Author notes: Thank you ToasterMarketingBoard for editing this chapter! This story was first published on Archive Of Our Own, and now we are caught up on all chapters, so now it will be around one, to two weeks between updates. Thank you!
The afternoon sky was tinted pink as the Earth Kingdom airship began its descent through the clouds and towards Republic City. Yasmine watched from a window on the bridge; her heart started to beat with excitement. She had to remind herself, there was still some work to be done before she could go out and conquer the town. She had a feeling that if she successfully pulled off this delivery she would prove her willingness to get hands-on in the Earth Kingdom's operations. This trip could be the big step for her career, out of administration and into management. Yasmine was determined to make it a success.
The landing onto Republic City's air dock was uneventful. Yasmine, Mako and the crew exited the aircraft and were swiftly met by a formally dressed man. He took a deep bow when he reached the group.
"Welcome to Republic City. My name is Kong and I am here representing Cabbage Corp. We have the chair crated and ready to be loaded. It's just over there in our hangar."
Yasmine clasped her hands together. "Wonderful! That saves us a lot of trouble."
Kong smiled and gestured towards a nearby hangar building. "If you wouldn't mind just stepping into our office to sign a few papers…"
After the paperwork was completed and the payment exchanged, Kong and Yasmine met the group back by the airship. The two different crews had begun loading the chair onto the airship. Yasmine quickly noticed her people were just standing on the sidelines and the Cabbage Corp crew was doing all the loading.
Mako waved to her and then quickly jogged over. He placed a hand behind his head and started scratching. "So… we all good?" the firebender asked nervously.
Yasmine nodded and held up a small booklet. "We are, and I've got the manual. I'll let you hang onto it, since you're in charge of safety."
Mako took the booklet and smiled. "Yes, thank you."
Kong butted in between the two. "Nothing to worry about, this device is one hundred percent safe and that is a Cabbage Corp guarantee!"
"Well I can speak for the Earth Kingdom in saying we are grateful for all your assistance in this matter. We're just a little over-cautious because of who we're transporting, more than what , right Mako?"
"Yeah… Kuvira's the main concern," the firebender said, nodding.
Kong smiled, satisfied with the explanation. He reached out and shook their hands and then made his exit.
Yasmine leaned over to Mako and in a hushed tone said "I'm glad you're here, that chair-thing makes me nervous. I just didn't want to offend him."
"No worries."
"Great, so now I just need to call President Raiko and our work will be done. After that we can go play!" Yasmine giggled.
"Yeah... I'll go let the crew know they're done for the day," Mako said, gesturing behind him.
"Sounds good, I'll meet you in front of the ship in roughly an hour!"
Korra and the airbender family were just sitting down for dinner when an acolyte slid open the door and poked her head through it.
"Um… there's a young man here to see the Avatar."
All eyes turned to Korra, to see if she was expecting the visitor, but she just shrugged her shoulders.
"Send him in?" Korra asked, looking to Tenzin. He nodded and then started to stroke his beard.
The acolyte quickly returned with a muscular young man in an Earth Kingdom military uniform and a gold bandana. "Sorry to interrupt you all, but I need to speak with Korra."
Pema stood up from her spot. "It's Tu, right? Mako and Bolin's cousin."
"Oh hey, you're the lady who sang all those airbender songs."
"I knew he looked familiar!" Meelo shouted, crossing his arms.
The room relaxed and Pema took her seat again. She gestured to Tu to sit down as well. He took an empty spot between Korra and Meelo.
"Avatar Korra, I'm here to let you know that Mako has arrived from the Earth Kingdom to pick up Kuvira. Me and some of my buds are disguised as his crew."
The Avatar smiled, relieved. "Great, so there won't be any struggle when you guys do the exchange with Suyin and the others."
"Well there's uh, one hiccup. We got this lady riding with us who's with the Earth Kingdom Government. She just kinda showed up at the last minute and said we couldn't leave her cos she had all the papers to get Kuvira."
"What's her name?" Tenzin asked, leaning forward.
"Yasmine something?" Tu replied with a shrug. "I don't think she's anything special."
Korra took a bite of her food "mwars Mmmako?"
"He's out entertaining her. She was all jazzed about visiting the city. So while he's distracting her tonight, Mako wanted me to ask if you guys had any idea how to knock her unconscious, but like safely?"
"Don't you think that's a little extreme?" Jinora asked.
Tu crossed his arms. "You got a better idea?"
The Avatar took a few more bites of her dinner, racking her brain. She thought of all the times she was knocked out, and then it hit her. "We should give you Asami's electric glove!" Korra turned to Ikki, who was sitting between her parents at the other end of the table. "That reminds me, Ikki did you want to spend some extra time with Asami? She's going to be camped up in her office until this is all over."
"Would I?" Ikki exclaimed, hopping out of her seat. "Mom?"
Pema looked over to Korra. "Ikki wouldn't be in any danger, would she?"
"No, no. Asami's in her office to radio between us and Suyin. She's not getting involved in any other way."
"Well if Ikki wants to..."
Ikki jumped up and down a few times. "Yes! It will be like a sleepover! I'm gonna go pack!"
Korra jumped up. "Wait, go get the glove first and come right back. You can pack your stuff after."
"Oh, okay!" Ikki said, changing directions to go out a different door.
Pema followed her daughter out and missed her taking off. She cupped her hands over her mouth. "Don't play around with that glove, just come right back!"
"Yes Mooooooom!" Ikk called out behind her.
About an hour later the young airbender returned to the dining room with a duffel bag.
"Got it, and a suit too!" Ikki announced to the group.
Everyone looked around wondering what Ikki meant by a suit. She pulled a dark green and brown ball of clothing from the bag and laid it out on the table.
"An equalist uniform?" Tenzin asked.
The young airbender beamed and reached back into the bag. She fished around and pulled out the requested glove. "Asami thought it would be a good idea if they had a disguise, in case she sees them first. That, and an equalist outfit would be a good redhair? red head? red-"
"Red herring," Tenzin clarified as he reached out and inspected the glove. "It's a good idea."
Tu walked over and looked out the outfit. "None of my buds are gonna fit into that tight outfit. Looks like Mako's gonna have to be the one to do it."
"I'm going to go get packed now," Ikki declared, then scurried out of the room. After she shut the door, it quickly opened back up and the acolyte from before poked her head in.
"There is someone else here to see the Avatar..."
Korra turned to Tu. "You should go, just in case. Jinora, can you sneak him out the back?"
"Okay..." the eldest child said, getting up from the floor. "We can go through the temple."
Tu followed Jinora out of the room. Korra turned back to the acolyte. "You can let them in."
"You're popular tonight Korra," Pema teased as she started to clear dishes from the table.
The acolyte returned to the room with President Raiko.
"Sorry to interrupt you all this evening," the President said, looking around the room.
Tenzin stood from his seat and gestured to the table. "Raiko, please have a seat. Can we get you some tea?"
Tenzin turned to his wife to make sure she heard this while she was cleaning up. Pema gave him a wink before leaving the room.
"That would be wonderful," the President replied, taking Tu's old spot between Korra and Meelo.
The young boy eyed the man and then stood up himself. "Well, this is going to be boring, I'm out!" Meelo announced as he headed to the door.
"Go help your mother with the tea, first!" Tenzin called out.
"Fiiine..." the boy whined, dragging his feet behind him.
The old airbender sighed and rubbed his forehead for a moment. "Kids…"
Raiko lifted a hand. "It's fine, I'll be brief." He then turned to face the Avatar. "Korra, I know you didn't want to be involved in the trials, but would you mind being at the docks tomorrow for the hand off of Kuvira? I just want to make sure everything goes smoothly."
"Yeah, I can do that. I don't have to say anything do I?" Korra asked.
"No, that is fine. I just want you there for security purposes. Kuvira doesn't have much to lose tomorrow."
"Raiko, you haven't spoken publicly about these trials, I'm curious what your opinion is about Kuvira's sentence," Tenzin asked, mindlessly stroking his beard.
Raiko cleared his throat. "I'm not too in favor of the death penalty. People forget, you allow something like that for others, it could very well happen to you. As a man in politics you always need to keep an eye on your own head. I thought since we don't have an official policy on capital punishment, it was best if the Earth Kingdom did it off our territory. I was hoping we could have a formal meeting about our nation's policy, now that the emotion of the trials is over."
"We were hoping that as well, and I personally would be happy to assist in facilitating it."
Meelo returned with a tray of tea. He passed cups to Raiko, Tenzin and Korra, setting each cup down with an exaggerated thud. The young airbender took a deep and dramatic bow before leaving the room.
Tenzin rolled his eyes as he sipped his tea. "As I was saying, I'd be happy to get that in the works."
The sun had long since set over Republic City when Mako and Yasmine entered Avatar Korra Park. It was their last stop for the evening before returning to the airship for the night.
It had been shy of two weeks since Mako had left Republic City, but it felt like years. Maybe it was seeing the city with a person experiencing it for the first time that made it feel so foreign.
Mako hated to admit it, but he'd had a good time this evening. He had taken Yasmine to a lot of the tourist spots and a few places he used to frequent himself. Korra's park, however, was not one of the places he wanted to go to, but Yasmine had insisted. Word of the Avatar statue had apparently spread far. It reminded Mako how little he, and probably the rest of the group, were aware of Korra's influence. To them she was Korra, in many ways just a person, but to the outside, she was this mysterious and mythical figure.
It wasn't long before he was looking up at Korra's face. Yasmine gasped and put her hands together. She took a few steps closer to the towering statue. "This is amazing! It's so big! Is it bigger than the statue of Avatar Aang?"
"I don't think so. Avatar Aang's statue's so far away it's hard to tell its actual size."
Yasmine started walking around the base of the statue. "She's really something, huh?"
Mako felt the burned skin of his arm twinge. It didn't hurt, it just made him very aware of the large patch of scar tissue. "Yeah…"
Yasmine finished her loop around the statue and walked back over to Mako. She squinted her eyes and then stepped closer. "I knew you looked familiar! You're one of the Avatar's friends, right? You're part of 'Team Avatar'!"
"Yeah…"
"I knew it! I saw you in the paper after she took down Kuvira! What's Avatar Korra like?" Yasmine said as she started to lead Mako away from the statue.
"Korra she's…" Mako started, "she's brave, strong… and loyal, almost to a fault... She's got this magnetic personality, that drags you in and you can't help but want to follow her on some crazy mission."
"And she's pretty gorgeous to boot. Though she's kinda muscular for a woman, I could see that scaring off a lot of guys. Republic City's awfully lucky having two Avatars in a row. I wonder if I'll ever get to see the Earth Kingdom Avatar."
Mako winced at the thought. An Earth Kingdom Avatar would mean Korra was dead. He looked over at his companion. He knew Yasmine didn't realize what she was implying.
"Watch, they'll move to Republic City anyways..." Yasmine continued.
A little while later Mako and Yasmine made it back to the airship. All the lights were out; Tu and the boys had likely gone to bed.
After they entered the ship's main deck, they left the lights off, but could still make each other out with the soft glow of the air dock lights. Yasmine stopped and faced Mako.
"Listen Mako, I wanted to thank you for taking me around the city tonight. That was above and beyond your job."
Mako shoved his hands in his pockets. "It was no problem, I would have been doing that tonight anyways."
"Well, either way, it was sweet of you. I'll be sure to put in a good word for you when we get back to the Earth Kingdom."
The firebender felt a knot starting to form in his stomach. "Yeah, thanks."
"Goodnight!" Yasmine said with a smile, and headed to her room.
"Night."
Once she was out of sight Mako let out a long breath.
"Mako!"
The firebender jumped at his name. He turned around to see Tu coming towards him from the darkness.
"You scared the crap outta me! How long have you been in here?" Mako asked in a hushed tone.
"I've just been sitting up waiting for you to get back. So, you have fun on your little date?"
"Not funny Tu. So did Korra and the gang have any ideas for us?"
Tu smiled and shoved the duffel into Mako's arms. "They got you an outfit and everything."
Mako opened the duffel and recognized the face mask right away. "An equalist uniform? What am I gonna do, scare her unconscious?"
"Naw brah, it's to go with the electric glove."
"I don't know if I can do this anymore…" Mako said, trying to pass the duffel back to Tu, but he already had his hands up defensively.
"You gotta, you're the only one who's fitting into that. C'mon, let's go to bed, we got a big day tomorrow," Tu said, patting his cousin on the shoulder before disappearing into the dark hall.
Mako hauled the bag over his shoulder and followed. "Damnit."
"This is so exciting! I've never had a real sleepover before," Ikki said enthusiastically as she started to lay out her bedroll.
Asami had a couch in her office and had already prepped it for the few days she would be sleeping on it. She sat on the couch while watching Ikki made her own bed for the night. "Well I'm happy you were willing to keep me company while I'm camped out up here."
"Did you have a lot of sleepovers growing up?" the young airbender asked, sitting down on top of her made bedroll, facing the older girl.
"No, not really. I didn't have a lot of friends. Coming from a wealthy family was pretty isolating in school."
"Mmm, I can relate to that, I mean not the rich part, Air Nomads are supposed to live in poverty, but being like the last of your people and shut away on an island. It can be super lonely. I was excited when we got all the new airbenders, but none of them are my age. Lucky Jinora, she found a boyfriend like right away."
"I thought they weren't officially dating till a year ago?"
"You know what I mean. Of course Jinora would find another airbender her age and I bet she's gonna go off with Korra on this mission... do you ever feel left out?"
Asami grabbed a pillow and clutched it to her chest. Her fingers toyed with the tassels. "Sometimes... but I can't bend, so in a big fight I'm more of a liability than a help."
"But you've fought before!"
"Little fights, yes, but I've never taken down any big powerful benders or anything like that." The older girl pulled her legs up on the the couch and rested her chin on the pillow now sandwiched between her chest and knees. "It's interesting, I never felt insecure about being a non-bender until I starting fighting alongside you guys…"
Ikki perked up in her seat and opened her mouth to speak, but Asami quickly cut her off.
"It doesn't bother me so much now. I know that there are lots of things I can do that most people can't, bender and non-bender alike. Sometimes I just wish I could be there, beside her, watching her back…"
"Korra's?" the young airbender asked, leaning forward.
"Yes, it's a selfish desire; fortunately I know that the people she's with will take care of her and she will take care of them. And I help Korra in the ways that I can."
"I don't think it's selfish wanting to be there for her."
Asami cast her eyes down. "It is, because I would be doing it for my own peace of mind, at the cost of her own. It's important to know your role."
"That sounds boring," Ikki said, slumping down in her seat.
The older looked up and over at Ikki. "It can be. Like what we're doing right now? But I know that we are the communication link between all of our friends out there, and we can help make sure this all goes smoothly. I remind myself that even though it's not always glamorous, it's important."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Now you my dear, may get to go on some great adventures someday-"
"When I'm older," Ikki interrupted. "And I'll take you along with me."
Asami smiled. "It's a plan."
There was still a chill in the air when Yasmine and her crew started preparing the airship for Kuvira. During the setup, the area around the ship had been sectioned off by Republic City police with large sawhorses and bright tape. Already there was a curious crowd pressing up against the barriers.
It was a little after eight and the only thing left to do was move the dictator onto the ship, and then they could take off. Yasmine soon saw the flashing lights from a police car, and then another. Four police cars in total surrounded a boxy-looking vehicle that she assumed must be carrying Kuvira. Yasmine felt her heart begin to race, and her palms get slick. She tried to wipe them on her skirt but it was no use. It was finally sinking in that she was about to be taking a twelve hour flight with the villain of the decade and it would be her responsibility that she did not escape.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Yasmine asked internally.
The lead police car drove a little past them and then stopped. Out of the vehicle stepped an official-looking older woman with grey hair, and the Avatar.
"I'm glad Lin and Korra are here," Mako said to himself, jerking Yasmine out of her thoughts. In her panic she had forgotten he was standing next to her.
Mako waved and walked up to the two women. Yasmine stood where she was; a second wave of anxiety washed over her when she realized the Avatar was five feet away from her. No, the Avatar was walking up to her right now!
Yasmine stared down at the hand Korra offered her. Mako was saying something but she couldn't hear it over the sound of her heart beating out of her chest.
Miraculously she was able to get out, "nice to meet you Avatar Korra."
The Avatar smiled and shook her hand firmly. The older woman next to Korra just gave her a nod, but no shake. Yasmine determined that was fine because in that moment she was considering never washing that hand again.
The attention moved off Yasmine when all the vehicles had parked, including the one more fancy-looking Satomobile. The three left her side and headed towards the expensive-looking one.
"Okay, keep it together, this is your moment Yasmine," the young woman said to herself as she followed after them.
President Raiko stepped out of the rear of the Satomobile accompanied by his wife. He gave the four a small wave as he walked over.
"Alright, let's get this over with," the President murmured as he adjusted his suit jacket.
Yasmine took a step closer and shot out her hand. "President Raiko, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Yasmine Kaur, we spoke on the phone yesterday."
Raiko took her hand and gave it a quick shake. "Right, you and your crew ready?"
"We are," Yasmine said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "I'll go grab them."
The young woman was disappointed when Mako chose to stay with the group instead of joining her. She had to remind herself, he knew these people, and probably hadn't seen them in a while.
Once Yasmine rallied the Earth Kingdom crew they all met up at the back of the vehicle holding Kuvira. Two Republic City police officers stood on either side of the double door. At the command of the grey-haired woman the officers each opened the door on their side.
The crowd began to murmur and gasp at the sight of Kuvira strapped to a dolly cart. Four police officers had been riding inside with her, and began unlocking the cart's restraints.
Yasmine tried to get a look at Kuvira but the police officers were blocking her view. She could only hear the many clicks and clanks of all the platinum locks and chains.
"Easy now!" the grey-haired woman hollered as they began to roll Kuvira out of the back of the vehicle. With a loud thud the crew managed to get her onto the ground.
Finally Yasmine was able to get a glimpse of Kuvira. Her face was just as stern and emotionless as the pictures she saw in the newspapers. The young woman could feel sweat starting to drip down her temples at the intimidating sight. Kuvira made no reaction to the clumsy carting of her body across the docks.
Mako led the two guards pushing Kuvira past Yasmine and onto the loading ramp of the ship. Avatar Korra and the grey-haired woman pulled up the rear. Yasmine took the opportunity to trail behind the pair into the ship.
After Yasmine entered the deck, her guards started to catch up. She stood and watched as Mako instructed their men on securing Kuvira's cart.
Once the group was satisfied with their work, they all took a step back from Kuvira. The dictator kept her gaze fixed on a point across the room, unwilling to make any eye contact.
"Alright Detective, she's your responsibility now. Good luck," the grey-haired woman said, giving Mako's arm a pat.
"Thanks Chief."
The Avatar took a step towards Mako next. "Be careful, okay?"
"I will," Mako replied with a weak smile.
There was a pause between them. Yasmine curiously watched the two, sensing some tension between them.
"Korra I…"
The Avatar leaned forward towards the firebender. She spoke to Mako, but Yasmine couldn't hear what Avatar Korra had said.
"We're ready for take-off Ma'am," Tu said, tapping Yasmine's shoulder.
"Yes, thank you."
The Republic City group exited the ship, followed shortly by her crew pulling up the boarding ramp. The ship's propellers throttled up, drowning out the background noise with their loud hum.
Four members of the crew took seats on the deck to begin their guard shift while the others headed towards the personnel quarters. Mako had stayed put, his eyes drifting from Kuvira over to Yasmine. The firebender looked genuinely scared.
Mako then walked over to her, but his eyes returned to Kuvira. The dictator still hadn't looked away from whatever spot on the wall she was trying to burn a hole through. Yasmine wouldn't have been surprised if Kuvira could make that expression come true.
"Well, this is happening," Mako said, nervously crossing his arms. "You uh, think in addition to the crew's shifts, we should maybe also take turns staying out here?"
"That's not a bad idea, they're doing every two hours?"
"Yeah."
"Let's do the same, should I go first?" Yasmine asked.
Mako closed his eyes, like he was thinking hard about the decision. Yasmine couldn't help but smile.
"No, uh I'll go first. You did most of the work this morning."
"Okay, I'm gonna go to my room for a bit."
It was about five hours into the trip. Yasmine was lying on her bed dozing in and out of sleep. She was just starting to slip out of consciousness when she suddenly felt a presence in her room. Her eyes started to crack open when white and blue bolts of light flashed and a gloved hand started to descend on her forehead. Yasmine's vision started to go black, but not before she craned her neck back to get a glimpse of the masked face and glowing eyes looking down at her.
To be continued...