Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: They've already announced Korra's getting a film in a few years, and a series about the next Earth Avatar is coming at some point, so yes.

Zigzagdoublezee: She's not the first Avatar to struggle with that either. Kyoshi did too. Probably countless before her as well. She's just got to make the best of it though.

DCGOGITO: Again, there may be a fight between Kuvira and Toph, but there may not be. The plan for the rest of the story is fairly set in stone at this point, and I don't want to spoil it.

As Always, Please Review!

Mako

The dining room at the Fire Lord's palace was a cavernous hall, decorated with tapestries and paintings and statues and a hundred different kinds of art works celebrating the culture of her realm. A table had been set up, at which many courtiers and ministers sat. Because he was a diplomat, there on behalf of the government of the United Republic of Nations, Mako got to sit at the top table, with the Fire Lord herself and her family. On one side of Izumi sat her father Zuko and her son and heir Iroh II, on the other sat Princess Hotaru and Mako.

Wu was seated on one of the benches closest to them, but since he was not really a King any more Izumi had decided not to insult Kuvira any more than she had to by seating him with them.

Mako watched as Wu picked up a strange piece of meat, sniffed it experimentally, and ate it. Immediately, the Earth King's face turned bright red and he began breathing heavily, demanding milk and water from a passing waiter as he danced in his seat because of the pain.

"What's wrong with him?" Hotaru asked, having just eaten another piece of that same meat with absolutely no ill-effects.

"He's not used to the local cuisine," Mako explained. "You'll have to forgive him."

"Why?" Hotaru asked. "I'm aware our food is not for everyone."

They watched Wu physically get up and run around the table in panic, being chased by a waiter with a bucket.

"So that's the mighty Earth King. Lord of Ba Sing Se, master of the largest nation on Earth," Hotaru said deadpan.

"Yep," Mako replied. "That's him alright."

In the end, they managed to catch him and force a glass of milk into his hand, and they watched him physically sag with relief as he drank it.

"What's the least spicy thing on the menu?" Mako asked.

"That was the least spicy thing on the menu."

"Oh, Agni." Mako put his head in his hands. "Someone should tell him not to eat anything else then."

"Mako?" A voice came from his left and he turned to look past Hotaru. Izumi was looking at him expectantly.

"Pardon?" Mako asked. "You'll have to forgive me, my friend-His Majesty, I mean- is not used to Fire Nation food."

"Oh don't worry about it," Izumi waved a hand. "I'll have my cooks try to find some Earth Kingdom recipes in a minute. Anyway, I was just talking about how we'd heard so much about your adventures."

"You were?" Mako asked.

"Of course! Everyone keeps a very close eye on what the Avatar is up to, and so naturally that means we take an interest in her companions. You, your brother, and Miss Sato. We've been very grateful for all that you've done."

"Well... you're welcome?" Mako tried.

"Particularly Amon and Zaheer," Izumi continued. "They would probably have come for us next."

"And what about Kuvira?" A voice came from behind her. Izumi turned around in irritation to find Iroh looking at her intently.

"What about her?"

"Don't you think she'll come for us next too?"

"Why would she?" Izumi scoffed. "We're going to be neutral, or do I have to remind you?"

It was obvious from their body language that this had been a source of long running disagreement for the two of them.

"Anyway," Izumi turned back to them irritably. "Iroh and I have been having... disagreements. I hope you can forgive us. So how did you meet the Avatar?"

And so Mako told her about his past as a pro-bender. Izumi looked impressed.

"And you were good at it?"

"I'd like to think so," Mako confirmed.

"And you're a policeman now."

"I was. Now I'm not sure." Mako admitted.

"Why?" Izumi got a curious expression on her face.

"When Kuvira attacked Zaofu, President Raiko ordered us not to interfere. Lin did it anyway and we followed her. Raiko was not happy, so I might get fired when I go home."

"Oh no," Hotaru murmured. "What a shame."

"Sometimes," Izumi pronounced, "doing the right thing can have consequences. But we still must do it."

"Yes, and the right thing is helping the United Republic!" Iroh's voice echoed across the room again.

"No!" Izumi swivelled round to face her son. "The right thing is neutrality! I've told you-"

"Kuvira is evil!" Iroh insisted. "You are always telling us how we should stand up to evil, and now it's standing in front of us you refuse?"

"There's standing up to evil and there's starting a war!" Izumi retorted. "You of all people should know that war is not to be rushed into lightly!"

"Oh, we don't want to start a war?" Iroh replied. "She already did!"

"Not with us!"

"With one of our allies. That may as well be the same thing."

"Still, we should not get involved!" Izumi insisted.

"Why not?" Iroh demanded. "Because it sounds like you're feeding your friends to a dragon in the hope it eats you last!"

"Because it's not our country!" Izumi pointed out. "I must be loyal to the Fire Nation, first and foremost."

"I serve that country! We should help it!"

"Well maybe you should think about helping this country more then! You are my son and heir, and you go off gallivanting around in another country's military?"

"Gallivanting? It's serious work!"

"Serious work you should be doing for us! Besides, are you willing to go around the country explaining to the families of our fallen soldiers exactly who sent them to their deaths?"

By now, the Firelord and her son were standing up, shouting at one another, having a very loud, very public spat right in front of Mako. Acute embarrassment came over him, when Hotaru tapped him on the shoulder.

"We should go," she told him. "Bring the Earth King."

Mako gratefully stood up, and they slipped out of the room, leaving Izumi and Iroh to continue arguing heatedly.

Dim lamps hung around a small garden set into a courtyard in the palace, and at the centre was a pond. Mako watched the turtle-ducks snoozing on the shore as the three of them sat looking at the reflections of the moonlight in the water.

"So that could have gone better," Wu observed. "Are they always like that?"

Hotaru sighed.

"My mother does not like my brother's attachment to the United Republic," she said. "We do have deep and historic ties with it, but it is a foreign country now. I think she thinks Iroh would do well to remember that."

"And what do you think?" Mako asked.

"What, about their argument?" Hotaru raised a thin eyebrow. "That's a bit of a personal question."

"No!" Mako shook his head. "In the nicest possible way, I don't care about that. It's your business, not mine. I mean about the United Republic. About whether you should help us."

There was a long silence. Hotaru stayed very still, staring out over the pond.

"I can't really say."

"You can't?" Mako blinked.

"Mum asked me for my advice about your proposal after you'd gone," Hotaru replied haltingly. "But I couldn't give it. I didn't think I could trust myself to give the best advice for the Nation."

There was another long silence, as the Fire Princess weighed her words. Light flickered across her face from a nearby lantern.

"I am no longer impartial," she admitted. "Because of you."

"...me?" Mako was stunned. Wu, meanwhile, suddenly looked crushed.

"Yes, you," Hotaru managed to regain some composure. "I can't be impartial about the United Republic situation when you're the ambassador. How much of it would be my feelings for you and how much would be-"

"Can I kiss you?" Mako asked before he could stop himself, and then felt mortified. Next to him, Wu looked even more devastated, but Mako was too busy mentally bashing his head against a tree to notice.

"What?" Hotaru looked shocked. Mako held his hands up to apologise.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that, I forgot-"

Hotaru did not ask for permission when she kissed him, and Mako melted into it, savouring the warmth. Izumi and Iroh's argument, the United Republic, Kuvira, all of it suddenly seemed a million miles away.

It just felt... right.