

The answer yes, even Yuehan looking interested, Yangchen realizing this would be a good time to fill her husband in on events as well, Yangchen explained everything relevant, trying to be as concise as possible. Yangchen cursed herself internally, having forgotten to tell Gyatso to leave beforehand, crying a little when he asked, everyone else silent, "What 'death'? 'Asami particle' cause death? I thought Asami good?"

Yangchen began sobbing, saying, "Just a minute," needing time to think about what she would tell her young son… about death. Looking down at Jaina, the words came to Yangchen easily, saying, "I don't know if you'll really understand, but… death is the opposite of life. When someone dies, their spirit is no longer attached to their body; that person is gone forever from the physical realm. But their spirit lives on. Death, and the people that bring it like 'the bad men', are the reasons why we need to be strong - all of us." Tussling Jaina's hair, Yangchen continued, still crying, "Your baby sister - life. The other reason we need to be strong." Seeing the sour expression on Gyatso's face, Yangchen knew he must be understanding part of it, especially when he began crying after she said, almost choking up completely herself, "Death comes from hate, and life comes from love. That's why, no matter what happens, we have to hold onto life and love - not give into death and hate."

Gyatso wasn't the only one sobbing like a little boy, Yuehan revealing something with obvious pain Yangchen had no idea about: "I'm sorry - seeing you, loving your little girl, talking about death and hate, just reminds me of… my own loss." Yuehan breaking down into tears, Yangchen made to start speaking again, stopping when he said, "No - stay. Let me speak… You and your words just remind me of happier days, when I was an ordinary citizen in the Middle Ring, no threat of weapons making the world nothing but… death," clenching his fist angrily and saying, "I never understood how someone could be filled with so much hate or greed that they'd kill a pregnant mother and living child over some baubles… until I realized last night that I let the death of my son, our unborn child and fiancé fill me with that same hatred. With death of the soul…" Yangchen had never heard this before, saying, "WHAT? No - there's different levels of evil; killing a mother and child like me and Jaina has to be one of the worst," asking, "What could you have possibly done that was worse?"

Yuehan shook his head, saying, "It was never officially condoned by Kuvira and she made no attempt to stop it, rumors having it she saw it as a way of cementing control forever, but once Ba Sing Se was back under control… there was a time of retribution against anarchists and looters, and I took part in it - though I never went after rumored petty bandits. Eventually, I did find the people who had killed my son and pregnant fiancé, killing them out of a desire for revenge rather than justice or preventing them from hurting anyone else. Disturbed, I stopped after that, Kuvira unofficially taking into consideration my 'success' when she made me overseer of Omashu. At least she didn't rename the city like that accursed Firelord Ozai did, all those years ago… 'New Ozai' - more like 'New Death'." Able to tell Yuehan was speaking from the heart, he said, not knowing the irony, "Please, Yangchen - don't ever do what I did, giving in to revenge and vengeance. Letting death and hate make home in me… Even if they did deserve death, it was for all the wrong reasons, and 'finishing them' gave me no real peace. Last night, dreaming, talking after my change of heart with her when I got brief sleep - that's where the real first peace came from." Yuehan sighed deeply, looking a little less downtrodden when Xingyun said, "You're still young - maybe you can find someone and start over, once we get everyone out of here - including the people in the camp. They don't have some secret tunnel - and even if we can leave now, we should stay, to make sure they can, hopefully with Wu's help and badgermoles..."

Everyone in the room deathly quiet after that, Gyatso was the first to speak again, saying, "I… think I understand… death. My death would mean…. No more mom, no more… dad," Gyatso breaking down completely when he said, "No more… little sister Jaina. Jinshu Kuangmai winning would mean… death for a lot of people, like… the Air Nomad… genocide," gulping audibly after this last word - a word Yangchen was pretty sure she had never taught Gyatso. Yangchen found herself wishing she wasn't rewarding Gyatso for speaking in a complete sentence on such a heavy subject, but she did so anyways, Gyatso smiling weakly, asking with a single tear, "Thank you. I'm a big boy. Can you… make bad men have life inside… them, mom? Replace death with … life? Can the Avatar… do that?" Yangchen feeling a little disturbed when he asked, " 'Infobend' into good?" Yangchen shook her head, saying, "No, sweetie - Korra can't run around violating people's minds and forcing them to be good; true transformation can only come from within." Realizing she had divulged a lot of highly sensitive information to everyone in the room, she added, "You can't even run around, not trusting people until she 'reads' them - she can't be everywhere at once. People have to make their own judgment calls," looking at Yuehan and smiling at the end. She hadn't said that for Gyatso - she'd said it for Yuehan.

Noticing Jaina was still suckling at her left breast, her little girl supposed to have been switched to the pumped milk by now, Yangchen found herself not caring, even if it meant trouble and excess supply later, saying to no one in particular, still stressing part of what she said like she were talking only to Gyatso, "I had thought all these lovey-dovey hormones, oxytocin, would make me a bad leader… but I was wrong. I don't think…" breaking up, she continued, "Don't think I… could have handled talking about some evil person 'Asami particle'-ing us to death without it," deciding she'd draw on her feelings for strength and "advice". Smiling slightly, she said proudly, "Let's do something - Yuehan, hand me something else to draw on."

"I want to show you this 'Liser' first."

As soon as Yangchen had finished speaking, sure what her problem was and how she could fix it, with actions today, even admitting to herself she needed this besides just flight, she felt nauseous, sick, a splitting headache, her last words before blacking out, "No… not that, right… now! Why…"

---

Xingyun looked at his fainted wife in terror, her breast flopping away from their baby along with the rest of her upper body. Jaina's confused cries rending his heart, Xingyun immediately made sure Jaina could still suckle. Having not a clue as to why she would faint after apparently making a big change in decision, or even what her last words meant, Xingyun commanded on a whim, still holding Jaina, "Everyone, not family, out, now! And get a doctor or a waterbender, maybe both in here!" adding, seeing Gyatso looked terrified and wanting someone to help console him, "Don't worry, Gyatso - I'll get someone nice, Kipa, to hold you while mommy's… asleep. I've heard of women giving birth and having strokes later… maybe Kipa will know what's wrong!" Yuehan lingered, saying, "I… I might have some idea what this is. When I lived in Ba Sing Se, I talked to some older woman who claimed to have known both Zuko and the original Iroh - she even ran their tea shop. Jin, the Jasmine Dragon - that's it. And she said Iroh's nephew had something sort of like this happen to him once…"

Xingyun nodded, saying, "You can stay." Seeing as he was not a military man and Yuehan was, Xingyun said, "I'll tend to my wife and Jaina - you answer Jasmine if she calls on the radio. Kipa needs to comfort Gyatso, for now - I can only do so much. Got it?" Yuehan nodded, saying, "Yes - I'll contact her now, actually. Jasmine sort of knows me, her camp having been so close to Omashu and all." Xingyun grimaced slightly, saying, "You might want to bend us a… privacy wall. I may end up needing to wake my wife in an unconventional way. Knock three times when Kipa comes - maybe Gyatso would be better anyways…" Yuehan smiled, saying, "I understand," Xingyun laughing lightly when Yuehan said before bending up a privacy wall, smiling, "If you need time even after she's awake, I'll cover - from what Jin told me of what Zuko told her, these transformative experiences are not fun. Though I'm not sure what her problem could be entirely…"

Confident someone else could handle Omashu's defense, Xingyun tried keeping Jaina on Yangchen's left attraction at the same time wiping his wife's forehead repeatedly, asking, "Honey - can you hear me?" over and over, growing more distraught with each unanswered call. Remembering that bloodflow was obstructed during a stroke, he took her pulse, suppressing his own panic to focus better, brushing aside her light brown hair to put his index finger on her jugular.

She had a pulse - a very, very strong pulse. One that seemed faster than normal - like she were either slightly elated, or slightly distressed…

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, sure he wouldn't lose his beloved to stroke, Xingyun tried thinking about what could possibly be wrong. The way she said "I want to show you this 'Liser' first," made him think she didn't want them to designate lethal Meesiles… Maybe between being a new mother and what he had told her earlier, she was… changing? Her heartbeat an indicator? Ignoring chatter on the other side of the wall, figuring it to be Yuehan talking to Jasmine, Xingyun racked his brains, trying to think what he could do that would wake his wife up from… whatever this was, without hurting her.

Remembering he had placed the pumped colostrum into a small fridge and how Yangchen hated the cold, he fumbled around, trying to grab the glass bottle while still holding Jaina. Realizing with a dry horror Jaina couldn't breastfeed or grow well, period, without a mother, he removed her from the nipple, Jaina's light crying making him feel guilty. Swearing he had heard her giggling and cooing earlier, seen her smiling, Xingyun tried babytalking to his daughter as he got what he needed from the fridge, not sure if he could believe his eyes when Jaina smiled. There was something special about this baby…

Hands finally on the cold, cold bottle, awkwardly cupping Jaina back against Yangchen's slightly leaking nipple, he tried to decide where the best place to touch the cold surface against his wife's beautiful body would be. Knowing shoving it into anywhere but her mouth would likely hurt her and her jaw clenched shut, or even just contact anywhere private, he tried lifting her up with his right hand, placing the cold bottle against the back of her neck, rolling it back and forth.

No reaction.

Trying again in a rather unconventional place, but appropriate considering what was inside the bottle and who was currently suckling contentedly there, he rolled the cold bottle's side over his wife's exposed breast, noticing this must have caused a little extra milk to come out of her nipple, given how Jaina's face… lit up?

He got a reaction from Yangchen - but not the one he expected.

Yangchen's head rolled slightly in a way that reminded him of how she might move when resisting being woken up. But not from a nightmare - from a good dream? She was smiling slightly as well, actually moaning "Love" lowly when he touched her breast again…

Still having not a clue what was going on, but feeling like his wife was not in any danger, his arm started getting tired from supporting both Yangchen and Jaina. Strength waning, he could tell the adrenaline was starting to wear off. He was starting to let both wife and baby daughter slip slightly… Realizing earthbending could help, Xingyun yelled, "Yuehan - I need help in here! I need something to prop up my wife, quick!" Xingyun waited for the door to open, glad to see Gyatso looking much calmer - happy, even. As Yuehan carefully raised Yangchen into a sitting position for him, Xingyun said, "Yuehan - thank you. Jaina should be fine now - we'll just have to see about Yangchen." Yuehan nodded, saying, "Everything is more than well at the camp - though from what Jasmine was yammering about, only your wife would understand completely. Something about mover acid in barrels?" Xingyun nodded, saying after he checked to see if his wife was still smiling, "I have no clue about that. Thank you, Kipa, for helping me with Gyatso - I greatly appreciate it." Xingyun's eyes widened when Kipa produced a half-full bottle of white milk not that different from the one he had used to try and wake Yangchen aside from its content's color, Kipa saying nervously at first as what must have been her family filed in behind her, father looking nervous as Kipa spoke, "Your little guy here noticed this bottle of, uh, moo-sow milk when I first came in, and, uh, I just picked it up at the market, so I let him have a, a little. He really… liked it, so I gave him more, drank half of it, was so happy I didn't think about the cost - and he liked getting to see 'baby tummy' again. He loved touching it, the feel of my baby kicking against my belly, 'baby touches' - you might have a real sweetheart on your hands."

Suspicious of all this talk about milk, how Kipa's husband looked, the bottle not having any market markings on it only making Xingyun more suspicious of Kipa having done something horrible. All this, bringing up painful memories of his own that predated Yangchen unbidden…

The first thing that came to any good parent's mind being their child's well-being, Xingyun took a deep breath, saying, "Yuehan - bend the door shut." Kipa's panicked look only increased her guilt in his eyes, her husband frozen in shock. Xingyun wondered just why they wanted so many children when they had to live underground, having noticed the woman's breasts looked more like his own wife's had when she was feeding Gyatso than those of mother-to-be's at seven months, claimed "small size" or not. Xingyun proclaimed, sounding more like Yangchen than himself, "With this man as my witness, if either of you touched or abused my child in any way, 'baby touches', or deliberately fed him something other than moo-sow milk on some sick fetish, I'll take your breath before you even have time to scream," feeling like he could take them both with adrenaline's return.

Both Gyatso and Kipa began crying, quickly followed by Kipa's own children, her husband looking furious, Xingyun's eyes widening again when she said, Yuehan looking confused as Kipa blubbered, intermittently rubbing her seven-months pregnant belly apparently for comfort, "You… think I abused your little boy? Touched your baby? I'd rather die than do such a thing! All children are precious…" Her husband looked ready to strike out at Xingyun, but Kipa stayed his hand, water splashing to the floor as she said, "No. Don't - he doesn't know about my stupid, stupid mistake. I - I'm sorry, I should have said the truth, rather than feeling embarrassed… I… to save money on solid food, I 'wean' my kids really late. Like, two years 'late'. Your wife seemed to notice something off about my 'seven months pregnant' body earlier, given the way she was looking at my chest. Iroh, my youngest, about Gyatso's age, is still breastfeeding - the pumped milk in this bottle was for him, and the other one for him as well, though only the other one has what Iroh really needs in it - moo-sow milk. I only stop when the next baby is coming, for the baby's sake, so they can have those first few precious days of colostrum, rather than weaker 'normal' milk..." Xingyun demanding more of an explanation, Kipa looked directly at Yangchen. She said, pointing to her own chest, Kipa looking upset, sad and almost unaware of her surroundings, her husband looking embarassed, "Following a little… inspiration from over a year ago, my hubby gets some action here - but for fun. Something to distract us from how hard our life can be at times," her husband looking sad instead of embarrassed now as she continued, still extremely upset, "We don't get much chance for play down there - kids, or adults. It's a hard life. We decided if someone else was doing it for fun, it wasn't weird - as one of our few things we can afford time for fun - during sex, 'direct from the tap'…" Given her children's disgusted reactions to hearing their mother talk about what she did with their father, the oldest boy saying as his sister closed her blue eyes in obvious disgust, "Wha- eww, mom! I know this crazy guy just implied you and dad are child abusers, but… watch what you're saying! If he doesn't believe what you're telling him, it's his own fault. I didn't need to hear… I thought that was just for my little brother and babies!", Xingyun started to have doubts Kipa was a villain.

To her own kids, at least.

Xingyun raised an eyebrow, still listening, Kipa looking zoned out still, not responding when her daughter asked, "What's a sex?", Kipa continuing to ramble, "The milk in the half-full bottle… is mine, as I said, I accidentally gave it to Gyatso without thinking, the other bottle is moo-sow milk, I mixed the bottles up, didn't realize the mixup until it was too late, sorry, so sorry… There was a very practical reason I said what I did about your wife's endowment… We can only afford so much real milk, and every drop for little Iroh counts, just like it did for his siblings before him…" sobbing as she explained, her oldest looking embarassed, "I've seen Jeong-Jeong here looking at his little brother jealously when little Iroh gets fed - even good natured Katara complains, being young enough to remember when she was weaned a year ago… We really are hard up for money. I sometimes felt like I'm a weirdo monster, breastfeeding a two or three year old when they beg and plead, telling me they're hungry, big eyes watering... All my kids want 'moo-sow' milk, any milk, and need it, but ever since we surrendered, the two oldest can't get 'big boy and girl' milk except once every three to four days."

Finally stopping for breath, she began crying when what must have been Iroh and Katara both asked, "Moo-sow milk?" her little girl continuing, "I'm… I'm hungry. Did you get any big girl milk?" Kipa nodded, saying, "I - I'm so sorry, to everyone. Your accusation just shook me to my core, and I spoke without thinking. Yes - here, sweetie," Xingyun smiling ever so slightly when Kipa admonished, "Share with your little brother, Katara!" Kipa continued explaining as Iroh and Katara fought, oblivious to what their mother was saying, though Jeong-Jeong and her husband were not, given how they both were sobbing slightly, as though remembering hardships, "What I bought today was the first reasonably priced in what seems like an eternity. The price of moo-sow milk was so high, with everything good going to Kuvira and then Jinshu Kuangmai's soldiers! Almost everyone… We're poor, down there… Scraping by since Omashu fell, just this side of healthy, and not much better before the Earth Queen fell… The only reason I look as good as I do, truly healthy, because of the baby I'm carrying, and helping little Iroh stay healthy…" breaking down further as she added, "I don't know if it's just what fate gave him, or poor conditions under the Earth Queen, or you little one's exact age, but when Jeong-Jeong was younger, three, he was smaller than your little boy is right now. He only caught up when chaos reigned elsewhere, the Earth Queen's taxes and that awful tax man's extortions of everyone below, gone..."

Giving his son a soft look, Xingyun asked him, "Come here," asking once he was out of Kipa's earshot, "Is she telling the truth?" Gyatso nodded, saying, "Yes - she forgot the… milk in the… bottle wasn't from a moo-sow… I didn't get enough to drink… earlier, and it tasted so sweet, but I couldn't place… what it tasted like… so I asked for more." Taking a deep breath, he cried a little, saying earnestly, "You believe me… right daddy? Please - don't kill the nice woman! She made me feel better… with more than just milk! She let me feel baby tummy!" Gyatso grinning slightly as he finished, "I felt kicks, just like when mommy had baby tummy, with Jaina! Life, love - cool!" Kipa's husband nodded, saying, "It's true - he actually calmed her down after she realized her little slipup with the milk on the way here, even trying to listen for the baby's heartbeat" frowning as he said, "You talked about taking my wife's breath - if I see any funny hand movements, I'm freezing you on the spot."

Xingyun just now noticing the other man had reformed his water arm sheathes, apparently drawing moisture from the air, he said, "I…" finding himself unable to explain why he had been so hostile… Kipa's husband looked angry, but Kipa did not, saying, "Bohatei, don't. He must have a good reason," finally admitting, "He had right to be suspicious," crying a little as she said, "I… I've known some kids and their mothers, the kid goes to the surface, gets separated from their parent for even a little bit… they never are the same after whoever or whatever… strips them of their innocence."

Xingyun flinched, mention of stripped innocence bringing up increasingly raw memories.

Xingyun looked to Kipa, back to his son, back and forth, finally asking, just wanting to be sure, "Yuehan, happen to have any truth-sensers here?" Yuehan shook his head, saying, "No," Xingyun recoiling when he continued, "You heard what I told Yangchen, and I believe Kipa and her husband. In some ways, she reminds me of my own dead wife - willing to sacrifice and work hard for family, even if we were middle class. She… was pregnant at the time of her death, almost to term, but still worked. The way the people who took her life pleaded and begged and talked, she fought them to the death, pleading for their pathetic lives when I took them down for all the wrong reasons. You heard what Kipa said about rather dying than abuse a child - and she's going to have four kids soon. Let's be ridiculous, let's say she's a liar, her husband's a liar, her kids are all whipped into line, your own son lying to you as well, and that I'm a total idiot. Assume Kipa's a horrible molester. Maybe her husband too. You take your vengeance. Would killing a mother and father of three, soon to be four bring you any peace? Killing an unborn child? You want your life to be pathetic, like the people who took my beloved and my only child away? Like… mine ended up being, until Jasmine and your wife helped me see the light?"

The answer an obvious no, even given his own history, Xingyun began blubbering, saying, finding himself the one so caught up in emotion that he forgot his audience instead of Kipa, "What you said about innocence lost… What you said about feeling guilty, like a monster, for doing something that to me, sounds necessary, you're so poor… It reminds me of… of… I… I'm sorry. I was so suspicious, willing to kill… because… I've never been able to enjoy my wife fully, because… what my own mother… I never admitted it to anyone before now. Not even my own wife." Sobbing, he continued, still not really caring who heard, overcome by emotion that couldn't be stopped, not after so many years of being held back, "I had no father. My mother… never really transitioned from mother of a baby boy to a toddler, even teenager, before I finally ran away. She had no reservations about nursing me for a long time… And she made everything seem right, making me a man, really - the man she didn't have, in retrospect, didn't seem to want... All she wanted was me, in the worst sense." Xingyun saw everyone looking at him with slight confusion, managing to stammer out, "She wanted me… s-s-sexually. A-and... she… had me." Taking a deep breath thinking about the woman who had turned his life around, he continued, "Until I met Yangchen, I thought the Universe had played a cruel trick on me, not feeling lucky in the least. She changed everything… I guess playfeeding was one way of having with my wife what I never really had with my mother - something so sweet, associated with love, instead of… of evil." He remembered the first accidental playfeeding with Yangchen - it felt beyond weird at first, a very old "ritual" kicking in, but the way Yangchen went with it, loved it, the next time all his own doing and initiation and no one else's, finally started to make so much feel right…

Taking a deep, contented sigh as he was hugged by son, Earth Empire defector and "badgermole family" alike, Kipa and Bohatei and their children all crying as deeply as he had been. Hearing Jeong-Jeong say, "I… I love you, mom, dad - this poor man… I wouldn't trade our poverty for the world," Xingyun felt something break, saying nothing, decided to let go. To let go of lingering shame with his own body, of masculinity he linked to his mother's abuse, thinking, "My body is mine - not that evil woman's" adding internally, "Especially my penis," for good measure, not attaching any shame internally to the word. Letting go of what held him back from enjoying what the Universe had given him, when his luck turned around.

Yangchen.

Just thinking her name made him feel light. Much more than light…

---

Given what Yangchen knew about other's experiences, she found herself surprised to be looking at two passingly familiar sets of pools when she opened her eyes, having expected to see some sick doppler waiting for her - a version of herself made of wind-blown dried blood, perhaps, for the life she took, seeking revenge first, justice after. Yangchen couldn't make out much about what she saw, what she assumed to be the Avatar and Asami's chakra pools shrouded by a thick mist.

Taking one step forward, wondering if she was in the spirit world or her own inner world, Yangchen called out, yelling, "Hello? Is anyone out there? Anybody?"

Lowering her hands, listening to the sound of her voice, she noticed something was amiss. No sooner than she had noticed, than she forgot anything had been amiss, feeling like she had dreamt being an adult at all.

Looking at the shrouded pools in front of her and wondering what they were, Yangchen ran towards them, giggling happily, feeling curious about the wonderful energy she felt emanating from them, an energy that seemed vaguely familiar for other reasons she couldn't remember…

Running into a strange wall of some sort that blocked her from the pools, getting the sense she wasn't allowed there just yet, she heard a familiar voice yell, "Yangchen? Is that you? Over here, honey - we've been looking for you for a while!" Giggling again, glad to hear her mother's warm voice, she made an air scooter, making her way towards where her mother's voice had come from.

Looking around, finally spotting mother, father, and her sister, Yangchen asked her mom, "Mommy, all I can remember is deciding to be nicer to mean people, then passing out, like someone hit me on the head with a rock. Do you know why I'm here, momma?" adding, "Where am I? Do you know?" Her mother smiled, surprising Yangchen when she said, "All three of us, here with you- we're the little bit of us that you carry inside you wherever you go," not sure what her mother meant when she talked about some "inner space".

Yangchen did find herself understanding when her mother Weifeng continued, Yangchen's younger sister Diki and her father looking slightly disturbed, "Even if 'we' don't know about it outside here, in your inner world, I know what you did to that tax collector," Yangchen feeling like throwing up even as her mother added, "When we raised you, your father Dafeng and I taught you and your sister all about the Air Nomads - as well as what we found to be true. I know I stressed that money and property are life when I raised you, unlike what the Air Nomads thought. You can't keep your body going without things, after all. I hoped you'd respect other people's things and be generous, like you have, but… I never intended you to take it that far, and for mainly the wrong reasons. Even if after what that man did to us, we didn't have as many things to be generous with…"

"The most valuable gift you can give yourself, anyone, is your love. Even those who have wronged you."

Yangchen took a deep breath, sniffing even as she agreed internally, feeling an unfamiliar peace begin to build inside her, "Okay - but why am I here? You never answered that, mom…" Her mother nodded as her father said, "You've already taken the first step towards cleansing your soul of the lingering death you carry inside of you, and even know how you'll get rid of it completely, in time - through action, changed fighting, and changed ways."

Beginning to remember more, Yangchen stamped her foot, protesting, "But daaad! Kuvira did much worse than I ever did - and I wanna fly now, feel better now… like she did for the most part, even after all her horribleness! And that man stole a lot more than Kai ever did - hmmph!" Crossing her arms, Yangchen listened as her little sister said, sounding and acting her apparent physical age of two, "Maybe one way to be better now - no, two! One much nicer than other - but come after bad one. You sure you want go through 'bad' one - be impatient, big sister?"

The answer obviously yes, Yangchen knowing she hated waiting on almost everything, she was surprised to see her family vanish, replaced by the taxman who had caused them so much grief - Tanxin. For some reason she didn't fully understand, she found the red and black chain wrapped around his ankles alarming. Her mind feeling muddled again, she asked the frowning man, "What's the matter?" not flinching when he swiped some nasty looking red and black barbs right in front of her face, the man spitting before he said, "You are. You're 'the matter', little girl… You killed me - I can see the resemblance even with you being, what, six or something?" not feeling threatened when he finished, "No matter - you'll be joining me in the place I was before this soon enough…"

Even as she felt pain when a small chain wrapped around her leg, small hooks now beneath her skin, Yangchen started crying for a different reason. The man's eyes - they looked completely empty, aside from pain and hurt. Remembering a little more, she recalled his endless avarice, thinking more about what he did to families poorer than her own rather than her own "suffering", being brought down to middle class at worst by his greed as she said, "I… I don't know if I hate what you did to other people more, or find you more deserving of pity. The true suffering of others… or whatever made you lose your little light inside. Replaced life, with death."

Seeing how the man howled at the last comment, Yangchen still wasn't sure which she felt more strongly, eventually feeling both at the same time when she remembered how someone she liked, Kipa, might have been extorted by him. Finally feeling the tug with full force, small barbs in her legs dragging her closer as she remembered more and more, finally saying when she was close to him, withstanding the physical and emotional pain as she said earnestly, "You lost someone, something, didn't you - tried to fill the hole with gold, silver, jade, diamond - but it never was enough."

The man actually showing true emotion for the first time, Yangchen found herself forgiving him after all these years, saying, "I don't know who or what hurt you, but… if I had known, I wouldn't have killed you with that hook sword," noticing he appeared to be shrinking as she hugged him, saying as she felt the pain in her legs cease, "I might have talked to you like a person - just like Jasmine did to someone else with a lot of hurt, and countless others - Yuehan…"

Yangchen feeling some tug, she ignored it, listening as the now toddler-sized Tanxin blubbered, "Lost innocence. My… my daddy was mean, my mommy ignored it. He wanted me to be someone 'big' like him, beat me when I failed in any way in accounting school, took my stuff away… Drove me to work for some evil woman, when I didn't want to at first… Corrupted by her. Wanted others to feel what I felt. Feel horrible, awful… Everything I did to others, right now…" Yangchen not sure if she had the heart to tell him the truth when he asked, looking all of two now, apparently amnesiac as she had partially been earlier, "I - I can't remember. Did… did I do that? Shifted revenge? To... other people? Why are you crying?" Choosing her words carefully, she said, "Yes, you did - but you sound like you regret what you did, taking revenge, just like I regret stopping you, revenge first, justice second." Yangchen found herself adding, "I could have just tried to scare you out of town, but I didn't - killing you was the only thing that ever occurred to me, blinded by my own hurt… do you forgive me, like I forgive you?"

Yangchen shrinking back slightly when the two-year old Tanxin began crying wildly, complaining about fears, hatreds that caused and fed those fears, Yangchen remembered what the shackles represented finally - being stuck in the Fog of Lost Souls. Taking a deep breath, she said, trying to talk as if she were consoling another small child she knew was close to her, though not exactly how, "It's okay - daddy's gone now. He can't hurt you any more - just be you, the younger you, not the older, hurt and confused you. Maybe even try and forgive him - fear comes from hate, you know." The little Tanxin nodded, saying tentatively, "O-okay… I guess h-hating daddy bad too. What he did to me…" hearing a more adult version of his voice say after the little boy vanished, leaving only the broken red and black shackles behind, "Remembering what I had become more clearly now, especially my abuse of Omashu's most vulnerable, below the city… I… not only do I forgive you, I thank you - that's not the kind of life the little me would have wanted. I needed to be stopped. Maybe we'll meet again," Yangchen smiling slightly when the voice added, "Though it won't be in the Fog of Lost Souls."

Feeling very happy and content, having helped herself and the man she had killed for the wrong reasons so many years ago, Yangchen heard her mother's voice calling again. Fog dissipating to reveal mother, father, and sister, she started crying happy tears when her mother said, clearly proud, "From willing to use explosive metal javelins at the first sign of even small trouble and revenge killings, to being more interested in weapons that don't kill, and to reconciliation… even conversion - 'I' am very proud of you, Yangchen." Hugging her mother's legs, feeling an immense peace when her little sister Diki hugged her own waist, Yangchen said, "Forget old books, dusty scrolls, trying to separate yourself from your body and life to learn - the world's the best teacher there is."

Yangchen had thought the peace couldn't possibly become any greater, but when her mother picked her up, her father Dafeng joining in the mutual hug, Yangchen's mind felt as blank and happy as the day she was born, splurting out, "I love you, mama - and love is strong," vowing for some reason, "One of my most important guides, anywhere! Even for go boom stuff."

After a sort of odd disconnect, she found herself the one hugging a four-year old girl in an adult body, saying with disbelief, "Wh- what happened?" The girl in her arms giggled, auburn hair moving slightly as she looked up, saying, "Love happened! Hi, momma!" the little girl looking vaguely annoyed, frowning a little as she said, "Don't you recognize me, mommy? Your own daughter?"

Yangchen blubbered, saying, "Wh- I thought only the Avatar's daughter could…" stopped short when what must have been Jaina said, "I dunno either, exactly…" Yangchen still finding the whole experience surreal, she started moving when Jaina said, looking a little distressed, "Mommy, I just had a nightmare. A really quick one… Something about who I was before I was yours - and how your actions just now are really, really good for both you and me because of them. I feel a weird draw to that pool over there, though. Maybe it can help."

Deciding to go over to the pool she thought was the Avatar's, with a creeping suspicion it might actually be her own, given Yangchen was apparently in her own inner world, Yangchen startled slightly when she heard a familiar voice intone, I can't make out much about what has happened to you, being busy humbling a very powerful sea spirit, and Korra's body over two thousand miles away, but I can say this: All worlds are connected - when Korra and Asami put "For anyone who needs help" on their chakra pool pedestal, they had no idea how many people could run into them.

Seemingly as a last thought, what must have been Raava added Jaina is special, not just because she's your daughter… before Yangchen climbed into the enticing-looking pool, noticing for the first time with slight shock that she was naked, half wondering if she and "everyone else" had been this entire time. Thinking back, seeing a stream of images, she realized the answer was yes, sex not having entered her mind the entire time. Apparently, these waters did have special properties, Yangchen feeling under the influence of something slightly when she said, "It's okay - I didn't do it on purpose, and touch is just a part of love. I 'don't know how to blush in shame', feeling love… I have nothing to hide now."

Getting an odd sense something approved of her interpretation of something she'd never read, Yangchen noticed Jaina was still outside the pool, looking terrified as she said, trembling, "I - I don't know, mommy - something… is telling me I have a lot to hide, and, and… I don't know why…" Frowning, Yangchen said, getting her daughter's permission first, "Why don't I just give you a little flick of water - maybe you can handle whatever it is in small doses." Jaina nodded, saying, "Okay," flinching slightly when the first water droplet made contact over her heart.

Jaina looked confused, saying, "I see… something tells me this is who I used to be… a young boy, with funny yellow-brown hair, being trained in some kind of weird bending art by someone other than his father, who was very good at it… becoming his father's pride and joy, in a time of war and uncertainty." Sighing at this reminder of what they faced in the physical world, Yangchen intended to do much the same with Jaina once she was the age what must have been her soul appeared as now - four. If she were anything like her brother, making small tornadoes at the age of two, maybe earlier. Yangchen flicked another water droplet at Jaina, baffled as to why Jaina had been so reluctant when her daughter continued, "Before going off to help his nation, but after growing up, he met a woman he loved - though for some reason 'the water' won't tell me her name - and even though he had to leave to help his nation, he thought of her a lot." Again - slight parallels. Yangchen hoped her love for Jaina's influence on her mood and demeanor, and when she was old enough, even Jaina herself, would make any advice their family gave to the young airbending master Jinora and her family on the new Air Nation all the better.

It was not until the third flick of water Jaina began crying slightly, saying, "Then, after he had to start fighting some things the water won't show me fully… he came upon a city full of people who were half good, half bad somehow - but you couldn't tell who was good or bad until it was too late, the 'bad' people turning into monsters. Making more 'bad' people…" Yangchen was about to breathe a slight sigh of relief, figuring whatever disturbed Jaina so much couldn't happen here without Raava or a tuber vine catching on first, but ended up feeling a slight panic when Jaina blubbered, "He decided that he had to… to kill everyone inside the city to prevent the badness - a… plague of some sort… from spreading, that made people into monsters…" In the mass infobending earlier, Yangchen had managed to see one of Asami Sato's proposed war machines, the massive flying VarriMag gun concept, remembered what even Avatar Aang had said about using a spirit weapon to blow up Zaofu, and found herself wondering: "Is that really any different, than the culling of whatever city my daughter's past life did? Not all the people in Zaofu are 'bad'… How would I feel about Jayasrhi becoming an, an orphan?"

Yangchen snapped back to the present after a small blast of air from Jaina, Jaina surprising her by saying, "I think I need to know more. More than just little flicks - splash me! Have some fun. Maybe after we're doing, we can snuggle in the water - I want to hear your heart beat!" Yangchen nodded, saying "Okay" as she splashed more water, soaking her daughter as per her request, wishing she hadn't seeing how Jaina tensed up, looking determined but disturbed as she said at great length, wondering how her daughter knew so much about their world, "When my past life got to the end of… of culling the city of everyone, good and bad, thinking he had been righteous, 'purging the unclean', he found a bad spirit. Think like one of Long Yumao's little minions, but worse. The bad spirit taunted him, and… out of a desire for revenge, vengeance, for himself and his people, not any real justice, he followed it to a far off land in the north, wanting to kill it. Avenge the fallen. He found a mockery of Raava's sword, Life's Gift, there, inside a cave - the sword promising great power to anyone who was willing to pay the price. He didn't know it, but the price was… the soul. He… he took it, paid the price, even after his friend told him not to, and eventually - the water didn't show me how - he became the big, bad guy," Yangchen feeling slightly unnerved when Jaina didn't cry anymore, instead directly pointing at her and saying, "The way the water 'said' it, it sounded like his decision for vengeance was his doom. Momma… given we've both apparently had problems with revenge and vengeance in the past… that's why I'm so happy you're my mommy. Even if I never did it, the past me did - much worse than killing a tax collector," Jaina finally crying again as she got into the pool's water, saying, "I'm so glad, mommy - that you chose life over death. Not only that - life and forgiveness."

Something in Yangchen's gut telling her she wouldn't likely have an opportunity like this for another four years, to see her daughter grown up, she gave her a big hug, pressing Jaina up against her own body. After a short time, Yangchen felt a completely different kind of oneness - the world, without boundaries between bodies, mother and child. A oneness she had never felt in the sexual sense with even her dutiful husband Xingyun, her husband always seeming… ever so slightly reserved even while making love. Happy tears flowed after Jaina said, "I love this, you - I can hear your heart beating!" Yangchen said, "You seem like a really good kid - I'm sure no matter what comes your way, our way, we won't repeat your past life's mistakes. Not with your daddy's love, your big brother's love, my love, you aunt and grandparent's love to guide you, and… me, keep us on our new paths. Though from what you said, yours is a much bigger 'straying'… Listen to our hearts and, I guess ultimately, bodies and souls first, minds and logic second," Yangchen not entirely sure how she knew Jaina's past life had been listening to cold logic…

She just knew.

Yangchen wondered if she could pester Raava into making an exception and let her see her daughter again at night, feeling some kind of special bond with the girl considering her past life, and the fact Yangchen had struggled with revenge herself. After a while of talking to Jaina more, she began laughing when Jaina finally said, "Mommy, you should go. Enough enjoying the four year old me - baby me lasts a lot shorter!", Yangchen did just that, seeing a huge group of people in front of her when she opened her eyes. There were so many people she couldn't see who was being hugged, her heart dropping when she heard one man's name mentioned over and over, even by the small children in the huddle.

Xingyun - her husband.

Asking what was wrong, still not able to move just yet, Yangchen saw Kipa break off from the hug, holding up a half-filled bottle of milk and crying a little as she said, "It's pretty complicated, Yangchen," blushing slightly as she whispered, "Long story short, I accidentally gave your son some of the milk in this bottle - my milk, and your husband thought I had abused Gyatso when I wasn't forthcoming… all because of a very old, personal hurt he hadn't told anyone before now." Yangchen getting a slight sense of dread, her stomach twisted in knots when what must have been Kipa's eldest Jeong-Jeong joined his mother's side, saying, "He thought my mom and dad were very bad people - all because of what his mom did to him. I heard a little, and wasn't sure if he wanted to - "

"I'll tell her."

Yelling a little to be pushed aside, Jeong-Jeong recollected himself after her husband came back over, saying with a nervous grin, "Good news, bad news? Good news is, I don't know if any of the kids in this room will need 'the talk' when they're older - and we know who… overheard us a year ago - Kipa. Bad news - my mother was an evil, sexually abusive predator, and… I never admitted to it now, but I've let all my shame go. I'm finally comfortable with my body - and sharing it with you, best thing to happen in my life." Giving her husband a quick once-over, Yangchen was confused and angry more than anything, saying, "Wh - that's an awfully dark thing to be so… cavalier about. And you obviously told everyone else in the room about this, given Kipa's oldest heard." Seeing Xingyun still looking a little uncomfortable, scowling intermittently, Yangchen said, "Yuehan - bend us a privacy room - and what time is it? Tell Jasmine other things can wait," relieved slightly when Yuehan said, "It's exactly… 7:12. Huh - funny how time can slow to a crawl, or go super fast. Anyways, Jasmine - last I spoke to her two minutes ago, camp's doing great - though given how forces are distributed, they are probably going to be the first under attack," feeling she could focus entirely on Xingyun when Yuehan finished, "Something about mover acid barrels and what I think were the ingredients for fire-earth and other valuable stuff on one of the many railcars still unopened, and that she'd started producing fire-earth herself? Tried telling me something in a weird barking tongue, wouldn't give the details aside from 'making Jinshu Kuangmai better surprises than we thought we could' normally."

Once even Gyatso had left their side, Yangchen feeling like she could trust Kipa with her life and intending to talk to her next, then Jasmine anyways, especially about her own experience, Yangchen said, "Honey, I know this might be difficult to talk about seriously, but I want to hear everything. The more I know, the more I can help you through this." Xingyun sighed, half looking like he was attempting and failing to levitate after he sat down in front of her, cursing after a failed attempt, asking no one, "What the… Universe, now I'm finally okay with my body, none of my mother's evil acts holding me back anymore. I even let go of the shame - what now?"

Yangchen had much the same question, as well as another one, asking delicately, "Can you please tell me more? I can't help if I'm in the dark…"

Even though it was hard, Yangchen made sure she was listening to her husband's tale of woe with everything she had, one that started with one of his earliest memories, the first time he remembered his monster of a mother raping him with her hands, finally ending when he ran away at the age of 15, fleeing a scheduled "mother-son" sex session on impulse, no longer believing her lie that such a relationship was normal, briefly explaining the mishap with Kipa's breastmilk. Yangchen cried throughout, so sad that she didn't even notice Jaina had stopped nursing. Apparently, Xingyun had, sounding angry instead of ashamed as he explained the personal meaning of playfeeding - " 'Playfeeding' instead of 'special time', a b-blowjob like the one you gave me earlier… included when I was old enough to, not a day later, 'mmmbags' instead of 'UGH I HATE YOU bags'. It was an accident, but an important one. To me… A chance to have with you, what I never really had with my own mother - associate something sweet, nursing, with love, instead of her… evil," Yangchen feeling touched when he finished, "Until I met you eight years ago, five years then the time since I ran away from my despicable mother, I thought the world was a cruel place, my name - a joke, something my mother thought herself to have a 'man' that was all hers. Practically a sex slave. I don't even remember my father… but I do remember you. What turned my life around - what ultimately made me whole again. Like I said earlier to the others - you started to make so much feel right, even before we got married and had kids."

Seeing he still looked troubled, angry instead of ashamed, Yangchen carefully got up and put a sleeping Jaina into her swaddling, only daring to try the ridiculous once her daughter was safe - tethered flight.

To her great surprise, though given everything she had talked with her husband about just now she didn't mention it, she found her feet left the floor momentarily as she thought of her family and Xingyun. "Luckily", her husband must have been too bitter to notice, and given how often he had called his mother evil with audible hate, Yangchen was pretty sure he had a dual block - just like she had. She needed to change her outlook on life and forgive a man who ultimately ended up being a pitiable soul - Tanxin, who had been abused by the opposite parent, in a different and ultimately less severe way.

Her husband, needing to get over lingering shame about his body - and hatred of his mother. Yangchen just hoped he wasn't stewing, plotting to go have his own revenge…

Treading delicately, she said, "You mentioned Yuehan talking to you about revenge - and I haven't said anything about my two blocks on flight, and a happier life. When I went in, fainting, I expected a battle of some sort, a need to fight something - but I realized early on, that's exactly what I didn't need, if I was to value life more, and… I didn't realize it at the time, forgive Tanxin the tax collector for what he did to my family." Noticing her husband looked as skeptical as she had been of Lisers initially, Yangchen stated coolly, "Believe it or not, you have something in common with him. You both had abusive parents - though his father did not sexually abuse him. You turned out better than him, despite all the odds - and when I talked to him, I realized fear and hate are closely linked. You may not fear your mother now, but it sounds like you still hate her," saying a little more harshly when he protested, "B-but she's evil!", "Honey, I didn't say she isn't evil - I just said carrying around any kind of hatred can bring you right back where you started - fear," adding, "I now know why I never got to see your mother - but maybe at some point, for your own sake and inner peace, we should… so you can forgive her."

Yangchen felt hurt to her core when he snapped, "Wh- so your family lost some baubles to a poor widdle abused taxman. I lost my innocence and virginity to a monster! How can you expect me to ever forgive her?" Noticing Xingyun was crying again, Yangchen said, "You're over your shame - but maybe you're not over your hurt yet either," adding with a frown, "And given that hurt is tied to your shame… it might come back again tonight, when I give you that 'tip' I promised. 'Room service'… Come on - I can't know how difficult it is, honey, but can you try? Think of anything good about your mother - she raised you all alone, didn't she? Surely, there isn't some part of you that wants to kill your own mother - no matter how horrible she was to you? I know this isn't quite the same, but… after Korra recovered from Zaheer's attempt on her life, she couldn't meditate into the Spirit World until she faced him, went through what happened, let go her fear. And something tells me this flight is deeply connected to spiritual advancement - and, ultimately, how happy you are to be a part of the world. Even a part of the world where your mother lives."

Noticing Xingyun looked a little better, she asked, "We want to be good parents - are you willing to forgive your mother for Gyatso and Jaina, so they can have a happier father?" Xingyun nodded weakly, saying, "I'll… uh… maybe. I guess I'll just tell you more then. If my mother was to be believed, and I remember her face right, the deep scars… she was actually badly disfigured when she was… raped. When she was young, too - an orphan at fourteen, she claimed for seven years, on her own since she was seven. She said, that aside from… me, that was the only man who ever 'knew' her. I never believed her, but she said that's where I came from, where she came from." Sobbing a little, Yangchen swearing he seemed a little higher, "She… her face - 'only something a mother could love'. Three long gashes, from some horrible blade, three... strikes… missing part of her nose... I remember her telling me I was the only boy or man who would have anything to do with her, that she needed me as more than a son. She was sort of right - I never remember anyone propositioning her, even when she tried desperately, saying she'd do anything." Sighing, he continued, "Even in the end, I guess… she was my mother. Honey, you're right - holding death inside my heart isn't going to help anybody," breaking up slightly as he admitted, "Even when I ran away, I still loved her - as my mother, and given I was still young, a teenager myself, a little more than that. Even if I knew it wasn't right, that I needed to leave. Time alone let me stew, realize exactly what she had done to me - make the small shame, fear and hatred I had become my own. I remember now - feel like something's been lifted off me," Yangchen noticing that by this point it wasn't the only thing that had lifted - given her wasn't touching the floor, Xingyun must really have forgiven his mother!

Smiling slightly, he said, "I didn't just run away without a last 'word'- I left her a little note when I ran away. One I hope she read and took to heart now - for her sake." Tearing up, Xingyun continued, "I think it said… 'I can't stand this anymore, mother - your little boy is gone now, and he has been gone for many years, because of what you did to me. I'll never know if it was ignorance, perversion, or malice… Your 'luck' has run out - go find someone your age who will love you better than I ever could have, in both senses of the word. A grown man - not a child. Not YOUR child. I'll never forget what you did to me, but maybe, just maybe… you weren't lying about where I came from. Maybe you really didn't have any teacher but the cold, hard world you wanted to keep me away from, always talking about how hard it was, an orphan with a child. If that's the truth, everything you said about your own life true, then… maybe someday I can forgive you, for treating me as half son, half 'lover', likely having no idea what to do with a baby. It sounds like you went through more than I did - at least you were there for the fifteen years I stayed before writing you this, unlike your own mom and dad. Not to mention my 'father', if he really did rape you and leave you for dead.' As awful as it sounds… I hope she was telling the truth all along. It's really the only way I can justify having… forgiven her?"

By the time he had finished, he was definitely floating off the floor, though he was so sad he didn't seem to care, asking, "I… do you think you could find her? Project to her? M-maybe… show her what I became? A good parent - what she wasn't? Likely didn't know how?" Xingyun looked like he wanted to continue, smiling slightly, but hit the ceiling first, cursing a little before saying, actually managing side to side motion, "Wait a minute - don't we, or rather, you have stuff to do for Omashu?"

Yangchen sighed, saying, "You, Jaina, Gyatso - family. The whole reason we're fighting in the first place. What we just finished talking about. Jaina should be out for a good two and a half hours now. We have more than enough benders, mechasuits, spirit weapons and even a powerful spirit ally - the weapon designs I got from Korra can wait." Yangchen decided to respect her husband's wishes when he said, "No - I feel whole now, and I haven't even heard your story. Looking for my mother, talking about your… 'experience' can wait. If you have something that can help us stay free, you need to share it - Lisers first, apparently."

Yangchen nodded, saying lowly, "Okay - I still want to visit Kipa's home and look for your mother when my work is done. Good, good - it's only 7:18. Let me explain something to you really quick, for tonight - if we make it that far," correcting herself, "No - when we do make it that far. If it's taken Wuqing and Jayashri almost twenty minutes to get everyone organized, maybe we won't be needed after all - seems Jasmine could handle them." Giving him a one-minute explanation of the inner dream world's workings as she understood it, including her hope about guilt-tripping Raava into letting them both talk to Jaina, Yangchen felt tingles run down her spine when her husband said, "Hmm - maybe we can violate the six week rule in there later… while floating."

Yangchen nodded, saying, "That's the idea," before yelling, "YUEHAN! We're done in here, and I've got a lot of stuff to show our engineers," adding on a whim as the walls lowered, "Call my sister, and my parents - they haven't been here since Jaina was born." The walls completely down, Jaina noticed with a smile that Kipa and her family were still there, Kipa's own children running over along with Gyatso and giving a laughing Xingyun a big hug.

Remembering she owed Kipa something and not knowing how long it would be until the engineers came back, she walked over to Kipa, surprised when the other woman gave her a hug and light kiss on the cheek, saying, "Th-thank you. You might not have seen them yet, but you've given Omashu's 'other' residents like me a lot of hope," Yangchen blushing slightly as she said, "Not a problem - so I'm explaining blue fire to you and how many other firebenders while we wait?"

Kipa took her outside, Yangchen's eyes protesting to the change in lighting as Kipa said, sweeping her hand out towards the city's tall wall, "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Yangchen blinked a few times, wondering if the city beneath Omashu - "New Garzai", she decided to call it - went beyond the original mountain's base, down into the bedrock, based on how many people she saw firebending and waterbending. Noticing some of the benders looked very young, Yangchen smiled to hear the contented laughter and celebratory yelling of children, swearing she heard one young voice saying, "I dun care what you say, momma! If mean men come, I fightin!"

"An I not leavin' either! Dun care bout no Avvy-tar! This is my home!"