AUTHOR'S NOTES: While I had this chapter written a while ago like most of the others, this is one of those developments that didn't hit me until it happened. As such, it came around very naturally, and it was also when I realized that a certain two characters have a small handful of things in common. It makes for an interesting dynamic. Also, a lot of characters are pretty messed up in the head in this story, aren't they?
Happy Reading!

BOOK THREE: WATER

CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN: FRACTURED MINDS, BROKEN LIVES

Tarrlok and Kwan hadn't exactly been trying to be subtle after the fight ended, and so soon they stepped out as well, particularly as the police and the media were clearing the area (as well as Amon's corpse, among other things). Naga growled when she sniffed out Tarrlok, although did not react beyond that until Kwan spoke.

"She's gonna need you, Naga," she whispered, "We'll handle Asami."

Sure enough, Asami was still standing there in the rain in front of them, her arms crossed even as her hair covered more than half her face. She was clearly waiting for some kind of explanation for their being here.

"This was on me, Sato," Kwan shook some damp curls out of her face, "I heard shit going down and figured there was only one person that coulda scared Korra shitless like this, so I went to get his brother; see what he knew."

"You do not need to believe me on this, Miss Sato," Tarrlok explained, "but I jest you not—not an hour before this horrible incident, Amon broke into my apartment; asked to run away with him. I told him I needed time to think about it, and told him specifically to leave the Avatar alone. I told him nothing good would come from it; I told him that as powerful as he might have been, that Korra would destroy him in her current state. Clearly… I was right."

"You would side with Korra over your own brother?" Asami frowned, before glancing towards the house, "here… let's get inside. I'd rather talk there."

"Might as well keep the rain out…" Kawn quipped, bringing up a makeshift wall behind them as Tarrlok used his recently-restored bending to remove whatever rainwater had entered in the meantime, "but really, all we were doing was watching how it would unfold."

"And yes," Tarrlok added once they were out of the rain, "it seemed my brother's deep-seated hatred for the Avatar had not waned even slightly, and he would not listen to reason. Avatar Korra seeks to be left alone, and I would stand by her plea for peace before standing by my brother's hostilities against her—especially after all Korra has done for me."

"I see," Asami sighed, and shook her head. "Still… I seriously wish you would stop breaking and entering onto my property, Ikiza."

"I can show you the tunnel we used," Kwan suggested, "...and that Amon probably used to get in here in the first place. I mean, not to bring up a painful memory or anything, but your dad was an Equalist and I'm pretty sure he and/or Amon had it built to smuggle out gear and equipment for the revolution at some point."

"It's a tunnel? Leading out of the city?" Asami's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing. She took a deep breath and exploded.

She bellowed several incoherent profanities loudly, swinging a fist angrily at the wall. She was no Korra, however, and so all this did was bloody her knuckles which upset her further. "Yes, Ikiza… that would be good… not tonight though. I need… I need time. Leave, please."

Tarrlok and Kwan did not need to be told twice. After they left, Asami got completely dressed and raced out into the storm calling out for Naga and Korra. Kwan's decision to coax Naga to hunt for Korra helped Asami's hunt go a little easier, because soon there was some barking and howling that prompted Asami to call out more for Naga and less for Korra—for the latter was not responding to her.

She half-regretted putting on so much clothing as the heavy rains soaked her thoroughly by the time she had found Naga, but at this point she was too relieved to care. The large Polar Bear-Dog was snuggled around the little Avatar, who was curled up and either sleeping or just resting. Asami remained concerned though, because through the slits that were Korra's eyes, she could see a dim white light. She had not left the Avatar State.

"Korra," she whispered, getting on her knees next to the Avatar, "Korra, talk to me…"

She had to repeat herself three more times before Korra responded, despite getting more intent each time. Korra's words were not very comforting either.

"I killed him…" she muttered, "I murdered him myself…"

"And now he can't ever harass or traumatize you ever again," Asami whispered, "Korra, it's over. It's finally over, and you're safe now…"

"He got in though…" Korra was still trembling, "he got in despite your security… he knew where I was… where I slept…"

Rather than mention Korra's notoriously loud snoring, which she theorized may have helped Amon find his target much easier than he would have otherwise, Asami turned it towards something that infuriated her instead so they could blame someone besides Korra.

"There was a tunnel my dad used to help Amon smuggle equipment out of the factory," she began, "and that's how he got in. I'll have someone take care of that soon, but right now I'm more concerned about you. Let's get you home and back inside."

"Can… can I sleep with you?" Korra asked. It may have seemed odd coming from her considering they were very much a loving couple, but given Korra's special circumstances (and love and concern for Asami's well-being), she didn't want to keep Asami awake all night with her snoring or thrashing—especially since she was pretty sure Asami skimped off on a lot of much-needed sleep anyways. She just had no way to prove it just yet.

"Of course," Asami hugged her close. "Don't worry about keeping me up. I'll keep you still and I'll keep you safe. Fighting a man who has spent months trying to destroy you only to end up having to end his life has to be… well, that has to be terrifying. It doesn't make you any less of a good person to protect yourself and those you love from those who would wish you harm though."

It seemed that was all Korra needed to hear, for she threw her arms around Asami and nuzzled against her, their soaking bodies not making any difference to her.

Fortunately having a waterbender as her girlfriend helped Asami dry off as Korra pulled the water out of their clothes, and ultimately, Asami found herself being carried to her bedroom, fully dressed and everything, and tossed onto the bed. At first she wriggled a bit, but Korra's grip was firm, and Asami realized a moment later that without the water saturating her clothes and body, she was actually fairly comfortable, and Korra was very warm. As such, it was not long before the two lovers fell asleep in each other's arms, tired and no doubt stressed, but laced with enough relief in each other's presence that they slept soundly.

Kwan had originally taken Tarrlok home shortly after leaving Sato Estate, figuring Asami and Korra would want to be alone, and that Tarrlok would be too after witnessing the Avatar murder his brother. However, the man's already tumultuous and conflicted mind seemed to take an interest in this woman—a curious one, if nothing else.

"Is this how you felt?" he spoke to Kwan as she was about to leave, "an empty, gutted, and yet slightly relieved feeling—when it happened, that is. With Nakkoa and such."

"Actually," Kwan seemed rather calm about the whole thing, even sitting down on Tarrlok's bedside to his left, "For me it was a lot bloodier and more frantic, as Korra was about to bleed out and was gravely injured. If I had left her there… she probably would have died."

"It makes me wonder," he mused in little more than a mutter, "it makes me wonder how much would have been different if you had left Korra to die that day."

"Fuck it, Tarrlok; don't you DARE tell me you want to kill the kid too!" Kwan jumped up, a fiery star of lava appearing from rocks she had no doubt pulled from her pockets.

"Nothing so dramatic, I assure you," he gestured, "no… Korra is… she is far too important for this world and to me for me to want any harm to come upon her."

"Seems you and I are in agreement then," Kwan hummed, hardening the lava back into rocks, returning them to her pockets, and sitting back down. "Good."

"We seem to agree on many things," Tarrlok hummed, "And bear lots of similarities regarding Avatar Korra in particular."

"I mean you're not wrong," Kwan pointed out, "then again, you and I have a lot more in common than just our political views and stance on Korra, I'd say."

"In what way?" he frowned, "because to me this sounds like you're either heaping me with praise or insulting yourself."

"Well," Kwan quipped, "barring the fact that we've both got lives deeply intertwined with Korra and her compassion, we both tried to fix our reputations by winning people over inside the law."

"That surely can't be your only reasoning?" Tarrlok scoffed.

"Well, and we're both powerful benders with abuse-ridden pasts due to sadistic and manipulative parents," Kwan added, "and we both have lives of crime we're trying to put behind us."

"Go on?" Tarrlok didn't seem fully convinced yet.

"I mean, there's the obvious one:" the earthbender shrugged, "We've both got powerful crazy older siblings who were murdered by the Avatar after trying to kill the poor kid. And y'know… we're both singles in our late 30s that have pretty much given up on companionship."

"Spirits, but you've been talking to Korra too, haven't you?" Tarrlok shook his head. He glanced at Kwan, and while she looked rather inelegant and unremarkable with her bedhead, loose tanktop, bare feet, and baggy pants, there was something charming about the charismatic but humble vulnerability that the little former Red Lotus woman exuded. She did have a black cloth wrapped around her right wrist, but Tarrlok simply suspected it was an injury and thought little of it.

"Well sure," Kwan shrugged, "but I mean… I think we could be friends… maybe try atoning for all our shit together or something, yeah?"

"Perhaps more than friends?" Tarrlok took a bold but necessary step, "I have little to offer given how much of my assets have gone to reparations, but perhaps a night out with a beautiful woman could do wonders for my spirits. Would you humour this sleazy old councilman on that front, or is this going to be gossip for the Avatar tomorrow?"

"No, I…" Kwan stammered a moment, "I actually… kinda hoped you'd ask. Do you have a location picked out? I can drive if you don't have a car. It's not like I'm going to hold that against you or anything."

"Would that I could afford a place like Kwong's, but alas. Is Narook's too far below you?"

"Narook's?" Kwan gawked, "hold it; hold it. YOU, the great Councilman Tarrlok, former enemy of the Avatar… eat at Narook's?"

"Don't you even THINK about telling Korra, damn it!" Tarrlok threatened, "Not yet, at least. I know as well as you do that she would no doubt have nothing but good intentions, but this should stay between us… at least until we figure out where we are and wish to be in that regard. I will be honest though, Kwan… the idea of seeing you in a dress is… rather pleasant."

"I'll make sure to dress my best then," Kwan promised, "don't disappoint me." the lighthearted tone she voiced this with hinted more at a lighthearted challenge for him to dress his best as well. The next few minutes were spent finding a suitable time for the date, which was tricky because they wanted to keep Korra out of the picture at least until after the two of them figured out where their relationship was and where they wished to take it. They ultimately decided on the upcoming weekend, because it also gave them time to gauge Korra's condition and ensure she did not intervene (even if Kwan in particular figured her intentions would be good).

All in all, due to Korra's own resurged trauma due to Amon's invasion (as well as her vigilant assistance in helping Asami beef up security) neither Tarrlok nor Kwan heard from her for a couple days. In a way it was relieving, but it didn't take long for Kwan in particular to start missing her. Regardless, the weekend came and Tarrlok heard a knock at his door just as he was finishing doing up his hair in his trademark three ponytails. His suit was a much darker shade of blue than his usual ones; an ensemble different from the ones he usually wore when on the council. He had expected Kwan to dress up, but seeing the little lavabender in a ruffled sleeveless number of a rich emerald green and thick golden bracelets on each wrist made his heart skip a beat or two. Whether or not they were emotionally attracted to one another, Tarrlok definitely felt physical attraction, and unbeknownst to him, so did Kwan.

"You know Korra's never going to let you hear the end of this when she finds out, right?" Kwan quipped, starting off the evening almost comically.

"Truly?" Tarrlok scowled, "that's the first thing you say to me? Not even a quip like 'get in loser, we're going to Narook's'? That seems much more up your alley."

"Well sure! Get in loser, we're going to Narook's," Kwan riposted, "I just thought we might want to have a little banter before we went? You look great by the way; not gonna lie."

"I could say the same for you, really." Tarrlok commented, "That's a nice dress, and I don't think I've ever seen you do your hair up until today."

"Hey, I like to make good first impressions," Kwan pointed out, "I imagine you do too?"

"Generally speaking, yes." Tarrlok noted as he followed Kwan to her truck, "I attempted to do the same with Korra when we first met, but she clearly saw right through me."

"Better than me." Kwan frowned, starting the engine, "we beguiled Korra away and then tried to kill her. And this was years after my incident with Senna which means she had at least sort of forgiven me at that point. I'm pretty sure she still hates me, and that Korra's the only thing keeping her from wringing my neck at the soonest opportunity."

"At least you're not directly responsible for a great deal of her injuries and trauma," Tarrlok responded, "Not to turn this into a flex-fest on which of us has ruined the Avatar's life more, but it's not your fault for what your sister did."

"It's not your fault for what your brother did either," Kwan replied.

"My brother isn't the one that tortured her with bloodbending before locking her in a cage and kidnapping her." Tarrlok scowled, "and yet she forgave me!"

"She forgave you… but she defended me." Kwan's grip on the steering wheel tightened, which was easy to spot thanks to her arms being bare, "I'm in hot water with her mom, which means I'm also in hot water with her dad by nature; and I'm absolutely certain I am the cause of a huge deal of turmoil in her girlfriend. And yet here she is, protecting me from the wrath of them all, insisting that I deserve another chance."

"But once again, those are crimes of your sister," Tarrlok reminded her, "Nakkoa was the one that murdered Mrs. Sato, and the one that tried murdering the Avatar."

"And yet I enabled it," Kwan rounded a corner rather sharply, "I was her getaway driver after she murdered Yasuko, and every night Nakkoa came to me with her problems, I assured her that if push came to shove, that I would have her back the same way she had always had mine."

"I apologize…" Tarrlok took a deep breath, noticing Kwan's own tension and not wanting to encourage it further, "I suppose it frustrates me, is all—trying to decipher the machinations of that woman. She's so young, and yet so influential… and being the Avatar has almost nothing to do with that level of influence she exudes."

"I'll say…" Kwan shook her head, her arms loosening as she slowed to a stop in front of Narook's, "and the weird part is that I don't think she even realizes it. I think she credits it to being the Avatar and thinks that people listen to her because of her status. Honestly, and maybe I'm alone in this, but I couldn't care less about her being the Avatar. It helps, sure; but the fact that there's this woman out in the world that cares so much about people that probably deserve much worse is freakin' amazing. You know she's going to talk about us, right?"

"Of that I have no doubt," Tarrlok quipped dryly as he got out and helped Kwan out, despite her being the driver in this case, "Knowing her, she's going to be almost obnoxiously supportive. I'm calling it right now."

"Are you a betting man?" Kwan raised her eyebrow. Tarrlok paused to analyze her for a moment before a smirk appeared on his face.

"I am now." He led her inside, "What's the wager?"

48 hours or less before Korra finds out," Kwan offered her hand, "Or do you think she'll take longer than that?"

"I would have said 72 hours, but very well," Tarrlok shook her hand, "if she catches wind before 48 hours have passed, you win. I'm still paying for tonight though."

"Well, you won't get complaints from me," Kwan smirked, "let's go."

It certainly wasn't where either of them had expected to be at this point in their lives, but at the same time, neither one appeared to be complaining. Perhaps Korra was right—perhaps there was a relationship to be fostered here after all...