Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

See Book 1.5: Asami Starts to Rebuild the prior fic that leads into this one. Characters there will reappear in this Book 2: Spirits.

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Days before Winter Solstice, 171 AG,  Boat Ride South

Asami headed up the stairs to the main deck, her idea journal in hand and pens tucked into her pocket. The cold air hit hard when she stepped through the portal onto the wooden deck. She pulled up her hood of her coat and wished it was thicker. The sky blazed a deep azure, white clouds hovered in the distance, and the ocean's waves murmured against the keel of the boat. Peaceful if it hadn't made her nauseous at times, though Korra had thankfully introduced her to her mother's lovely tea blend that helped calm her stomach.

Loud steps sounded behind her, and she jumped to the side to avoid Naga who dashed through the stair portal and skidded into her. 

The great polar bear dog nuzzled her and tried to lick her face. She held up her hands to try to fend off the massive amount of fur. She had just washed up, and Naga’s breath smelled horrible. 

“Naga! Down girl!” Korra ran up the stairs and skidded to a stop next to her polar bear dog. She laughed. “Give Asami some space!” Naga reluctantly sat back on her haunches, completely blocking the route downstairs.

“Thanks.” Asami picked up her idea journal from where it'd fallen during the onslaught.

“Naga really likes you.” Korra looked her over, thoughtfully. “That’s so rare. She doesn’t even like Mako.” 

Asami shrugged her shoulders. “What can I say? I’m a polar bear dog whisperer.” 

Korra laughed again. “I’ll remember that.” She scratched behind Naga’s ears. “What a good girl. Such good taste in people.” The dog’s tail thumped the deck hard enough that Asami could feel the shakes. “So what are you up to?”

“Had to get fresh air. But it’s colder than I thought.” Asami shivered again.

“It’s only going to get colder! We are going to the South Pole.” Korra grinned. 

“Right.” Asami didn’t exactly what to think about that yet. This entire trip was partly to meet with Varrick, the richest person in the Southern Water Tribe and who controlled most of the shipping trade. It was her last hope for her company. The other reason she came was due to Korra and the desire to join her in seeing the festivities of her people, but Asami had no intention of admitting that to anyone. “Maybe I should have bought another coat to wear atop this one.” 

That only got Korra laughing harder. “Puffed up like an otter-penguin!” 

Asami rolled her eyes. “Thanks I think?” She shivered again. “Would Naga mind me sitting with her?”

Korra shrugged. “She likes you, so just ask.”

Ask the polar bear dog? Asami found that confusing, but well, the dog did seem to do whatever Korra asked. Couldn’t hurt. “So, um, Naga, would you like to sit with me over here and keep me warm?” 

Naga cocked her head and seemed to seriously consider the request. Then barked and bounded past Asami to plant herself a meter away. 

“Naga has spoken!” Korra nudged Asami. “You may sit with her fluffiness.”

Asami smiled and settled against the great dog’s bulk. The fur was indeed warm, and her haunches definitely cut out some of the cold breeze. “Oh, this is why you sleep against her.” The softness was more than enough to get lost in. 

Korra nodded and rubbed the top of Naga’s head. “If she gets restless, take her for a ride around the ship. Or get me! I’m off to see what Mako’s up to!” She waved and headed downstern. 

Asami watched her go and felt a bit sad. Lately, Team Avatar had been drifting apart again, and some of it was due to their jobs. Mako worked as a beat cop, Bolin was close to selling the Fire Ferrets after several failed attempts to remake the team, and Korra studied hard with Tenzin.

For herself, her company had started to dominate her time again. Trying to get Future Industries out of its spiral toward bankruptcy had been one failed attempt after another. It felt like she couldn’t escape her father’s harmful decisions, and it didn’t help no one really knew of her beyond the fact she testified against her own father. Sure, the community projects and the repair stations - she'd decided to keep those open indefinitely - had given her some good publicity, but that hadn't helped with sales in the ways she'd hoped.

She sighed and pulled out a pen to sketch possible designs for improved planes and satomobiles. All the ideas she’d had felt overdone and not distinct enough. She ought to try a different tactic, but they didn't have the funds to shift strategies now.

“Naga, what do you think I should do?” She didn’t really expect the dog to answer, but it was comforting to talk to someone. “All my inventory is things I’d rather not sell, but I’m at a point that if I don’t, the company will fail. It’s all I got left of my family, my mother especially. I don’t want to lose it.” She had no idea what she’d do with her life without it. 

Naga thumped her tail and made a sort of bark-purr-growl sound. Not at all threatening but more thoughtful, almost like the creature was trying to provide helpful advice. 

At least the polar bear dog understood. Asami rubbed the fur behind Naga’s ear and decided to sketch Naga instead.

As the boat sailed further south, the winds grew even colder, and Naga grew restless. Shivering, Asami stood and tucked her idea journal into her coat’s pocket. Naga nuzzled her and bounded toward the stern. With that warmth gone, Asami considered heading downstairs again, but all of Tenzin’s kids had been in a loud and very air-bending packed fight. Not at all conducive toward thinking. 

Asami headed to the bow of the boat. To her surprise, Bumi stood there. No, more like posing there. He had his arm up like he saluted the wind itself, and his fist against his chest. “What are you doing?” 

“Honoring the wind of course!” Bumi relaxed his posture. “That’s the best way to get it to turn from us! Gotta give it honor and a good wallop!” He pretended to air bend, even though he was a nonbender like herself. “And what’s a pretty girl like you doing here?”

“Being cold and reconsidering my life’s choices,” Asami answered honestly. 

“Always a good plan in my books! Why I’ll tell you when I was in the forces, I often had to reconsider my choices. Did you know, back in, oh 166, I had to battle my way through pirate forces…” he lapsed into one of his long-winding, larger than life tales. Asami listened, amused. Bumi and Bolin had that same weird but go-lucky personality that she found endearing but a little off putting at times. Best taken in small doses. “So then I realized…” he continued, “I had to grab them by the throttle and tear apart their sea vessels. So you see, reconsidering things sure helped me win that battle.” 

“Quite the story,” Asami replied. What else could she say to a story of pirate fighting that involved wrangling sea serpents and soaring on waves to tear apart boats? 

“Indeed it was!” Bumi grinned. “I bet you got some good stories. Heard you saved my brother a few times. Poor Tenzin, he can be bit of a softie.” 

True, she had, but she didn’t consider Tenzin a softie. In fact, Asami wasn’t entirely sure what to think of Tenzin. He seemed like a very intense Master airbender, but at the same time, he had a very fatherly persona until he was angered, then he became like a stormwind, ready to tear down the enemy. Complex would probably be a better word for the man.

“Glad he got people like you to keep him safe!” Bumi clasped her shoulder. “Keep it up, girlie!” He marched away pleased with himself.

Asami watched him go, baffled, but then anything Bumi did had a tendency to throw her for a loop. She turned and looked out to sea. Clouds loomed over the horizon, and the waves churned. A few dolphin-seals danced in the waves, jumping and hooting, only to dive out of sight. Far out, on the horizon, Asami could make out what seemed to be land. She hoped it was. Going by boat always made her nauseous.

The cold cut through her, and she finally gave up and headed back downstairs. Descending the steps cut away some of the cold, but even here under the deck, she was still freezing. Shouting kids could be heard in one of the larger rooms to her left, but she passed on by and headed into the galley. The room ran from the midline point to the stern, studded with round windows on one side and counters and cabinets on the other. The far end held the kitchen area, completely with a fire stove, hung pans, and sink. Jinora brewed tea at the kitchen area. Lovely idea. Asami wove through the belted down benches, chairs, and tables that were set up in clusters across the galley. She hovered her hands near the stove top, the heat a wonderful respite from the freezing cold.

“Cold?” Jinora looked at her amused. “I can make you tea too.” 

Asami nodded, glad to finally feel her fingers again. “If you don’t mind.” 

The young girl carefully measured out more tea leaves and placed it in the teapot. “Have you ever been to the solstice festivals down south?”

Asami shook her head. “First time I’d been south was after Amon to help support Korra.” She had always wanted to visit the Southern Water Tribe, but her father had rarely taken her on any of his outside business deals. Shipments had gone south and north, but she’d never been privy to them. Now, as the head of Future Industries, she needed the shipments to go north and south as well as east and west, but she was lucky to get any outside of her warehouse. 

“I’ve heard it’s pretty. Lots of games.” Jinora smiled and tapped her fingers against the counter. “Did you want to go with us?”

Asami nodded. “Unless Korra or Bolin drag me with them.” She had a sneaking suspicion that if anyone did that it’d be Bolin. Korra and Mako were often together, unless they had a fight, upon which Korra sought her out. The fights had been happening more and more often, which Asami really shouldn’t have felt grateful for, but she liked the fact Korra sought her out after a fight with Mako. “What do you look forward to the most?” She asked Jinora in order to distract her thoughts.

“Hmmm.” Jinora poured the tea and handed one to Asami. The warmth of the cup was a welcome relief. “Maybe the great feast. Or the festival games. There’s some pretty light shows and ice sculptures I’ve heard.” 

“That does sound lovely.” Asami sipped the tea and sighed. “I’m not sure how much I’ll see of it. I need to meet with Varrick Industries first.” 

Jinora looked sad. “But maybe after? You can’t be doing that all day, right?”

Asami had no idea. She didn’t know what to expect from Varrick, considering all correspondence with him had been either short and to the point from his assistant or wild, bombastic writing from Varrick himself. She needed this deal to work, desperately, so she’d go with the flow and hope for the best. “I’m asking Bolin to help me out. He really wants to go to the feast, so maybe we’ll make it?” 

That got a grin out of the girl. “You can sit with us! You’re family anyway.” Her smile faded somewhat. “I wish you could come with us to the Air Temples too.” 

Truth be told, Asami wished she could too. She’d always wanted to see them. “Maybe someday in the future?” She sighed heavily and took a long sip from the tea. “If I can just stabilize my company, then I could maybe take a break…” How long would that be? Things had only gotten more and more hectic and desperate after she’d gone through the employee roster with Chief Beifong’s undercover agents and ferreted out all of her father’s co-conspirators. Then the hiring process had been slow. She had only one factory running, having to temporarily shut down the other due to costs, and all her inventory could fit in one warehouse. The repair stations and community projects were the few things that gave her hope, but even those did little to break the hold her father's legacy had on her life.

It was depressing and some nights the despair and nightmares threatened to eat up all her hope, but she had made a promise to Pema and Korra. She had to keep going and trying her best. 

Jinora poured more tea. “I think you can do it!” She lifted the cup as if in a toast. Asami lifted hers as well and hoped the young girl was right.

Chapter Text

Before Winter Solstice, Boat Ride South 

Asami sketched her airship design and added more flourishes to it. She wanted it to look spectacular, so that all that saw it would be in awe, but she also needed it to be functional, useful, and well-made unlike the hunk of junks Cabbage Corps produced. 

“Hey Asami!” Bolin walked in and dived for the food area. He sifted through the supplies. “How’s it going?” He stuffed a cookie into his mouth, picked up another, then stuffed the entire tin in his shirt. 

Amused, Asami shook her head at him. “Stealing cookies still?”

“What? They’re good.” He wandered over and looked over her shoulder. “Still sketching?”

“Yes. Oh, I wanted to ask. Would you be willing to pose as my assistant in my meeting with Varrick? It’ll be two hours after we get into port.” Asami hoped he’d say yes. She really needed some back up for this, and she couldn’t ask Mako or Korra. 

“Oh yeah!” Bolin grinned and gave her a thumbs up. “As long as we’re done by that big feast! We can’t miss that.”

“I’m positive we will be.” She actually had no idea how long it’d take, but a little white lie couldn’t hurt, right? 

“Count me in! So do we meet up at the pier or something? Since it’s two hours after we get in?” He pulled a cookie out of the tin in his shirt and bit in with a hum of pleasure. 

“Meet at this ship. We’ll walk over to Varrick’s together.” Asami had done some research on the eccentric man, but he had a legion of ships, so she wasn’t entirely sure which one would be at port. 

“All right! I’ll be there. Gotta go hide this now.” He winked and wandered out of the galley, still snacking on his stolen cookies.

Asami hoped she’d made a good decision, but at this point, she had no one else to pose as an assistant. Her research had made it clear Varrick seemed to think they were essential to any business leader. Why he thought so, she hadn't a clue.

She rubbed her right temple, took of sip of her tea - thankfully still warm, and resumed her sketch. She wasn’t sold on the decorative elements she’d added. 

Korra stormed into the galley, sighted her, and plopped down in the chair opposite her. Her brown skin was flushed from the cold, and she wore a coat at least, but no gloves and her hood wasn’t up. How the girl wasn’t bothered by the cold baffled Asami to no end. 

Since sketching wasn’t gonna happen, Asami put down her pen. “Mako again?” Asami raised an eyebrow at the Avatar. 

“Why can’t he be on my side for once!” She threw her hands up in the air. “He keeps doing that… that thing, you know? Like trying to see all sides, and I already know Tenzin’s side. I hear that all the time.” 

“Bring me up to speed?” Asami needed a bit more context. 

Korra scowled. “He was sharing some silly catch phrases for when he catches bad guys. Said he might make detective soon. So I said that sounded like fun. Unlike my days. Master Boring has me training all day!” She crossed her arms, angry. “I never get to have fun anymore. Meditation this, meditation that, and then the constant slow moving forms. If I dare have fun playing with his kids, I get a scolding. And of course, Mako had to side with Tenzin. Said he was just trying to make me the best Avatar I could be.” 

Asami still didn’t quite follow why this upset Korra, but she suspected that the argument had its roots far deeper than this surface level spat. “Tenzin does train you hard,” she agreed. Last two months, after she got home from work, Korra and her had struggled to still keep up a sparring routine. It had gone from every other day to every two days, to only twice a week.

“See?” Korra waved a hand her way. “Exactly! You get it!” She sighed and laid her arms on the table, slumping forward. “Why can’t Mako? It’s like he doesn’t even try to get me.” 

“You’ve told him that?” Asami asked. 

Korra’s blue eyes met Asami’s, and for a moment, Asami felt her breath catch in her throat. “Yeah, but that fight was worse. He said I didn’t try to get him either. But what’s to get? He enjoys his job. He’s totally made for being a detective really. Steadfast and strong, but kind of stoic. Like, he’s got a lot going for him, but he can’t seem to make up his mind about anything. If I ask his thoughts, he waffles and gives me non-answers. I don’t want non answers. I want a conversation!”

Asami found that description quite accurate based on her experience. “Yes, that sounds like Mako.” 

“Gosh, you understanding helps a lot.” Korra straightened and smiled. “Makes me feel less like I’m crazy.” 

“Oh, you're most definitely not crazy,” Asami confirmed. “No, you’re brilliant and amazing. If not a little brash at times.” 

“Oh?” Korra propped her head up with her left arm. “Brash, eh?” 

Had she misstepped? Asami found it hard to read Korra’s smile and her intent gaze. “Sometimes. It’s not a bad thing, if you’re wondering. I find it lovely.” This was quickly entering somewhat confusing territory for Asami. Even with her socialite training, she found Korra could easily disarm her, which was a baffling trait to add to her mental file on the Avatar.

Korra laughed. “No, you’re right. I guess I am. But sometimes people need a good punch!” She straightened and pretended to punch an unseen opponent next to her. “And I know, Tenzin would tell me to be more diplomatic. That not every problem can be solved with a punch.” She rolled her eyes. 

Asami smiled at the thought of Korra punching her way through her company problems. Too bad she couldn’t ask her friend to do that, but sadly, diplomacy reigned over punching in most business deals. “I don’t know. You punching things helped Republic City more than diplomacy.” 

“See?” Korra waved a hand toward the galley door behind her. “I wish Tenzin got that. But I get it. Gotta be well rounded Avatar. I just feel stuck though. Like there’s stuff I’m missing.” She harrumphed in frustration. 

She studied her friend, the slump to Korra’s shoulders, the tension in her brow, and the anger that still tugged at her lips. This issue truly bothered Korra. Asami ran through prior conversations in her mind, like a detective searching for evidence to lay out the conclusions of a case. “Your spiritual side. Is that part of it?”

Korra looked at her, startled. “Asami, how did you know?”

“I listen and observe.” It was what Mako had jokingly called her 'observation mode' during Tarrlok's boring gala, of which Korra had been the only highlight. Asami sipped her tea then made a face. “Ugh, it’s cold now.” 

“Oh, let me fix that.” Korra took the cup and then flicked a flame into her hand and held it under it. “You know, I really wish Mako would understand that. Not once occurred to him that I’m upset with Tenzin because of that. Master Boring has me reading such riveting books," her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Now we’re going on this grand journey to see all the temples, but what good will that do? That’s just history! He hasn’t really done anything beyond meditation and basic air bending techniques, you know?” She clenched her fist to extinguish the flame and handed the cup back to Asami. 

"That is frustrating." She took a sip and smiled. “Ah, perfection. Thanks.” 

“Welcome.” Korra turned to the side to glance back at the galley door. "Do you think Mako will ever understand?" She looked at Asami again. 

“I don’t know honestly.” Asami didn’t have a lot of good things to say about Mako at the moment, but she needed to be diplomatic about her analysis of his behaviors. “He needs to get in touch with his emotional side. Listen and retain better. But that’s not something you can fix for him, Korra. He has to learn that.” 

Korra sighed heavily. “I know, but it’s so annoying. Why can’t he be like you?” 

Why indeed? She didn’t dare say that out loud though. Instead, she took a sip of her tea. 

“What are you working on anyway?” Korra leaned forward. “Oh, wow, is that an airship?” Her eyes widened at the intricate drawing. 

“Yes.” Asami put down the tea and turned the idea journal toward Korra. “I want to build one that’s for civilians. Utilitarian but also eye-catching. And well-made.” She pointed out various parts of the drawing, surprised at how intently Korra was listening. 

“So these air tanks keep it hovering?” Korra tapped one of the ones on the side of the airship. 

“Yes. I tested it in my workshop with a small model. Remember a few weeks ago? When you all burst into my office at midnight to rescue me?” 

“Oh yeah!” Korra smiled, sheepishly. “Bolin was absolutely convinced you were kidnapped.” 

“By work maybe. My model proved this design can hover quite well without turning on an engine. But to move it forward, an engine is needed. That was a lot trickier to test. Threw off my weight calculations.” She sighed, sadness filtering into her voice. “I have no way to make it at the moment.”

“Why - oh, oh, your sales. It’s bad, isn’t it?”

Asami trailed a finger over the drawing. “Worse than that. If I can’t score this deal with Varrick…” She didn’t want to say it out loud.

Korra looked at her, sadly. “I’m sorry, Asami. That really sucks. After all you’ve done, people out to be running over each other to buy your stuff.”

Asami shrugged. “I can’t seem to escape my father’s yoke I guess. And I’ve tried almost everything.” She shut her idea journal. “But we’re almost to your home! And I’m sure everything will turn out fine. I’ll make the deal, and you’ll have a grand time with your family!” It was the same fake enthusiasm she’d used with her engineers, and she could tell Korra wasn’t falling for it. 

“You don’t have to fake it with me, Asami.” Korra leaned back. “I know this hurts you.” 

“I know.” Asami sighed and swirled the last dregs of her tea. “I’ve had to fake it so much lately that it’s starting to become a habit.”

“Well don’t make it one with me,” Korra said, firmly. “I prefer us being honest and upfront with each other.” 

Asami smiled at the Avatar. “Me too.”

For a moment, they looked at each other, neither speaking. Since the cliff incident, Korra had started to discern Asami's feelings more, but then there were times where Korra acted oddly dense. Considering the evidence for Korra's keen intelligence, this trait confused Asami at times. Not something she'd ever admit to the girl. Asami had made that mistake before and accidentally angered the person, thus ending the friendship quicker than any other method. It was partly why Asami had so few friends. Socialite ways of speaking were weirdly illogical and utterly draining - no amount of training helped solve that problem, and her attempts to be kind but honest seemed to backfire more than it helped. Yet with Korra saying she appreciated her honesty? Maybe it would be okay to share more of her thoughts?

A bark came from the galley door, and both of them turned to see Naga stick her head inside. Her bulk didn’t quite fit, so she laid down and looked sadly at the two of them. “Naga!” Korra laughed. “Bored again?” The polar bear dog made a mournful sound. “All right, I’ll take you out again.” She turned to Asami with a smile. “Thanks for letting me talk.” 

“Anytime.” Asami watched the Avatar head out with Naga. The sadness from earlier filtered through her again, and she looked down at her idea journal. Opening it, she picked up her pen and sketched Korra sitting in front of her with Naga stuck in the doorway behind her.

Chapter Text

A Few Days Before Winter's Solstice, Wolf Cove

Shouts on the deck alerted Asami to the fact they were almost at port. She finished rearranging her suitcase and locked it shut again. Grabbing her idea journal and tucking it in her coat’s pocket, she bundled up tightly and headed to the deck. 

Korra and Mako stood at the bow with Bolin. Pema and the kids were beside Tenzin and Bumi. Asami walked up to Jinora, who stood off to one side from Ikki and Meelo. 

“Hey Asami!” Jinora smiled at her. “Look, we’re almost there!” She pointed to the Wolf Cove. 

Indeed, the ship sailed into a wide bay, the city hugging its edges. The docks were on the north-western edge of the city, north of a large island - iceberg? Asami wasn’t sure. The buildings were covered with snow, and snow-packed mountains encircled the city. Nestled against a mountain to northeast lay the palace, but further south, a massive Ferris wheel dominated the skyline, likely where most of the festival would be. The last time she’d been here, she’d barely had time to take in the city. They’d been in a hurry to reach the White Lotus compound for Korra’s sake.

As the boat pulled closer to the docks, Asami sighted a ridiculously ornate yacht, likely Varrick’s, moored two piers away from the one their ship angled toward. Other ships looked to be either cargo, whaling, or fishing vessels.

“Look! It’s Gran Gran!” Ikki shouted. She pointed to an elderly woman beside what had to be Korra’s parents. Tonraq was huge, far taller than any other person on the pier’s walkways, and Senna looked like a small fragile woman next to his bulk.

Beyond them lay the streets that led into the Glacier Spirits Festival. Lights strung across walkways and streets, stalls situated along the paths, and crowds milled through the festivities. 

Asami felt out of her element. She didn’t really know these people well, and the thought of meeting Master Katara again left her feeling shy. She’d always looked up to her, amazed at her exploits, and had read dozens of books that detailed her adventures. A secret she’d never admit to anyone, let alone Master Katara herself.

“I’m not sure if I should come with,” she said to Jinora, quietly. 

“Why not?” Jinora’s eyebrows raised in confusion. “You’re family.” 

What could she say to that? She wasn’t truly family. More of a something that Asami didn’t know what to call. They had taken her in and treated her like family, but she wasn’t related. It felt wrong to infringe on their time with relatives.

“I’m not theirs,” Asami gestured to the people at the pier. 

“So? We’ll introduce you! I’m sure they’ll all love you too!” Jinora leaned forward and called to her mother. “Right, Mom? Asami can come with us?”

Pema turned and smiled. “Of course! I made sure you had a room too, Asami. Staying on the boat seemed too isolated. There’s plenty of space for you.” 

“Thanks, Pema.” Asami felt embarrassed. After the conversation they’d had doing dishes a week ago, Asami had gotten the impression that Pema was taking care of lodging, but she’d never confirmed it, mostly out of fear that it was too good to be true. So the boat had been her back-up option. She hadn’t minded the idea of staying on it. If the deal with Varrick went well, she likely would be taking it back to Republic City anyway.

Meelo shouted in excitement. The boat had slowed further and pulled up to the dock. It creaked and shuddered as the anchor fell, and then the sailors threw over the ropes to secure the ship. The plank was extended with a thunk. As the others rushed forward, the kids in the lead, Asami hung back. Crowds were not her favorite. She waited for the others and was the last to leave. 

“Gran gran!” The kids rushed the elderly woman and swamped her with hugs. 

A few paces away, Korra hugged her father and introduced Mako. Watching the scene, a pang of sadness hit Asami. She didn’t feel brave enough to join the rest of Team Avatar, especially without some signal from Korra, so she walked over to Pema instead. 

“We missed you, Aunt Kya,” Jinora was saying to a tall, slender water bender with skin as brown as Master Katara’s. Her hair was grey and tied back, and she had a wedding necklace around her neck. 

“Ohh, I missed you, too. Your father doesn't bring you to visit nearly enough. He's probably scared I'll beat him up,” Kya lightly punched Tenzin’s arm, “like when we were kids.”

“I’m not scared of you…” Tenzin rubbed his arm, timidly. “Anymore.” Kya laughed at that. 

Pema grasped Asami’s arm and pulled her forward. “Katara, you remember, Asami Sato? She’s been staying with us. I told you about her in our letters.” 

Asami’s face reddened. Oh, no, she had no idea what to do now. Her role model had turned to her with a smile and held out her hand. Asami reached forward her throat suddenly dry. Katara grasped her forearm in the typical Water Tribe greeting, and Asami mimicked it. 

“Ah, I remember you quite well. You came with Korra after Amon took her bending. Welcome, Asami.” Katara’s voice held that grave but kind quality, like she saw more than she let on. 

“Yes. That was me.” Asami wanted to kick herself. Surely she could utilize her socialite skills better. “It’s a pleasure to meet under happier circumstances.” 

“It is indeed.” Katara released her and turned to the kids. “Tell me, how was the journey?” Meelo and Ikki nearly tripped over each other to share the tale, though Jinora hung back to talk with her aunt. 

“See?” Pema leaned in with a smile. “You fit in fine.”

Asami found that a strange assertion, considering a greeting did not provide much evidence of that. She still felt a bit like a third wheel. 

“Wow!” Bolin exclaimed. Asami turned startled. “Look at all these people that came out to greet us.” He meandered up to Korra, Mako, and Korra’s parents, who stood a few paces away still. 

“Uh no. They came to greet them.” Korra pointed to a massive and ornate Northern Water Tribe ship that had entered the harbor. 

Asami looked around and noted that the crowds on the pier had grown exponentially. Murmurs of excitement was mixed with angry diatribes, a tension that Asami had no idea existed in the Water tribes. Her research hadn’t indicated any political tension, though she supposed that research would soon be put to the test.

Turning, she followed Korra’s pointing arm and stared at the massive white vessel entering the harbor. Was that metal waves sculpted around its front bow? Huh. Wait, it was five stories tall? No wonder its length was tremendous, otherwise it’d struggle to float. On the sides of the ship, gilded wings were carved into the metal. The sails had been rolled up, and a blue flag flew from its mast. Pulling out her idea journal, she furiously sketched it, ideas taking shape in her mind. What if she could design a boat like that? Sailing ships weren’t her specialty, but maybe the partnership with Varrick could assist?

“Impressive, huh?” Kya said. She’d walked up beside Asami. 

“Yes.” Asami looked up from her half-finished drawing. She couldn’t recall if she’d been ever introduced. “I’m Asami…”

“I know.” Kya smiled warmly. “I’m Kya. You draw well.” She nodded at Asami’s sketch. 

Asami glanced down and added in the rest of the ship’s shape. “Yes. Need it for crafting blueprints.” She pointed her pen at the ship. “So that…” She thought through the research she’d done on the Water tribes before the trip. “… is Chief Unalaq’s ship?”

“Yes. You know your stuff.” Kya crossed her arms and didn’t look happy at the sight of the ship pulling up to the dock. “He’s here for the festival.”  Behind them, shouts had started up, some of them excitement but others boos. That surprised her, and again Asami wondered about the political stability between the two tribes.

“The great chief of the Northern Water Tribe comes to grace us with his presence. Hooray,” Tonraq said sarcastically, loud enough for Asami to hear a few paces away.

Senna placed a hand on his arm, while Korra looked at her father. “Just relax, Tonraq,” Senna said. “He’ll be gone soon enough.”

The tension there was palpable. Shutting her idea journal, Asami tucked it away and wondered if she should slip away to prepare for her meeting with Varrick later. Probably best to not be in the way, especially for possible family drama. She didn’t feel that confident about her friendship with Korra to witness that.

“Tonraq is Unalaq’s brother,” Kya said, interrupting Asami’s thoughts. “They don’t get along.” 

“If I may ask, why is that?” Maybe it could help explain why the crowd seemed split on if they wanted or didn’t want Chief Unalaq there.

Kya shrugged. “Tale only Tonraq can share. How about we give them some space? Pema has wrote praises of you in her letters, and I’ve been curious to hear more about you.” She smiled. “Anyone who can save my brother from danger is quite the woman, I say.” 

Asami smiled, embarrassed. “Only did what was right.” Asami glanced back at Korra, Mako, and Bolin. She pondered if she ought to stay with the rest of Team Avatar, but none of them had looked her way this entire time. She figured it couldn’t hurt to get to know Tenzin’s family better. She turned to Kya and the others, and noted that Pema had been watching her, probably overhearing everything. “I guess I have some time. Bolin and I have to meet Varrick in…” What time was it? She pulled out her time piece. “Oh, two hours give or take.” Asami would just catch up with Bolin later.

“More than enough time. Though I should warn you about Varrick’s… eccentricities.” Kya led her away from the rest of Team Avatar and back toward Pema and the rest of her family, where they stood a few paces away, chatting.

“If you have tips on Varrick, I would appreciate it.” Asami’s research had given her baffling accounts of Varrick being described as either a genius, an idiot, or fool, or a brilliant businessman. That made it very difficult for her to discern the best approach for convincing him of a deal.

Kya shook her head. “He’s a handful. Most of the entertainment for the festival was organized by his company. I’ve never had a good encounter with that man. He’s unpredictable, prone to flights of fantasy, and not to be trusted.”

That was not good news. “He owns most of the shipping businesses.” Asami glanced back at the docks. “I have to make this deal.”

The older woman studied her. “Your company is in trouble, isn’t it?” When Asami nodded, Kya crossed her arms over her chest. “Then, yes, he is the one to approach for shipping. Just be careful, Asami. People like him are more slippery than ghost-eels.”

Asami did not like where this was going. “Thank you for the advice. At least I won’t be facing Varrick alone…” She trailed off when she looked over at Bolin, only to see him stuff an entire arctic hen into his mouth. She wondered if perhaps her plan might have some flaws.

***

Bolin showed up a bit late, but Asami wasn’t too worried. She had planned around the likelihood he’d be late. Pabu was curled around his shoulders like a scarf, and he had a few crumbs on his tunic still. Asami brushed them off and looked him over carefully. “Okay, it’ll do.” 

“It’ll do?” Bolin looked at her in confusion.

“You gotta look the part.” Asami waved for him to walk with her. They walked down the walkway toward the large yacht that had Varrick Industries emblazoned on its side. “I'm glad you came with me. Varrick is one of the richest men in the world, and he controls the entire global shipping business. So, you're my assistant. Just stand there and don't say anything.”

Bolin grinned. “No problem, Pabu and I are natural assistants!” He paused to look up at the three stories tall boat. “Woah.” His reaction mirrored Asami’s, but she had no intention of letting anyone see it. In a world dominated by men, she had to present herself in a neutral manner to be taken seriously. A role she had to carefully prepare for, which had been how she'd spent the last hour after her talk with Kya.

As they boarded the ship, Asami struggled to avoid staring too much. Varrick’s excessive wealth was on display in every corner of the boat. Blue accented railings, baffling gold or silver plated statues - were they supposed to be Varrick? Asami couldn’t tell - the window arches, and the doors richly decorated with the Southern Water Tribes emblems. 

“Madam?” A short man stood on deck by the door to the yacht’s interior. “What can I do for you?” 

Must be Varrick’s butler. “I’m Asami Sato, here for my appointment with Varrick.”

The man nodded. “Step this way.” He opened the door and led them down a wide hallway decorated with paintings, mostly of the Southern Water Tribe and its surrounding landscape, though a few were ridiculous portraits of Varrick in unflattering poses. Was he proud of those paintings? Asami couldn’t see how anyone would be, but each to their own she supposed. 

He stopped by a double door at the end of the hall. “Go ahead.” Opening it, he gestured for them to step inside. Bolin and Asami exchanged glances, but dutifully walked into a rather large room. Varrick sat on a pillow on the far end, his eyes closed, fingers steepled, and a look of intense concentration on his face. His assistant Zhu Li was beside him with a look of extreme boredom on her face, or at least that was what Asami decided her bland expression meant. Several people watched him intently, all on extravagantly decorated pillows. What had they walked in on?

Varrick opened his eyes and grinned. “Did ya see that?” He spread his arms and his audience dutifully clapped. “I was half a meter off the ground!” The clapping increased as the guests murmured to each other. “Is that incredible or what?”

“How did he do it?” exclaimed one guest, while another said at the same time, “That’s unbelievable.”

Varrick stood and his cloak fell from his shoulders as he bowed. Asami faked a clap, unimpressed. Varrick had not been levitating. He’d been looking constipated if she was being fair, but there was no way she’d ever admit that out loud.

Bolin scratched his head. “You looked like…” he opened his arms wide, “you were just sitting on a pillow.” Asami gasped and put her head in her hands. Hadn’t she told him to stay quiet?

Varrick stormed up to him and leaned in close. “Are you saying I wasn't levitating?”

“Uh… no?” Bolin leaned back, nervously. 

Okay, maybe her plan had massively backfired.

Varrick looked hard at Bolin, but then pivoted to face his audience. “Well, why didn't anyone tell me? Now I look like an idiot!” He pointed to the man in a red hat, who had been sitting the closest to him originally. “Shani, you’re fired!” The man retreated backward but not before shooting a death glare at Bolin.

So maybe her plan had worked after all. 

“I like you, kid, you're a real straight shooter, just like me. Miss Sato, he's with you?” Varrick swung an arm around Bolin and looked pointedly at Asami. When she nodded, he grinned. “Brought your tiger shark with ya to do business, huh? Now that's moxie!” He laughed. “Get over here and pop a squat! Zhu Li, bring tea for my guests.” 

Relieved, Asami settled down on a pillow with Bolin still looking confused next to her. Even Pabu had that quizzical tilt to its head. “Thank you for meeting with me. As you know, Future Industries is looking for a partner to handle our shipping.” Best to get right to the point, she thought. 

Except, apparently, that wasn’t how Varrick worked. “Sure! But first you gotta check out my new venture! Moving pictures! Zhu Li, do the thing!” He snapped his fingers. 

Zhu Li hadn’t even finished serving tea, so she shoved the tray into Bolin’s hands instead. Bolin looked at Asami baffled, and she took the tray and put it in front of them. This was not going to be easy was it? When Zhu Li switched on a projector, the screen she’d pulled down was illuminated with an image of an ostrich-creature running. What did this have to do with their meeting? Annoyance filtered through her. They weren’t here to watch animals run.

Varrick wasn’t done yet. “Now forget that! That's the past! Shut it off, Zhu Li!”

Next, he urged a rather beautiful woman woman forward to do poses and rambled about a possible romantic story in moving pictures. This was getting out of hand. She wasn’t here to look at his ridiculous ideas, but to hammer out a deal. Though she ought to show some appreciation, can’t have her insulting the very man she needed to save her company, but Asami was not impressed with a woman doing ludicrous poses, no matter how gorgeous she was. Bolin, on the other hand, seemed deeply impressed, which Asami supposed acted in her favor. One of them ought to at least give Varrick the reaction he apparently wanted. 

But this had gone on long enough. “Okay ... but I'm focused on getting Future Industries back on track. If we could hammer out a deal…” she started to say.

Holding a hand to her face, Varrick leaned forward to touch his forehead against hers. “Stop! Look me in the eye.” 

What in the spirits was this? A staring contest to hammer out a deal? Fine. She’d play along. She glared back at his intense stare, determined not to show any sign of being irritated or thrown off by this bizarre situation. For nearly a minute the staring contest continued, and her eyes began to feel dry. She would not blink, not until this frustrating man did so first.

Varrick thankfully broke away and thrust his finger toward the ceiling. “We got a deal!” Asami fell back against the cushions baffled on how that had determined anything, and yet, she’d done it! She’d nabbed a deal with the richest person in the shipping business! So what if it was due to staring contest, it was done. 

Grabbing her arm, he helped her to her feet and vigorously shook her arm in the Southern Water tribe style. “We'll hammer out the details at the royal feast tonight.” Releasing her, he spun around to face his guests. “Now who here is ready for a rocket boat ride?” The other guests cheered. 

Zhu Li ushered them from the room and out to the main deck. “We’ll contact you shortly,” she said before returning to Varrick’s side. 

“Aw, I wanted to go on a rocket boat ride,” Bolin said, while they walked down the gangplank back onto the pier. He looked at Asami. “Though… Is that how business usually goes?”

Asami laughed in delight. She hugged Bolin and rubbed his hair. “You are a natural assistant!” Did it matter that that was definitely not how most meetings with? Nope, not with a deal that will surely save her company. That’s what mattered. 

Chapter Text

Glacier Spirits Festival's Grand Feast, Wolf Cove - Late Afternoon

Situated at the palace, the Grand Feast took up a massive room. Along the walls, pillars of stone had been carved to look like ice, the ice chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and dozens of tables were clustered together across the floor. At the back of the room, a long table had been set up atop a raised stone platform. There the Chief, his family, Korra, and her family all sat along with Mako. Part of her felt envy at Mako's seat, but she struggled to make sense of why. She had no intention of ever getting back together with Mako. So was it related to her wishing to spend more time with Korra?

Asami looked away from Korra, unwilling to follow that thought further.

She had almost bowed out of this entirely. Except, Pema had insisted that Asami sit with the Air Bender family. Although she still had some qualms about this, she wasn't about to hurt Pema's feelings by declining. Bolin sat next to her, eagerly stuffing his face of the food, but Asami picked at her own plate. Not that she minded fish dishes, but feeling out of sorts often left her with little appetite. 

At the main table, Chief Unalaq argued with Tonraq about Korra’s training, but Asami could only hear bits and pieces of it. She recalled her conversation with Korra on the boat, how the Avatar had wanted to learn more about her spiritual side. Here was someone willing to teach her, and yet, everyone seemed set against it. Why? She knew she was entering into her observation mode in an attempt to seek out more data, and she had to forcibly remind herself that these were friends she sat with. Which meant she ought to talk occasionally.

“Looks like someone's trying to take your place as the Avatar's stick-in-the-mud mentor,” Bumi joked, pointing his finger at Tenzin. Bits of food was stuck to his beard, and his plate was half empty already. 

Kya smiled slightly. “Bumi, don't pick on Tenzin. You know he's always been sensitive.” 

“I’m not sensitive!” Tenzin said, defensively. 

“He’s sensitive,” Pema whispered to her with a smile, which got a chuckle out of Asami. Across from them, Master Katara sat with Rohan, and a look of concern marked her face as she watched the main table. 

“Is there a dynamic I’m missing?” Asami asked Pema. “People seem really upset with Chief Unalaq wishing to train Korra.” 

“It’s complicated.” Pema said. “Katara, what are your thoughts?” 

Master Katara sighed. “The decision is up to Korra ultimately.” 

“True,” Asami said. “Yet there’s been a lot of tension since the Chief arrived. I take it he’s not well liked here?”

Katara looked at her with her piercing gaze. “Perceptive. Yes. There’s a long turbulent history between my people and our northern brethen. We weren’t always united like this.” 

“Is it all right if I ask about that history?” Asami wondered if it was too painful for the older woman. She had lived through parts of the One Hundred Year War. 

Katara smiled. “It’s fine, Asami, but it's a long story. I'll summarize. The Fire Nation imprisoned and killed the waterbenders of my tribe. My own mother gave herself up to protect me from their raids. Our Northern brethren did not come to our aid and isolated themselves. This was seen as a betrayal by my people. Many of us had resorted to piracy to find supplies, and our Chief sailed the seas in guerilla attacks against the Fire Nation."

She sighed heavily. "So you see, much of our ways was lost or pillaged. I was the only waterbender left in our tribe when we found Aang in that iceberg. When Sokka and I joined with Aang on his journey, we held hope for a better future for our people and the world. We did achieve it in a way, but part of that involved the North playing the primary role in the Southern Reconstruction Project. This led to further distrust, especially with how little they incorporated our visions for our own home. I and others have done our best to rekindle our traditions. But that lack of trust between my people and our Northern brethren started during the war. It still ripples today in painful ways. It's not a pretty picture, Asami."

Asami thought through Katara’s words. “I remember reading about that, but most histories don’t include details on how your people felt.”

“Victors rarely include them.” Katara bounced her knee and Rohan laughed. The use of the word ‘victors’ surprised Asami, but then if she remembered right, both tribes were ruled by only the Northern Water Tribe chief. How much autonomy did the South have?

"What is your ways like? The old ways?" Asami wasn't sure if this was a good thing to ask, but she thought she'd take the risk if it meant she could better support her friend.

Katara looked thoughtfully at Asami. "It is kind of you to take an interest. If I may ask in turn, why?"

"I want to understand Korra's heritage better, to better support her," Asami admitted.

"Hmmm." Katara tilted her head as if studying Asami. "Perhaps later I will show you. For now, eat up and enjoy the day."

Chief Unalaq rose and held up his hands for silence. “As your chief, it is my honor to speak at this festival, which was founded to bring our tribes together and restore the ancient balance between our world and that of the spirits. But I am saddened to see what it has become: a cheap carnival that celebrates greedy and trivial humans.” People murmured and some booed his words. A few cheered. 

“I feel the time is fast approaching when the North can no longer stand idly by while our Southern brothers slip into total spiritual decay. Angry spirits are already attacking ships in your waters. I only hope we are not too late to change course.” He bowed his head and sat down.

Asami looked around the room. Many of those present looked shocked at the Chief’s announcement, while others were angry. Murmurs echoed, and a few booed the Chief again. Other’s raised their drinks as if in honor. She had no idea who was with which tribe, but it was undeniable. The unity of the water tribes wasn’t at all what it appeared on paper. 

Varrick stood and raised his arms for attention. “Chief Unalaq everybody, always great to have him in town. Now, let's have some fun with Wacky Wushu's Dancing Otter penguins!” 

Asami looked down at her plate in thought. If angry spirits were attacking ships, then it made sense for Korra to get the training needed to stop that. Yet, something about the Chief bothered her, and it frustrated her that she couldn’t pinpoint what. She needed to observe him further, compare his words and behaviors, that should give her a clearer picture.

 
***

Asami wished she’d agreed to go with Pema and her kids to the festival. When Bolin had suggested she join the rest of Team Avatar for some fun, she had agreed. She’d missed hanging out with them. But then Zhu Li and Varrick had cornered her directly after the feast to discuss the details of the deal, which consisted of Varrick wandering off topic often and Zhu Li trying to keep him on task. How utterly exhausting. The only thing they had decided was a meeting two days from now during lunch. Surely that could have been decided far more succinctly?

The air was viciously cold, and she pulled her hood tighter. The crowds were thick, and the clamor almost deafening at times. As she passed by an open area with benches, a man nearly collided with her. Dodging to the side, she turned angrily, only to stop in surprise. The man pushed off the ground and hurled himself at the other person, a taller man with similar tribal colorings. 

“Northern trash,” the man growled. “Can’t you let us enjoy this day?”

“You heard the Chief. This festival is foolish!” The other pummeled the man with punches. 

Asami considered intervening, but this wasn’t her fight. Instead, she ducked into an alley between stalls, cut through several lanes of games, and finally made it to the meeting spot, a bench area by the road to the pier. 

Once again, she slid to a stop. Bolin was being dragged away by the two people in Northern Water Tribe robes. His expression showed his discomfort and slight panic. What was that about? Mako and Korra didn’t seem bothered and ignored the fact Bolin was being dragged away. Neither seemed to notice her approach either, which didn’t really sit well with her. Without Bolin as a foil, she’d be a third wheel, and she definitely did not want to deal with that right now.

Asami sighed and walked away instead. Except, she had no idea what to do with herself.  Her earlier confidence at the deal with Varrick had faded into a general unease. Crowds were very much not her element; she much preferred a quiet workshop and a set of tools. She kept her path close to the edge of all crowds, dodged out of the way of a group of people laughing and not watching their path, and paused in a quiet spot to observe possible walking paths. She watched a few kids laugh and rush between stalls, others play the carnival games, and a few couples walked hand in hand. The crowds were simply too thick, and the paths between stalls a perfect way to lose her way.

Instead, she took the main walkway deeper into the festival. Up ahead, in another clearing, a shouting match parted the crowd into a circle. Two young men were fighting. One of them used water bending, but the other seemed to be a nonbender like herself. He dodged and grappled the other.

Asami considered asking what this was about, but that required talking to strangers, and that was not something she would do. The crowd on her side of the lane cheered on the nonbender, though a few on the other side of the lane shouted encouragement at the water bender. A few hurled insults at the Southerners, which was more evidence to add to her new mental file of Water Tribe tensions. Not even a festival seemed to ease it.

Asami veered away from the crowd and the increasingly intense fight. Maybe she ought to try to find Pema and the kids. Walking by herself was quickly driving her mood down. She shoved her hands deeper into her coat and meandered the main lanes, most likely to hold children's games, but no matter where she looked, she couldn’t find any sign of the Air Bender family. The festival felt too large, too packed full of people, so finding anyone would be like trying to find a needle in a snowdrift. Frustration threaded through her. 

Fine, she’d just enjoy the festival by herself. Which meant finding an optimal location to park herself and observe. Maybe even participate if she could find her nerve.

Asami paused her walk at one of the strength games; this one involved hitting a hammer against a large button to shoot a ball up a tube at a bell. Curious, she hung at the back of a rapidly dwindling crowd and watched various festival goers give it their best shot. Most had terrible form. Used their arms too much. Eventually the group got bored and wandered off. A few other people walked up to try, but oddly, their techniques mirrored the first group. After watching several more groups try their hand and leave, Asami came to the conclusion that most people seemed to think arm strength was the purpose of this game. Only one person had used the aid of gravity, and that person had succeeded. Evidence for her hypothesis. Perhaps she could try. Test out her theory on the best way to swing.

“Oh, Hey Asami! I was looking for you!” Korra’s voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned startled.

“Hey.” How had Korra had managed to find her? She’d wandered pretty far from their initial meeting place. “You and Mako have another fight?” Asami wondered if she’d be forever stuck in that role of being the person Korra turned to after a fight. The thought depressed her a bit.

“Yeah, we did.” Korra grimaced and waved her hand vaguely behind her. “Needed to get away. Why didn’t you meet up with us?”

“Varrick insisted on discussing our deal at the grand feast.” Asami couldn’t keep the irritation from her voice. “Trying to keep that man on topic is an exercise in patience. So I was late, and with Bolin not there, I didn’t want to disturb you and Mako. Where did Bolin go?”

“Oh, Eska and Desna dragged him off. They’re my uncle’s twins.” Korra shrugged. “Probably he’s okay. Maybe.”

Asami regarded her curiously. What did that mean?

Before Asami could give voice to the question, Korra gestured to the game. “Are you going to try it?” 

“Thinking of it. Why, were you?” This would be interesting if so. 

“Yeah!” Korra brightened. “I’ll hit that bell easy!” She walked up to the ticket guy, who leaned against a hammer. “Let me try!” She flicked a token at him, and he caught it deftly.

“Oh, we have a contender!” The man bellowed. No one seemed to pay him much attention though. He handed Korra the hammer. “Can this mighty girl strike hard enough to ring the bell?”

“Easy as bending.” Korra shifted into an earthbending stance. Asami winced a bit. The stance was too wide for this, and Korra lifted with her arms mostly. Sure enough, on the swing down Korra threw her strength from her arms into it. The ball whizzed upward to hit the eight marker before dropping. “Really?” Korra scowled at the machine. 

“Let me try.” Asami walked up and handed off her token. Korra stepped to the side and gave her the hammer. Heavy but she could still lift it. She thought about the angle of approach and adjusted her stance. Bending her knees a bit, she took a steadying breath, lifted the hammer, and swung it with the weight of her body plus the assist of gravity. The hammer connected and the ball flew upward with a ding. 

“And we have a winner! To the pretty lady, well swung!” The man announced. He handed her a polar bear dog plush. 

“What?!” Korra stared at her. “I thought I was stronger!”

Asami handed the hammer to the man. “You are. But you used your arm muscles only. This isn’t about arm strength. It’s about using your whole body and that downward fall toward the earth together. Uses less energy and gives you a bit of oomph.” Not the most accurate term, but she didn’t want to get too technical with the Avatar. 

“Right. So swing with the body…. Wait a second, did you do fancy calculating before swinging?” Korra crossed her arms over her chest.

Asami smiled. “Maybe?” She tapped the plush against her leg, embarrassed. She hadn’t meant to show off in front of Korra, but the girl tended to bring out the competitive streak in her.

“No fair. You and your… bright mind of yours.” Korra stuck her tongue out. “Let’s find another game. One I know you can’t beat me at.” Asami wasn’t too sure about that claim, but she nodded, glad to be no longer wandering around alone. 

Two hours later, Asami carried quite a few prizes, more than Korra, in a bag she'd bought, which she'd slung over her shoulder. Most of the games Korra had picked had been a test of skill, which after carefully considering the problem before her, Asami had been able to determine a solution that defeated Korra's approach majority of the time. The indignation Korra had when Asami won was immensely amusing. Korra resorted to sneakily slipping in some bending. It became a challenge for Asami to try to find possible winning solutions that accounted for Korra's attempts at cheating.

The pair walked out of the festival grounds, for which Asami felt relief. As fun as it had been to hang out with Korra, the crowds had gotten worse and far more rowdy the later the hour. Their path wove up a massive hill toward the inn Pema and her family had rented near the north side of the city. The roads were filled with people coming home from the festival: some walked, others drove mostly snowmobiles but a few had satomobiles, and still others rode dog sleds. The two kept to the sides of the road to avoid most of the traffic.

"I think it's cheating for you to math your way to victory," Korra said. She stuck her tongue out at Asami.

"Really?" Asami raised an eyebrow. "Says the one who cheated at five games with water bending?"

"Is it cheating if I don't get caught?" Korra grinned and lightly shoved Asami with her shoulder.

Asami rolled her eyes, exasperated. "I caught you. But still, thank you. I hadn't been looking forward to wandering the festival alone."

Korra sobered. "Next time just join us, Asami. I know it might be... awkward with Mako and I, but we really do want you there." When Asami only smiled and nodded, Korra sighed. "I guess it is awkward with how much Mako and I fight, isn't it? I don't really know what to do about that. I feel like... we're not at all balanced. We've struggled for the past month with finding time for each other only to fight most of that time."

They turned at the intersection down a smaller road, their boots crunching in the snow. Asami considered Korra's words. Korra had asked her to be honest; would this be such a moment? "Do you want my thoughts or a listening ear?"

"Thoughts I guess." Korra looked worried.

"All right. Like we talked on the boat, Mako doesn't express his emotions well. He also has a strong urge to protect others, but that clashes with your own need for independence and people to trust your skills and abilities. Talking about that clash and finding a compromise is probably needed, but sometimes..." Asami trailed off and wondered if she should even say it. She didn't want to be part of the reason Korra and Mako's relationship worsened.

"Sometimes what?" Korra pushed her shoulder against Asami's again.

Asami sighed. "Sometimes there is no compromise. My father told me once that there is one thing we should never compromise in relationships, and that is the core of who we are. If we stay true to that, we can find our solution to any problem."

Korra paused at the door to the inn. "That's really wise words. I guess I didn't expect that from your father." She looked at Asami, her expression one of concern and sadness. Korra had been there for her during one of Asami's darkest moments, when the specter of her father and his legacy had threatened to drown her in despair and pain.

Asami managed a fragile smile. "Not all memories of him is bad, Korra. For part of my life, he did try to be a decent father. It's... the last four years where that changed for the worse." When Korra reached out to lightly tough her shoulder, Asami decided to share a bit more. "When things got really tough, Hue and Kanna at Future Industries helped me out. They were friends of my mother when she was alive, you know? Anyway, I digress."

She took a deep breath to calm the tide of emotions in her. "Point here is you're at a crossroads, Korra. For a lot of things I suppose? My advice? Trust your instincts and the core of you. I'll always back you up."

Korra smiled and dropped her hand. "Thanks, Asami. You're a great friend, you know?"

It helped to hear that. Asami felt like an outsider at times still. "Thank you. Good night, Korra."

She headed inside before she could rethink her plan and ask Korra to spend more time with her. It was already very late, she was pretty tired, and Korra had a lot to do tomorrow. Tomorrow Tenzin, his family, and Korra would prepare for their trip to the temples, leaving Asami behind.

The stairs creaked while she climbed them, and the weariness from the day spread into all her limbs. Asami decided a bath could assist. She reached the rented suite and fished out her copy of the key. Inside, she found Pema at the table in the center of the room. Jinora sat across from her, but the other three children weren't in the room. Likely in bed then.

"Asami!" Jinora smiled. The young airbender had on her pajamas, a yellow shirt and trousers. "Did you like the festival?"

"Yes." She walked over to the table and put her bag down. "Korra and I had a competition on who could win the most prizes." She smiled slyly. "I won."

Pema laughed. "Of course. Would you like some tea? We'll have to talk quietly since the younger kids are asleep, and I'd like them to stay that way." Pema stood and headed to the gas stove along the back wall. A counter took up that wall with cabinets and an icebox in the corner of the room. The doors to the other rooms were oriented on either side of this main room, which Asami found to be a wonderfully symmetric design. She approved.

"Yes, that'd be lovely." Asami sat down next to Jinora. "I have something for you." She dug into her bag and pulled out a hummingbird. "I thought this was a weird prize. I didn't think this bird existed in the South." The stuffed animal toy was small in her hands, the stitching handmade from the looks of it. Most of the other prizes Asami suspected had been made in a factory on a mass production line. The sewing machines had gotten pretty decent in recent years, and Varrick Industries had a few in their factories in the city. "I asked the booth attendant, who said she made it in honor of spirits she'd encountered in her travels. It reminded me of what you shared a while ago." She handed it to Jinora.

Jinora took the toy with a tenderness that surprised Asami. "Thank you." The young girl looked choked up. "Looks just like..." Jinora trailed off, but Asami had a good idea of what Jinora had been about to say. She remembered that day in the pagoda not long after her bout on the cliff. Jinora had shyly shared her secret and revealed how Asami had friends even in unseen places. Since then, Asami had tried to catch up on the subject of spirits by reading some of Tenzin's books on spirituality, but they'd been incredibly dry and dull readings.

"Welcome. Did you have fun at the festival?" Asami wanted to give Jinora an out in case the girl didn't want to continue the conversation. Her mother was still in the room after all making tea, and she understood how reluctant Jinora had been with sharing her spirituality skills with others.

"Yeah!" Jinora grinned and launched into a description of the family's activities, complete with retellings of the shenanigans of the younger kids. Pema returned to the table with the herbal tea and poured some for all of them. She joined the conversation with a few humorous quips here and there. Asami leaned back in her chair, content to listen. It was moments like these that made her feel almost like she was part of their family.

It was after two pots of tea that Pema urged Jinora head to bed. Reluctantly, the girl got up, hugged Asami good night, and went to the room she shared with Ikki. Pema turned to Asami. "We both should get some rest. You have your work meetings, right? And we leave early tomorrow."

Asami nodded. "I do. I'll miss all of you, but I'm glad you have this time for a vacation." She smiled, sadly. "And thank you for picking out the suite. I can cover the rest of my stay here."

Pema reached out and squeezed Asami's hand. "You're always welcome with us, Asami. Remember that, and sleep well tonight." She stood and headed to one of the other rooms.

Asami watched her go and thought back to how much the family had helped her through the past six months. Especially the pain of her father's trial and her testifying against him. That had been a tremendously difficult and exhausting time, and Pema and her family along with Korra and the brothers had walked with her through it. Even if they'd drifted apart some in the past few months, Asami held that memory close. It's why she was so determined to try to keep Team Avatar together. They were her family now in a way.

Asami left most of the prizes on the table but kept the polar bear dog. She headed to the bathroom to wash up for bed.

***

Asami woke to the sounds of shouts outside her window. She leaped out of bed, threw on her robe, and ran to the window. Her room was on the second story, and she had a good view of a street not far away. A dark spirit leaped and jumped, and she could see Tenzin, Korra, and several others all fighting it. Their bending failed to do much damage, and Tenzin’s attempt to placate the spirit got him thrown to the side. She considered rushing to their aid, but what could she use against it? Physical blows passed right through it.

Korra shot fire at it, and the dark spirit threw her through several crates. She skidded in the snow.

Chief Unalaq rushed forward from the direction of the palace, swirled water around the spirit, and it glowed a bright yellow. The spirit turned from a dark navy blue to a more pastel color and dissipated. 

Asami shivered, unnerved, and moved away from the window to sit on her bed. Spirits had been mythical before she'd met the airbender family and Korra, and now they left her uneasy and frightened.

Katara had mentioned that very little water benders existed in the southern tribe due to the One Hundred Year War, which meant there was a lot of nonbenders who couldn't defend themselves against spirits. Did she have any device that could work against them? She pulled out her idea journal and flipped through it. For the first time, she felt out of depth; she knew nothing about the spirit realm. She needed to do research, but where?

Voices outside her bedroom, Asami peeked out her door to see Tenzin in the hall of the suite. His shoulders drooped, and he looked tired. Pema had her hand on his arm. "I am no longer Korra's teacher," he said, sadly. "Chief Unalaq will teach her instead."

Asami quietly shut her door and looked at her bed. The news unnerved her, but at the same time, wasn't learning more about spirits what Korra wanted? Maybe this would turn out okay. Getting back into bed, Asami laid on her side and reconsidered the problem of protecting people from spirits. Her thoughts ran in circles, and eventually, she fell back asleep. Asami dreamed of hummingbird spirits who darted around her head, while she fought dark spirits with spears made of lightning.

 
Early the next morning

Asami found Pema in the main room and immediately offered her assistance. Usually Pema declined Asami's offers, but today she surprisingly agreed. Tenzin had gone ahead with Rohan, while Pema finished picking up clothes and other supplies to carefully fold and pack away. The older woman hadn’t said much, but a deep crease of sadness marked her brow. Asami took several toys from her and tucked it into the side compartment of a bag.

“So Korra really isn’t going with you?” Asami thought dark spirits attacking seemed like a good reason to stay here and help, but Tenzin and his family were determined to continue forward regardless. 

Pema shook her head. “She wishes to train under Chief Unalaq. Perhaps it is for the best. It will be nice for our family to have some relaxation. It’s been a rough year.”

“Understatement,” Asami attempted to joke. Pema smiled but didn’t laugh. “I’ll miss all of you.” She meant it. They’d helped her feel more included than Korra, Mako, and Bolin had. “I will likely be heading back to Republic City myself in a few days after I make that deal.” 

“Remember, even with us gone, you can still stay at the Island. It’s your home too.” Pema picked up the last of the bags. 

“Thanks.” Asami didn’t feel comfortable staying there without the Air Bender family, but then the mansion wasn’t a good choice either. Every time she tried to visit, she had a panic attack before she even made it through the gate. Too much pain darkened that place. “Do you need any help?” She gestured to the bags. 

Pema nodded and handed two to her. “Jinora! Meelo, Ikki! Get your bags and let’s go!” The children tumbled out of the adjoining room with their own bags, though Meelo only carried a small sack over his shoulder. 

“Are you sure you can’t come with us?” Jinora asked Asami when she fell into step beside her. 

Asami shook her head. “You know I can’t. I have to finish the deal and head back to the city. But you’ll have a great time.” As much as the family had basically adopted her, she still wasn’t truly related, and this vacation was for them. Not her, an outsider still. 

The path out of the lodging wove through the edges of the city and up a hill to where Oogi crouched with Tenzin and Rohan. Korra and Mako stood to one side. Neither of them looked her way when she reached the Sky Bison with Pema and her kids. 

“Safe travels,” Asami said as she handed off the bags to Kya, who was already in the saddle. Ikki jumped forward to hug her tightly, and Jinora hugged her from the side. “I’ll see you all soon.” She patted the kids backs. Meelo stood off to one side trying to look tough. 

“Report in when we return?” He said to Asami. 

“Yes, general.” She played along mostly because it made the kid happy, even if it was utterly ridiculous. “I’ll eagerly await your briefing.” The boy saluted her and bounded up into the saddle on an air current. 

“Be safe too.” Jinora released Asami. “We’ll bring you a souvenir.”

“Yeah!” agreed Ikki. “Draw us lots of pretty pictures okay?” 

Asami smiled. “I’m expecting the same from you too.” The two kids climbed up into the saddle with Pema close behind.

Asami moved far enough away to avoid being drenched with snow when the Sky Bison took off. She thought about saying something to Mako and Korra but decided against it. When Bumi struggled to climb up, Tenzin lifted him up on an air current. 

The scene left her sad and anxious. Now she really was alone again. She waved at the family, then quietly left, unable to watch them leave. Tucking her hands deeper into her pockets, she headed back down the hill. Time to review her notes and prepare for her next attempt to complete the deal with Varrick. Part of her wanted to stay to help the Avatar, but Korra hadn't shown much evidence of her need to stay beyond the completion of the deal. Not that the girl needed the help of a nonbender right now. What good was Asami against spirits?

The path led her back to her lodgings, and she stood outside the door. The building was constructed mostly of stone from the nearby mountains, and the sign rattled in the wind. Instead of entering, she sat down on a nearby bench and took out her idea journal. Her gloved hands were stiff from the cold, but she could still draw. 

Was there a way she could help fight dark spirits? To be of any use to the Avatar? She thought back to the fight the night prior, how bending had failed to contain the spirit until Unalaq did his spirit trick. Her dreams last night had been bizarre with the whole lightning spears, which made her wonder if electricity could perhaps push back dark spirits? Was it worth an experiment? Except who would stop the dark spirit if that failed? Her pen rested against the empty page. She needed more data, but where to find it?

Instead, she drew Oogi being loaded up with the Air Bender family with Mako and Korra standing a few paces away. Tears stung her eyes, and she wondered if this was the end of her place in Team Avatar. What use did they have for a nonbender? She sketched herself off to one side, turned away from the group, head downcast. 

“Asami?” Korra’s voice cut through her focus. Asami looked up to see the Avatar walking toward her. Mako trailed behind her. “I thought I’d find you here.” She tried to sound upbeat, but Asami could hear the strain in her voice, the uncertainty. “What’re you drawing?”

Asami looked down at the sketch. “It’s not done.” The details were too vague, and she needed to fix some of the lines. 

“Oh.” Korra leaned forward to look over her shoulder. “Okay, that’s really good.” 

Asami shrugged. “What do you want?” She winced internally at her tone. She hadn’t meant to sound irritated.

Korra pulled back. “Sorry. I wanted to ask you something, but if we’re bothering you…” 

“Korra, I’m drawing nonsense," she quickly reassured, "You aren’t interrupting anything. What do you need?”

Behind Korra, Mako had crossed his arms over his chest and looked impatient. 

“I guess I wanted to know what you thought about me training under Chief Unalaq.” Korra rubbed the back of her neck. “Did I do the right thing?”

“Didn’t we chat about you wanting more spiritual training?” Asami raised an eyebrow. “And isn’t he offering that?” 

“Yeah. That’s true.” Korra nodded and determination filled her expression. “Thanks.” Turning, she walked away with Mako at her side.

Asami watched them go, baffled as to why Korra had bothered to ask her that at all. 

Asami leaned back against the bench and looked up at the sky. The sun had finally crested the mountains, and the sky had changed from its twilight blue-black to a more bright azure. A few clouds hugged the horizon over the ocean. Why did everything feel like the calm before the storm? 

Chapter Text

***
171 AG, Day of Winter Solstice Late Afternoon

“What do you mean you can’t leave?” Asami argued with the captain of the ship that was supposed to take her back to Republic City in two days time. Yesterday had been a long day in her lodgings after she'd discovered Bolin would be unable to help her with her visit with Varrick, a polite socialite call to try to better understand how that irritating man worked. Bolin's reply had ripped the ground out from under her. 

“I’m helping Mako and Korra on a trip to the south pole!”

Team Avatar on an adventure without her. Bolin hadn’t elaborated on what exactly the adventure was, but it had hurt. Likely they had decided a nonbender was useless for whatever they’d been up to today. Hadn’t they seen her in action during the Amon crisis?

Bitter over the news, she’d gone next to see if Varrick was at his yacht, only to find it deserted. She had gone to Varrick's mansion next, only to see Bolin drive off in a fancy snowmobile and ridiculous orange suit. That had frustrated her beyond end, and she'd kept her visit short. Varrick being bombastic and flirtatious, had tried to show her the gardens, but spent more time arguing with the gardener on the placement of white stones along what looked like some sort of rolling ball course. She'd politely excused herself to walk the festival again and sketch some of the mechanical rides she'd seen.

The only productive activity she'd done yesterday was call Future Industries to alert her team of the progress she'd made with Varrick Shipping Industries. Kyung, especially, had been overjoyed at the news.

Today, after another fruitless morning trying to find anyone from Team Avatar, she'd gone down to the docks. And here she stood, arguing with the Captain of the Republic City ship. The man wore a thick brown coat and pants and leaned against the roped fence.

The captain jerked his thumb at the bay. “Take a look. Northern troops have us blockaded. No one leaves or enters without authorization from Chief Unalaq.”

Asami looked over his shoulder at the fleet of ships that circled the entrance to the harbor. “Are they…” she stared in shock. Water benders on the ships rose up blocks of ice around parts of the port. They really were making sure no one left. Two battleships moored at the docks, and more troops poured into the streets. “What is going on?” This was not good. It looked like a full scale invasion.

“Beats me.” The Captain shrugged, but his grimace showed he was worried too.

Asking if he had an estimate seemed unlikely to help. “Thanks, Captain. I hope the situation improves soon.” Asami sighed and turned back toward the city.

Above her, the sky danced with an aurora, bright greens and reds that swirled in eerie waves. It left her unsettled. Something major had happened today, what with the lights appearing in the sky along with that pillar of solid light. Then the troops? What had Korra and Chief Unalaq done?

Asami headed up the path toward the lodgings Pema had arranged. Troops marched by her in a rigid formation, their white/blue coat and armor held the Northern Water Tribe symbols on their chest. A regiment stopped to yell at residents to step aside. Three individuals, who had only been standing on the street corner, got shoved up against a wall. A few kids dived into snowdrifts to avoid the march of the troops.

The troops split their formation to spill into side streets. Asami stopped in shock at the number of them. Over and over they told locals to disperse, sometimes violently forcing the people out of their way via water bending. What was the purpose of this intimidation?

“Get moving!” A soldier came up behind her and shoved her hard. She stumbled, caught her balance, and shifted into her fighting stance, furious. The soldier was a good head taller than her and had lifted up a swirl of water in his hand. He turned it to ice. No, this was a bad idea. Very bad idea. 

Asami held up her hands and stepped backward until she hit the side of a building. The soldier glowered at her, dropped his ice, and fell back into formation. Did Korra have any idea this would happen? Surely she wouldn’t approve of this. This was her home. 

Keeping to the sides of the streets, Asami hurried up the lane, this time heading for the palace. Perhaps she would find the rest of Team Avatar there. She couldn’t figure out what this invasion would accomplish. Wasn’t the tribes already tense with each other? Was Unalaq trying to start a war?

The path toward the palace was steep, but once she’d cleared the edges of the residential area, she found the way blocked by Northern troops. Beyond them lay the three story palace, the spires on each of its corners curled upward like icicles. The stone was carved with Water Tribe symbols, and blue and white decorated the majority of its stone and flags. Above the palace, semi-translucent creatures darted between the spires. They flew on the wind and shifted closer to the row of guards that blocked her way. Asami had never seen creatures like that. Spirits of sorts probably?

“What business do you have here?” One of the guards said. In his hand, two ice spikes formed.

“To speak with Avatar Korra?” It was worth a try. “I’m one of her friends. Asami Sato.”

The guard frowned. “No one enters without the Chief’s authorization.”

So that was out of the question. 

Asami walked a ways down the road and stopped. The view from the palace’s hill gave a decent view of the city, and the streets looked chaotic. Troops everywhere. She needed to find a safe place to rethink her options. The odd creatures that danced in the air had crept closer, but they were no longer as translucent as before. A navy blue edge had started to form around their semi-corporal greenish forms. 

“Asami!” Bolin pushed through the guards and stumbled to a stop. He leaned forward hands against his knees, breathing heavily. “Oh, I’m so glad to see you! Had to get away from Eska.”

“What happened Bolin?” Asami gestured to the troops. 

“Oh, so about that.” Bolin straightened. “We traveled through a massive everstorm! Like the storm was huge!” Bolin spread his arms wide. “And then dark spirits kept attacking, especially Varrick’s snowmobile. They totally crashed it, but Varrick’s suit worked like a charm. Except I couldn’t deflate it without help. Then there was this wild and scary forest at the center of the storm. And all sorts of strange things growing in it. We lost sight of Korra, the forest seemed to eat her up!” Bolin’s words tumbled out faster and faster, his eyes wide with wonder. “And the spirits kept attacking us, and Unalaq would quiet them down only for more to attack. Then this bright pillar of light appeared, and Korra returned! She opened the spirit portal! That got the spirits to stop attacking. And then we got back, and I’m here and you’re here.” 

“Wait, what?” Asami couldn’t follow any of that. “Spirit portal?” She looked toward the south at the glowing pillar of light. “That?” She pointed to it. Bolin nodded. “Then why are there troops everywhere?”

“Oh that. I have no idea.” He frowned. “Is that ice walls in the harbor?”

“Yes. I checked. No one can enter or leave.” Asami rubbed her right temple. “You know, for being in Team Avatar, you three seem to be failing to include me lately.” 

“I’m sorry, Asami.” Bolin rubbed the back of his head. “I only went because of Mako and Mako went because of Korra.” 

“Right.” She crossed her arms. “Okay, let’s face the facts. Northern Water Tribe has stationed troops everywhere. We can’t leave because of the blockade. Korra opened up a spirit portal. Dark spirits are attacking still. Did I miss anything?”

She kept her eye on those darting semi-translucent spirits, but they were now heading parallel to them, toward the residential area. She counted six of them, their size hard to discern at this distance. She really hoped they didn't come near her. Not having a way to defend herself against them? That was scary. She was already unsettled by how the Southern Lights seemed brighter than ever despite the daylight.

Bolin shook his head, but he had that hopeful look on his face. Like he expected her to come up with some plan. “What should we do?” And there it was. The expectation. 

“Bolin, if you expect me to fix that,” Asami waved her hand at the soldiers and blockaded harbor. “I don’t know yet. We need to get Team Avatar - all of us, not just you benders - and discuss options. Until Korra is willing to do that, I’m going to focus on my company and finding a way to safely leave the city.”

Asami didn’t particularly want to get caught up in a civil war. If Korra asked her directly for help, Asami would do it in a heartbeat, but she wasn’t going to force herself on the girl. “Tomorrow I’m going to meet with Varrick after lunch at his mansion and try to seal the deal there,” Asami continued. “He might even have some insights about what is going on, not that I’d trust them much.” Asami still didn’t particularly like the man, and Kya’s warning rang in her head. “Are you willing to help?” 

“Okay. Sounds like a plan.” Bolin gave her a thumbs up. “Meet you at Varrick’s fancy mansion tomorrow. I bet I can drag Mako along too. Gosh, wish I had that sort of money. What a life.”

Thinking of mansions, Asami felt a twinge of guilt. Living at Air Temple Island and its more rustic and utilitarian decor had given her new perspective. Her family’s mansion was ridiculously large, grandiose, and currently empty. “Look, I’m going to head back to where I’m staying. Welcome to come with.”

“Yes please.” Bolin fell into step next to her. “I’m…”

“Bolin!” The voice came from behind them. 

Both of them turned. One of the twins snapped her fingers, and the guards parted. “What are you doing dear?” Her icy blue eyes glared with a ferocity that Asami immediately disliked. 

“No-nothing, my darling Eska! Just going for a walk with my best friend, Asami here!” Bolin lightly punched Asami’s shoulder. “She’s like a sister, you know?” 

The way he fell apart immediately at her presence really worried Asami. She crossed her arms over her chest and faced Eska. “He’s my assistant as well.” 

Eska raised her eyebrows. “Assistant to a lowly peasant?”

“I am the owner of Future Industries,” Asami said through clenched teeth. “He is my friend and employee.”

Eska made a dismissive noise. “Come Bolin. I am in need of your groveling.”

“Groveling?” Asami stepped forward, furious.

Bolin tugged on Asami’s arm. “Asami, don’t.” He sounded scared.

“No, Bolin, this is not okay.” Asami straightened and shifted to her most diplomatic voice. “Eska, I recognize that you are of royalty descent, but treating someone like they are a dog is inhumane. It reflects poorly on your character. Bolin is a human worthy of respect and dignity. Your time together would be much more agreeable for all involved if you treated him with respect.”

Eska stepped closer, her eyes sizing her up. Asami held her ground. “There is perhaps merit to your words. Very well. Bolin, may you join me for tea to discuss this?”

“Yes-s, my dumpling.” Bolin shook his head at Asami and followed Eska back through the guards. The guards reformed their line the moment the pair had joined Desna on the other side.

Furious, Asami turned and stalked down the lane. Lowly peasant indeed, and to treat Bolin like that? That was abusive. She’d been tempted to pull a Korra move and punch Eska, but causing international incidents was not Asami's way. Diplomacy served the situation better, but part of her wondered if perhaps she might have made the situation worse for her friend.

The main road cut through the city all the way to the port. Her lodging was on a side road further down, closer to the paths to the White Lotus Compound that lay beyond the city, further up the mountains. Pema likely picked it due to its proximity to Master Katara and Kya. Three intersections later, Asami turned onto the side road. Snow had piled up against the houses during the night, and the cold cut through her like a knife, her face rosy, her nose definitely in need of warmth. She’d have to find a face warmer for any other extended walks. A few locals leaned against buildings, but as soon as she passed, they ducked out of sight. The entire city held an air of anger and oppression.

Somewhere to her right, she could hear the sounds of taunts. That can’t be good. Asami picked up her pace. She made it only as far as next major intersection when something slammed into her. She tumbled forward and skidded in the snow. Pushing up, she jumped to her feet and turned, readying her fighting stance.

No one was there. Confused, she searched the rooftops, but again, no one. An odd howl on the wind gave Asami goosebumps. She looked to the sky for those strange semi-translucent creatures. One darted up out of an alley only to disappear as it dived again. The shouts further to the east grew louder. The sound of marching echoed in the narrow confines of the street. 

Three soldiers turned onto the street in a triangle formation. Those odd semi-translucent spirits danced several meters above them. How could they not notice? The three moved their arms in a swinging motion, and a wave of snow pummeled her. She went skidding into a building. Spitting out snow and coughing, she pushed herself up, stunned by the multi-attack.

“Out of the streets!” the one in the lead shouted. They were heading toward the shouts somewhere to her right.

Asami pushed herself to her feet and shook her head to clear her head. Snow covered her, and it was freezing. The spirits above had turned an even darker shade of blue, and that high-pitched keening had increased. It hurt her ears.

Doors opened and several people poured into the street. “Back off!” One of the men shouted. Only one of the locals bended water, the others held up their fists. Asami watched as those weird spirit things flew above the scene in tighter and tighter circles, the navy-blue tinge altering their pale green coloration. One dived toward a soldier, who bended a blast of snow and ice that cut through the creature, dividing it in half, but the blast kept going and swept two of the locals off their feet. 

Even cut in two, the dark spirits continued to swirl above the soldiers. Another dived, and the soldier swatted at it, only to stumble backward as if shocked. Three more dived at the locals, and one flew straight at Asami. Jumping to the left, she dodged it. Sweeping low, she grabbed snow and threw it at the dark spirit. It sailed through it, cutting it in half, only making more of them. That wasn’t going to work, but she had no other long-range attack besides snowballs. She gritted her teeth against the keening sound. One spirit shot out an elongated spike that sliced close to one of the local, who dived out of the way.

This was turning into a nightmare. 

“Everyone return to your homes!” A soldier shouted. More shouts came from the right, but also some from the left. As another dark spirit dived at the group, the soldiers hurled ice spikes, only for them to just split the spirit in two yet again. Smaller but more insistent, the spirits kept up the attack. 

“Leave!” A woman with deep brown skin shouted. She wove water around herself. Each time she started to weave it around the cloud of dark spirits, the soldiers swept a wave of snow at her, forcing her to defend. “You disturb our land, and it fights back.”

“Under Chief Unalaq’s orders, this city is under martial lockdown.” The tallest soldier replied. He swept his arms forward and two of the locals froze into ice. “Call off the spirits!”

The woman scowled and flowed her body through a circular pattern. The ice around her friends shattered. “You woke them!”

Now would be a great time for Korra to randomly show up. Where was she? 

Asami had no way to defend herself, so she kept grabbing snow and throwing snowballs at each spirit that dived at a human. The smaller dark spirits darted faster, but a few merged together into a longer, more serpentine one. It’s tail whipped around and knocked one of the locals into a building. The air shimmered, and a growing sensation of dread assaulted Asami's mind, like a blanket of pressure that pulsed out of these things.

The tallest soldier hurled ice spikes in all directions, desperation marked his expression. Asami dived forward, rolling out of the way. As she swept up to her feet, another ice dagger sliced right by her face. Pain flashed only for the freezing cold to deaden it. She staggered and ducked as a dark spirit swept down over her head. Fear gripped her.

“Stop!” Asami shouted at the top of her lungs. To her surprise, the fighters and soldiers all listened, their ice and water spirals hovering in their hands. One of the spirits dive bombed her, and she ducked. “Focus on the spirits not each other!”

In response the soldiers unleashed a volley of snow and ice. Asami was thrown backward. She skidded several meters, dazed by the assault. Another barrage herded the other locals her way, toward a dead end street. As the spirits increased their attacks, the soldiers bended more and more ice and half-melted snow, but their attacks kept missing and hitting the locals and herself. Couldn't they see this wasn't working?

She roll dodged another barrage of ice, sprinted forward, and dropped into a slide to kick out the attacking soldier’s legs. Before he could react, she grabbed his arm as he fell and flipped him into nearby crates. In response, another soldier bended a gush of melted snow that sent her toppling backward into the local waterbender. Her coat and pants were soaked, and the cold bit into her. Shivering, she let the woman pull her to her feet, only for the woman to spin and blast away several dark spirits that dived at them.

“Can you calm those spirits?” Asami backed up slowly, and the woman kept pace with her. It was a wild hope.

“Distract the soldiers,” the woman replied. She wove her arms and her water stream grew upward.

“On it.” Asami calculated the distance between her and the nearest soldier, and at a sprint, she should be able to slide right into him and knock him down. The other locals were still darting back and forth trying to get closer, but none of them were benders, nor did they have much skill in hand to hand fighting. With the dark spirits in a furor of aggression, the scene had turned into a chaotic mess of water bending, thrown snowballs, and shattered crates and stalls.

Sprinting forward, she aimed for the closest soldier. Dark spirits dived and rose as if orchestrating the fight. Asami skidded to the right to avoid a slash from the serpentine spirit, then flipped over the onslaught of snow a soldier had bended. She landed with a skid close enough to slide right into him. Using her momentum, she flipped him over and bounded off his chest and back onto her feet.

The nonbenders were all sprawled in ice across the road. The woman turned and danced almost, and her water curled around the dark spirits. The last soldier moved to attack her, but Asami dashed forward and flipped him into the snow. He sputtered and bended a wave of melted snow into her, sliding her backward, and the water drenched her coat. Now Asami was even more freezing. The shivering was nonstop, and she could feel her wet clothes starting to freeze.

Light flared above her, and the weird howl and sensation of dread dissipated. Asami glanced back at the woman, who still spun her water swirls in the air but the spirits were now gone. Wait, who was that woman? Was she Northern? But she'd exited a Southerner home. Was Unalaq wrong about the state of Southern spiritual decay? Distracted, Asami was caught off guard by the first guard she’d taken down. He bended a trio of ice spikes, and one slammed into her side, the other two missed. She tumbled and rolled, but pushed off the side of a building, to bound back onto her feet.

A tsunami of snow swept toward her again, but this time Asami sprinted along the buildings, jumped to push herself off one, and hurtled over the bended snow assault. The last soldier she’d taken down bended a blast of melted snow that slammed her out of the air and sent her skidding through the snow. The water seeped into her coat and hood, and she shivered violently. Pain threaded through her side.

“Stand down!” The attacking soldier swept his hands forward, and bended ice over Asami’s legs. The cold leached all her warmth away, and she struggled against the hold on her legs. One of the Southerners barreled into the soldier and knocked him to the ground. 

“It’s done!” The woman ran to her side and melted away the ice. With a few flicks of her wrist, she freed the others.

“Thanks." Asami could hear the sound of running and more shouts from nearby streets. “We need to go,” she called to the woman and her buddies. 

The woman blocked the soldier’s attacks, and slammed them backward with a wave of snow. “She’s right. Pull back, boys.” She waved at the others, and the rest of the group sprinted down the road.  Asami dashed after the others. Her legs ached with cold and pain, and she couldn’t keep up the pace.

The soldiers raced after them shouting for them to stop. An ice wall grew in front of them, but the woman bended into a spray of ice crystals. She ducked into an alley, while the others split up to take different routes. Good tactic, Asami thought.

Asami skidded in the snow, the cold seeping through her coat, and her teeth chattering. She dived into an alleyway just as the snow shot upward in a wall of ice. A pile of crates toppled as she ran into them, and she pushed down more cans to block the route behind her. The ice wall cracked as one of her pursuers tore it down and crashed through the crates she left in her wake. Asami ducked into another alleyway. The soldier persistently followed her. 

She pulled over cans and crates as she ran. Her pursuer kept pace, closing in far faster than she could go with frozen pants and increasing numbness. She jumped, pushed off the wall with her feet, and flipped in the air, up and over the soldier who shouted in surprise. Her hands caught the roof of the building, and using her momentum, she swept herself up and onto the roof. Except, the roof was covered in ice. She slid across its icy tiles and tumbled off the other side. She rolled with the impact. Cold ached through her, and her feet and lower legs had gone numb. Spitting out snow, Asami shoved herself to her feet, gritted her teeth, and forced herself to keep going.

Asami stumbled through some clotheslines and found herself in an intersection of two alleyways. Idiotic, stupid, and foolish this entire day was. Why did she think she could get through to Korra in the palace? She should have gone back to her lodgings and waited this out somehow. Now she was lost, in pain, and very, very cold. She stumbled against a building. It was hard to keep her balance, and the cold tore at her lungs, her breathing harsh and painful. Her outer layers were frozen to her, her hood freezing against her hair. She searched for any recognizable point. The buildings surrounding her were a mixture of one and two story homes, and she couldn’t see around them. Nothing oriented her.

She wrapped her arms around herself. The cold had leaked through to her bones, and she couldn’t stop shivering. Her legs threatened to give out. She leaned against the building, teeth chattering nonstop.

“Hey you.” The woman from the fight poked her head out of an alleyway to the right. She grabbed one of Asami’s arms and tugged it around her shoulders. “This way.”  They wove around crates, cans, and clotheslines. The alleyway twisted and turned, and Asami realized they were heading uphill, farther from the palace but in a direction she’d never gone before. 

“Who are you?” She rubbed her gloved hand against her leg in a vain attempt to try to get feeling back into the muscle. It wasn’t working.

“Waaseyaa.” She ducked under a clotheline and held it up for Asami to slid under. “You?”

“Asami Sato.” Maybe giving her full name after a fight with soldiers wasn’t the best plan, but Asami was tired, freezing, and wanted to pass out. Her legs were being highly uncooperative. Did everything here have to be so cold? She missed Republic City. “What did you do back there?”

Waaseyaa paused to look at her. “Calmed the spirits that incited the fight.” 

That confused Asami. “Yesterday at that feast, it sounded like only Chief Unalaq and Northerners knew how to do that. But that trick exists here too?”

Waaseyaa nodded. “It’s not a trick. It’s a ritual. Not many of us are left. We try to balance the old and new, but the North invading upset that balance.”

“Wait, does Korra know this?” Asami thought back to the night before, how Unalaq had calmed the dark spirit and Korra chose him as her new mentor. She shivered violently, and stumbled as her right knee gave out again. Waaseyaa steadied her. “We must tell her.”

“You speak as if you know the Avatar…?” the woman frowned at her. “Wait, Asami Sato, that name. From Republic City? Did you sit with Katara and her family at the grand feast?”

Surprised, she nodded. “Yes. Tenzin and his family, and Korra is my friend.” The cold wind in the alleyway sliced through her damp coat, and she stumbled, unable to stop the shivering. Her breathing labored. “I need warmth.”

“Soon. First, listen.” Waaseyaa led her down another alley, deeper into the city. Asami was really turned around now. She’d never find her way back to where she was staying at this rate. “We’ve heard stories about Republic City. About it being invaded. How the Avatar and friends saved it.”

“Yes. That was us.” Asami had no idea what this woman was getting at. “Where are we going?”

Waaseyaa shifted her grip on Asami’s arm, her other curled around Asami’s shoulders. “Tell me how you took back Republic City.” 

That wasn’t an answer. “My friends will know I’m gone and will come looking.” Actually, she doubted this. Team Avatar felt too fractured. The only one that might miss her was Bolin. Her right knee gave out again, and she slumped against the woman. “It’s so cold.”

Waaseyaa paused at an intersection near the edge of town. She gently leveraged Asami to the ground next to her. “If they do, then maybe they can help too.” She pointed across the road toward some homes on a hill. “Tonraq and Senna live up there.” She pointed further down the road, closer to the massive ferris wheel. “Varrick lives nine blocks south.” 

Okay, she knew all of those people at least. “I know them.”  It troubled her how quickly the city had collapsed into martial law and skirmishes. She rubbed her face, to try to get feeling into her cheeks and nose. She wasn’t sure she could feel her feet anymore. "Need a warm place to rest."

Waaseyaa waved her hand south, toward the portal. “Until that is dealt with there will be no rest." She leaned against the building’s wall. “There’s several sides to this. Varrick’s side and Tonraq’s and our own. We all have different methods of approach. One seeks technology and force to end this. The other seeks diplomacy and rebuilding. We seek harmony and renewal. We’re a crossroads. Tell me, what is your advice?”

Asami frowned. She tugged her hood tighter around her face and shoved her gloved  hands under her armpits. “Waaseyaa, I’m freezing. Can we do this inside?”

“What is your advice?” She said again.

These people were persistent regardless of tribe. Asami couldn’t stop shivering. “Lay out known facts. Understand what you fight for and hold true to it. List your assets. Learn your opponents’ capabilities. Then lay out your plan.”

Waaseyaa tapped her lip thoughtfully. “Facts you say. Fact one, we are being invaded. Fact two, Chief Unalaq has deemed our culture unfit and forces his own on us. Fact three, we are outnumbered. Fact four, Unalaq somehow opened the spirit portal.” 

“I said list facts you know,” Asami said, irritated. She curled up tighter against the wall. “Korra found and opened that portal not Unalaq.”

For a long moment, the woman stared at her. “So that creates a new problem of the Avatar. We don’t know what side she’s on anymore.”

What side? Korra was loyal to her people the last Asami knew. Her head ached, and she felt in over her head. She needed more information. “Explain.” 

“You say she opened the portal. Today, at a meeting with our people, we were told she is being trained by Chief Unalaq himself. So what side is she on, Asami? Can we trust her to help us?” 

“Korra wouldn’t turn her back on her people.” Even as she said it, Asami wondered if her words were true.

Waaseyaa gestured to the road. Soldiers marched down in formation. “Barely two days since Chief Unalaq pulls in, and this is what he brings? We’ve been waiting for his betrayal for a long time. The Avatar did not stop this. There is too few who know the southern ways to fend off more dark spirit attacks, and yet they are growing. Civil war is brewing, and we must stop it. So tell me, how did you take back Republic City?” 

Asami hugged herself and closed her eyes. Exhaustion and cold cocooned her, and it was very hard to stay focused on the woman’s words. Her mind felt sluggish. “It’s a long story.” 

“Speak in full if you can.”

The woman wasn’t going to let up, was she? Asami sighed. “I’ll summarize. Amon claimed to seek equality for nonbenders. Benders ruled Republic City via a council, and we had little voice.” Asami hadn’t like the methods of Amon, but the equalists were right about one thing - the corruption of only benders ruling. That needed changed, but the outright war had left a painful mark on the city.

“So his fight was just?” Waaseyaa frowned.

“I don’t know,” Asami said, frustrated. Her shivering had increased. Waaseyaa leaned against her, but her warmth did little to help. “Us nonbenders did need a voice, but Amon’s methods were ruthless. They used technology that outpaced Republic City’s police force. So when Amon’s forces took the city, they hit hard, taking out the city’s government and police force. I was there with Korra.”

The memories crept through her haze of cold, of the nonbenders assaulted by Tarrlok’s taskforce, of the rain of bombs from her father’s planes, the airships that dotted the sky and the fires that raged. Both sides had been brutal in different ways. Korra at least sought to stop both sides from causing more harm to the other. It was one of the many reasons Asami came to trust her. 

“We had to retreat. Our goal was to wait for Republic City’s navy. Except my father,” she said it bitterly, “pulled out another invention, a new type of plane, and bombed the fleet.” Asami paused and opened her eyes. The snow here was packed down with dirt and bits of splintered wood. Pain and numbness pulsed through her; she paused to gather her thoughts, her words starting to slur together. She needed warmth badly. “We split into teams … small group attacks on each… choke point. My team … destroyed the airfield and … stopped my father. Korra’s group took out Amon. With their… leader gone, the equalists scattered… I took over Future Industries…  Elections for a President … held three months later. The end.” 

“Hmm.” Waaseyaa studied her, her blue eyes narrowed in thought. “You fought against your own father?” 

“Not going to talk… about that.” Asami frowned. Time with her friends and the Air bending family had helped her recover, but the pain of it lingered still.

“I see. So you came here to sell your company’s weapons.”

Asami shook her head. “All in Republic City….  no way to ship it. Not unless… I seal a deal with Varrick … get past that blockade.” Without those sales, her company was over, and she didn’t know what she’d do if that happened. Asami curled herself tighter against the cold wall of the building. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, and the urge to lay down to sleep was getting stronger. “Look, if you… want them, then… break the blockade.”

Waaseyaa shook her head. “Your technology could aid us, but it also could prolong this coming war. If you choose to talk with Varrick and seal your deal, be aware of the consequences. My people deserve independence, Asami Sato, but is it at the expense of our culture and way of life? If you choose to help, will you force your technology on us? Or seek to aid our preservation of who we are?”

“Wait, … not asking for them?” Asami had lost the thread of conversation somewhere. The cold was freezing her brain, her thoughts sluggish.

“I asked if you seek to sell them.” Waaseyaa gestured to the streets. “The spirits are angered. Our home imbalanced. The fate of your deal will affect us. Think wisely.” 

What could Asami say to that? A violent shiver wracked her body. She couldn’t stay here. “Warmth?” She looked up the hill toward Tonraq and Senna’s house. She tried to point to it, but her arm felt like it weighed more than her body. 

“You’ve earned it.” Waaseyaa lifted her to her feet, dragged her across the street, and up the hill. She dropped her against the side of the house by the door. “Knock after I leave. Do not speak of me to anyone, Asami.” She held up a finger to her lips. “One of my group will seek out your answer soon.” 

Before Asami could reply, the woman sprinted down the slope and ducked out of sight. The door lay only a pace away. Asami leveraged herself against the side of a building. Did she even have legs anymore? The wretched cold cocooned her with a vengeance. She fell against the snow, breathing hard. Grabbing a fistful of snow, she threw it at the door. The satisfying thump resulted in a spray that fell across her face.

Chapter Text

Korra’s Interlude, Wolf Cove, Day Before Solstice, Early Morning

Korra bent low over Naga’s back and rode down the hill, through several streets, to the southern edge of town. The cold wind swept her wolf tails back, and she grinned, excited for the upcoming day. Her first lesson with Unalaq was this morning, and she was determined to be there early. 

The path curved around a foothill and the camel yak and dog sled stables came into view. A massive stone structure, the camel yak’s pens held arches and gates, the stone white with carvings or animals atop the promenades. Most of the city's expeditions started here, at the stables, either with the camel yak's or dog sleds. Due to her mother's tribe, Korra had only ever been dog sledding, or rather her parents while she rode Naga. Chief Unalaq stood inside the central arch that lead to the camel yak stables, waiting for Korra. 

Naga slowed and stopped by the entrance. Korra dismounted and ran up to her uncle. 

“You’re early.” Chief Unalaq raised his eyebrows in surprise. 

“What can I say? I’m pumped up to learn spirit fighting.” Korra pumped her arm in the air in excitement. The night prior she’d watched as Unalaq wove his water into golden light around the dark spirit, calming it and causing it to dissipate. Korra was determined to learn that trick too. 

Her uncle placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m not here to teach you to fight spirits. I’m here to help you begin your spiritual training. We’re going to the most remote place in the world, the long neglected spiritual center of your tribe. The South Pole.”

Korra looked up at him, surprised. “You’re going to train me at the South Pole?”

Unalaq smiled. “We will do more than just train.” He motioned for her to follow him. She fell into step beside him. “To understand how to calm spirits, you must first understand the link between the spirit world and our physical world. Both worlds are interconnected, and you, as the bridge, must understand that connection.”

They walked through the arch and its gate and into the camel-yak pens. The great beasts lounged, eating hay, and a few trotted forward to peer at the two of them, their long necks bent down to sniff. “See these creatures?” Unalaq reached out his hand and allowed the animal to sniff it. “To understand how to ride, we must first understand the animal. We cannot tame what we do not understand.”

“Oh.” Korra thought she got what her uncle was saying. “So you’re saying, I can’t learn your technique until I understand spirits better?” 

Unalaq nodded. The animal seemed to like his smell, as it butted its head against his hand. He petted it. “To understand, we must go to the South Pole. By neglecting the spirits, the people of the South have angered the spirits, and now it threatens to destroy our tribe. We must set things right. The Southern Water Tribe depends on you.”

Korra grinned. “A dangerous trip to the South Pole? Count me in!” 

“Good. First, let us prepare for our journey.” He led her back toward the entrance to the stables. “Supplies have been brought here.” He gestured to three full crates that had been piled just inside the camel yak enclosure. “We may not need all these supplies, but go through and sort through what is best for this journey. I wish to see how well your survival skills are.” 

“Sure, uncle.” Korra felt a bit surprised by this. Her father and the White Lotus had been very thorough on how to survive in the coldest and darkest regions of the poles, but if Unalaq wished to witness this, then fine. It felt a bit tedious, too much like Tenzin’s insistence on meditation or reading boring old philosophers. 

Going to the crates, Korra whistled Naga over and began to sort through the supplies. She focused on what would be best for a long journey to the south pole, especially in case weather turned dangerous. Behind her, Unalaq walked among the Camel Yaks and checked each one before choosing one for his mount.

As she sorted the supplies, Mako walked through the archway and headed over to her. “Hey, thought you were going to wait and let me ride with you?” 

Korra waved her hand at him dismissively. “You weren’t ready.”

“This looks like way more than a morning hike.” Mako frowned and crouched by a pile. He pulled out a sack of freeze dried food.

“It’s not. We’re going to the South Pole.” Korra dug through her piles, frustrated at how random these supplies had turned out to be. Was this part of a test?

“Wait, South Pole?” Mako looked surprised. “How far is that?”

“Depending on weather, about a day?” Korra hadn’t ever gone that far south, mostly because the White Lotus compound hadn’t allowed her to go far from its walls. “Go take Naga and grab your own supplies. There’s not enough here for you too.” She was tempted to head home and grab her own bags, but her uncle had wanted her to do this task. To see her survival skills, so she ought to finish.

Mako nodded. “Hey Naga.” He tried to mount her, but the polar bear dog huffed and danced away from him. “Okay, she still doesn’t like me.” He rubbed the back of his head. “I’ll take one of those snowmobiles. Don’t leave without me, okay?” 

“We won’t.” Korra watched him walk away and wondered if she should have asked him to get the rest of Team Avatar. If this was going to be a major adventure, would it help to have all her friends along? 

She petted Naga and wondered again why the polar bear dog wasn’t impressed with Mako. “Do you like only girls, Naga?” She recalled how Asami had ridden Naga alone several times, how Naga had cuddled with the taller girl to keep her warm, and the memories reminded Korra of how she’d hardly spoke to Asami since they’d pulled into port. The last time had been that brief conversation after Tenzin’s family had left. Asami had been out of sorts, upset, and what had Korra done? Asked for her advice, failed to check in with her, and then left her friend sitting alone, upset.

Korra sighed. “Naga, am I a bad friend?” The great beast only nuzzled her in reply. 

***

“You said Bolin was coming too?” Korra asked as they positioned the updated packs onto Naga’s saddle. Mako had returned with far more supplies than she thought they needed. Irritatingly, most seemed to be for her. The cold didn’t bother her, but she knew it bothered him. Each time he’d tucked in a blanket; she’d pulled it out when he wasn’t looking to add to his pack.

“Eh, he said so. But I won't worry about it. I have to make sure you have everything you need for a safe trip.” He repacked the bag and tied it shut again. 

“Thanks, Captain Expedition, but I’ll be fine,” she said sarcastically. Sometimes Mako would get into this overprotective mood that both irritated her but also was a bit endearing. At least today they weren’t fighting, which was a welcome relief from the past few days. “What about Asami? You tell her about this?”

“No.” Mako didn’t elaborate.

Startled, Korra looked at him over Naga’s bulk. His mouth was set in a grim line. “Why?”

“I don’t know where she is.”

Korra turned to the archways to the stables. Maybe it was for the best. Asami was the only nonbender. If they encountered dark spirits, how could she defend herself? Martial arts would do her no good. Bending hardly did any good. Korra needed to learn Unalaq’s technique, and yet here they were going on a journey, and she still had no idea how to do his trick. 

“It’d be better if I learned that trick to subdue spirits before we head out,” Korra said, irritated. 

“I’m sure Unalaq has a good reason…” Mako started to say but then stopped when Korra glared at him. “What? I’m just saying…”

“Don’t, Mako.” Korra did not want to fight with him now.

A snowmobile engine broke the quiet of the stables, and Korra turned to see her father pull up to the edge of the stables not far from where her uncle was packing his camel yak. 

Unalaq scowled and marched up to him. “Tonraq, what do you want?”

“I heard you were taking Korra to the South Pole.” Tonraq crossed his arms, his chin lifted in a challenge. “I’m coming.” He was going to do what? Korra shook her head in disbelief, baffled as to why he was even here.

Unalaq sliced the air with his hand. “Absolutely not. You’re a distraction to Korra and a hindrance to what needs to be done.” 

“My daughter is not going without me! She needs someone to watch after her.” His voice rose in matching anger. Seriously? Couldn’t her father let her do her job? Anger blazed through her, and she turned to Mako, except he looked uncomfortable, which meant...

“Wait. Mako, you told my Dad?” Korra said, furious. “What were you thinking?”

Mako held up his hands. “Not on purpose! Look, I’m sorry, but I can’t lie to your father. What was I supposed to do when he asked me where you were?”

“How about saying nothing?” This felt like a betrayal to her. Korra leaped up onto Naga’s back and rode away up to her father. “Dad,” Korra said in frustration. “I can handle myself. Why do you always act like you know what’s best for me?”

Unalaq turned to Korra with a heavy sigh. “Because he’s misguided. The sad truth is men like your father have put the Spirit world out of balance. He’s ignored my warnings in the past and hasn’t learned since.” The dismissal in his tone caused Tonraq to stiffen and narrow his eyes. 

“What happened in the past?” Korra asked, confused. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Tonraq shook his head. “What matters is the Everstorm.”

***

Across the frozen tundra, the Everstorm howled its ferocity, just as her father had described. Unalaq had claimed it was due to the spirits angry at the South. When they’d crested the last foothill, the sight of that throbbing torrent tearing over the tundra had shaken some of Korra’s resolve. If dark spirits rode those winds, then how was she to help her uncle? Was this part of the lesson? How to safely navigate a massive storm, that harbored who knows how many dark spirits? Korra didn’t like going into this blind.

Korra angled Naga into a position with Unalaq’s camel-yak at the front of their caravan. Trying to get any words out of Unalaq had been near impossible for most of the long hours. Sometimes he would speak, but he kept it to questions about her training. Which made sense that he wanted to get up to speed on what she could do, but it was driving her up the wall that he hadn’t actually provided any insight about the upcoming training. She was getting impatient.

“Tell me what we’ll do at the South Pole. Is that where a lot of spirits dwell?” Maybe a direct approach would get him to finally explain. 

“You will open an ancient spirit portal,” Unalaq said. His hands gripped his reins tighter, and he kept his gaze forward, toward the mass of storm clouds further ahead. Snow sprayed up around them in a dusty white cloud from the camel-yak’s hooves.

“I’m sorry, what now?” Korra stared at him, baffled.

Unalaq kept his gaze forward still. “I have spent much time studying spirits, Korra. During my travels and meditations into the spirit world, I learned that the spirit world and physical world were once connected through spirit portals situated at the Poles. Long ago they were closed. I sought the portal in my homeland last solstice. I learned only the Avatar can access them. If we are to find balance, the spirit and physical worlds must be reunited.” 

Korra took a moment to digest his words. “And that’s why the evil spirits are attacking? Because they’re closed?”

Unalaq guided the camel yak around an outcropping of stone. “There are no evil spirits. There is light and dark in them all, but when they are imbalanced, the darkness takes over.” He gestured to the Everstorm, which grew in size and proximity in the distance. Thunder cracked the air, and lightning flashed in its depths. The wind had whipped up considerably the closer they came.

Korra felt like she was being given only parts of a long story. She waited for him to speak further, but he urged his camel-yak to the front of the party again. Korra decided to wait a bit before she tried again. She wasn’t used to this taciturn teaching. Tenzin spent a lot of time explaining everything in detail, but her uncle seemed to be the exact opposite. They traveled closer, the wind increasing, and the cold more biting.

Naga growled softly and turned more toward the south-east. The storm raged much closer, but in its depths, the swirls began to coalesce and shimmer. A human shape formed; someone walked her way. Korra stopped Naga. Her uncle spoke to her, and she held up her hand, her attention focused on that figure. She found herself pulling Naga’s reins toward that shimmer in the storm. Again one of her friends called to her, but she pushed Naga forward, edging closer and closer to the swirling inferno. The closer she came, the harder it was for Naga to push forward. 

The human form began to coalesce, and it held that golden color, like one of her past lives.

“Korra!” 

She held up her hand again to the people behind her. “Aang?” She dismounted Naga, who whimpered. Korra held up her arm against the brittle cold wind, the ice that swirled around her, and the fog that drifted down from the edges of the storm. The shimmer of her past life walked toward her, and a vision whispered in the cold wind, pulling her away from her physical reality into a past life. 

A young teenage boy raced through a market with a bag of food. He dodged the attacks of several larger men who shouted in fury and anger at his theft. 

“Hey stop!” The shortest man yelled. The tallest one sprinted forward to try to ram the teenage boy.

Laughing, he parkoured over a wall, grabbed a pole, and swung up the side of a building to land lightly on a roof. He somersaulted to the next roof, just to show off. Leaping from roof to roof, he soon left the men behind as they struggled to keep track of him from the maze of streets below. 

Relieved and starving, he settled for a small out of the way nook in an alleyway, and opened up the sack of food. He’d need sustenance for the run back to his friends. He chewed happily on the bread. 

Angry stomps echoed behind him, and the teenage boy twisted around to see three men approaching the entrance to the alleyway. The tallest held a sword. 

“Woah, hello.” The teenage boy looked down at his roll sadly. “You’re in time for lunch!” He threw it hard at the biggest man, leaving a red mark on his nose. He shoved more into his shirt, and sprinted toward the trio. At the last moment, he jumped over the biggest man, but the mid-height man darted forward and tripped the teenager as soon as he landed. 

The teenager hit the ground face first. He pushed himself up spitting out mud and grass. 

The shortest man crouched down next to the teenager. “Think you could steal from the Chou?” He laughed and kicked the teenager. 

The biggest man grabbed the teenager by his collar and his gaze pierced through the teenager. 

The boy laughed nervously. “I only took a little,” he tried.

The biggest man growled and threw him over the wall. The teenager screamed and hurtled through the air. Hitting the branches of a tree, he tumbled down, branch by branch, the scratches painful, and slammed into a pigsty. Mud splattered all over his clothes and face. A moo-sow trotted over to sniff him cautiously. Disgusted, the teenager sat upright and wiped off what mud he could. 

“Just wanted food for my friends,” he told the moo-sow. The animal huffed and pushed against his shirt to try to get at what was left of the rolls he’d stashed there. “Hey now, that’s for them!” He pushed to his feet, and trudged through the mud. 

Jumping over the pigsty’s fence, he took stock of his surroundings. He stood on the edge of the city, near where the forest began, so close to his home. Despair and frustration curdled through him, but he held his head high and marched down the hill and into the forest. Animals leaped up into branches, and a few birds sung as they flew by. Peaceful in comparison to the ruckus in the city. The teenager had always enjoyed the forest. 

He turned in the path to where a treehouse was situated high in a large oak. The teenager leaped up to grab the rungs of the rope ladder and climbed up. No one sat on the porch outside the treehouse, so he ducked inside through the tattered curtain. 

Inside a young man sat on the ground to the left, his back against the wall. He sighed at the sight of the teenager. “Did you steal from the Chous again?” 

The teenager nodded, sadly. He dug into his shirt to pull out the broken up remains of a few rolls. “I tried. Got nothing to show except a few dirty rolls and a whole lot of bruises.”

“Korra!” It was her father’s voice. 

She blinked, the vision gone. The pang of hunger from the vision still layered over her own, and the feel of the mud started to fade into the coldness of the blowing snow. The wind howled and tore at her coat and hood. Naga had clamped down on the tail end of her coat. She turned and comforted the polar bear dog, then pulled herself onto Naga’s back. The entire group had stopped a few paces away, and her father had one hand on Naga’s flank. She looked at her father, and his blue eyes full of concern.

“I’m fine, Dad.” Without thinking, she laid a hand over his own but then pulled back.

He studied her a moment, his lips pursed tightly. Then he nodded and trudged back to his snowmobile. It startled her a little that he had accepted that without a protest. She turned Naga and headed back to the group, out of the worst of the wind.

“What is it, Korra?” Unalaq moved his camel-yak next to Naga. “You have seen something.”

Korra pointed to the north-east. “We need to go that way.” 

Unalaq frowned. “That is not the route to the South Pole.” 

“I know.” Korra looked back toward the source of the vision, but the storm only raged like every other part that could be seen. Nothing resembled the human figure she’d seen, nor did the vision return. She knew for sure it was from a past life, but she’d never seen the teenager before. When she saw Aang's visions, she hadn't felt like she was him, only that he wished to share with her. Weirdly for this teenager, she felt like she had been him. That was new. What Avatar was that?  “Uncle, what do you know of my past lives? The other Avatars?”

“I have studied them.” His eyes seemed to pierce through her. “What did you see, Korra?”

“A teenage boy running from three men. He stole food for his friends, but he was caught. Thrown out of the city without the food.” She tapped her fingers against the reins. “I’ve never seen that boy before. Most of my visions have been from Aang.”

“Perhaps more will be revealed when we reach the South Pole,” Unalaq replied. “There’s a reason the Glacier Spirits Festival ends on the winter solstice, Korra. The spirit world and physical world are at its closest then. Your power will be heightened.” 

“So you’re saying the rest of the vision may return there?” That urge to go to the south-east, not the South Pole, still tugged at her. Yet, her uncle was the spirit expert. Maybe being amongst great spirit energy could help her dig out more of the vision.

“Yes. It is imperative we reach the portal in time. So that balance can be restored.” Unalaq flicked his reins to push the camel-yak faster. Mako, Bolin, the twins, and her father fell into place behind them.

“Wait, what do you mean in time?” Korra tilted her head in confusion. Naga kept pace with the camel-yak easily. 

“The portal must be opened by the solstice during the height of your power. Balance must be restored. Our people cannot wait.” His mouth was set in a grim line. 

“But you said the portals have been closed a long time,” Korra protested. “Are you saying the spirits have been out of balance for ages?” 

Unalaq nodded then abruptly slowed his camel-yak. Toward the south-west, a dark spirit shaped almost like a dog appeared. 

Naga turned toward it and growled. “Easy Naga.” Korra kept her voice steady. She had no doubt that her uncle would aid her in protecting the others. 

The fog from the storm began to pull back and another dark spirit appeared, joined by another. They quietly watched the group. Korra realized all of them had stopped moving, like a standoff. 

“What are those?” Bolin shrunk down against the snowmobile, fear shaking his voice. 

“Dark spirits.” Korra looked to her uncle, but he sat quietly on his camel-yak. The fog moved in again and swallowed the spirits once more. Their path would take them straight into that mess.

Tonraq drove up beside Korra. “Let’s keep moving,” he said firmly. “We have to find a place to camp.”

***
Early Morning Day of Solstice

Fury raged through her still. Her father had kept the truth from her all this time. How he had destroyed a spirit forest in his battle against barbarians. How that had caused a spirit attack on his home, how her uncle had saved the city, but not before tremendous damage had been wrought. How her father was banished for this. Then the spirits attacked not long after midnight. Surely, it had been because of her father's presence.

“No Dad, you need to leave.” She pointed to the north, back toward Wolf Cove. He looked at her with sadness. Bending low, he trudged back through the wind and storm to grab hold of his snowmobile. Mako followed. To her dismay, her father put his hand on Mako’s shoulder, and Mako nodded. 

As the roar of her father’s snowmobile faded into the howl of winds, Mako trudged back. “What did you say to my father?” She asked, irritated. 

“Nothing…”

“Mako, that wasn’t nothing,” Korra interrupted, angry.

“Look, he’s just worried. We all are.” Mako pushed forward against the wind.

“Sometimes I wonder whose side you’re on,” she snapped. 

“There is no sides. We’re all here to help,” Mako protested, but she turned away and climbed back onto Naga. Except, Mako had no steed anymore since the twins had taken his to tie the remains of Bolin’s broken snowmobile to the saddle. The dark spirits had destroyed that too along with their supplies. 

“Fine. Get on.” She pulled Mako up roughly behind her. 

So what if they’d lost supplies thanks to multiple dark spirit attacks? She had to do her duty as the Avatar. She had to restore balance. She didn’t need her father holding her back or Mako siding with everyone but her. He still sat behind her on Naga, holding her waist, and the urge to push him into the snow was strong. But she didn’t. She leaned forward and urged Naga faster.

The storm had abated significantly this close to the South Pole. The energy here did feel different, a buzz along her body almost, but at the same time, nothing here held that pull she’d felt from the vision earlier.

Beside them, the camel yak pulled the remains of Bolin’s snowmobile. His legs were pulled up against his chest, and he looked miserable. Eska and Desna rode the camel, their faces impassive as always. None of them had spoken since her father had left and they started the trek again.

“We’ve arrived.” Unalaq led them to the crest of a hill. He gestured to a forest of frozen trees that filled a crater. Spires of ice-covered trees hugged the rugged landscape, boulders dotted the interior and crags surrounded the valley. The sky above blazed with stars, being inside the arctic circle, the night long with little to no daylight, especially with the Everstorm at their backs.

Again that pressure to stay away filtered through her senses. “Trees frozen in ice? Are you sure this is it?” She thought of her vision, of that strong pull to the south-east. From this location, the pull was fainter, and now was more straight east.

“It’s similar to the sacred forest Tonraq destroyed in the North.” Unalaq walked up to Naga, and the great polar bear dog growled a little. He stopped a few paces away.

Korra rubbed Naga’s head and dismounted. “So…” Unease filtered through her. “What's next?”

“You must go alone to the heart of the forest. Seek the dormant spirit portal.”

“Hold a minute,” Mako said. “She’s not going alone!”

“Yeah! Wherever she goes, we go too! We’re Team Avatar!” Pabu emerged from Bolin’s hood to look toward Korra. 

Korra looked back at them. Except Team Avatar was down one member. Mako had told his brother and her Dad, but not the fourth member of their team. Would Asami also announce her intention to come with Korra? Her instinct told her no, Asami would patiently wait on Korra’s decision. A memory filtered through Korra’s mind.

Asami looked at her with her piercing green eyes. “I’ll repeat what I said to you last time.” Her voice held warmth and conviction. “You’re amazing, Korra, and I think you can do anything you put your mind to. If those thoughts do come back, let me know. I’ll gladly keep repeating that truth.”

That memory had been a source of comfort during the Amon crisis. Korra turned to her uncle and wondered if Asami’s trust in her was misplaced. “I don’t have a connection to the spirits. In fact, I’m pretty sure they hate me.” 

“You must believe in yourself,” Unalaq replied. “Like I do.” 

Korra turned toward the forest. She’d only heard that from one other person, the one person who wasn't with them right now. 

“What is it?” Unalaq’s hand lightly touched her shoulder. 

“I guess… I’m too used to people telling me how to do things. It's nice to be trusted I guess..” She smiled at her uncle, relieved. 

“Korra,” Unalaq said. “All the past Avatars live on inside of you. Let them help you find the light in the dark.” 

She thought again of her vision. Of that strange boy. Maybe here, in this frozen forest, she could find his light. Learn his name. Discover why he came to her now. “Wait here,” she told the others. “I’ll be back.” 

“Good luck,” Mako said. 

Korra walked toward the frozen trees, but as she stepped into the forest, that sensation of being in the wrong place hit her hard. She steadied herself against a tree, the cold cutting through her fingerless gloves. She took a deep breath and trudged in further, but the deeper she went, the more the sky seemed to darken, and the stronger that sensation came. 

“What are you telling me?” she asked the trees. She paused, uncertainly. Her uncle had said her power would be strong here, but she felt tiny, insignificant, and off-centered. She pivoted in a circle and sighted several dark spirits atop two nearby trees. She took a step forward, and the dark spirits moved closer. She stopped, and they stopped. A stand off.

Ahead the land sloped downward. Darkness shrouded the area. This entire area felt like a warning. She hesitated, afraid. The words Asami had said to her so often came to mind.

“You’re amazing, Korra, and I think you can do anything you put your mind to.”

Could she though? Korra recalled her uncle’s parting words, that all the Avatars lived in her. Yet why weren’t they present? She felt alone. Should she meditate? But that would leave her vulnerable to spirit attacks. Irritation filled her at being unprepared. Her uncle could have at least shown her the trick to calming the spirits. 

She steeled herself, clenched her fists, and stalked forward determined to finish this. A serpent-like spirit slithered into the path in front of her. She stopped, surprised that it wasn’t a deep navy-blue tinged with red like the ones behind her. 

Another spirit shimmered, translucent and barely visible, just beyond it, this one a tall spirit, one with an animal face, but bipedal like her. It held up its hand in a stop gesture. Both rippled with a whitish-green color that seemed to phase in and out of existence.

“Who are you?” She hoped the spirits would speak, but neither did. She took a step closer, and the serpent slithered up her leg. She tried to shake it off, but it clung to her. The world began to blur, and she found herself back in the teenager’s shoes.

The teenager stood before the injured cat deer, his feet on a branch and his back to the trunk of the tree. Several hunters jogged toward him, only to stop in surprise. “Back off.”

“Wan?” The Hunter looked startled, his eyes wide. “Why are you here?”

Wan, the teenager, glared at the hunter. “I’m saving this animal. Leave now.”

The hunter scowled and walked closer. “We need it for food. Get out of our way.” 

Wan shouted a warning, and jumped from the tree. He shot two blasts of fire, one at the hunters who leaped backward in surprise and the other at the rope that kept the cat deer suspended. The trap fell. The cat deer scrambled to its feet and sprinted away.

Furious, the hunters bended fire back at Wan, but he dodge rolled to the left and sprinted into the Spirit Wilds. The hunters chased him, but Wan led them toward a strange patch of grass. He leaped upward, grabbed a branch, and swung himself over it. One of the hunters barreled into it and screamed as the grass dragged him under. 

Wan ran past hornet nests, grabbed two, and flung them behind him. Another hunter shouted in terror as the wasps swarmed him and dragged him into the air. 

Blasts of fire swept by Wan, and he zigzagged through the forest. He turned as he ran and bended a blast back at the hunters, but missed. Again they fired on him, and the second fireball catapulted him into the air. He smacked into a branch and bounced as he hit the ground. His vision blackened, and he struggled to stay awake. The lead hunter stood over him, angry and pleased. 

“Justice is about to be served, Wan.” 

Pain scoured through him, and his vision greyed. Screams rent the air, and then warm hands picked him up. Voices spoke, but he slid in and out of consciousness, barely holding on, until warm water engulfed his body. It seeped into his pores, knitted him back together, and the world stabilized. 

The aye-aye spirit that had forbid his entrance to the oasis was crouched beside him. 

“Woah. What happened?” He held up his hand and looked at his chest, amazed. The pain was completely gone.

“I brought you here. This water has special healing properties,” the aye-aye spirit replied. The spirit studied him thoughtfully. 

A spirit that resembled a hand-sized bumble bee handed a fruit to Wan. “Thanks.” He bit into the fruit, heartened by its deliciously sweet taste. “What did you do to that hunter? I heard the screams.”

Aye-aye spirit shrugged. “Spirits can take over a human body for a short time. If I stayed any longer, I would killed him. I did consider it.”

Wan finished the fruit and turned its pit over in his hand. “Thanks for saving me, but why? I thought you didn’t like me.”

“You saved the cat deer. I’ve never seen such an act of selfishness from a human before.” Again the spirit tilted its head to study Wan closely. 

“Didn't I tell you I'm not like the ohters?” Wan smiled.

The spirit nodded. “I guess I underestimated you, human.”

The vision faded. The serpent spirit was gone along with the other one. The teenager was named Wan. But that wasn’t a name she’d ever heard before. Who was Wan? The vision was definitely related to the last one, but it seemed to be further in Wan’s story. Again that tug to go more to the east. Except east took her into a cave.

Korra blinked. Wait, a cave? Last she remembered she’d been in the ice forest. Confused, she turned and sure enough the ice forest lay behind her. Had she walked during the vision? She couldn’t recall. The sensation of that water, its warmth and healing, still permeated her. 

She stepped into the cave and flicked her fire into her hand. The walls were thick with ice, the ground slippery, and the route littered with stalagmites and stalactites. An eerie howl sounded from deeper inside. More echoed behind her. Fear trickled down her spine. That urge to go east tugged her toward the cave wall, but there was no path here. The rest of the cave curved more south.

A hissing echoed behind her. When a dark spirit launched into an attack, she jumped to the side. It flew past her only to pivot in the air and slice its elongated arms at her. She shot fire at it, pushing it back, but it didn’t dissipate. Again, that sense that she wasn’t wanted here, that being here was wrong swam through her. 

She sprinted further into the cave. More dark spirits swarmed out of the rocks, and she blew up a tornado to push them back. Her feet skidded into a rock, and she tripped. Except it wasn’t a rock, it was a massive round ball half buried in the ground. It pulsated with light, but the light was contained, unable to move except in circles within the sphere. 

A dark spirit snatched her legs and pulled her away from the sphere. “No!” She blasted it with fire, and it howled as it released her. This was it! This was the portal she had to open. She blasted it with fire. Surely, that was why the vision had come to her? But it did nothing. She tried air and water but again nothing. She bent rocks at it, but still nothing. 

Another spirit grabbed her hair and jerked her backward. She swiped hard with fire, and it released her with a hiss. Dark spirits leaped and screamed, and she bended earth and fire at them, desperate to keep them away. 

I've never seen such an act of selflessness from a human before. 

The Aye-aye spirit’s words bounded into her mind. An act of selflessness. Korra fell backward against the portal, and its warmth swept through her coat. She stopped fighting the spirits. Instead, she bended the ice into water and began to swirl it upward around her and the portal. The spirits howled and darted toward her. 

She closed her eyes and focused only on the swirling water, on the calm of that spirit pool that Wan had lain in, how it had healed his body. The howling slowed, the coldness of the cave abated, but the wrongness permeated through her again. Her bending faltered. The wrongness shattered her image of the Aye-aye spirit’s pool.

Pain shot through her as tendrils of spirits wrapped around her body. Her focus shattered, and she scrambled against their tightening grasp. 

“Stop!” Korra thrashed, but the spirits had merged together into a dark mass that hung down from the ceiling. Tendrils curled around her neck. Desperately, she shifted into Avatar state to push through the mass of dark spirits. She reached out her hand, and her hand brushed against the sphere.

Energy surged like lightening, and the sphere rippled with gold and green light. A voice she’d never heard before echoed in her head.

 “As darkness grows, light fades. You must seek the truth, Korra.” 

A blast of energy threw her up, the cave ceiling cracking. The dark spirits howled and vanished. Korra tumbled in the air. Rocks blew in all directions. Desperately, she pushed down and bended air into a bubble. She bounced off it and landed hard at the edges of the frozen forest. A great pillar of greenish-white light shot into the sky, and the sky blazed with the colors of green, orange, and red. 

Chapter Text

171 AG Day before Winter Solstice: Late afternoon

Oogi landed lightly on the grass outside the Southern air temple. Acolytes and the head monk rushed out to greet the family. Jinora used a burst of air bending to drop to the ground, while Ikki and Meelo dived over the side of the saddle and caught themselves dramatically before they hit the ground. Pema climbed down with Tenzin’s help, Rohan in a sling. 

“Welcome, Tenzin!” Shung, Head Monk stepped forward, eagerly. “It is a delight to see the future of the Air Nation here, at our Southern Air Temple!” He took a package from one of the acolytes next to him and offered it to Tenzin. 

Jinora watched amused. The temple itself was old, covered in vines that had mostly been torn down, but some still clung to the tops of the spires. Air nomad motifs covered the walls, the coloration faded and only a few were repainted. Most motifs were scenes from the days when the Air Nation and other air benders resided in these temples, but a few were so badly scarred that Jinora couldn’t tell what they were from this distance. She’d have to get closer and see if she could see around the damage. 

An Acolyte walked up to her and presented her with a book. “A gift,” she said, shyly. 

“Oh, thanks!” Jinora took it only for Ikki to snatch it out of her hands. “Hey!” 

“My gift!” Ikki announced, holding the book to her chest.

“You don’t even like to read,” Jinora complained. She hadn’t even gotten a chance to read the title, and already her younger sister was being a jerk. 

“Nonsense!” Shung was saying in response to Jinora’s mother. “Anything for the mother of the next generation of air benders!” 

Pema looked at Jinora and Ikki, who still had her tongue sticking out at Jinora, holding the book out of reach. “Yep,” her smile faltered. “Those are the world's next generation of air benders.” 

Jinora crossed her arms and glared at her sister but gave up trying to get the book back. She’d just steal it back when Ikki tired of her taunts and left it somewhere. Instead, she walked past the acolytes to look up close at the motifs on the sides of the temple. Behind her, she could hear Uncle Bumi and Aunt Kya dumping their suitcases onto the ground and arguing with an acolyte. Jinora hadn’t expected anyone to really be living here, but then it made sense that people would be keeping the temple in decent shape. It was a relic of their lost past. Several acolytes helped pick up their suitcases.

Their family walked into the temple toward the living area off to the side of the main chambers. Jinora wanted to go exploring, but she followed along behind the others, close to Aunt Kya and Uncle Bumi. The corridors here were expansive, arches in the domed ceilings, and more of those faded paintings on the walls. Bits of weeds grew in a few cracks in the outer walls, but they had pretty pink flowers. The air was so much warmer than in the South, for which Jinora was quite grateful.

 Just like she had expected, Ikki dropped the book at one point to dart forward and look into one of the bedrooms. Jinora scooped it up relieved. 

“What did they give you?” Aunt Kya asked. She dragged a suitcase behind her, and a bag was thrown over one shoulder. 

Jinora looked at the title. “The Sun Soars, poetry by Akash.” She smiled. “I’ve always liked poetry. Tried to write some.” 

“Oh?” Aunt Kya smiled back. “I’d love to hear it. Used to be a poet myself.”

“Really?” Jinora looked up, surprised and delighted. “I’ll share mine if you share yours!” 

Aunt Kya laughed. “Deal. Now let’s go unpack, okay?”

After Dinner

Dinner had been served around a stone table in the living area. The bedrooms were situated all around the room, each with a wooden door and two to three wooden beds. Jinora was dismayed to find she had to share a room with Ikki. She’d hoped for one for herself. It would have been nice to take a break from her siblings sometimes.

All the furnishings in the living space was even more rustic than their home on Air Temple Island. The floor had a large rug made from shedded Sky Bison wool, the floor wooden. Orange pillars with air bending sworls on it held up the ceiling. A few pillows were piled in a rack in the corner. Her and Ikki and Meelo had ended up in a fight over who would get the red or orange pillows. Their mother had scolded them, and they all ended up with yellow ones. 

Jinora wanted to be on her best behavior, but sometimes Meelo and Ikki brought out the worst in her. She didn’t really know why. They just aggravated her at times, but for her mother’s sake, she had promised herself to be good during dinner. For the most part, she felt she'd done a good job of being patient at dinner. She'd only pinched Ikki once. That was pretty big of her she thought. Ikki and Meelo had gotten into a food fight with Bumi, and Jinora had managed to not join that. She'd turned to Aunt Kya instead to ask about her thoughts on the temple. Kya always had such interesting things to share, bits of lore and history, told with a patience that reminded her of Gran Gran.

Part of her felt sad still that Korra and Asami weren’t here too. It felt strange to be on a vacation, while the two of them were doing important adult things. Stuff Jinora wished she could help them with, but there wasn’t much a twelve year old could do to help save Asami’s company or help Korra learn about spirits. 

Except, Jinora could have taught Korra a bit about spirits. She saw them all the time. Sometimes during meditation, she walked in the spirit world, usually through lush meadows of flowers, to chat with spirits there too. But no one had asked, and she hadn’t known how badly Korra wanted to know about spirits. She would have said something otherwise. There were times when she wondered if she should surprise her Dad and tell the spirits to show themselves, but she hadn't worked up the nerve to do it yet.

Her mother sighed heavily and broke through Jinora's thoughts. “Yes, Ikki and Meelo, you may be excused.” The two jumped upward in excitement. 

Glad that others were finally finished, Jinora asked her mother, “May I as well?” 

My mother nodded with a smile. “Yes, go have some fun. Be back in an hour, okay?” 

Jinora nodded. She headed out of the dining area and back into the main temple area. The room here was gigantic. She wondered what it would have been like in Aang’s youth, before he got stuck in that iceberg, when the temple was full of airbenders. Would they have lined up in rows or circles to meditate in this massive space? She couldn’t see any signs of furniture. Mostly broken rocks near the center and some fallen pillars on the right side of the room. The ceiling held some repairs, likely the acolytes.

Trailing her fingers along the wall, Jinora walked the length of the room. The decorating motifs here showed a lot of Sky Bison and gliders. On the other side were two doorways. One headed to the left, the other to the right. The back wall had a circular design that looked a bit like a doorway, and it made her wonder if it would move if she pushed on it. 

Except, she wasn’t strong enough to test the idea. The circle didn’t budge when she pressed her hands against the cool stone. It looked like it had been washed recently. No sign of dust or plant matter. 

“Exploring?” her father asked. She had heard his footfalls behind her, so she turned with a smile and nodded. “Then let me show you something.” He led her to the right through a corridor that curved around and into another massive room. Jinora stopped in wonder. Windows had been carved in the stone at specific intervals to cast sunlight into a room full of statues. So many, each carved in different ways with slightly different materials. No two alike. 

“Wow, the statue room,” Jinora said. She walked forward to look up at one of the Avatars. This one looked like Kyoshi, her painted white face, robes, the signature fan, and her posture set like she was about to dance forward. Kyoshi had always been one of her favorites of the past Avatars, other than her grandfather Aang of course and Korra. She walked forward to look at her grandfather’s statue. 

Behind her, Ikki and Meelo raced into the room on air scooters, shouting at one another and blowing up their father’s robes. Jinora ignored them and stepped closer to Aang’s statue. It looked newly painted and carved, and his eyes seemed to meet her own. For a moment, she felt his presence behind her, as if he put a hand on her shoulder. She turned, but no one was there. Her father was still by the doorway scolding her siblings. She looked back at the statue. Now it looked normal, not like he was looking at her at all. Had she imagined it? She turned away to look at a different statue instead.

Very Early morning, Solstice Day

Jinora slid out of the wooden bed, not quite awake, but not quite asleep either. Wearing her nightgown still, the cool air swept over her, blowing her nightgown around her legs. She exited the room and headed out of the living areas and into the main temple. The grounds were silent, no one yet awake. Soft coos from nearby nightbirds echoed in the air, and the moonlight spilled through the stone windows. The stone was cold and scratchy to the touch.

Her feet took her through the main chamber and into the one to the right, to the statue room. Rows and rows of statues lit by the light of the moon. She walked sure-footed, with confidence, to the back of the room, to a statue so old that the wood had petrified over time. It stood alone in a corner, shadowed by the stone walls. Bits of vine hung from one of the man's arms down to the floor, and the air around it held the stench of ozone, like when Mako would burn the air with his fire bending.

Jinora looked up at the statue of the man, who had a cocky smile similar to Korra’s. He wore simple robes and pants. A symbol of light was carved across his chest, and his hair carved short around his ears, the carving meticulous and barely damaged. “What Avatar are you?” she asked the unknown statue. 

Warmth exuded from it. and a glow permeated from his feet up to his head. His eyes glowed like the Avatar state, and semi-transparent spirits fluttered down from the windows to land on his shoulders. Deep inside of her, she sensed a change in the spirit world, something had happened, and Korra was at the center of it.

Chapter Text

171 AG, Day of Winter Solstice, Late Afternoon

The door opened after a second snowball. Senna looked out and then gasped at the sight of her. “Tonraq! Get over here. Asami needs aid!” Senna moved aside, and Tonraq rushed out the door. He picked her up. Asami groaned at the movement. The door shut out the wind, and warmth from the firepit filled the room. Asami was far too cold to feel it beyond her face. 

“S-sorry…” she stuttered. 

“Don’t worry about that.” Tonraq laid her on the long pillows next to the firepit. “Senna, her clothes are frozen.”

“Deal with the tea and hot compresses.” Senna dropped down next to Asami and placed a pile of blankets next to her. 

Asami couldn’t move much, her entire body felt like a block of ice. Senna gently pealed off each layer and laid the clothes by the firepit to dry. Only Asami’s undergarments were not wet or frozen. Senna wrapped her tightly in blankets, including her head, so only Asami’s face was exposed. Her shivering still hadn’t stopped.

Senna rubbed the blanket over her arms and legs. “We’ll get you warmed up.” Tonraq returned with hot compresses and tea. The hot compresses Senna tucked around Asami’s body, and its warmth slowly began to seep through to her numb extremities and legs. That caused seering hot pain. Asami sucked in a breath from the pain. 

Senna gently lifted her head. “This’ll help with pain.” She lifted the cup to Asami’s lips, and she gratefully drank a few sips. Ah, spicy with a hint of mint.

Being in a state of adrenaline, Asami hadn’t realized just how cold and in pain she was. Now that she was curled up in blankets with hot compresses, the sharp pin-prickling pain and numbess dominated her thoughts. She let Senna lift her enough to drink more tea, and as the warmth filtered through her, she felt less and less like death. 

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been lying there, drifting in and out of consciousness, but she soon realized that Tonraq had come and gone at least once, and Senna had replaced the warm compresses with new ones that smelled faintly of mint.

Asami tried to sit up, but Senna was at her side to gently push her back into the pillows. 

“Rest,” she said, gently.

“I’m sorry for this.” Her voice shook with pain and emotion.

Tonraq knelt next to his wife. “No need to apologize. Can you tell us what happened? Take it slow, okay?” 

“Sure…” Asami’s story came out in waves, where she had to stop and rest to gather her thoughts before continuing. When she got to the part where Waaseyaa shared her name and questioned her, Asami trailed off uncertain. The woman had asked for silence, but trusting her after she interrogated Asami while she froze seemed a bit off. Yet she couldn’t think of a diplomatic way to summarize that conversation, so she stayed silent.

Tonraq laid a hand on Asami’s shoulder after several moments of silence. “Thank you for telling me. Rest here for now.” Asami didn’t need to be told that twice. She huddled further into the blankets. “Senna, this is worse than I thought. Dark spirits attacking citizens? Soldiers assaulting others?” Tonraq sighed. “I need to stop this.” 

“Tonraq, you don’t think…” Senna paused, concern in her tone. 

Tonraq shook his head. “I must try and hope they’ll listen. I’ll be back. Stay safe.” He grabbed his coat, donned it, and headed out. 

Senna sat down on a pillow next to Asami. “I’m sorry to hear you got caught in our fight.” 

Should she tell her? Asami turned onto her side. Maybe there was a way to share without giving away details. “Senna, is there… a group that practices spirit rituals?” 

A guarded look passed over Senna’s face. “What do you mean?”

Asami thought it was a straightforward question. “The woman… who subdued the spirits is from your tribe.”

Senna leaned back. The crease in her brow reminded Asami strongly of Korra when Korra was troubled. “I see. I’ve heard rumors, yes. Katara would know more. Did you speak with this woman?” 

Asami looked at the domed ceiling. The warmth of the fire, hot compresses, and blanket helped so much, but her thoughts still felt sluggish. “Yes. I’ll need to speak with Master Katara then… And Korra, where does she stand on this?”

“Korra’s likely staying neutral as the Avatar.” Senna adjusted the blankets around Asami. Her words surprised Asami. Korra being neutral? Asami had half-expected Korra to go around punching all these problems on the side of her people. Yet, wasn’t neutrality still a side? So Korra had chosen a side essentially.

“We do need to check you for injuries,” Senna continued, “I’ll ask for Master Katara.”

“Thank you.” Asami’s mind raced through the dark spirit fight and Waaseyaa’s baffling conversation. Exhaustion made her thoughts trip over each other, her brain stubbornly trying to find a solution.  

If Waaseyaa was convinced the Northerners invasion was the cause of the dark spirits but Chief Unalaq believed it to be the festival and corporate hedonism, then who was right? Could both of them be right? Asami struggled to see a solution on how to reconcile those opposing views. She was not a spiritual person, and she felt woefully out of depth there.

Plus, her company desperately needed to sell it’s remaining stock, which meant that inventory had to leave Republic City. That required a shipping deal, and only Varrick’s company could provide that. Yet Waaseyaa’s words haunted her.

“Is there… a safe way to the city? Got to prepare for… tomorrow…” Asami could hear the exhaustion and pain in her voice and winced. 

Senna shook her head. “Asami, you need to rest and not move. I’ll be nearby, okay?” As much as Asami was loathed to admit it, Senna was right. She wasn’t in a state to move yet.

Asami dozed by the fire, curled up on pillows, when the door to the house opened and a cold breeze swept over her. Startled by the freezing wind, she shivered and tried to sit upright, only to get dizzy. She laid back down on the pillows. She was uncertain how long she'd been there, but the brief glimpse of the outdoors had shown a dark sky. Was it night already?

Senna entered followed by Master Katara. The door shut again, but the cold lingered in the air. “Asami, Master Katara here to check for injuries.” Her voice held concern. “I’ll make us some tea. Thank you again, Katara.”

“It’s no problem,” the old woman waved Senna away. She lowered herself slowly into a kneeling position next to Asami and the firepit. “I hear you ran into dark spirits and Northern soldiers.” 

“Yes.” Asami couldn’t contain the shivers. “I’m still so cold.”

“Hmm.” Katara unstoppered the flask at her side and wove water into a thick braid above Asami’s body. She moved her hands back and forth and her bending made the water glow golden. A sensation of coolness trickled over Asami. She realized she’d never actually been healed by a waterbender before. Her father had never allowed it, preferring the nonbenders who practiced local herbal medicine. “Lacerations. Bruised ribs.” The coolness turned to warmth, and the pain in her body faded. The cut on her cheek healed up. “You narrowly avoided frostbite, young woman. Moderate hypothermia.” Katara swirled the water back into her flask and replaced the stopper. 

Asami found it hard to talk to someone while laying down, so she tried to push herself upright. Katara gently pushed her back into the pillows. “I need to talk to you,” Asami explained. “About what happened.” 

“You need rest.” Katara tilted her head.

“It’s about the spirits.” Asami leveraged herself up with one arm. That movement made her a bit dizzy, but at least it was less awkward for talking. “The woman who calmed them, she’s the one who brought me here…” Asami lowered her voice, unsure if it was okay for Senna to hear this or not. “She spoke of a group in your tribe. One that adhered to the old ways and sought harmony. That your people were split between Varrick’s ways, Tonraq’s, and her group. She said the Northern troops are inciting the spirits.” 

“Hmmm.” Katara leaned back on her heels. “Does this woman have a name?”

Was it wise to share Waaseyaa’s name? “I was asked to not name her,” Asami deflected. “At the the feast, you offered to share more of your ways. I’m worried that working with Varrick to sell my company’s stock may imbalance this conflict. I’m not a spiritual person, so I can’t discern the best path if I fail to have the information needed. I want to help Korra with her mission of harmony. And I think she needs to know this too. This is her people, and last we talked she was under the impression only Chief Unalaq could teach her how to calm spirits.”

Katara looked past her, toward the fire. “Good points. The group you speak of exists. I have been with them. They sought to record our lost stories and rekindle traditions. Where they are is a secret.” She sighed heavily. “I have tried to instill some of our rituals in Korra, but patience has never been one of her virtues. Perhaps I should have asked Nakul to help.” 

“Sounds like Korra,” Asami agreed. “Whose Nakul?”

“After the war, Nakul lead storytellers among our people to capture what was left of our rituals and tales. Her people know our ways better than myself.” Katara’s eyes seemed focused on only something she could see. “It’s possible to arrange a meeting with them.  We’d need to be careful. Less people who know is better.”

“I appreciate this,” Asami said. “Do you think Korra would agree?” 

Katara shrugged. “How much Chief Unalaq has swayed her is unknown. All we can do is ask.”

Senna walked into the room with a tray of tea. She set it down between the two and settled on a pillow. After pouring a cup, she moved next to Asami, and helped her sit up and lean against her side. “Here.” She handed the tea to the girl. 

Asami drank slowly, the warmth wonderful. She still felt off. Dizzy and tired. 

“How do you feel?” Katara asked, her shrewd eyes watching Asami closely. 

“Dizzy. Tired. Legs still a burning pain.” She sipped the tea. Senna’s arm and side kept Asami steady. “Where is Korra?”

Both Katara and Senna looked at each other. “She should be home soon,” Senna said, finally. 

“Then, could we go in the morning?” Asami wanted to learn all she could before her next meeting with Varrick.

“If Korra agrees, early morning is best. We should take no one else with us.” Katara picked up Asami’s coat and examined it. “Senna, do you have better clothes? This will not be suitable for the journey.” 

Wait, her coat wasn’t suitable? That would explain why she was incessantly cold, but then she had bought it in Republic City, where cold as bad as the South Pole was nothing but a bad dream.

“I’ll check.” Senna helped Asami lay back down. She took the coat and headed through a curtain to a side room. 

Katara laid her hands in her lap. “The journey is not far, but it is arduous. Please rest today.”

“So you think Korra will agree?” Asami had no idea what Korra’s new training schedule was, especially as she hadn’t talked to her for longer than a few minutes since she started training under Unalaq. 

Katara shrugged again. She pushed against the floor to leverage herself to her feet. “I believe you can convince her. Thank you, Asami, for this small hope.” 

Senna exited the room behind Asami and laid two coats by the firepit. “Thank you, Master Katara. We’ll be ready tomorrow morning.” 

The old woman smiled and quietly left, the door barely opening, for which Asami was grateful. Her legs still burned with pain. 

***

A door slam woke Asami from a deep sleep. Disoriented, she struggled to sit upright, but dizziness defeated her. She laid back against the pillows and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. 

“Wait, Asami?!” Korra’s voice broke through her confusion, and Asami realized she was still at Senna and Tonraq’s. Korra stood in the doorway, confused. “What’s going on?”

“Asami needed a safe place to rest,” Senna said. She sat on the other side of the fire and had been fixing a rip in Asami’s pants. “How are you feeling, Korra?” 

“I’m fine.” Korra crossed her arms. “I wanted to warn you. Dark spirits have been attacking people in the city. It's not safe to go out.”

“Asami mentioned that. I worry for all of you.” Senna finished a stitch, and tied off the thread.

"I can handle myself," Korra started to say.

Senna nodded. "I know that, Korra. But as your mother, I will still worry. But let's speak of this later. Asami, how are you feeling?”

“Dizzy. But don’t feel like death anymore. I am a little hungry though.” Asami made a note to avoid getting hypothermia ever again. Made doing anything incredibly hard, and recovery had cut into time she could have been planning or developing ideas.

Senna lightly touched her shoulder. “I’ll make you something. Korra, I think you should speak to your friend.” She headed into the kitchen.

Korra had watched the exchange with growing alarm. “Okay…” She knelt next to Asami. “You look awful.” 

“Thanks?” Asami tugged the blankets tighter. She was only in her underclothes under the blankets, but for some reason, she felt self conscious with Korra right next to her.

Korra frowned. “Who did this to you?”

“It’s a long story. Also, it’s really, really cold out there. How do you survive this?” Her dizziness wasn’t really helping her focus. She tried again to sit upright. Korra steadied her. That was better. She pulled her knees against her chest and rearranged her blankets to cover her more thoroughly.

“Asami please, what happened?” The tension in the Avatar’s voice was heavy, and her blue eyes seemed to bore into Asami.

“All right.” She paused to consider how to explain. Best to be short and to the point. “I made a mistake. I went up to the palace to talk to you. The guards wouldn’t give me entrance. Met up with Bolin briefly. Then I tried to go back to my lodgings. Dark spirits and soldiers attacked…” Asami shivered, still cold. She was beginning to think she’d never feel warm again. She recounted the fight, but it was hard to be precise with how much of it had been a blur of freezing cold. “Did you know your city is a maze?” she continued. “A massive labyrinth. How anyone finds their way is beyond me. My clothes were frozen. One of your people half carried me here. Left me like a present for your parents.” She paused again, trying to think of how to discuss what Katara and her had decided.

Korra shook her head. “This is awful. I’m sorry you got caught up in this.” 

“Caught up?” Asami repeated, incredulous. “Korra, we’re a team. You, me, Mako, and Bolin. Of course, I’m caught up in all this! But then, if you all decided you didn’t need the only nonbender for your escapades, at least give me the dignity of telling me that. I wouldn’t have bothered trying to talk with you.” 

“No! That’s not it…” Korra trailed off in dismay. She twirled her finger in the rug’s fibers. “Is this what you were going to talk to me about?”

“No, it wasn’t.” Asami tried to recall why she’d gone to the palace. The fight and her recovery here felt like there were days apart, but it’d only been a few hours. Maybe she’d walk herself through her actions for Korra’s benefit. “With the blockade, I’m stuck here. I figured I’d go to my lodgings and plan how to pin down that slippery ghost-eel of a man to seal the shipping deal…” She tugged the blankets tighter. “I witnessed some pretty awful things by the Northern troops. Yes, some troops just marched in formation, but others treated your people like trash. I got shoved aside at one point. I thought if you knew then you’d do something. That’s when I went to the palace.” 

“Oh.” Korra winced. “You were trying to warn me?”

“Yes. Your mother tells me you’re trying to stay neutral.” 

Korra refused to look at Asami; in fact, there was a hint of guilt in her voice. “I’m the Avatar. I have to.” 

“Okay.” That didn’t sound like the Korra she knew. Chief Unalaq had really dug his claws into the girl, but there wasn’t much Asami could do. If this was Korra’s choice, then she’d try to be there for her. 

“Do you think I don’t want to side with my people?” Korra snapped. Her eyes blazed with anger. “I got to stay neutral in this conflict otherwise…”

Asami sighed. “Korra,” she interrupted, gently, “I said, ‘okay.’ I’m not doubting your decision. If that is the route you must take, then I support it.”

“Wait, what?” Korra leaned back on her heels, startled.

This conversation was utterly exhausting. To give herself a little time to think of how best to answer, Asami tested her clothes and was glad to find them dry.  All the tears in her clothes had been mended while she slept. She’d have to thank Senna for that. “Look,” she said finally. “I’ve never doubted you, Korra. I still believe you are amazing. That you can do what you set out to do. I’d like to help you with it, but I understand if you don’t have any use for a nonbender right now. I ask only you respect me enough to be honest about that.” She kept her gaze focused on her clothes.

Korra reached out and grabbed her hand. Startled, Asami looked at her. Tears shone in Korra’s eyes. “No, that’s not. Spirits, Asami, you’re part of Team Avatar still! It’s not that I don’t want you with us. I just. I don’t know. Things are confusing right now.” Korra looked down at their hands. “Also, your hand is really cold.” 

“Why do you think I’m sitting by a fire, wrapped up in blankets?” Asami raised an eyebrow. “It’s cold. And I got drenched in that fight. I had hypothermia. Even Master Katara came by.”

“Let me warm it up then.” Korra rubbed it gently in that same method Senna had used earlier. “Wait. Master Katara was here? Asami, it was that bad?”

“I did say I had hypothermia.” Asami took a deep breath and decided to take the plunge. “Korra, during that fight, I discovered a group of your people, who can calm spirits like Chief Unalaq. Master Katara knows this group, and she’s willing to take us there to speak with them. But only if you agree, and it has to be early tomorrow morning.”

“What?” Korra looked baffled. “Someone here can calm spirits?”

“Were you listening?” Asami said, exasperated. “How do you think we stopped those spirits? One of your people did it. When she was half-carrying me here, she talked with me about it. When I asked Master Katara, she agreed to take us.”

For a long moment, neither spoke. “I’m supposed to have a lesson with my Uncle,” Korra said, finally.

Asami studied Korra, the way her shoulders drooped, how tightly she held Asami’s hand still, the guilt in her tone. “You said you need to stay neutral in this. This is your chance to live up to that. Chief Unalaq has shared his side with you. Tonraq maybe shared his side? Master Katara has offered to bring you to people who can share their side. Every issue has multiple facets to it. If we want to find a solution that aids the most people, then isn’t it part of your training to seek out multiple perspectives?”

Korra released Asami’s hands with a sigh. “That’s a good point.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Is it just you, me, and Master Katara? Can Mako come too?”

Asami wasn’t particularly surprised to hear that question. “If I had any say, I’d say only if Bolin joined us too. But I don’t. Master Katara was very strict on it being us and her. No one else. She said we had to be careful and not share that we're going.”

“Why careful? Are they dangerous?” Korra furrowed her brow. 

Thinking back on Katara’s words, Asami came to the conclusion that it wasn’t the group. “I think it’s less them a danger to us but more us a danger to them.”

“Okay.” Korra nodded her head firmly. “Let’s do it. What time?”

“An hour before dawn, meet here. I am unsure if I can make it back into the city or not. In my lodgings, I have some supplies I'll need. Will you or the brothers grab that for me? It'll be a belt with my glove and tools clipped to it in a red bag.”

"Yeah, I think I can do that. Search for a red bag and belt."

"Thanks." Asami reached out to touch the coats Senna had laid out. “I also learned that apparently my coat is terrible. Master Katara vetoed it for the journey. I suppose that’s my fault for relying on stores in Republic City.” 

Korra chuckled. “Yeah, that city has no idea what cold means. Is Mom going to make you wear one of my coats?” Korra lifted up the blue and white one. “You’re taller than me. Will you fit?”

“I’ll put my coat over it and make it work. Puffed up otter-penguin.” Asami purposely referenced the joke Korra had made on the ship during the ride south. 

“Oh great, how am I supposed to take your seriously then?” Korra laughed harder. “Bumbling about with your arms sticking out.” 

Asami punched her shoulder. The air felt far too cool against her skin, so she tucked her arm in under the blankets again. “Rather bumble about than freeze to death.”

Laying the coat back down, Korra sighed. “Asami, what do you think about my uncle?”

Maybe now would be a good time to feign a dizzy spell and lay back down with the blankets over her head? Asami really did not want to answer that question. “Diplomatic answer or brutally honest answer?”

Korra tilted her head, confused. “Uhh, what’s the diplomatic one mean?”

“Diplomatic as in, I don’t want to cause an international incident, so I shall adhere to socialite norms and hide all truth in the subtlety of my carefully woven speech. Or Brutally honest as in what Bolin would just blurt out without thinking.” Asami paused then added, “There is a third option that I prefer, which is being kind while being honest, but sometimes the diplomatic one is the best action.” 

“How about all three?” Korra leaned forward, eagerly. “I’m curious.” 

Asami shrugged. “All right. You asked. First up, Diplomatic. Chief Unalaq is an accomplished, charismatic, but rigorous leader that weaves his imperious agenda with an elegance that speaks to his obdurate character. His skills with spirits are unmatched.” 

“Uhh. That was a lot of words that don’t tell me much.” Korra's expression was almost comical.

“You asked to hear all three. Next up, kind honesty. Chief Unalaq has great skill and knowledge, which is undeniable. His methods are heavy-handed at best and worrisome at worst. His spoken motives are dissonant with his actions.” Asami had carefully chosen her words, so her kind honesty still had a diplomatic flair to it. “I put him in my wait to see if he can be trusted category.”

“Huh.” Korra tapped her finger against her chin. “What about brutally honest?”

“That’s the hardest one for me.” Asami smiled with a shake of her head. “I tend too much toward diplomatic answers. Though you all have started to break me of that habit. So I guess, the best example of brutally honest for me is…” She thought back to the big feast and how she had felt after his speech. “There’s something about him that troubles me, but I can’t put my finger on it.” 

“That’s your brutally honest?” Korra chuckled. “I expected something like, ‘he’s amazing!’ or ‘he’s an asshole!’”

“What can I say? You’ll have to go to Bolin for that version.”

Korra looked at the fire and drummed her fingers against her thigh. “So, what I’m getting is you don’t trust him or approve of his actions.” 

“My mind is open to other perspectives. At the moment, I can only base my opinion on the facts as I currently know them.” Asami couldn't read Korra's expression well, as the girl had a slight frown but that crease in her brow and the way her shoulders drooped hinted that maybe Korra was troubled. “I hope I didn’t offend or anger you.”

“No. I asked because I value your opinion, Asami.” Korra prodded a rock at the edge of the firepit. “Thanks. I guess part of me is worried about the troops. Another part of me accepts his explanation for it. Then there’s Dad. I don’t need protected. Nor the truth kept from me. I need to be able to do my job. I’m the Avatar.”

Asami rubbed her fingers along the soft fibers of the blanket, most woven from various shades of blue. Her dizziness had gotten worse, and exhaustion had crept through her again. The burning in her legs and arms had abated at least, but it irritated her at how long recovery from hypothermia was taking. “That is a difficult position.” It was the best answer she could provide on limited energy. 

“Hey, are you being diplomatic on me?” Korra frowned. 

Asami shook her head. “Only stating a fact.”

To her relief, Senna entered the room with a tray of food and tea. “I hope I am not interrupting?”

Korra looked up startled. “No…” She flushed, embarrassed. “Oh gosh, Asami, I got all caught up that I forgot you’re still recovering!”

“Glad to hear I’m that engrossing,” Asami teased. “But yes, I’m very tired, and still quite dizzy. I promised Master Katara I would rest today.”

Senna put down the tray. “And you need to eat. The tea should help with the pain. I made some extra for you too, Korra.” She smiled at her daughter, but there was sadness there. She looked like she wanted to say something more, but instead, she turned and headed into one of the rooms behind Asami.

Asami picked up the tea and sipped it gratefully. "Korra, I know things are hard right now. I hope you remember that us, all of Team Avatar, are here for you. You don't have to do this alone."

Korra picked up a bread roll and dipped it in a green sauce. Fried vegetables were cut up with broiled fish and sauce in two bowls on either side of the teapot and cups. "Thanks. I guess I need that reminder sometimes." She pushed a bowl toward Asami. "Eat up, okay? I need to head out soon, but I'll be back for our trip with Katara. I promise."

Chapter Text

***
Day of Solstice, Late Evening - Before the Talk with Asami and Senna and after return from South Pole

When Korra left the palace, after their return from the South Pole, she felt unsettled. Her uncle had explained the troops were to protect the portal, to help unite the tribes, but she couldn’t shake the wrongness of that cave. The entire trip back from the South Pole had gone much easier as the Everstorm had dissipated, and the ride across the tundra relatively free of any attacks. For awhile, Korra had high hopes that maybe the wrongness she’d felt had been her imagination.

Until they reached the stables. There, atop the arches, a dark spirit watched them water the animals and pull off their packs. Her Uncle had led her away after asking the twins to organize the return of supplies, but the further up the hill to the palace they’d gone, the more troops Korra saw. The streets were full of Northern troops, and the dark spirits still appeared in the sky above the city. 

“Uncle, why is there Northern troops here?” The bay was filled with Northern battleships, and two were moored at the docks already. Great ice walls were being constructed. 

“We must protect the portal now that you’ve opened it.” Chief Unalaq held his hands behind his back and stood proudly on the steps to the palace. 

“I can protect the portal!” Korra said, confidently. She’d survived it, hadn’t she? Despite the wrongness, despite the dark spirits. 

“No, you must stay neutral in this as the Avatar. Your goal is to bring balance.” He smiled. “You next task is to open the Northern portal. It will aid us in bringing harmony to our tribe.”

“But solstice is over…” His words brought back that feeling of wrongness. “We’ll never reach it in time.” 

“Ah, the energy is much stronger in the north, and you are stronger as well now that one portal is opened.” He waved his hand at the city. “For balance to be restored, we must rebuild our spiritual connections. With both portals open, we can travel instantly between the north and south.”

“So we’ll be even more united?” Korra tried to sound hopeful. She looked toward the pillar of light that pierced the heavens. Except, the memory of the spirits in the cave flooded her, how hard they’d tried to pull her away. Confusion swirled through her.

“The world will be united.” Unalaq had squeezed her shoulder. “Go rest. Your next lesson is tomorrow.” He headed up the steps into the palace, and she’d stood there, staring out at her home, riddled with troops and blockaded with battleships.

Korra walked to the edge of the hill, the sky ablaze with green and red in the twilight. Dark spirits swooped and dived into the streets. She sprinted down the street, pushed past the row of guards by the entrance to the palace grounds, and ran toward the shouts and sounds of fighting. She slid through an intersection, turned down a side road, only to find one soldier, stunned, by a mess of ice and snow. 

“What happened?” she knelt next to him. 

“Southerners,” the soldier spat out. “Spirits helped them.”

“What?” That didn’t make sense. Korra bended nearby snow into water and rolled it over the man. He had only a few bruises and a bump on his head, but no concussion. She healed him. “How did the spirits help them?”

“Thank you. We were clearing the streets, it’s nearing curfew, as ordered by Chief Unalaq…”

“Wait, curfew?” When had he done that? He’d been with her at the South Pole.

“Orders given yesterday.” The soldier sighed. “Look, you’ll have to talk to our general. He’s stationed at the port.” The man pointed to a cluster of alleys. “A woman ran that way. She was the leader.”

“Thanks.” Korra ran down the alleyway he’d pointed to and discovered a mess of shattered crates, tipped over cans, and the signs of a chase. She followed the mess until it ended abruptly. It was as if the one being pursued had vanished. She checked the ground for footprints, but past this point, there was only one instead of two.

Baffled, she followed those out of the alley and to a gathering of troops. They parted at the sight of her. “Avatar Korra!” They saluted her. She walked through them, unnerved. 

“Did any of you witness the dark spirit fight back there?” she asked. None of them had, but one pointed her to an tavern further down the road. 

“One. We told him to rest,” the woman explained, apologetically.

“Thanks.” Korra headed to the tavern. The streets were relatively empty and the sky bright with the Southern Lights. It ought to have filled her with pride, but instead, she felt only dread.

Inside the tavern, talk was muted, and an eerie silence fell when people noticed her. She looked around for the soldier, but realized she didn’t know what he looked like. “Hey,” she said, “did any of you witness a battle with spirits?” No one spoke. That wasn’t going to work. She considered flipping a table and scaring someone into talking, but that likely wouldn't work either. Frustrated, she walked back outside. She needed to warn her friends and her parents. If dark spirits were still attacking, then people needed to stay indoors until she could resolve this. 

Asami’s lodgings were nearby. She’d stayed with Pema and Tenzin, so surely she was still there. Korra ran up the road, down a second one, and stopped at the lodgings. The street was so quiet. She pushed open the door and headed up the stairs to where Tenzin and his family had stayed. Four knocks later and still no answer, Korra gave up. 

Exhaustion had started to seep into her body. It had been a very long day. She headed outside, and to her relief, Naga walked down the street, her nose to the ground. “Naga! Mako and Bolin clean you up, girl?” The polar bear dog greeted her with a series of relieved licks. “Glad you’re feeling better.” She mounted the dog. “Let’s head to my parents, okay?” She needed to know if her father made it back all right. 

The ride through the city made her feel even worse. Troops marched and enforced this curfew, which implied that her Uncle had planned this from the start. Had he been that confident in her ability to open the portal? Wasn’t that a good thing? She sighted a few dark spirits, but none of them moved to attack her. They instead watched from the rooftops.

Hadn’t the troops mentioned the general was at the docks? Slightly out of her way, but it couldn’t hurt to ask. She turned Naga down a side road and urged her into a light run. By the time they reached the docks, her resolve had started to fracture. The streets had shown signs of fighting, ice walls blocking alleys, snow swept up against the side of buildings, and entire doorways blocked by ice. How had everything fallen apart so quickly?

The port was lined with troops, many coming and going from the battleships with crates and barrels. Naga growled, and Korra patted her head. “It’s okay, girl. We won’t stay long.” Near one of the battleships, a tall man in Northern armor barked orders, his hair pepper gray and his skin light brown. She turned her dog that way. “Hey! Are you the general?” 

The man turned. “Avatar Korra! What can I do for you?” He saluted her. 

“I’m told you can explain this curfew thing. What’s that about?” She decided to stay mounted on Naga. 

“Orders from the Chief.” 

“Yes, I heard, but when and why.” Frustration had seeped into her voice. 

The General frowned. “Chief Unalaq gave the orders early yesterday morning. Said to watch for a light in the sky. Then to enter the city and establish a curfew. No one on the streets after five in the afternoon.” 

“Thank you, General…” She trailed off, uncertain of his name. 

He bowed his head to her. “If you have no further questions? I must return to my duties.”

“Which is?” She looked past him at the piles of crates on docks. 

“Authorization from Chief Unalaq required. I’m sorry, Avatar.” The General turned and headed back toward his battleship. 

Irritated, she urged Naga into a run away from the docks and up toward her parents’ house. Every street they turned on held only the watchful eyes of dark spirits on random rooftops. A few buildings had people’s faces in the windows, but as soon as she looked up, they drew curtains. 

When they reached her parents, Naga planted herself in the snow by the door. Except, something was off. An imprint of a human body lay in the snow by the front door. Korra rushed inside, worried. She skidded to a stop in shock at the sight of Asami, laying on the pillows by the firepit, looking pale as a ghost.

***
Day of Solstice, later after a talk with Senna and Asami

Korra pushed a bowl toward Asami. "Eat up, okay? I need to head out soon, but I'll be back for our trip with Katara. I promise."

Asami took the bowl. As she ate, Korra finished off her roll, and almost stood to leave, but the memory of the cave danced through her mind. She picked up the second bowl of food instead. The pair ate in silence. Korra couldn’t sort out how she felt. There was so much to process, and part of her wanted to grab Naga and ride for her favorite hiding spot, a cliff that looked out over a sandbar. But she knew that wouldn’t help. She had to face this not run from it.

Korra finished first. She put her bowl down and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, and her hands propping up her head. She watched the flames in her parents’ firepit dance. Asami ate slowly. She still shivered at times, even with the mound of blankets that cocooned her. She definitely weren’t made for this climate. Memories of the day pressed against Korra like a heavy weight.

“As darkness grows, light fades. You must seek the truth, Korra.” 

The voice’s words still haunted her. What truth? What piece of the puzzle was she missing? She thought of her promise to go with Katara and Asami the next morning. Was that part of this truth seeking? Had the voice been referencing her visions? She ought to tell her uncle that she’d be late to her lesson, but she felt too tired and frustrated for such a conversation.

“What’s wrong?” Asami’s words cut through her memory. She put down her half-empty bowl of food. “I thought you were going to head out soon.”

“I am, but…” Korra sighed, heavily. 

Asami raised an eyebrow and waited. Patiently, like she’d done many times over the past few months. No pressure to get her to speak like Mako did. No deciding for her like her father or Tenzin. She just waited and listened. 

“I thought opening the portal would stop the dark spirits,” Korra said, finally. “Uncle told me it would restore balance, but it didn’t. You were hurt.” 

“I’m okay, Korra.” Asami still clutched the blankets tightly around her. “I was healed.” 

“But you almost froze out there.” Korra scowled. “Asami, this day was just so wrong. My lesson was at the South Pole, but I think…” The memories of the visions hit her hard. She put her head in hands. “I didn’t listen to my own Avatar visions. I believed my uncle. Did what he said was needed. But that frozen forest at the Pole? It felt wrong. And I kept having visions of an Avatar I’ve never heard of. Even my uncle had never heard of him. Now there’s troops everywhere and the dark spirits haven’t gone away.” Korra spread her hands in frustration. “Why is this so complicated?”

“I think that’s just how life is.” Asami laid back down against the pillows but positioned herself on her side to face Korra still. A blanket had slid off one of her legs, revealing reddish-ivory skin. Korra reached over, grabbed the blanket, and tucked it around Asami’s legs.

She wanted to tell Asami about her visions. About the voice in the cave, but the look of exhaustion on Asami’s face made her hesitate. “You need rest, and here I am still talking.”

“Yes, but I’m here. I can still listen,” Asami insisted. 

“I know…” That tugged at Korra’s heart, and she suddenly wanted to weep. The day had caught up with her: the visions, the cave, the portal, the dark spirits that still fought humans, her uncle’s actions, and her father keeping the truth from her. How could so many things happen in the span of two days? She looked at Asami, and again the engineer had that patient look on her face, where she waited for Korra to speak. Waited with never-ending patience it seemed. That was too much for her to handle.

“No, you need rest. I’ll be back early tomorrow morning.” Korra pushed herself to her feet.

Asami looked worried. “Okay.” 

Korra rushed out of the house, unable to bear being present with someone who seemed to see her in a way that frightened her. 

Chapter Text

Mako didn’t know what to do with himself. He waited for Korra to return from wherever she’d gone. The trip to the South Pole had left her brooding, which confused him. He thought she’d be happy about this. He tried to talk to her about it but gotten nowhere. Was she still angry about him telling her Dad about the trip?

Scuffing his boot in the snow, he paced outside his lodgings near Korra’s parents’ home. This trip south had been hard enough for him to wrangle time off from police work. Lin had granted it reluctantly, and he needed to head back in two days. Except, the harbor was now blockaded. He knew he had to call the Chief with this development, but he’d wanted to discuss it with Korra first. Where was she? He tried calling where she was staying but told she wasn’t there. 

Where was his brother for that matter? 

And where was Asami? He felt a twinge of guilt at not telling her about the South Pole trip. Korra had seemed taken aback by his response, which also confused him. In fact, he didn’t understand the dynamic between them at all. Why did Korra keep asking Asami for what she thought about her decisions? When Korra asked him, she’d get angry over anything he said, but she never did that with the older girl. It frustrated him. What was the difference? Was it a girl thing?

Women made no sense to him sometimes. 

He stormed back into the lodgings and up the stairs to the room he shared with Bolin. Might as well do the call to the Chief while he waited. 

On the third ring, Officer Arnook picked up.

“Hey, it’s Mako. I got crucial news for the Chief. Can you patch me through?” He felt a bit relieved that Arnook picked up. Arnook was one of the kindest officers Mako had met and had taken to mentoring him during his first few months on the force. A relief from some of the detectives that treated Mako like he had no brain.

“Oh! Hey, Mako. The Chief is in a meeting at the moment. Want me to take a message and give it to her after?” the older officer sounded pleased to hear from him.

“No, the Chief needs to hear this as soon as possible. So I’ll wait.” It wasn't like he had much else to do than wait.

“Wait, is it that bad?”

“You hear the reports from the South yet?” Mako wasn’t sure if it was wise to tell his mentor before he spoke with the Chief. 

“Haven’t checked the radio yet. What’s going on?”

Mako sighed. “I think I should tell our Chief first. How long till she’s available?”

“I’ll check. Hold a minute.” The sound of a thunk, likely Arnook putting the phone on his desk, and then silence for several minutes. Mako sat in the chair by the phone and tapped his fingers against his leg. His thoughts drifted back to Korra. Lately, with the increase in fights with Korra, he wondered how he was going to make this relationship work with her. Trust between them was fragile, and he kept saying all the wrong things. He really did love her, but there were times when he wondered if she felt the same. She'd stopped saying it back to him two months ago after a particularly intense fight where he'd really put his foot in his mouth by telling her to 'grow up.' He couldn't remember what triggered that reaction from him, or what the fight even was about.

Five minutes later, a click, then Chief Beifong’s voice, sharp and acerbic in his ear, “What is it, rookie?”

“Chief, the Northern Water Tribe has blockaded the port." His tone shifted into reporting mode. "I was given no estimate for the length of time blockade will be in place.  Troops have been ordered to enforce a strict curfew. We’ve also had several fights with dark spirits. It looks bad, Chief.”

She cursed. “And you’re certain of this?”

“I witnessed it first hand.” Mako considered how to best put this. “Chief Unalaq declared martial law directly after our trip to the South Pole, where he had asked Korra to open a spirit portal. I am investigating if there is any exceptions to this blockade that could allow us to return to Republic City.” 

“Got growing unrest in Water and Dragon Flats Districts right now. This’ll ramp up tensions. Hogshit, we don't need this. As soon as you can get me that damn estimate, report in.” She hung up.

Mako sighed and replaced the phone on its stand. Walking to the window, he looked out over the city. The southern lights blazed in green and red over a city saturated with troops. A few dark spirits perched on rooftops, but none attacked yet that he could see. He didn’t understand why Korra’s actions at the South Pole failed to fix dark spirits issue. But then he had only partially heard Chief Unalaq’s explanations of how this all worked. The Everstorm hadn’t made talking easy.

He picked up a book from his bag and headed back downstairs to sit in the lobby area. He’d only gotten through a few pages when Korra threw open the door. She had a red bag slung over her shoulder. 

“Mako!” She dropped into the chair next to him. The bag at her feet. “How are you?”

“Unsettled. What's with that blockade? Do you have an estimate for how long it’s set for?” He hoped Korra had a better idea. 

Korra shook her head and looked down at the bag.

“What’s that?” he asked, gesturing to the bag. 

“Asami’s stuff. She asked me to grab it for tomorrow morning.”

He shut his book. “What’s tomorrow morning?”

“I have to do a short trip." Korra's brow was creased with worry.

“Oh? I can be ready by then…” He hadn’t unpacked from the trip to the South Pole, so he could go through the supplies before bed and adjust to account for another trip.

“You can’t come,” Korra shook her head. That caused him to do a double take. Not come? Since when was that a thing between them? Trips like these he’d always go with her since they started dating.

“Yet Asami is?” The irritation in his voice was palpable. “Is Bolin going too?”

“No, just Asami and I.” Korra stomped her foot. “Do you not recall how you told my Dad about the South Pole trip but not her? She’s on Team Avatar too!” Korra clutched the straps of the bag tightly. 

“I said I didn’t know where she was!” Mako said, defensively. “And what does that gotta do with…”

“Did you even look?” Korra stood and slung the bag over her shoulder. “Bolin talked to her. You talked to Bolin.”

Mako threw up his hands. “Bolin stays here! And why does it matter? You didn’t ask me to tell anyone…” he trailed off as the implication hit him. 

“No, but you did. Told everyone but the fourth member of our team. We hurt her, okay? We're being terrible friends. It’s not right,” Korra said with a hint of shame.

“Not right?” Mako felt defensive. “You didn’t even tell me to ask her. I think I need to go with your tomorrow.” The weirdness of this trip, the fact Korra wasn’t telling him what it was - something about it left him uneasy. “To keep you safe.”

Korra narrowed her eyes. “I said you can’t come. And I don’t need your protection.”

“Barring me from your journey tomorrow isn’t right. I came down here for you,” Mako insisted, “And I’m your boyfriend. I ought to know where you are! Can’t you give me a destination at least?”

“Ought to know where I am? What are you my keeper?” Anger rose in Korra’s voice.

“I’m your boyfriend! Ugh!” He pushed to his feet, angry now too. “Look, I put my career on hold for this. Chief Beifong is on me about finding that estimate about our return in two or so days…”

“Wait, career on hold for what?” Korra took a step back. “For us? And return? I gotta stay here and figure out this mess. You were planning to return and didn’t bother to tell me?” Hurt mixed with Korra’s anger. 

“Did you think I was staying here forever?” Mako snapped. “And that’s not the point! Just, I need to know that estimate. You’ve talked to Chief Unalaq…” Mako couldn’t follow Korra’s thought process on this at all. Of course he put the career on hold to come South with her. Wasn't that obvious?

“Changing the subject and dismissing my concerns. What a great boyfriend,” Korra said, sarcastically. “You really don’t get me, do you?”

“Not this again.” Mako was feeling more and more self-conscious about the fight in a public room. “We already discussed that.”

“You discussed it. I wasn’t done.” Korra crossed her arms over her chest. “And no, I don’t have an estimate. I had no idea my uncle would bring troops. Nor did I know about the blockade, or the curfew until after I ran into troops that got hit by dark spirits.”

“Wait, dark spirits are attacking still?” Mako felt confused. “Didn’t that…”

“Yes,” Korra interrupted, impatiently. “And if you bothered to ask at all after our friend, you’d have learned she got attacked too.” Tears shimmered in Korra’s eyes. “Attacked bad. But you don’t think about others do you? Just gotta keep track of where I am. What I’m doing. While you don’t share where you are at all times. And your whole ‘gotta head back in two days’ thing!”

“Korra! That’s not… I mean…” Mako couldn’t keep up. “I’m your boyfriend! I should know where you are. And I didn’t see the point of sharing about heading back until I got a departure time!”

Korra shoved him back into his chair. “Right. I’m not a thing for you to keep track of or protect. Go track someone else.” She stormed out the door and slammed it behind her. Mako stared after her, her words slowly sinking in. Had… had that been a breakup? He put his head in his hands in frustration. Wasn’t that what he was supposed to do? Know where she was to be there for her? 

He grabbed his book and headed upstairs, only to push open the door to see a figure in the window. Jumping forward, he sliced fire. 

“Mako!” Bolin crashed to the floor and ducked under his flame. “Please don’t singe my hair! I like my hair!” 

“Oh, shit, sorry bro.” Mako shut the door and helped him up. “Why are you climbing in the window?”

“Hiding.” Bolin sighed and dropped down on his bed on the other side of the room. “I don’t think this Eska dating thing is working. I couldn’t even take a walk with Asami! Eska got super jealous and scary! But then Asami stood up to her! And she totally used that fancy rich talk to get Eska to be nice. So then Eska convinced me to have tea, and it wasn't too scary. But then Eska told me I had to stay in the palace, but I wanted to see all of you. So I sneaked out, but Asami wasn’t home, and you and Korra were fighting again.”

“Bolin, if you don’t wanna date Eska, just break up.” His story about Asami standing up for him had given Mako some guilt. Korra had been right. He should have told Asami about the South Pole expedition, especially since he blabbered his mouth to his brother and Korra’s father.

“Wait, you can do that?” Bolin looked startled but then his expression changed to fear. "I... can't. Eska would devour me in ice. Mako, don't laugh, okay? But I'm scared of her."

"Scared of her? Then break up. Just say, 'This relationship isn't working. I'm breaking up with you, don't talk to me again.' Or whatever. Then just don't talk to her, okay?" Advising him on this basic stuff irritated Mako greatly. How did Bolin not know this by now? He was only a year younger than him.

Bolin put his face in his hands. "You haven't seen what's she's like, bro. It's not that easy... Can't you come with me? Provide backup?"

"Grow a spine, Bo," Mako snapped. Bolin looked up, startled and hurt. Mako face palmed in frustration. “Look, I’m just going to go to wash up and sleep. Talk to you in the morning.” He stood and walked into the bathroom.

Next day, noon hour, at the Palace

Mako had no idea why Chief Unalaq had requested his appearance. He had put on his best outfit and had headed to the palace. Korra still wasn’t back yet, and he hadn’t been able to get any information from her parents about where she could be. Senna had deflected all his questions. He’d wanted to apologize for his idiocy and try to make it up to her with a date night. 

He climbed the steps and entered the massive archway, the doors open. Chief Unalaq stood just inside, his hands behind his back. “Welcome, Mako.” 

“Good day, Chief Unalaq.” Mako was never sure if he needed to bow or not since the man wasn’t his leader, but he did anyway just in case. “What do you need?”

“Do you know where Korra is?”

Mako shook his head. “No. On some trip. She wouldn’t say where.” 

The man frowned. “A trip. Her lesson was to be this morning. Who was she with?”

“Just our friend, Asami.” He had no idea if anyone else was with them. Korra hadn’t been forthright with any details. 

“And neither told you anything of their destination?”

“No. Nothing, sir.” 

Chief Unalaq shifted his gaze past Mako and toward the city. “Strange. I assumed as her boyfriend you’d keep track of her whereabouts. Please go and search for her. When you find her, tell her to meet with me immediately.” He waved his hand at Mako, turned, and headed further into the palace. 

Wait, did the Northern Water Tribe chief just ask him to do his dirty work? Mako wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Yet, this was Korra’s teacher. Hadn’t Tenzin asked him where Korra was when she’d been late to a meditation? Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure if Tenzin had. He turned and headed down the steps. 

“Oh, sir!” Mako headed inside. “Wait, I have a question about the blockade.” 

Chief Unalaq paused in his step. “That is none of your concern.” 

“I need to return to Republic City in two days time for my job. I just need an estimate, sir, to tell them.” Mako hoped he wasn’t be presumptuous.

Chief Unalaq glanced at him, coldly. “Seek out Korra, then perhaps we’ll talk.” He headed down a corridor to the right. 

Mako overstepped his bounds, hadn’t he? Uneasy now, he headed back outside. He didn’t know what to do with himself. If he wasn’t tagging along with Korra, then he had been at his job, following orders. With Korra on that mysterious trip, here he was being given orders, and he really didn’t want to cause the head of another nation to get mad at him. The implications of this situation hit him hard. Was that all he did? Follow along like a puppy after the Avatar and just abide by the orders of superiors? He thought of his rounds on the streets, when he'd captured criminals, surely that wasn't just him following orders blindly. He'd made up his mind on how to approach the situation, investigated the clues, and found the suspect. Yet, that still was part of his duties as an officer.

It wasn't the first time Mako felt conflicted on who he was. Being a pro-bender had been so much easier. That identity had fit like a glove, but now, as the times changed, he felt like he stood on a precipice. Even his job as as cop, that had been due to Asami's suggestion.

Mako sighed heavily. This round of thinking was circular and unhelpful. Best to not annoy the ruler of a nation, and go do as told. Maybe if he told Senna that Chief Unalaq requested Korra’s presence then she’d be more willing to help find a solution to this. It couldn’t hurt to check. He headed in that direction.

Chapter Text

***
Day after Winter Solstice, Northern edge of Wolf Cove

Asami had to admit that sleeping at Korra’s parent’s home made it easier to prepare for the journey with Katara, mostly because they had the sorts of supplies needed for polar expeditions. Items she would have never considered packing. After Korra had left, Senna had chatted with her about if she felt well enough for this - Asami would never admit she wasn't, far too stubborn for that -- and then they went through supplies. The woman was thorough and highly efficient. Each item Senna put in the packs she explained why, and Asami wished she'd taken notes.

The biggest downside to staying at Korra’s parents’ home was the awkwardness, especially when Korra returned grumpy, only to crash by the fire. Which meant Asami woke up next to Korra. As in, Korra had rolled in her sleep to cuddle by Asami’s side, one arm lazily thrown over her, while Naga curled around them both. The arrangement didn’t bother Asami. She found she rather liked it. It was how much she liked it that had her troubled. It brought back painful memories that she’d tried to put out of her mind for the past few years.

The second issue was her being between Korra and Naga. It didn’t exactly leave room for her to slide out easily, so although she woke quite early, far before the appointed hour, she found herself stuck between a very warm and fluffy polar bear dog and a very warm and cuddly Avatar. At least Korra had remembered to pick up her red bag and drop it within reach. 

Her clothes on the other hand were not within reach, so she hid under the pile of blankets, feeling increasingly self-conscious about Korra’s proximity to her and how she couldn’t even have the dignity of proper clothes for this arrangement. 

So she was left with little choice. 

She pulled her idea journal out of her bag and sketched the ludicrous situation. 

Her brain refused to focus on anything else, so it wasn’t as if she could work on her airship designs or anything productive. Asami was quite certain she’d laugh over this later, but for the moment, she was a trifle mortified that Korra’s parents had witnessed this arrangement and left it as is. Like nothing out of the ordinary. Totally fine for two women to cuddle each other and a polar bear dog. Which then left Asami wondering if there was something wrong with her for simultaneously enjoying this immensely and feeling mortified at the witnesses. 

Sighing, she stretched her legs a bit, glad to feel the pain mostly gone, and attempted to see if she could wiggle free. 

Korra grumbled and only rolled closer. 

So that wouldn’t work. Back to the sketch she supposed. Except now, with Korra nudged up so close that her breath was on Asami’s neck, her focus on drawing had scattered entirely. She set her pen in the journal and turned her head to look at the Avatar. Korra must have pulled out her wolf tails, as her brown hair lay in a halo around her head, and mingled with Asami’s own black hair. The firelight played across Korra’s brown skin, giving it a warm glow, and her thick muscles twitched a bit in her sleep, her arm still splayed across Asami. 

Did Korra realize how breathtakingly beautiful she was? Likely not as her hair needed a proper brushing, Asami counted at least half a dozen snarls. She was tempted to run her fingers through them to try to gently untangle, but would that wake Korra? They still had some time before they had to be up to prepare for the journey, and the past few days had been pretty intense for the Avatar. Asami didn’t want to wake the girl before it was absolutely necessary. 

Gently, she brushed some of Korra’s hair from her face. The touch seemed too intimate. She pulled her hand away and looked up at the ceiling. Painful memories she’d tried so hard to suppress trickled back into her mind. She recalled the one of the big fights she’d had with her father a year prior, when her father had found her lesbian romance book.

Her father entered the library, where she’d been reading by the windows. “Asami, we need to talk.” He held out a book.

Confused, she put down her current book, then paled at the sight of the other one. She snatched it out of his hand. “Why were you in my room?” The book was a romance between two women, a gift from Sana at the dojo where she practiced. Two weeks ago, she’d confessed to Sana how she often felt stronger attractions to women than to men, and it had resulted in the most wholesome conversation she’d ever had with a girl her age. Sana had gifted her the book a few days later. Asami had hoped it was a sign she had finally made a friend.

He pulled up a chair and sighed. “I wished to discuss an upcoming event with you. Why are you reading such books? It’s unbecoming of someone of your status.” 

“Because…” Asami realized she had no defense. She’d never considered her father finding the book. Her fingers trailed over the cover. “It was a gift,” she said finally.

“From who?” His voice was angry.

“Why do you need to know?” Asami shot back, defensive. He’d never cared before what she read. This reaction made no logical sense to her.

“Such a person will sully our reputation. I cannot allow you-” he started to say, but she interrupted him. 

“Father, this is ridiculous.” Asami stood, her tone switching to the socialite that the school had drilled into her. “The book was a gift, and the person who gifted it is inconsequential to your company. I am capable of reading whatever book I wish.” 

Her father’s face darkened. He grabbed her arm. “You are my daughter, Asami. And you must not let these idle fantasies distract you. Eventually, you will need to find a man…”

“No, I don’t.” The words were out of her mouth before she even realized she’d said them. Oh spirits, she hadn't meant to say that, and it wasn't like she didn't have some attraction to men. She just preferred women. Looking at her father, she was about to clarify but then stopped. The look on her father’s face, his shock and confusion, hit her like a block of earth to the chest. She immediately regretted her words.

He sighed heavily, his hand dropping to his side. “Perhaps I’ve been too lenient with you. This cannot continue. What you do reflects on me and my company. If you are to inherit my work, then you must not let this…. this… nonsense taint your mind.” 

“This nonsense taint my mind?” she repeated, flabbergasted. Anger overruled her regret. People like Sana weren't nonsense. “Same sex couples exist. Many get married and are recognized just like any other couple. It’s you who needs to adjust to our changing times.”

His shoulders drooped, and he looked suddenly much older. “I need you to focus, Asami. Future Industries' reputation requires both of us to do our part. We need to work together to continue to hold the spotlight, to continue to build a better world.”

Not that argument again. Last time he’d threatened to fire half the benders at the company claiming it was to build a better world, and that had turned into a yelling match. She was not doing that again. Pivoting, she marched out of the library. Her father called after her, but she ignored him. The walls of the mansion felt suddenly stifling. Tears stung her eyes, and she held the book tightly. Could Sana be wrong? Maybe queer couples weren’t as accepted by society as she had claimed. 

Asami slammed the door to her room, locked it, and dropped down beside her bed. She dug under it for a battered box and pulled it out. This was where the book should have been, but she’d been reading it last night under the covers. She placed it over all her drawings of women at the dojo. Grabbing her toolkit, she worked a floor board under her bed until it pulled up enough for her to shove the box inside. She carefully readjusted the board back to its original position, then climbed into bed and cried.

The memory incited a wave of anger, and now that she’d seen his journals, she knew he had been far along his path of hatred by the time that conversation happened. And to think it held such influence still! She’d dated Yanchen not long after that conversation, hated it, then tried again with Song, that also barely lasted a few weeks. Mako was the only one she actually felt some attraction, but that hadn’t gone well either. Trying to pretend that side of her didn’t exist certainly hadn’t worked as Korra kept distracting her by being so damn beautiful. Thinking about her father just added a layer of fury and grief as well as shame to the situation, and she hated how he haunted her still.

No, whatever she felt toward Korra, she shouldn’t let it distract. First, they needed to be better friends, then she had to figure out this mess with her company. Besides, it was unlikely Korra would ever like her like that anyway. She sighed and opened her idea journal. The rough sketch of the scene needed some polish, but she shut it instead, and laid her arm over her eyes.

This mode of thinking was not productive. She needed to be useful, which meant she needed to get into proper clothes and check their packs again, verify supplies. Asami shimmied closer to Naga, so that her back was to the polar bear dog’s side. Korra’s arm still lay across her, though she no longer was pressed up as close. Gently, she picked up Korra’s arm but paused at the thickness of her muscles. Asami would never get over them. She swallowed hard and carefully laid Korra’s arm between them. Korra grumbled, but she thankfully didn’t wake. 

Part one completed. Asami pushed herself to her knees, blankets slid off. Her body still felt sore, shaky, and now cold. Likely needed more food and water. She reached and grabbed her clothes then looked around. She had no idea where to go for a bathroom, though she vaguely remembered Senna helping her to a room where she could squat and wash with warm water. A lot of yesterday was a blur, most of it in and out of consciousness and sleep. 

Korra was still asleep at least. Asami pulled on her shirt and jacket. Leveraging herself against Naga, surprised the bear dog tolerated it, she pulled on her inner liner and pants, socks, and boots. It tired her, and she leaned against Naga, breathing heavier than she liked. The dog nuzzled her sleepily. She stroked her fur and wished life wasn’t so frustratingly complicated. Too bad she wasn't a polar bear dog, then she'd just hang out with Korra, and wouldn't have a failing company, a group of Southerners angry with her possible deal with Varrick, and that confusing and worrisome claim that her technology could make problems worse with the dark spirits and Northern troops. Problems that Asami had no idea how to tackle, and that irritated her even more.

Footsteps came from the side rooms. Senna entered wearing her furs. “Awake?” She spoke softly. 

Asami nodded. “May I wash up?” She was still sort of between Korra and Naga, her legs at least, and the blankets were a tangled mess at her feet.

Senna walked over and held out her arm. Asami grasped it and leveraged herself to her feet. She still felt a bit dizzy, her legs still weak, so she leaned against the older woman.

“How do you feel?” Senna led her into the side rooms past a room with a thick curtain and into the bath area. It wasn’t technically a bath per se, but more of a wash area and a place to relieve oneself. Senna pulled out some wash clothes and soap. 

“I feel better.” Asami ducked her head to try to hide her blush and burst of shame. “Was extra warm last night.” 

Senna smiled with a shake with her head. “You were shivering, even with almost all our blankets. Korra ordered Naga to keep you warm, then just went to sleep.”

“Is… she like that with others?” Asami asked, hesitantly. 

Senna shook her head. “No, but then, she’s never had such good friends as all of you. Thank you for being here with her.” Senna squeezed Asami’s shoulder. “Go get washed up. I’ll make breakfast.” Senna left the room and the curtain fell into place.

Asami looked down at the soap and water basin. Korra wasn’t like that with others? She had no idea how to process that information, so she put that out of her head. Turning on the spigot to warm up the water, she cleaned herself up the best she could.

When she left the bathroom, she kept her hand along the wall to steady herself. Being this weak was infuriating. To her surprise, Naga met her at the entrance to the side rooms. The dog waged her tail and nuzzled Asami again. Looking past her, she saw Korra sitting up and stoking the firepit. The girl yawned and blinked sleepily at Asami. 

“You sleep okay?” 

Asami nodded and wondered if Korra had purposely cuddled her or if it had been all done in her sleep. Okay, there goes her trying to put it out of her mind. She felt irritated with herself. Leaning against Naga’s shoulder, she pushed away from the wall. Her legs still felt weak and that prickly-numbness still burned faintly off and on. Naga seemed to understand and walked slowly back to Korra, while Asami kept hold of her to stay upright. 

“Huh.” Korra watched, surprised. “Naga, you’re such a good girl.” She reached out and ruffled the dog’s fur behind Naga’s ears. “Caring for Asami.”

Asami leveraged herself back onto the pillows using Naga’s bulk. “Does she do this a lot?”

Korra shook her head. “Only with me. Well, apparently you now. How you managed to charm my Naga is a mystery.” Korra laughed lightly. “Definitely a polar bear dog whisperer.” 

Asami looked off to the side to hide the blush again. “Did… you sleep okay? I… saw you slept out here?” That was the closest she would come to mentioning anything about this morning.

“Yeah.” Korra shrugged. “You were cold, and Naga's warm. I figured I’d sleep nearby. In case you needed stuff.” 

More than near, Asami thought, but she didn’t say it out loud. “Thanks for grabbing my things. Senna already packed our bags.” Asami gestured to the ones by the door. 

“I saw.” Korra poked the fire again then blurted, “I… I think I might have broken up with Mako.”

“You did?” That was not as surprising as Asami would have thought. 

“Yeah. I mean, I didn’t specifically say it’s over? But I guess I strongly implied.” She sighed. “We had a big fight. And he got all weirdly possessive and protective?” Korra flicked a one of the stones on the side of the firepit. “It’s just...” 

Asami pulled her legs up against her chest and balanced her chin on her knees. She wasn’t sure what to say. So she waited and looked at the Avatar. 

Korra looked up at her. “He got really insistent on coming with us. Demanded it. Said he needed to protect me. I don’t need that. And just… I said he couldn’t come. Why couldn’t he accept that? And, like, I didn’t want Dad with us on that South Pole trip, and Mako goes and tells him? He knew how I felt about Dad trying to dictate my training. Ugh.” Korra waved her hand at the fire in frustration. “I still care about him, you know? But I can’t figure out how to make it work.”

“Sometimes relationships don’t work out,” Asami said, softly. She felt like she ought to say something else, something more supportive, but her mind kept going back to this morning, even despite all attempts to shut that out of her mind. It left her feeling ashamed and off-centered.

“I guess. Makes me sad still.” Korra sighed and stood. “I’ll go wash up. Thanks for listening to me.”

“Always.” Asami watched her go to the side rooms. Korra really had no idea of how she’d woken up, did she? Frustrated with herself, Asami leaned her face into Naga’s soft fur. “Naga,” she whispered. “I can’t have a crush on her. It’s not right.” The dog didn't reply, but then she hadn't expected a reaction. She sighed and did what she’d done for years now. Shoved that side of her tighter into her heart and shut the door.

By the time they finished breakfast with Senna, Master Katara had entered leaning against a walking stick. “Good morning.” She smiled. “And I see Asami convinced you to come, Korra?” 

Korra looked up with a smile. “Good morning. And yeah, Asami’s pretty convincing.” 

Senna gestured to a pillow. “Would you like tea and breakfast, Katara? We have some left.” During the meal, Senna had chatted with them mostly about mundane topics like what Asami’s work was like and about life on the tundra. Asami had learned a lot about dog sleds, how to train the dogs, caring for them, and how they made the sleds. Then she'd learned there was eight clans within the Southern Water tribe, all focused on different styles of hunting and gathering depending on their location. Far more complex than her research had indicated.

“No, I ate already. Thank you, Senna.” Katara looked at Asami. “How do you feel, dear?”

“Better.” Asami put her down her tea cup. She stretched out one of her legs and winced a bit at the prickly feeling in the lower calf. “Still a bit shaky in the legs. Sporadic numbness, but it’s been fading.”

Katara studied her, thoughtfully. “I see. Korra, did Asami explain this journey?”

Korra nodded. “That there’s Southerners that can calm spirits, that the place is secret, and you are taking us?”

“Good. Senna, prepare Asami? I believe she needs better snowpants.” Katara looked pointedly at Asami’s black work pants. Even with its fur lining, the pants hadn't kept her all that warm, so she wasn't too surprised the older woman viewed them inadequate.

Senna nodded. “You’re a little tall.” She tapped her chin. “I have an idea.” She headed into the side rooms. 

Korra grinned and nudged Asami. “Your clothes got vetoed again.” Asami smiled back, sheepishly. She wished she’d gone out and bought better clothes the day before Solstice, but she’d been too frustrated and feeling anti-social to do much more than muck around her lodgings and work on plane and airship designs.

“Korra, load up your bear.” Katara nudged her with her walking stick. “And stop playing around.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Korra jumped to her feet. She nearly tripped over herself to grab the bags Senna had packed and to tie them onto Naga’s saddle. Her dog shook herself but then sat on her haunches to allow Korra to attach the packs and saddle. The scene was almost comical to Asami.

Senna returned with thick blue snow pants. “Here.” She helped Asami to her feet, though Asami found herself leaning against Senna again to stay upright. Katara walked over to help hold her steady as she slipped into the snowpants. The length fit, but the waist did not, and Asami realized this was likely Tonraq’s. Senna quickly got to work adjusting the fit with her sewing kit, until the waist was snug against Asami’s own. “There.” Senna stood back, hands on her hips, to survey her work. “Not my best, but it’ll do.” 

“Wonderfully warm,” Asami admitted. Much better than her own. 

“Good. No more hypothermia for you.” Katara handed her the coats, and Asami donned them with Senna’s help. By the time she was ready, bundled up like an otter-penguin complete with a face mask, Korra had finished packing up Naga. “Thank you again, Senna," Katara said. "If all goes well, we’ll be back tomorrow at the latest.”

Which meant Asami would miss her appointment with Varrick. Part of her suspected that’d be so. She needed information, and Korra needed to learn more about her people. “Can you let Bolin know that I won’t make my appointment?” She asked Senna. 

The woman nodded. “Safe travels, all of you.” She took Asami’s arm and helped her outside. A dog sled waited, the sled part small with a seat and packs tied to the back of the chair. The artic dogs barked and yipped in excitement. Naga barked back and sniffed a few, who turned skittish. Korra pulled Naga away. Twelve arctic dogs in total, all roped together to the front of the sled. Asami had never seen one up close. 

Both Korra and Senna helped her onto the back of Naga, and Korra took the front. Asami realized she was going to have to hold on tightly to Korra’s waist to stay on. Great, that was not going to help her resolve to keep that part of herself shut off. Behind them, Senna stepped back into the doorway and held up her hand in farewell.

Katara settled into her sled, lashed down down her stick, and signaled her dogs with a few clicks. The sled hurtled forward, surprisingly fast. 

“See you soon, Mom! And please stay safe!” Korra waved at her mother. Asami did the same, then grabbed hold of the girl when Korra urged Naga into a jog to stay abreast Katara’s sled. So they were off into the unknown. Asami hoped desperately that this would help. Yesterday things had seemed so clear, but today she felt scattered, unfocused, and troubled.

Chapter Text

Bolin’s Interlude
Day after Solstice

Bolin had no idea how to discuss the current situation. He’d always wanted a girlfriend, but being the go-lucky, silly version of his brother Mako, most girls tended to find him endearing and funny, but rarely more than that. So Eska taking an interest had been fun at first. 

Now, he was afraid. The only person listening was Asami, and he had no idea where she was. He scuffed his boot in the snow and dodged yet another angry group of Northern Troops. He’d seen Tonraq at least three times now, always running forward to calm the growing tensions between the troops and the Southern Water Tribe. Now that he thought of it, where was Korra? Bolin knew he needed to meet Asami soon at Varrick’s but he felt nervous going alone. He headed inside the lodgings he shared with Mako. The entrance was a large lobby with seal-skin rugs, several sofas and tables with chairs around them, and a desk next to the stairs to the bedrooms upstairs. The walls were decorated with carvings made from what looked like bones. Bolin walked over to one and studied the intricate curves etched into the carving of a horn.

“Bolin?”

He jumped and almost sprinted back up the stairs, but then stopped. “Oh, hey, Senna!” He waved, confused.

Senna stepped inside her hands clasped in front of her. She looked like a much older version of Korra, or maybe a Korra that was calm and collected, which Korra definitely was not. “I was asked to give you this message from Asami. She can’t make the meeting. She was needed elsewhere.”

“Oh, okay.” Bolin deflated. He had looked forward to going to Varrick’s. The man always had so many fun inventions and was a riot to be around. Bolin loved the fun activities, the man’s ridiculous humor, and the contraptions. “Do you know when she’ll be back?”

Senna shook her head. She started to turn, but then stopped and looked at him again. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh me?” Bolin gave a strained laugh. “I’m just fine! Just you know, hanging out here, not at all hiding, I mean, why would I be hiding? There’s nothing to hide from, right?” He felt on the verge of tears. Eska threatening to turn him into an ice block for failing to do some task kept coming to mind, how she’d gotten more and more angry since the trip to the South Pole, and then all the troops and Asami and Korra being gone, and Mako being mean, and it was a lot.

Senna motioned for him to sit. He did as directed, and she took the seat across from him. “What is it?”

“I… I made a mistake, and now I’m in this relationship, and it’s scaring me, but Mako told me to grow a spine, but I can’t because Eska could break that in one look, and she’s likely looking for me. And Asami knew what to do, she stood up for me, and it was the only time Eska treated me nicely, but it didn’t last…” he realized he was blabbering, and he stopped, hanging his head in shame. “I’m sorry.”

Senna reached out and grasped his hand. “It’s okay, Bolin. Don’t apologize. Sometimes we…” she paused as if thinking through what to say, “…end up in places that aren’t healthy for us. That’s where you are now. Eska is not healthy for you. How you feel about that is real.” She squeezed his hands. “I’m glad you have Asami as a friend. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

Bolin nodded. “We decided to be sisters and brothers, you know? Back when she was struggling with her father stuff. And she’s always listened to me. I wish sometimes she really was my sister.” He sighed.

Senna smiled. “Sometimes we find people who become our family. You don’t have to be related to call another a sister.” Her expression changed to a more serious look. “I know a little of Tonraq’s family. The twins are…” she again paused as if hunting for a word, “difficult. They may mean well at times, but they do not handle others well. If you are afraid to be around her, then perhaps take time away. Recover.”

“Eska won’t like that.” Bolin realized he had started to cry. “Oh no, look at that. I got my face wet!” He pulled his hands free and rubbed his sleeve against his eyes. “Totally not crying. Not at all!”

Senna looked at him sadly. “Crying is healthy. No need to hide it.”

“Right.” Bolin smiled, shakily. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at how cool Korra’s parents are? Because Korra’s cool, so you’d be cool. And I feel bad Korra is so upset with her dad, because he seems cool too.”

Senna nodded, that sad downturn of her lips. “Yes. You’re a good person, Bolin. Thank you for being here for my daughter. Try to stay safe, and remember what I said, okay?” She squeezed one of his hands.“If you need us, we are down the road, six blocks away, atop a hill.”

Bolin nodded. He wasn’t sure he’d remember that, but then if he wandered enough, he was sure to find something six blocks from here that could be their home. Or he’d find a fun adventure. One of the two.

Senna took her leave then, and Bolin was left with the silence of a town under curfew. So recovery. He could recover. He was the best at recovering! And he could stay safe. Best to not go near the palace. Just quietly run about town, keep to himself or Mako, and where was Mako?

Bolin took the stairs two at a time and pushed open the door to his room. Mako wasn’t inside, but he looked around anyway, just in case his brother was hiding in the washroom or something. Still not finding him, he headed to the stairs, only to hear Eska’s voice.

“What a lovely place,” the sarcasm in her tone was dripping with disdain.

“Yes, sister. Terrible it is.” Desna had that same droll tone.

Bolin turned and headed back into his room. His breaths came in gasps, and he realized that this wasn’t going to be simple. He locked the door behind him, and when Eska knocked on the door to ask after him, he said nothing and waited until she left in disgust. He waited longer and thought again of how Asami had stood up to the princess. The way his friend had somehow made herself taller and looked down upon the Northern princess. That was how he wished he could be. Imposing when needed but fun loving at other times.

He looked at his hands and thought again of Senna’s words. That sometimes things are unhealthy, and he realized she was right. Things were unhealthy. And Asami was right too. It wasn’t okay. Even if Mako refused to see it, Bolin saw it now. So he’ll do his best to fix it, by taking time to recover. To find something else to do, far away from the thing he didn’t want to face. Yes. That was the best plan.

Bolin headed to the window and looked outside. No one in the streets. He opened it, tried to crawl out the way he had crawled in the night before, only to slip and plummet to the alleyway below. He landed in a stack of crates. Groaning, he rolled out of the mess of wood and iron and random foodstuffs. A door opened nearby, but he hurried out into the street to avoid being caught.

A regiment of troops marched by, and he paused for them to pass. Those creepy dark spirits watched from the rooftops too. Bolin did not like them at all. He hurried down the road. Pabu poked his head out of his shirt, done with his nap, and chirped up at him.

“We’re going to Varrick’s, Pabu,” he told the fire ferret. “Maybe eat some of his delicious food.” That excited the ferret who crawled up to curl around Bolin’s neck.

Several times, Bolin had to backtrack, the maze of streets highly confusing, but Varrick’s mansion had been near that ferris wheel, so he kept that in his line of sight. By the time he finally reached Varrick’s gates, he was tired and wanted to get off his feet. The troops had been everywhere, shouts of disdain had ramped up on nearly every street, and Bolin doubted Tonraq would be able to keep up with the tension. Would there be fighting in the streets soon? That really worried Bolin, and he wondered how Korra would take that. This was her people.

He rang the bell for the estate.

“Who is it?” An alto voice snapped through a speaking radio by the gate.

“Bolin, here for Varrick.” That sounded like something Asami would say, right? He wanted to keep pretending to be her assistant. It had been great fun so far.

“You may enter.” The gates screeched open, and Bolin wandered inside, amazed yet again at how expansive the building was. Made mostly of wood, with curving roof designs and quite a few mounted dead animals, the mansion gave off a warm lodge feel. The gardens were full of pathways and games, and the mansion itself a plethora of rooms full of all sorts of wonders.

“Bolin, welcome!” Varrick greeted him at the top of the stairs. “Where’s your lovely employer, Asami Sato?”

Bolin stopped and realized he had no idea. Better think of a story quick. “The Avatar needed her! Because she’s part of Team Avatar too, you know.” That was close enough probably. Not too much of a lie, right?

“So duty called! Then let’s forget that boring stuff. Wanna try out my new ball court? Gonna hit the ball with a stick and see if where it goes! Zhu li, do the thing!” Varrick snapped his fingers, and his assistant briefly disappeared only to reappear with two sticks and a small ball. “Can you believe this day, Bolin! Troops in my city! By gosh, I won’t stand idly by. What do you say?” He led Bolin around the house and deeper into the gardens. “Shouldn’t we stand up and fight? Get our freedom?”

“Uhh. Maybe.” Bolin felt really out of his element now. What would Asami say to all of this? Or his brother? He doubted Mako would agree. Mako tended to keep the peace not cause the chaos. Pabu chirped in question on his shoulder, one paw on Bolin's ear. “Seems pretty awful that the Chief did this. Why bring troops?”

“Exactly!” Varrick spread his arms dramatically. “It’s ruining my business. I got a whole shipment of fish, and that halibut is rotting in the harbor. Can’t even let one ship out.” He dropped the ball onto a blue path, about a pace wide, with rails on either side. “Now I can’t have this harming my business, you see? But I see that you’re good with the princess up there. Would you mind doing me a favor?” Varrick swung his stick and hit the ball hard. It catapulted forward and bounced off another railing to hurtle down a second path. It rolled right over a hole.

Part of him felt worried, he figured Asami would be all over this with carefully worded questions, but the other part of him was excited at the idea of a possible adventure. “What’s the favor?”

Varrick put an arm around his shoulders and bent close to his ear. “Go visit that princess. But take a look around. Suggest a walk. And mark each and every guard post, each walk those guards do. Gotta be thorough, kid, this is important. And be sure you visit in the evening! Best time for romance, eh?” Varrick nudged him with his elbow and winked. “It’ll help my people a ton, and…” He turned to Zhu Li and snapped his fingers. “Zhu Li do the thing!”

His assistant, which Bolin had completely forgotten was behind them this entire time, stepped forward and held out a packet of cash. Bolin’s eyes widened in surprise. That was far more than he’d ever seen in his life. He promptly forgot the question he had and took the money, flipping it back and forth in his hands in awe. Pabu ran down his shoulder to sniff it.

“That and more later!” Varrick grinned. “So what do you say? Wanna do a little mapping for me? And be sure that princess doesn’t notice. Can't have her ruining our fun! I bet she’ll be charmed if you claim it's to practice your moves before your epic drawing of her, right? Isn’t that what these women want? Make them something pretty and good, and they’re all over it.”

Zhu Li rolled her eyes the moment Varrick turned back to the course to whack the ball again.

Bolin clutched his stick. It was just a simple walk in the palace. Just a drawing of guard posts. Surely that couldn’t be a bad thing? And maybe it couldn’t hurt to see Eska again. He could be careful. During the South Pole trip, she'd been lovely. And maybe with that money, he could get something nice for his friends or even her. And didn't Varrick say this was helping Korra's people? As he walked through the reasoning, the plan seemed less and less outlandish. Drawing stuff wasn't his expertise, not like it was for Asami, but it'd be fun to try. “How much is this?” he asked, holding up the block of yuans.

“Oh twelve thousand yuan.” Varrick said it so casually.

“What?" Bolin wasn't sure he heard that right. He looked at Zhu Li, who calmly repeated it. "And, and... you said there's more later?” He stared down at the thick pile of yuan, unable to believe his luck.

“Zhu Li, tell him!” Varrick hit the ball again, and this time it fell into the hole. Varrick cheered.

Varrick's assistant turned to Bolin and said in a deadpan voice. “Thirty-seven thousand yuan in total.”

Bolin nearly fainted. That was so much money. He could live off that for awhile! No need to worry about jobs for a good few months! Mako would be jealous too. Okay, he had to grow a spine now. Time to become master artist! “You got a deal.”

Chapter Text

Korra’s Interlude: The Ride to the Hidden Village
Day After Solstice, Very early in the morning

Korra had forgotten entirely to tell her uncle that she’d be late to the lesson, or rather wouldn’t make it at all. Then came the complication of waking up next to Asami’s blankets. She’d rolled in her sleep likely, but to be that close to the engineer? Korra hoped she hadn’t made Asami uncomfortable. She’d kick herself good for that if so. Last thing she wanted was to make her upset. She'd only wanted to be nearby in case Asami had needed something.

As Naga ran next to the sled, Korra glanced back at where Asami tightly held her waist. “Hey, how’re you feeling?”

“Fine.” Being a bit taller, Asami’s head was slightly above hers, but she spoke into Korra’s ear. “Warmest clothes I’ve ever had.” 

“Good.” Korra noted that their direction was to the south-east. Wait. South-east? That had been the direction of her vision. “Asami, there’s something you ought to know.” It was a little hard to talk over her shoulder, but Naga knew to follow Katara’s sled, so Korra wasn’t worried about too much directing. “I had some Avatar visions. And they pointed me in this direction.” 

“Oh! What did you see?” 

Korra wasn’t sure how to explain. It had been different from her visions from Aang. That had felt more like she was watching it from the side. But these visions felt like she was the boy. Best to start at the beginning. “We’d almost reached the Everstorm. I saw a figure in it to the south-east. I thought it was Aang, but it wasn’t. It was a different Avatar.” She recounted the vision, including how she’d felt the sensation of hunger and mud long after the vision had dissipated. “I tried to convince uncle to go where the vision pointed. But he’s pretty convincing. Said my power would be stronger there. So to the South Pole we went. But we were attacked by dark spirits. They destroyed our stuff.” She summarized the time in the frozen forest, especially the two not-dark spirits and the vision they’d induced, and the voice in the cave. “I thought it was a clue for the portal, you know? But that sense I was in wrong place got worse. Now we’re heading exactly in the direction my Avatar visions were screaming about. What do you think it means?”

Asami was silent for a long moment, and Korra worried she hadn’t heard the full story. The wind was increasing, and that tended to tear one’s voice out of hearing range for others. “Korra,” Asami said, finally, “Trust your senses here. Trust your vision. Whoever that boy is, whoever that voice was who told you to find the truth, trust them. Trust them more than any of us.”

“Wait, more than any of you?” That threw Korra for a loop. She hadn’t expected Asami to say that. 

“Yes. People may be deceiving us, but your Avatar visions, your past lives, they want to help you find this truth. And, for what it’s worth, I’ll help in what ways I can. You don’t have to do this alone.” Asami paused and rested her chin on Korra’s shoulder. “Going to quote Tenzin, okay? ‘Your heart understands truth more readily than the mind.’”

“Ugh, okay, yeah, that hit deep.” For the first time since she’d sent Tenzin away, Korra found she missed him and his family. Guilt filtered through her at how she’d treated him. Yes, she wanted to be better trained in spiritual stuff. Yeah, sure, her uncle was pretty good at it, but had she made the right decision? “Asami, you still agree with my decision to train under Unalaq?” She had to know. 

“I’ll support you…” Asami started to say, but Korra interrupted her in frustration. 

“I know that! I want to know your thoughts. Don’t go all Mako on me, now.” 

That caused Asami to fall silent. Korra winced. She hadn’t meant to yell at her friend, especially considering they were sort of stuck on Naga, racing after Katara’s sled, toward some unknown destination. She clenched the rein’s tighter, leaning forward slightly. The wind held swirls of snowflakes, but the sky was still relatively clear, so no sign of a storm. When the silence continued, Korra felt like she had to say something. “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be. You’re right.” Asami tightened her grip on Korra’s waist. “I do support you and will continue to do so. Does that mean I agree with it? Not always.” For a long moment, she said nothing. The wind whistled and the air stung with pinpricks of snow. “I don’t trust your uncle,” Asami said, directly into Korra’s right ear. “I can’t discern his intentions. When I headed to the palace, before the dark spirit attack, I was furious at him. I thought he was trying to start a war. And I was afraid he was using you. Does that mean he can’t still teach you? No. Even people who mess up or do harmful things teach us things. So there it is. My thoughts.” Her voice had started out gentle, but by the end, it had changed to sharpness. 

“Thanks,” Korra said a bit guiltily. “Sorry I pushed.”

“Don’t apologize. You said on the boat you wanted honesty between us. So I must do my fair share.” Asami's words calmed Korra’s worries a bit. It helped to know she could rely on Asami, even when Korra had messed up. Again her mind compared this to Mako. She’d tried to talk to Mako like this, to try to pull out his actual thoughts, but it always ended in a fight. Yet here she was with Asami, talking it through, and even though Korra had snapped at her, Asami defused it and made it better. It left her feeling a bit funny. Not a bad funny, but a tingling warmth that didn’t make much sense to her yet.

Korra looked across the tundra and urged Naga to go faster. The polar bear dog eagerly did so, and they pulled up to Katara, running beside her sled. Time passed slowly it felt, especially as the twilight stayed consistent this far south.

Naga skidded in the snow to shift direction when Katara turned her sled toward a large outcropping of rocks before two peaks. The relatively flat tundra here began to rise upward into foothills. The eerie glow of the southern lights in the twilight of the day lent a reflective beauty across the snowy expanse. Reds and greens flickered in the snow crystals, a faint reflection of the splendor above. A sight she’d unleashed, despite her instincts yelling at her to stop. Despite the spirits pulling her away. Why did her uncle what the portal open? What lay beyond?

The sky flickered, and the snow swirled upward further to the south-east. That figure appeared again, this time in the shape of Wan from her visions. “Katara! Hold a sec!” Korra shouted. She pulled Naga to a stop and jumped off before her dog had even ceased moving. She heard Asami call her name, but Korra held up her hand. She pushed through the snow, closer to the shimmering gold silhouette.

“Wan?” She reached toward him. His hand reached toward her, and the moment they touched, she catapulted into yet another vision. 

Wan stood at the front of the oasis in a battle stance. The hunters had returned, but Wan directed away their fire, then blasted his own and scorched their feet. They howled and dashed backward. Wan pressed the advantage, until they tumbled away, desperate to escape, only for one to fall into the living grass with a scream. Terrified, the hunters ran. 

Relieved, Wan returned to the oasis. The spirits cheered, and one brought him a cup of tea. “They will likely avoid the area from now on,” he told the Aye-aye spirit. 

“Thank you, Stinky. I’ll mask the path yet again.” The Aye-Aye spirit headed into the clearing. Wan watched the spirit work the environment, asking the aid of the living grass, the wasp nests, and those spirits worked in concert. Sharing knowledge and aid to rebuild a different landscape, one that better protected the oasis. The synergy and collective nature of the spirits amazed Wan. He had rarely seen that in other humans. 

Time passed, and Wan grew restless. He wanted to see more of the world. To experience the other turtle cities. He packed Mula, the cat deer he’d rescued and befriended. It purred at his touch. “Are you ready to go, Mula?” He asked as he mounted. 

“Are you sure you wish to leave?” The Aye-aye spirit asked. A hint of sadness colored its tone.

“Yes. It’s time I saw the rest of the world and found the other turtle cities.” Wan wasn’t sure yet where to look, but Aye-Aye spirit had provided a general direction, to the south-east. 

“I’m proud to call you my friend, Stinky.” Aye-Aye spirit held up his hand in farewell. 

“Thank you for everything.” He waved at the other spirits who had gathered. “Goodbye everyone!” The chorus behind him brought tears to his eyes. How close he’d gotten with so many of them in the years spent here. He would miss them.

Mula headed off the bridge to the oasis, and he directed her to the south-east. “What do you think we’ll find, Mula?” He didn’t really expect an answer. The cat-deer mostly purred in response, but it felt right to include her in his thoughts. 

For the rest of the day, they traveled south-east. The landscape grew more treacherous, rocks strewn across paths, forests fading into taiga, and the mountains loomed before him. He stopped to eat, then continued the journey upward, toward the snowcapped peaks. 
 

The vision faded, and a voice echoed in the air between them, one similar to that of the cave but not quite the same as Wan's voice in the vision. “Open yourself, Korra. And the rest will follow.” He faded into the tundra air, and Korra was left holding her hand out into the air. She let it drop to her side. 

Open herself? What did that mean?

“Korra?” Asami said, tentatively behind her. 

She turned and blinked, confused for a moment. The sensation of riding Mula still pulsed through her, but she stood in the snow. “Hey, I’m okay.” Katara had gotten out her walking stick and stood by Asami. “I saw Wan again. He’s trying to tell me something, but I don’t get it! It’s like a story of his life, I think? But the sections are disjointed. Glimpses of a larger story.” Korra stomped in the snow toward them frustrated. “This time he saved his spirit friends from hunters before he left on a journey. He was going south-east too! Then I heard that voice say, open myself and the rest will follow. Do you know what that means?” She looked at Master Katara hopefully.

Her old water-bender mentor studied her thoughtfully. “I think what we find ahead will reveal more. Come.” Katara led the two back to Naga and the sled. “Let's reach those outcropping, then we rest, eat, and discuss.”

“Is the secret place much farther?” Korra asked, impatiently. She wanted answers now, especially with how intense the visions were. Especially with that need to be at whatever was south-east, to understand the truth, whatever that was. It was maddening. 

Katara gave a noncommittal answer. “Let's continue, and we’ll reach it soon enough.” She strapped down her walking stick and settled into her sled’s chair. 

Asami pressed her hand against Naga’s bulk, her eyebrows scrunched together. She trembled like a leaf in the strong wind. “Might need a hand up,” she admitted. 

“I got you.” Korra adjusted her stance, and held out her hands. Asami put one foot on it, and Korra lifted her up. Once Asami was settled, Korra bounded in front of her and grabbed the reins. Katara clicked her signal to her dogs who raced forward again, and Naga eagerly kept pace. 

Late morning

It was another hour and a half before they reached the outcroppings. The rocks were tall spires and the wind cut around them, creating a small cavity of calm. Katara settled there and worked steadily down her line of dogs to tend to their needs with food and water. 

Asami sat against a rock, visibly wincing when she spread her legs. Korra pulled out a snack for Naga and tossed it in the air, the dog snatched it up and devoured it in a bite. She bended a bowl in the snow and melted water for the polar bear dog.

“How’re you feeling?” Korra asked, while she pulled out some jerky and a water flask. She dropped into the snow next to the engineer. 

“Will you all stop asking that?” Asami complained. “I’m fine.” She gladly took the flask of water and took a long drink. She exchanged it for some jerky. Turning the meat over in her hands, she tilted her head, and her green eyes studied Korra for a moment. “What is this?”

“Oh, seal jerky. Mom made it.” Korra took a swig of the water. “Try it!” She eagerly bit into her own. The blend of spices and smokey texture always brought a sense of home to Korra. When she was stuck in that White Lotus compound, the jerky treats her mother would send was one of the few luxuries she had had. 

Asami tentatively took a bite but then smiled and ate the rest of it relatively quickly. “That was good.” 

Katara walked over, finished with the dogs, and knelt in the snow in front of them. “Korra, from your words, that was not the only vision?” 

Korra shook her head. She’d already told Asami, but Master Katara had a right to know too. “I saw two others on the way to the South Pole.” She recounted them, this time remembering details she’d forgotten when she’d summed it up for Asami earlier on Naga. Her old water-bender master listened gravely. When Korra finished, Katara sat in silence, considering what she’d heard. Korra knew better than to disturb her, but she rustled with impatience.

“I’ve never heard of this Wan,” Katara said with a heavy sigh. “The Air bender genocide destroyed much of our knowledge of the past. There are still echoes of knowledge in the Air Nomads temples. Your answer could be there.” 

Korra winced. “So are you saying I should have gone with Tenzin?”

Katara tapped Korra’s knees with her walking stick. “Your path led you here. Where it leads you next we shall soon see.” Katara looked at Asami. “What is your thoughts, Asami? I am curious.”

Asami looked startled. “I don’t know much about past Avatars beyond what Tenzin and Korra talk about.” She glanced at Korra. “But…” She frowned in thought, her mind likely calculating something amazing. At least, that’s what Korra assumed when she’d found Asami wearing that expression while hard at work drawing or writing somewhere on Air Temple Island. “How do you contact the spirit world?” She looked at Korra then Katara.  

“Generally through meditation, though there is places in the world where the realm between physical and spirit is thin. The Air Nomads were experts at such things.” Katara paused. “Aang visited the spirit world several times in our journeys together. The closest my brother and I came was Wan Shi Tong’s Library, which existed in both realms. That library now only exists in the spirit world. I suspect it may hold a clue to this mystery.”

“Then, what if the open part is you, Korra, opening yourself to the spirit world?” Asami’s green eyes met Korra’s. “You described Wan being friends with spirits. Do you need to befriend them too? Maybe visit that library Katara mentioned?”

That was a good point. Korra rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t know how though! And I can’t say the spirits seem to like me much.” 

“I think you’re selling yourself short there,” Asami said, gently. 

“Ugh, maybe. But still...” Korra had read about it in some of Tenzin's books, but he'd never attempted to lead her into the spirit world. She'd asked a few times, but he'd always told her that she wasn't ready. An aggravating excuse. The only other option would be to return to the South Pole and enter through there, but that idea invoked a strong sense of dread. No, she'd need back-up before heading back there.

Katara seemed pleased by Asami’s words. “Good observation. I believe those we seek can aid you. And if they cannot, Tenzin can. We have options, Korra.”

“Can Unalaq too? He’s really good with spirits.” Korra still wanted to learn his trick to calming them. Plus, he was a lot closer than Tenzin. As much as Asami didn’t like her uncle and Korra’s own misgivings about the troops, her uncle had already taught her a lot about spirits. He’d mentioned how coming to know them better would aid in helping calm them, which was very similar to Asami’s suggestion.

Katara studied Korra with that look that made Korra feel tiny. “Perhaps. First let's continue.” She pushed herself upright with the aid of her walking stick. 

Mid-Afternoon

Korra directed Naga to follow behind Katara’s sled through a narrow canyon. Over the next few hours, they had passed through foothills and over a saddle pass, the snow littered with bits of taiga that split through the packed snow crystals. The sun had finally peaked above the horizon, but it wouldn't get any higher until weeks later. Katara's path had wove down the mountain, giving them a spectacular view of the ocean. The path had passed through more outcroppings, then into this canyon that was more like a crevice. The snow in the pass was thick, and the canyon was littered with rocks. Korra felt confident she could protect them from any avalanche, but Asami had urged her to keep quiet and not tempt fate. 

The path grew narrower, and the wind blew more fiercely. Asami shivered violently behind Korra. Even covered in so many layers, the engineer was still cold? Korra coiled the reins into her left hand, and tugged off her glove on her right. She slid her hand into Asami’s sleeve and focused on heat-bending. She’d used it often to stay warm in the White Lotus Compound, and it was why she didn’t need as many furs as others. It couldn’t hurt to share that with the engineer. Asami’s shivering slowly eased, but Korra kept her hand pressed against Asami’s forearm, while navigating Naga one-handed.

The sides of the canyon sloped higher and higher, until they fused together above them. Before them, the path turned into a cave, and massive columns of crystalline ice blocked much of the passage. Katara paused then and motioned for Korra and Naga to stop. “Let me announce us.” She unstrapped her walking stick, paused to lay out water and food for the dogs, then headed into the cave alone. The dogs at her sled settled down to eat or sleep.

“You said they weren’t dangerous, right?” Korra asked Asami. She didn't like her former mentor heading in alone.

“Master Katara stressed that it was us that was a danger to them.” But uncertainty rippled in Asami’s voice. “I trust her to know what she’s doing.” 

Korra didn’t like it, but she waited. She kept one hand on Asami’s arm with heatbending, but the other tapped against the reins impatiently. “How long has it been?” 

“Korra, it’s only been two minutes.” A hint of exasperation marked her voice.

When Korra asked for the fifth time, Asami slid off Naga and held out her hand. “Get down here. Let me distract you before you drive me up the wall.” 

Korra dropped down. “Sparring?”

“Not the best place, but I can show you the move you keep failing at.” Asami winked.

“Not failing! Just… trying to trick you.” It was a lame comeback, Korra knew it. “Okay, fine, show me.” She was curious how Asami pulled it off so fast. 

“All right.” Asami positioned herself across from Korra. “Watch closely.” She moved almost like water, her body dashing forward, twisting, dropping to the ground, sweeping out her leg, only to push off and back onto her feet, where she moved her arms as if grabbing someone, then flowing forward in a flip. Korra watched in amazement. Still fast but she had managed to slow it down somewhat. 

“Okay. Not sure if that helped.” Korra looked down at her feet and hands. “A bit too fast still.”

“Let’s do it one step at a time.” Asami stood next to Korra. “Match my stance.” She moved into position. Korra emulated it, but apparently not well enough. Asami gently moved her arms further apart, adjusted the angle, and moved her legs closer. “There. Better. Okay, next we want to gather momentum. So to dart forward, push off your heels like this.” She demonstrated then moved back into that position next to Korra. 

Korra accidentally gave herself an air boost and almost skidded into a rock. 

Asami burst into laughter. “Don’t bend! This is all about your body.” She managed between laughs.

“I meant to do that,” Korra said defensively as she returned to her spot next to Asami. 

After several tries, Korra’s dash forward seemed to be good enough, and Asami then showed the next move, which was remarkably similar to the Air Bender movements. That one was easy for Korra. The harder move was the drop to ground, sweep out legs, and push back up to standing. Korra flopped over half a dozen times, and she could tell Asami was trying very hard to hold back laughter. 

“Think this is funny? I'll sweep out your legs so good next sparring match, you won't see me coming!” Korra warned her, which only caused Asami to laugh out loud. Korra found herself quite enjoying making Asami laugh. She had such a sweet but fearless laugh, one that bubbled up but also held confidence. It made Korra want to make the engineer laugh even more, so then Korra started deliberating messing up, until finally Asami sat down, laughing in defeat. 

“Now you’re just being silly,” she said when she had started to calm down. 

“Yeah, that I am.” Korra dropped down in front of the engineer. “But I did learn something.” 

“Oh?” Asami raised an eyebrow. 

“You move like water and air.” Korra looked at her thoughtfully. “Each movement calculated but also effortless. It’s amazing really.” 

Asami smiled and looked down at the ground. Her cheeks had turned a delicate shade of pink. Had the engineer just blushed? Korra wondered at that. 

“Korra, Asami.” Katara's voice rang out, and the pair jumped to their feet. “Come.” She motioned for the pair to follow her. The three headed into the cave with Naga close behind.

Chapter Text

The Cave, Afternoon the Day after Solstice

Asami had never seen a cave like this. Pools of bubbling water, heated by unseen thermal vents, dotted the ground, and massive columns of crystalline stone were situated everywhere. Ribbons of stone hung from the ceiling and walls, the stalactites dripping with water toward their counterparts on the floor. Creatures hid in the pools as they passed by, some of their crab-like but others starfish, and a few shellfish. The ground was smooth and polished almost with very little ice. Likely because the cave was warm enough that she thought about taking off one of her coats. Her face mask she’d pushed down to better smell the air, a sweet but salty tang likely from how close they were to the ocean. 

Korra walked beside her, Naga behind, and Katara in front. The path they walked was well-worn and marked with black stone. She paused to run her fingers over the stone. Smooth with sharp edges, could it be obsidian? If so, that only formed near volcanoes, if she remembered her materials schooling correctly. Could there have been ancient volcanoes here then? How strange. She straightened and hurried to catch up with Katara.

“What is it?” Korra whispered. She’d slowed her pace until Asami caught back up. Naga sniffed among the pools, but finding them uninteresting, ran up and nudged Korra for a pet. She stroked her fur as they walked.

“Obsidian maybe. Only found by volcanoes. Was there any here in your legends?” Asami wished she’d read more about the legends of the Southern Water Tribe, but much of the books she’d found had very little information from before the One Hundred Year War. So much had been lost, and it saddened her. 

Korra looked thoughtfully at the black stones lining the path. “Maybe? We could ask later.” Korra didn’t specify who she meant with the word ‘we,’ so Asami assumed it was Master Katara, her mother, or maybe the group they were to meet soon. 

The path curled toward a narrowing of the cavern, while the ground grew more uneven with stones, rippling cave formations, and pockets of pale blue and violet mushrooms. The susurration of waves echoed in the space, but Asami couldn’t see any sign of the tides. Katara led them through the narrow passage, which curved through icy walls, and above lay the packed snow and ice of a glacier. Naga whined at the narrow space, but she fit through, determined to stay close to Korra and Asami.

When they rounded a corner, a short woman stepped into their path. Her blue fur coat hung to her knees, her snowpants the brownish-grey color of seal pelts, and her hood hung low over her face. “Welcome Katara.” She pushed back her hood, and Asami gasped in recognition. “And welcome, Asami. It is kind of you to visit with the Avatar.” 

“Waaseyaa.” Asami struggled to save face. “Pleasure to see you as well.” The surprise still haunted her tone despite her attempt to sound confident and collected. Maybe she shouldn’t have been surprised that the woman was part of this secret group, but to see her here after that attack yesterday, confused and annoyed her. She still held resentment for how the water bender had kept her in the freezing cold to question her.

“Wait, you know her?” Korra said, confused.

“She’s the waterbender that calmed the spirits, and the one that dragged me to your parents,” Asami explained. 

“Your insights have been invaluable,” Waaseyaa said. “Come, my mother would like to speak with all of you.”

“If you would be so kind to send someone to watch the dogs,” Katara said with a wan smile. “Though I suspect Korra’s Naga will be staying with us.” In response, Naga barked and nudged Korra and Asami. 

Waaseyaa nodded. “Naga is welcome as well.” She led them out of the passage and into a massive cavern.

Situated in a circle were stone houses, but their roofs were conical domes made of sealskins and what looked like the long bones of some sort of sea creature. Most of the homes that were big enough for one to two families were in the outer circle, while an inner circle held smaller ones. The third  inner circle held a long, almost rectangular tent with a sloping dome made of sealskin, but it was massive compared to the other stone and felt homes. A circular pool lay in the center of the rings of homes and bubbled, likely from the thermal vents that warmed the cavern.

“This place,” Asami said, stunned, “is huge.”

All around them, the place bustled with life. Kids played among the circular paths or in tidal pools. Women and men cleaned clothes, worked with skins or bones, or repaired various homes and tools. Some looked up as they passed and bowed their heads. Asami bowed her head in turn, mostly to stay polite.

“Yeah,” Korra said, quietly. Her hand rested on Naga’s shoulder, and she walked slightly behind Asami, who followed behind Waaseyaa and Katara. 

“I fear I bring ill tidings,” Katara told Waaseyaa, “but then, you know of the conflict from what I hear?”

“Yes. I must say Asami is mighty good fighter,” Waaseyaa praised. She looked back at her with a smile. “Took out three soldiers single-handedly, giving me time to calm the spirits.” The praise surprised Asami considering how long the woman had left her in the cold. 

“Yeah,” Korra said, proudly. “You should have seen her take out those Equalists during the Amon crisis! She saved my butt, and my mentor twice!”

Asami could feel the heat rising to her face. She was not used to this sort of praises. “I did what was needed,” she said, firmly, hoping that would put an end to this. 

Katara glanced back at her, that thoughtful look on her face, but she said nothing. 

The group reached the center of the village, where a very old woman rolled out of the large sealskin tent, her skin a ruddy brown and her tunic dress embroidered with silver and blue thread. She pushed the wheels of a wheelchair, the frame exquisitely carved and the seat covered with skins, the tires scavenged from sort sort of machine. Asami wanted a closer look at its workings. 

“Nakul.” Katara smiled and held out her arms. “It is good to see you.” 

“And you, my friend.” Nakul reached up to hug her. “I see you have followed through on your promise.” Both of them let go, and Katara stepped to one side. 

“Yes. This is Korra, the Avatar, and her friend, Asami Sato.” Katara gestured to them in turn. 

Nakul rolled forward and held out her arm. “It is my pleasure to welcome you to our humble village.” Korra shook her arm in the traditional Southern way, and Asami did her best to emulate that. “Waaseyaa, would you be so kind as to bring us tea and food?”

“Yes, mother.” The woman bowed her head and entered a house off to the side of the large tent. 

Nakul motioned for them to follow, and they passed through the heavy curtain to the interior. The inside was much, much warmer than the cool air of the glacier cavern. Warm enough that Asami peeled off her outer coat and tucked it under her arm. The tent was sectioned off with sealskin dividers to the right and left, but the center space was occupied by a low lying table with furs and pillows situated around it. Nakul gestured to it. Katara settled down, Asami next to her, and Korra by Nakul. Naga laid down off to one side, out of the way of the door. 

“I am glad you have come, Avatar Korra. I had wished to see you many times, but you have been kept from us.” She smiled sadly.

“Kept from you?” Korra repeated, confused. “I don’t understand.” 

“Nakul,” Katara said, gently, “The White Lotus sought to keep Korra safe, especially considering the attempts when she was younger.” 

“I understand, but what is the cost? Why did Korra not know some of us do keep our spiritual side alive?” Nakul leaned forward in her chair. “Look at Wolf Cove now, Katara. My hopes for a story archive in the city has failed. Instead, they build mechanical rides and factories for oil. Where is the schooling of our traditions and legends?”

“Wait, story archive?” Korra interrupted. “What do you mean?” 

Nakul sighed. “I traveled far and long between both the North and South gathering our stories, cultivating our legends, and seeking our lost relics and rituals. I brought them here, to Mamnguqsualuq, the founder of this village. When the North started the reconstruction project, their focus was on industry and economy, not on the past. I tried many times to establish a story archive, a place for all to learn of our culture. I even tried to buy land for it.”

“But my uncle is here now. He cares about that.” Korra protested. “Surely, he’d help build that for you.”

“Would he?” Nakul raised her eyebrows. “When he views us as inferior?” That statement caused Korra to flinch. What could be said in response? Even Asami had seen that disdain Chief Unalaq and his children had shown to the Southerners since they docked in port, and she wasn’t even of Korra’s tribe.

Asami decided to try to shift the conversation. “You speak as if technology and your ways are at odds.”

Nakul looked at her with those piercing blue eyes. “You are the inventor, are you not? The one that seeks to deal with the corrupt mongul to bring war machines to our lands.” 

The accusation felt like a slap to her face. “I am the owner of Future Industries, yes. I invent technology sometimes, yes. I have made no decision concerning selling my stock to your people. The deal I seek is only to access the shipping industry.” 

The old woman leaned back in her chair and studied Asami and Korra. The skin flap behind them parted, and Waaseyaa entered with a tray of tea and bowls filled with cooked seal strips, clam meat, fried seaweed, and violet berries. She placed them on the table and poured tea for each of them. She then lifted her mother from the chair and down onto the pillows, rearranging her legs into a crosslegged position.

“Thank you, hun,” Nakul said to her gratefully. “Please prepare this evening’s ceremony, would you?”

The woman nodded and quietly left.

“Nakul,” Katara said while she picked up the tea cup and held it close to her face, the steam rising around her like wisps. “Asami asked to see you. She sought more information concerning our ways. Perhaps judge her not as harshly? It was her that convinced Korra to come.” 

The older woman sipped her tea and looked at Asami. “I see.” 

“Okay, yeah. Why are you being so judgey?” Korra burst out. “Like, I know my uncle is being heavy-handed right now, but he’s trying to unite our tribes. Isn’t that a good thing?” A hint of anger lined her words, her left hand clenched in a fist.

“Unite by force?” Nakul shook her head. “Our people have been devastated by the forces of other nations and tribes for almost two centuries. After the war, the rebuilding of the South was done mostly by the North. How much agency have we had?” She gestured to the tent as a whole. “This place was one of the last bastions of our people, untouched by the horrors of the war, where our traditions were kept alive.” 

“Korra,” Katara said. “Remember, an open mind and heart will aid you in seeking the truth.” 

Korra huffed and crossed her arms. “Right. Okay.” She looked down at her tea. “I guess I don’t understand why your archive wasn’t built. What stopped it?”

“Corporations and industry.” Nakul sighed. “The ferris wheel and amusement rides occupy what would have been the archives. The land was bought out from under us.” 

“By who?” Asami asked. 

Nakul took a bite of one of the meats and chewed slowly. After she swallowed, she gestured to the north. “We don’t know. Many of us suspected Northerners, as they often sought to buy our land to influence our development and steal our resources. For example, when they had attempted to take the oil rig for themselves. But I worry it is one of our own who has been led astray by greed.” Nakul sighed, heavily. “The South is in danger. Dark spirits watch the city, a dark spirit haunts the oil rig, and ones attack our people’s ships. Why do they attack? What is it that disturbs them?”

“Uncle said no spirit is evil." Korra unclenched her fist and tapped her fingers against the table. "Only a mixture of light and dark, that sometimes they become dark when imbalanced. Can stuff in the physical world cause them to get that way?”

Nakul nodded. “The stories I have gathered have spoken of such things. Katara, did not Aang and you encounter a spirit angry over the destruction of its forest?” 

Katara nodded. “Hei Bai stole away my brother and many inhabitants of Senlin village in rage at the destruction of its forest. Aang managed to calm the spirit by showing how the villagers can help regrow the forest back to its splendor. Calmed, Hei Bai returned the stolen people.”

Asami tapped her fingers against her legs in thought. “The ships that were attacked. What were they doing?” 

“Some hunted. The rest we do not know,” Nakul said. 

Asami pulled out her idea journal from her coat, opened to an empty page, and laid it flat on the table. She made a table. “So this is the facts we know: 1. The spirits are imbalanced, angry. 2. They targeted hunter’s ships and other unknown ships. 3. Spirits have attacked humans in the past due to harm caused to their land. 4. Dark spirits congregate in the city. 5. Mechanical rides constructed on what would have been Southern spiritual archives, unknown buyer of land. 6. Dark spirits congregate around the oil rig.” She wrote it all out one by one. 

Korra looked over her shoulder. “Huh. What’s the hunter ships hunting?”

“Likely bowhead whales,” Katara said. “They are the most lucrative.” 

“Are they overhunting?” Asami asked. 

Nakul nodded. “We’ve seen less and less pods on our shipping expeditions. Even the seals have been harder to find. We suspect overhunting, but there is also the oil rig. The waters near our village has grown increasingly oily, and we’ve had to scavenge for parts to purify what had once been pure water.” 

“The oil rig. It’s leaking, isn’t it?” Korra turned to Asami.

Asami wrote down this new information. “Considering the intense sea pressures required to pull oil from the depths of the ocean? Yes, it’s very possible. Normally, any leak would be patched by those on the rig.” She tapped her pen against her leg. “Except, who owns this rig?”

Katara and Nakul exchanged glances. “It was bought out not long ago,” Nakul admitted. “We have not been able to determine who.”

“So some mysterious group is buying out Southern stuff?” Korra crossed her arms again. “And it’s angering the spirits?” 

“Likely,” Katara said. “I have assisted Waaseyaa in investigating, but the documents have been missing from the official files for some time. There is not much more I can do.” The old woman sighed. “I am too old to fight. So I will heal those who need it.”

“That’s what we’re for! We can fight!” Korra nudged Asami. “Right?” 

“But who are we fighting?” Asami tapped her idea journal. “What other clues do we have? Has anyone got a good look at the uniforms of those that work the rig?”

Nakul shook her head. “A dangerous dark spirit roams those waters. There is also the ice torpedoes.”

Asami added that note, but then paused at the words ice torpedoes. “Wait, that’s a Northern Tribe invention. Do your people use those?” She looked at Nakul and Katara, both of them shook their heads. Was that evidence the North had taken control of the rig? Asami marked it down, but it was only one clue. They needed more to confirm. “We need to see that rig and confirm who owns it…” She glanced at the Avatar. “Korra, remember your visions? They pushed you to go south-east? Do you still feel that?”

“Oh yeah.” Korra closed her eyes. She turned her body toward the south-east. “Yeah, it’s very close.” She opened them, her arm still pointing in that direction. “What is over there?”

Nakul frowned. “The oil rig and ocean.”

Asami and Korra looked at each other. “Then that’s…” Asami started to say, but Korra finished her sentence for her. 

“…where we need to go! I’ll seek out what’s there, figure out that weirdness.” Korra leaned forward. “And maybe you teach me the calming spirits trick? I could help stop that dark spirit too, maybe.”

“We can’t let you go alone,” Nakul said, firmly. 

“She’s not. I’m coming with her.” Asami tapped her idea journal. “To pull this off we’ll need some distractions. Are your people open to giving this rig a run for its money?”

Nakul leaned back against her wheelchair. “What is it you suggest?”

Asami turned a page in her idea journal and sketched out her plan. 

***

The ceremony turned out to be the entire village gathered around two dozen tidal pools at the back of the cavern, the opposite side where they entered. Asami and Korra both stood at the center of the gathering, included despite Asami protesting that it didn’t seem right as an outsider. Nakul and Katara had both vetoed that since she was putting herself at risk for the tribe. 

So here she was with Korra, in waders, in the tidal pool. Nakul sat a few paces behind them, Katara stood beside her, and Waaseyaa next to her. 

“The tide unveils, and we prevail,” Nakul announced. At her words, the villagers began to stomp in a beat, and several took up a melody that swept from the back to the front in a round. In the dirt at the edges of the tidal pools, where the water had drained from low tide, the beats shook the sand. Clams squirted water with each stomp, making them easy to spot.

As directed, Korra and her raked out the first two clams and tossed them into Waaseyaa’s basket. Then both of them carefully cut off two thick leaves of the seaweed that grew in the pools and tossed that into the basket. The pounding feet grew in strength and more clams squirted their locations. This seemed to signal the others, and villagers at the front of the line raked two per person into their baskets. They stepped aside to join the pounding of the feet, while the next line cut the seaweed. This continued until all four lines had done their foraging.

Korra and her waited as directed, then foraged two more clams and threw it in the basket. The pounding of the feet stopped and a cheer rose up from the villagers.

“Today,” Nakul announced, and her voice quieted the others, “our guests have led our monthly ceremony. They come in honor of our past, seeking truth. This afternoon we shall feast, and tonight we will fight along side them. Let us stay as one and be as one.” The final sentence the other villagers repeated in a rippling chorus. 

That seemed to end the ceremony, and the villagers wandered off toward their homes, laughing and singing.

“Okay, that was cool.” Korra looked elated. She swung her rake back and forth. “Mom told me about foraging clams, but I’ve never had the chance before!” She sloshed her way onto solid ground and pulled off the waders. Asami followed more slowly a bit bewildered by it all. She’d never seen anything like it. “You ever eat clam, Asami?” When she shook her head, Korra continued, “Mom sometimes broiled them. As a treat.” 

“Both of you did well.” Nakul sounded pleased. She gestured for them to leave the rakes and waders in a rack near the tidal pools. “For you to come, the day of the ceremony, that is great fortune. I believe it will aid our mission today. Go eat, then we will prepare.” She rolled away from the tidal pool. “Come Katara, I wish to speak with you for a bit.” She gestured to the other elderly woman, and the two headed forward, toward the long tent. 

Asami walked with Korra toward the center of town. “What do you mean you’d never foraged them before?” The ground on this side of the cavern held more pockets of water, but the stones had been brushed aside into piles by the tidal pools. Water dripped into the pools from the ice-covered ceiling. The warmth of the pools kept her from needing her outer coat, thankfully.

Korra shrugged. “I was kept at the White Lotus compound, remember? My training focused on Avatar stuff. Mom taught me what she could of our culture when I was allowed to visit them, but some things I never got to do.” A hint of sadness had crept into her tone. She scuffed her boot at the ground. “It’s why I was eager to get out of there.”

“That is terrible.” Waaseyaa said. Both of them jumped and turned. The woman walked to them from where she’d been organizing the clam rakes. “You are of the South. You should know your people.” 

“I’m the Avatar. I gotta be there for all humanity,” Korra countered. Asami noted the defensive posture Korra had taken. 

“That doesn’t erase your heritage. You are born from us. Should you not know our ways as well as any other nation?” Waaseyaa stopped in front of them and crossed her arms over her chest. 

Korra crossed her arms. “We’re one tribe though. North and South together. I’m learning about our united tribe.” 

“And yet the South is being occupied by troops, beset with dark spirits,” Waaseyaa snapped back. 

Asami did not want to deal with a fight between the two of them. Especially since the woman had agreed to assist them with the oil rig expedition. “Right now,” Asami said, stepping between the two, “we are working together toward a common goal. Both of you will have time to fight after we deal with the rig.” 

Korra huffed. “All right. Fine.”

Waaseyaa uncrossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at Asami. “I see why she likes you.” Before Asami could respond, the woman headed toward the central commons. Her words had reminded her of how she’d woken up that morning, which would not help Asami’s focus. Best put it out of her mind. 

“Come on, let’s eat and get ready.” Asami followed after Waaseyaa, and thankfully, Korra fell into step beside her. The path led them through the rings, where villagers milled around their homes. Korra waved at them, and Asami was glad to see her start to relax. Kids darted into the lanes in a chase game, and a few worked beside their parents on benches outside their homes to prepare the clams and some other meats that Asami didn’t recognize. 

The central commons had been set up, in a short time, with tables, benches, and a large fire over which a pot boiled. Clams were thrown into it with the seaweed and spices. The entire atmosphere felt cozy and welcoming to Asami, far different than the city had been. She settled at one of the benches, while Korra stood next to her and chatted with one of the villagers. Naga, who had waited patiently by the meeting tent, walked over and settled by Asami's bench. She reached over and scratched behind Naga's ears.

Nakul and Katara left the main lodge, both moving slowly due to their age, their wrinkles more pronounced likely from the long day. The villagers parted at Nakul’s presence, many bowing their heads in respect and pausing their conversations to greet her. She reached out often to touch the arms of her people. 

Nakul stopped by Asami and Korra. “Korra, I’ve agreed to give you one lesson on spirit listening.” Nakul nodded at tidal pool at the center of the commons. “Since I am not your primary teacher, this is only to prepare you for today’s journey.” Katara took a seat next to Asami.

“Really?” Korra grinned. “I’ve been dying to learn some spirit fighting action!” 

Nakul raised her eyebrows. “That’s not what I will teach you. Our ways is to listen and guide the spirits, Korra.” She rolled around Asami’s bench and locked her wheelchair next to the tidal pool. Korra followed a bit more subdued. The crowd moved to the edges of the commons, though they still chatted and worked together to prepare the feast. "Most spirits are capable of communicating to some degree if we listen carefully and respectfully."

Asami pulled out her idea journal and jotted down notes of Nakul’s teaching. Something about the idea of guiding spirits teased her mind, like a clue to the layers of problems she’d documented earlier, but she couldn’t see quite find its fit in their current incomplete picture. Writing or drawing often helped her organize the facts, and maybe it’d help here too.

“If Korra was half as diligent in studying as you,” Katara said, wryly, “perhaps more of my lessons would have stuck.” Asami had to stifle a laugh.

“Our ritual taps into our healing.” Nakul gestured to the water in the pool. “As your uncle told you, spirits are a mix of light and dark. When imbalanced, the dark overwhelms. That makes listening difficult. We seek to calm by directing our healing energies to shift the spirit away from dark and toward light.” 

“Oh, so you can more easily listen to the spirits concerns?” Korra asked. She shifted from foot to foot in that impatience that Asami had seen so often in her.

“Yes. It can be hard to communicate when one is too angry or in pain.” Nakul moved her hands in a circle and a pillar of water rose. “This is an old, old technique adapted from the Whale clan. After the war, some of their water benders had returned. Many traumatized and very ill. I came to aid in healing them and asked them about their techniques and stories. This technique was one they passed onto me in hopes it wouldn’t be forgotten.” 

As the water rose, she wove it into interlocking spirals. Korra reached out her hand to pass her fingers through part of the spiral, her eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. A faint golden glow suffused through the spiral and swept through Korra’s hand. Asami was reminded of Katara’s healing of her injuries and hypothermia yesterday. 

“When the spirit calms, ask your question, keep it short, and listen to their answer. They will tell you their need. Then it is up to us to try to meet that need or come to a compromise.” Nakul let the water fall back into the tidal pool. “Lately, the dark spirits have grown so fierce that even we struggle to calm them enough to learn their needs. Something incites them, Korra. As the Avatar, I suspect you are being called by your past lives to investigate.”

“You mean the visions?” Korra nudged a rock by the tidal pool with her foot. 

“Yes. I would like to hear them in full, if you wish to share.” Nakul rolled away from the tidal pool, closer to where Asami sat watching them. “I do have much knowledge of our tribes’ stories from both North and South.”

Korra looked back at Asami and Katara as if asking for permission. Asami glanced at the elderly woman beside her, who had her walking stick between her legs and leaned against it. “Go ahead, Korra. I trust Nakul." When Korra’s eyes moved to Asami’s, she nodded in confusion. Why did Korra keep asking for her thoughts? She knew very little about all of this herself.

“Okay. I keep seeing this boy named Wan. But his story has all these weird time skips, makes it confusing.” Korra tapped her lip and sat down next to Asami. “Maybe you know of him?” 

As Korra recounted her visions in the order that she saw them, Asami wrote down the details of the visions and what Korra had been doing at the time. Hearing the story a third time, she noted how new details teased out with each retelling.

After Korra finished, Nakul studied the Avatar thoughtfully. “You say Wan also journeyed to the south-east. And the spirit pool you mention. You tried to use that concept to calm the spirits in the cave?” 

Korra knocked her knuckles against the table. “Yeah. But the wrongness in the cave messed up my concentration. I still don’t know if I did the right thing opening that spirit portal. Uncle told me it was needed to balance the South.” 

Nakul sighed. “I must admit, in all the stories I’ve gathered, I have not heard of an Avatar named Wan, but then some of the oldest Avatars have fallen into legends, many of which no longer contain their names. I also can’t say if I agree with your Uncle. If that portal was closed, it was done with intention.” Nakul leaned forward to lightly touch Korra’s shoulder. “I can share a creation story with you. It may help or may not.”

Half listening now, Asami read through her notes on Korra’s visions and locations. The first one, Korra had been on her way to the South Pole, following her Uncle’s decisions, yet that vision had been about Wan going against authority figures to help his friends. The second one Korra was in the frozen forest, and Wan had defended the spirits against human hunters, then was healed in the spirit pool. The third was during the journey to this hidden village, they’d been going south-east, and Wan also journeyed south-east. 

“Wait, wait,” she said, out loud. Nakul, Korra, and Katara all looked at her. “I see a pattern. Look.” She pointed to her idea journal and laid out the pattern. “See? Each vision correlated with the situation Korra was in. Except, the vision sometimes contradicted your actions, Korra. Wan rebelled against authority figures. You followed one. Wan defended the spirits and was healed. You fought them and opened the portal.” 

“But the last one. Wan was heading south-east…” Korra trailed off. “Oh. That’s where we were going. So I finally aligned myself with the visions. But I don’t get it. Is Avatar Wan trying to warn me against my uncle?”

Asami looked down at her idea journal. “I don’t know. What do you think, Katara and Nakul?” She thought the visions were, but she didn’t feel confident enough to say that out loud to Korra. She really did not want to start a fight.

Nakul and Katara both studied her, and their intense gazes made her feel exposed. “Perceptive,” Nakul said. “I can’t say if that conclusion is the point of these visions. Until you tease the whole story, you deal with an incomplete picture.” 

Katara nodded in agreement. “I caution against jumping to conclusions at this stage.”

“Okay.” Korra stomped her foot, frustrated. “So do you have any tales that can help figure this out?”

Nakul gestured to the pot of broiling clams. “First, let us eat, then I will share an old tale of the creation. Perhaps it will shed light on this.” She smiled and wheeled herself to the pot. “Everyone,” she called out to her people. “This feast is our honoring of the clams who gave us their lives for us to eat. It is to honor the spirits of this place, and we rekindle the agreement to care for the tidal pools. To aid the growth of life for a new cycle.” She raised up her arms, and her people chanted back, “We share, we give, we be as one.” Nakul lowered her arms and rolled back to their group. 

Asami watched as the villagers lined up to share in the food. This was radically different from how she’d grown up, where the origin of food wasn’t something she ever worried about. Truth was, she had no idea if the food in Republic City was ethically harvested or not. Growing up rich, she’d taken a lot of granted, and now, seeing how these people lived, just like when she’d been in the sewers hiding with Team Avatar from Amon, it gave her a glimpse into a different life. It made her wonder about what was the best way to live in harmony with others and the earth.

Chapter Text

Mako’s Interlude: Day after Solstice, Late Afternoon

Mako knocked on Tonraq and Senna’s door. He thought again of Korra’s last words to him last night, and how final they had felt. The more he reviewed the last two months, the more depressed he felt about it. They’d fought more than they’d enjoyed time together, and it was wearing him down heavily. Maybe Korra was right. Maybe there wasn’t a way for their relationship to work, but would that mean they couldn’t be friends? He didn’t want to lose that at least.

The door opened to reveal Tonraq. “Mako! It’s a surprise to see you here.” 

“I need to talk to Korra, sir,” Mako said. “Do you know when she’ll be back? Chief Unalaq asked for her, and I gotta talk to her too.” 

Tonraq frowned. “I don’t know where she is, Mako. Senna mentioned she’s out with Katara, so I suspect it will be a bit.” His massive bulk took up most of the doorway. 

“Oh.” That wasn’t going to help Mako’s situation. “I have to tell Chief Unalaq something. Do have any idea where she went? She wouldn’t tell me.” 

Tonraq shook his head. “Mako, if Korra chose to keep that secret, then that needs honored. She has her reasons.” He sighed. He grabbed his coat, donned it, and stepped outside. “Walk with me.”

Mako fell into step beside him. Talking with Korra’s father left him feeling nervous and uneasy. He really didn’t want to put his foot in his mouth while talking to this man. Best to stay on his good side.

Tonraq led down a side road and onto a main street that cut through town toward the ferris wheel that dominated the south-western part of town. The streets still swarmed with troops, but more and more locals had started to protest the occupation. Mako had seen a few hanging signs across their windows and doors, and others stood on rooftops with their signs and chants. 

Get out invaders! read one sign, while another had No more troops, no more curfew, written on it in blue paint. Still others read, Freedom from Tyranny. Several signs had been torn down and ripped in the snow. 

Tonraq raised his hand at the teenagers and adults on the roofs, and they waved down to him. “Hey Tonraq! Any luck on the meeting?” One of them called down.

“Not yet! Remember our goal! Keep it nonviolent!” He shouted back. The adults gave him an okay sign, though the teenagers just looked frustrated.

“Wait, did you organize this protest?” He asked, confused. Wouldn't that escalate tensions? Mako worried that Tonraq's people were pushing for a civil war with their antagonistic signs and chants of "No troops, no curfew." That and the growing number of dark spirits threatened the peace far more than it helped, Mako thought.

“No, others did.” Tonraq sounded proud of them. “I offered aid if they stay nonviolent.”

"Won't this just escalate things?" Mako said, "During Amon crisis, the protests escalated into outright riots." One that Korra had tried to stop, but it'd only gotten him, Bolin, and Asami arrested.

"The troops and curfew escalated the situation, Mako. The protest will hopefully apply pressure to get my brother to do the right thing and meet with us about our concerns." Tonraq's voice held a hard quality, that made Mako wince. He hoped he hadn't angered the man.

Tonraq turned left at the next intersection, only for them to walk right into a fight. 

Snowballs hurled in the air and slammed into a soldier. He spun and shot a spike of ice. It hit a kid, who skidded off and fell into an alleyway. Tonraq swept up water to catch the boy, dropping him lightly on his feet.

The adults on the ground shifted into a fighting stance. “Pick on someone your own size!” One of them bended their own ice spike and faced the soldiers, who squared off with them.

Tonraq rushed between them to hold up his hands. 

“Stop! They aren’t worth your time! Stay focused on the protest.” His words diffused the situation, and the locals dropped their stances to walk away toward their homes or alleyways.

The soldier who had attacked spat on the snow. “Southerner scum. Keep them in line or they’ll be arrested next time.” He joined the others, and they marched to the left. 

Tonraq sighed heavily and headed back to Mako. “Come on.” He led him out of the larger street and into a smaller, and less populated side street. “This isn’t sustainable. We need that meeting with my brother and soon.” 

“Why wouldn’t he meet?” Mako shivered and pulled his hood up over his head. “He seems the reasonable sort.” 

Tonraq gave a humorless laugh. “Not sure I agree on that point. But I digress.” The side street curved more east and west than its prior north-south direction. A lot of crates and some large cans hugged the back walls of the homes, but a few shops sat on corners, with their sign swinging in the wind. Fewer folks were out and about on this road, most keeping to the main thoroughfares.

“Do you know when Korra will return?” Maybe that could get him better information.

“No. I can’t say. Though, Senna mentioned what happened between you two,” Tonraq said, abruptly. “I understand you wish to talk to Korra, but I need you to consider if your talk is for your benefit or if you are seeking to mutually work through this.” Tonraq’s tone was cordial but also held a hint of concern. “Right now, Korra has a lot on her shoulders.” 

“I know, sir. I guess I’d like clarification.” Mako rubbed the back of his neck. “Last night she left angry, and it… sounded like she was done with us. But I don’t want to lose her, or at least our friendship.” 

“Then work on the friendship for now. If Korra is interested, she’ll come back to you and talk it through. If not, then respect that. Pushing this will only push her further away. I know that from experience.” He stopped at an intersection and pulled Mako backward against the house. The troops that marched past kicked up snow, and a few shouted angrily at the protesters on the roof. He led Mako away from the chants and marching soldiers toward another side street that headed toward the amusement district. “I pushed myself into her training, and that was wrong. I may not trust my brother or his intentions for Korra, but for me to attempt to protect her against her wishes has pushed her further from me. The trust between us is broken, and I need to hold myself accountable to repair that. I share this, so you understand the consequences. Don’t do the same, Mako.” 

Mako nodded. “Thank you, sir. I understand.” 

“Good.” Tonraq started walking again. “Also, a word of advice. Be careful with tasks from my brother. Tensions between my people and our Northern brethren is already dangerous, and the dark spirits have only increased their attacks.” He gestured to the ferris wheel. “We had three attacks in that area alone. If you are out walking, be careful.” 

“Sir, why are the spirits attacking? I thought Korra opening the portal solved that.” Mako looked up at the rooftops and the ones that didn’t hold protesters, they held dark spirits that lingered and watched them pass. 

“I don’t know.” Tonraq stopped at the edge of the amusement district. The intersection here held three interconnecting streets, two that headed into the district, where shops and rides hugged the streets the closer one came to the ferris wheel. “I must be honest. I don’t know enough about spirits for this. I do know that if this continues, if the troops stay, the tensions may break into actual war. It would be best if you get out before that happens.” 

“Not sure I can with the blockade. Do you have any idea how long that will last?” The intersection was on a hill, so the view to the harbor was only blocked by the ferris wheel and some of the taller buildings near it. The battleships and ice walls gave the entire harbor a closed in, imposing feel. Mako shivered in the cold air, despite himself.

“I don’t. I suggest returning to your lodgings before curfew. I’ve had to break up six fights yesterday due to it, and I suspect today will be worse.” Tonraq looked at Mako, and his shoulders drooped as if a great weight lay across them. 

Mako shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and thought about the escalating tensions. “I know the troops seem bad, but isn’t keeping the peace a good thing?”

“Keeping the peace requires a commitment to understanding the needs of the community. This is where my brother fails us. He has not taken into account our needs, and none of our leaders, including myself, has been able to obtain a meeting with him to discuss it.” Tonraq’s voice held an undercurrent of anger and frustration. “He believes he knows what is best for the South.” 

“But isn’t he sort of right about the spiritual decay here? Why else are the dark spirits attacking and lingering?” Mako saw the tightening of Tonraq’s jaw and winced. “ I don’t mean any disrespect, sir.” 

Tonraq swept his hand toward the dark spirits that rested on the ferris wheel. “We can’t assume that is so without further evidence. He’s claims are based in a bigotry against Southerners that has roots in the One Hundred Year War.” Tonraq turned and rested his hand on Mako’s shoulder. “Be careful who you say these things to, Mako. I’d rather not see you hurt in this.” 

“Understood, sir.” Mako mentally kicked himself for saying it out loud as he had. He wanted to be in the man’s good graces, but instead, he sounded like a shrill for Chief Unalaq. “Do you have a plan on how to stop the dark spirits and prevent fights with the troops?”

“Yes, but I can’t speak it with you.” Tonraq gave him a sad smile. “I hope it is enough to prevent all out war. Take care, Mako, and be safe.” Tonraq nodded at him and continued his walk toward the Ferris wheel. 

Mako watched him go and felt conflicted. He wasn’t sure what to think about any of this. Some of what Chief Unalaq had discussed during the trip to the South Pole made sense, and with the escalating tensions, having troops or some sort of security force made some sense to him, but was it too much? The Southerners had some legitimate concerns too, so why wasn't Chief Unalaq meeting with them?

He turned and looked back the way they’d come. Dark spirits swooped and dived into the streets further west of his location, and blasts of water shot into the air at them. It drove them back, but they only dived into a different location. Korra needed to be here. Not wandering off on adventures, neglecting her training and duties. Mako clenched his fists and kept to the sides of the street, out of the way of the troops, and hopefully out of sight of the dark spirits. 

After two intersections, Mako leaped into an alley to avoid a dark spirit that dived at a regiment of troops. It scattered them, and ice and water blasts shot at the spirit, pushing it back higher into the air. One soldier screamed when the dark spirit spun past a water blast and slammed an elongated arm into him. He skidded into the nearby home. 

Mako shot fire from his location, aiming it at the dark spirit, but then it turned to him. It dived into his alley, and he dodge rolled into the street. He blasted fire straight at it. This sliced through it, but it did little to stop it. A torrent of ice sliced through the spirit from the troops, and it howled. The noise grated his ears and stabbed through his mind, leaving his head pounding. Sweeping upward, the dark spirit soared up and over them and dived into a different street. 

Taking the moment, Mako turned and sprinted up the street toward his lodgings. He wasn’t going to risk another attack. Not without someone to help dispel the spirit. Behind him, he heard shouts and sounds of more fighting, but he didn’t look back. He skidded through a snow-encrusted intersection, turned right, and sprinted up toward the lodgings door, only to run into his brother. They tumbled into the snow. 

“Bolin?” Mako said, breathlessly. “What are you doing?”

Bolin laughed, uneasily. “Going to see Eska. You know, to try to… share how I feel and stuff.” 

Mako jumped to his feet and helped his brother up. “I thought you didn’t want to be with her anymore.” Something in Bolin’s demeanor bothered him. He had that shifty look, unable to look Mako in the eyes, which meant he was up to something. “Bo, what is it?”

"Nothing!” Bolin said and looked away. "Just gotta do a big thing!"

Why was everyone bent on keeping him out of the loop? “Bo, I’m your brother. It’s not like I’ll tell anyone with Asami and Korra out of town.” His irritation filtered through his voice. 

“Hey, it's not a bad thing! I wanna try to sort things out with Eska. And then help out Varrick.” Bolin tapped his lip thoughtfully. “I guess Varrick didn’t specifically say not to tell you, but he still said to make sure others don’t know or notice. I’m to be discreet.” 

The more words Bolin said the more worried Mako became. “Bo, not so sure this is a good idea, whatever it is.”

“Oh come on, you don’t even know what it is and judging me already?” Bolin glowered at him. “I’m only doing some drawing. No big deal. Besides, it’ll score us a lot of yuan. I already got the first half! So gotta do this to get the rest, and we’ll be set for a good year or more!” He grinned. “See? I can help us make money too.” 

It wasn’t that Mako doubted Bolin could hold a job - which so far his brother had failed at that, having only stuck with pro-bending so far - but the fact Varrick was paying him for this ‘favor’ smelled too much like the Triple Threats using Bolin for dirty work. “Look, I don’t wanna have to pull you out of prison or something, okay? Just don’t do illegal things. This place is feeling like a powder keg.” 

“Then this is even more important! Maybe it’ll stop that.” Bolin lightly punched his shoulder. “And you’re being way too serious. Take a breather, Mako. Enjoy the safety of the lodgings! No dark spirits there.” He tried a laugh, but it turned more into a squeak of fear. He turned and jogged away, up toward the palace. 

Mako considered running after to drag him back to the lodgings and get the full story, but he felt tired, confused, and hurting from the fight with Korra. Going to Chief Unalaq with no information about Korra’s whereabouts wasn’t something he wanted to do, so he’ll have to investigate. But where to start? Tonraq and Senna’s was a dead end. Who else could he ask? Wait, Varrick. Asami had been trying to get a deal with him. Mako headed up to his rented room to consult his notes and a map. He needed a plan if he was going to try to extract anything useful from that man.

Varrick’s Lodgings, One Hour Later

Varrick lounged on a ridiculously ornate leather and sealskin sofa that was large enough to be a bed. Mako sat uneasily on a stool near it, unwilling to actually sit on it as who know what Varrick did on it. “So you wanna know what your brother is up to?” Varrick laughed. “Zhu li, get a tea for this fella. He’ll need it!” The man gestured to his mansion. “I’m doing business with him, that’s all. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. So what do you say? Willing to help my people too? Or this a courtesy call? Can’t say I like those, they can be boring.”

“I'm here to ask questions. I hear you do shipping, but with the blockade, isn't your stock going bad?" Mako figured he could try to ease into his questions, maybe trick Varrick into giving something away. 

"Spirits, do you know how much fish I got rotting away out there? Seriously, I needed to sell those fish. Now whole ships needs dumped." Varrick threw up his hands. "Got a whole load of cargo waiting on the other side of the blockade. Can't even get into port. Seems fishy, right? Why blockade us?"

Mako admitted to himself that the blockade did seem a bit much. The fact it happened directly after the South Pole trip and the portal opening also seemed strange, but Mako had no intention of saying that to Varrick. "I can't get back to Republic City, so I get your worries on that. I know my buddy, Asami, has been working on a deal with you. Was she having a meeting with you today?" He thought Bolin had mentioned it offhand yesterday.

Varrick tapped his chin. "Gotta say, didn't expect her to send her tiger shark alone, which is a ballsy move. Playing the long game that friend of yours! Her tiger shark offered to aid my dealings, which definitely will net them a better deal. I like a good favor."

"So she didn't show too?" That was strange. That meant the journey took precedence, but what would Korra and Asami doing that would cause Asami to abandon a meeting that she desperately needed to save her company? It didn't make sense.

"Nope, but Bolin and I worked out preliminary deal. Things are looking good for them." Varrick studied Mako. "You know what you need? A relaxing day, that's what! How about this. I take you down to the spa and show you some fantastic movers I got rolling. It'll be the new best-"

Frustration filtered through Mako. "I'm not here for your antics. Did Bolin give you any information on where Asami went?"

“Oh? Seeking information costs you.” Varrick swung his legs off the sofa and leaned toward Mako, intrigued. “And I love secrets, especially juicy ones. Share a secret, and I'll give you one of mine.” 

Mako wasn’t sure that was a good idea. “I don’t know much, that’s why I’m asking.” 

“Even more mysterious!” Varrick spread his hands expansively. “I love mysteries!”

Zhu li entered and placed a tray of tea on the table between them. She glanced at Varrick and added a dose of honey to his cup before handing it to him. Her face was impassive as always, and she was dressed smartly in a pants suit. 

Mako inwardly sighed in frustration. "Look, I just need to know.."

Varrick interrupted him. "They'll be back soon enough, I'm sure. Just give it a breather." The business man paused but then pounded his fist into his other hand. "Let's talk business between us, you game? I got a grand plan, and I think you could really help." He grinned. "So Mako, here’s the deal. If you do a favor for me, I’ll pay you some big yuan. Starting at… say 5 thousand yuan?” He winked.

“Are you asking me to do your dirty work?” Mako said, irritated. Last thing he needed was to get tied up in local black market dealings, and Varrick definitely gave off those vibes.

“Of course not! Just a business proposition.” He pressed his hands against the table, and his smile faded into an uncharacteristically serious look. “My people are having a rough time of it. These troops stifling our economy and look at my ships! Millions down the drain! We can’t survive like this. Can’t even get a meeting with that so-called Chief! But I hear you are tight with him. So what do you say? Willing to help a friend out? Get us in with the Chief?” Varrick took a sip of the tea and snapped his fingers. “Zhu li, do the thing!” 

She dropped a bound pile of yuan in front of Mako. He looked down at it, surprised by how thick it was. Did Varrick just rain money down on everything to get his way? 

“Look, I don’t get what you want me to do. It’s not like Chief Unalaq listens to me.” 

“Ah, but you are the Avatar’s boyfriend. You have her ear and she has the Chief’s. Get us a meeting, kid. Make it for an evening.” Varrick sipped his tea again. “Heard you want that blockade over too. Seems like our interests align, don’t you think?” 

Mako sighed and pushed the money away. “I’m not taking your bribe, but I guess it can’t hurt to ask for the meeting.” 

“Ah, there you go my good man!” Varrick jumped to his feet and eagerly shook Mako’s hand then threw his arm around his shoulders. “Knew you’d see reason!” He directed Mako toward the doors. “And that money will be waiting, can’t have a fellow business partner go unpaid, right?” 

Mako did not consider himself a business partner, and he didn’t really like the feel of Varrick’s arm on his shoulders. Something about this meeting unnerved him, but he couldn’t put a finger on what yet. The man had masterfully off-balanced and subverted his intentions to extract information. With Varrick pushing him out the door of his mansion and talking up the favor, Mako recognized his defeat and headed out, frustrated and feeling increasingly isolated.

Chapter Text

In the beginning, the world was space and water. The moon shone down across the lifeless oceans. The realm of spirits and the realm of physical world was torn asunder by a massive battle of disorder and order, and the blast of energy blew rocks and fire and brimstone into the air to form the land. The Lion Turtles passed from the space beyond to calm the fiery explosions of land, and from them, the animals of the land populated.

Giants, far larger than humans of today, birthed from the blast of energy, birthed spirits and humans. One of their offspring became sickened and sought to devour the smaller humans who were fragile and prone to death. The giants fought their ravenous offspring and cast her into the ocean. Being mortally wounded by the battle, the giants bled and their blood created the rivers and lakes, their bodies the mountains and hills.

The ravenous daughter birthed the creatures of the sea only to eat her own creations in her hunger. La, the spirit of water, took pity on her, and La came to Tui to call upon the humans to gather as one. They tasked the humans with seeking the elements so that the rite of healing could be conducted. The humans, many afraid of the ravenous daughter, became divided. Some headed deep inland to hide in the mountains, far from the sickness that haunted the oceans and rivers. Others rallied together and agreed to the great task of curing the daughter to restore balance to the oceans and waterways of the world.

Their travels took them far across the world and to the lands of the great Lion Turtles. Here they sought the wisdom on how to complete the task La and Tui had given them. The Lion Turtles, pleased at the humans request for knowledge, asked them to seek a nearby conflict and to peacefully resolve it. If this was completed in two days time, the gift of the elements would be granted.

To save on time, the group of humans split into four groups, one for each element, and sought out nearby conflicts.

The fire group found the conflict of humans and spirits that fought over the forest and the burning of trees for fuel and warmth. They sought to teach the humans a way to take only what was needed as a compromise with the spirits.

The earth group found the conflict of spirits and humans that fought over mining for materials in the hills. The earth group sought a compromise where the humans would take only what was needed and help the spirits repair the land when finished.

The water group found conflict in the lakes between spirits and humans that fought over the dumping of human waste into the lakes. The water group sought a compromise where humans dug their waste and buried it in stone, to protect the water and keep it clean for all.

The air group found conflict in the mountains, where spirits and humans fought over the passing of humans into the spirit world. The air group sought a compromise that humans would seek passage through meditation and respect for spirits’ needs, to mutually support one another.

All four groups returned to the Lion Turtles, who pleased at the peaceful resolutions of the tasks, granted them the power of the elements. Together the groups returned to Tui and La.

Together they created the rite of healing, and cleansed the ravenous daughter of her hunger. Cured, she transformed into the mightiest of whales to forever protect the ocean and its creatures.

La and Tui chose to stay with the humans in the spirit oasis due to the bravery in facing a ravenous giant who had sought to devour them. They brought harmony to the people of the north, and through that harmony, humans began to spread across the physical realm.

Chapter Text

Late Afternoon after Nakul's telling of the Creation Myth, On the Ocean near Southern Water Tribe’s Oil Rig

Korra crouched in the bow of the boat with Waaseyaa positioned near the middle and Asami at the stern. Theirs was an old flat boat with an outboard engine, that had previously been not working, but Asami, using only the tools on her belt, had gotten it up and running in no time at all. That never ceased to amaze Korra, how Asami could look at some tech thing and somehow get it to a functional state. Korra joked that it was her bending - tech bending, hoping to get a laugh out of the engineer, but she only smiled, her concentration solely on the engine itself.

Around them sailed four traditional Southern Tribe sailing vessels, which consisted of three canoes lashed together below the flat bottom, where the sail, storage, and living space was located. All had their sails fully extended, the wind heavy on the ocean. Each could hold a dozen people at least, but they held only a handful of the village’s water benders. The goal was for the villagers to draw the ire of the oil rig’s defenses, so that Asami could get their boat close enough to board the rig, while Waaseyaa stayed as lookout.

Her Avatar sense definitely converged on this rig. Asami whipped the boat around and took a zigzag course toward the rig. The other ships began to zigzag too, and that’s when Korra sighted the rig’s defenses.

“Torpedoes incoming!” She could feel the energy that hurtled in the ocean toward the other boats, but one zeroed in on their position. She bended the ocean water and twisted the torpedoes trajectory so it passed below them and rammed into the ocean floor. Several more shot toward them, and again she bended them away. Asami maneuvered them closer and closer. One of the other ships got hit and pulled away from the others to retreat, while the others sailed faster in circles around the rig, pushed forward quicker than the wind by the water benders.

“On my mark,” Korra said, “We’re going up.”

“Waaseyaa, take the helm.” Asami switched places with the woman. “Keep us steady.” The engineer had donned her electroshot glove and settled near Korra. The boat nearly flew across the water the engine roaring at the increase in speed that Asami had given it before giving up control to the older woman. Two more torpedoes hurtled toward them, and Korra bended them into the ocean bed. The Rig loomed like a massive metal beast, it’s platform riddled with metal struts and pipes under its surface. From this vantage point, she couldn’t see if anyone was up there.

“Okay, three,” Korra threw an arm around Asami, “two, one!” She bended them up and Asami held onto her side. The wind rushed around them, and then they were on the rig.

Two men in grey jumpsuits jumped up from where they sat by the central building and rushed toward them.  Asami spun away from Korra’s hold to sprint toward one. She dropped into a slide to kick out his legs, danced back up, and zapped him in her signature move. Korra slammed a blast of air bending into the other attacker. He skidded across the deck and hit the side of the central building. He tumbled down unconscious.

For a moment, both of them stood there at ready, but no one else came toward them. The rig itself was littered with barrels, crates, and metal contraptions that Korra couldn’t identity. Maybe Asami knew what they were?

“I don’t see the dark spirit,” Korra said, uneasily. She had expected it to show itself right away, but so far it had been two humans.

“Expected more working the deck.” Asami dropped down beside the man she’d zapped. “Wait, Korra, look.” She pushed him onto his back. “What’s wrong with his breathing?” His breaths were short, gasping, and he’d stop for along moment, before he gasped again. He groaned but didn’t fully wake.

Korra pulled up a tendril of water and focused on healing. A yellow glow lit up the water as it rolled over his body. An image built up in her mind, and she prodded the injuries in his lungs, only to find it impenetrable. “I can’t heal him.” She dropped the water on the deck. “His lungs, they’re half full of oil.”

Asami looked at her, alarmed. Turning, she looked at the other man, who also labored to breathe. “Do you think…”

“The dark spirit did this?” Korra frowned, upset that she couldn’t think of any way to get that gunk out of the man’s lungs. Could Katara? “Back in the cave, they took corporeal form, wrapped me up and tossed me about. Guess them filling up lungs isn’t too far-fetched.”

Shivering, Asami pointed toward the central building with its glass windows. Atop it was a long metal pole. “The controls, living quarters, and drill sector ought to be there. Maybe the dark spirit too.” Pulling her hood tighter around her face, she headed in that direction. Korra bounded after her.

The quiet of the rig contrasted the murmur of the waves and the roar of the engine of their boat. Why wasn’t there more people? Korra reached the door to the building first and tried the handle. “Locked.”

“Hold on.” Asami dropped to a crouch in front of it and dug out a small, thin tool from her belt. She slipped it in the lock, pressed her ear up against it, and fiddled with it. Barely a minute later and the door clicked open.

“Uhh. You gotta teach me that trick,” Korra said. She pushed open the door and slid inside, prepared to shoot flames or a burst of air if needed, but no one was at the controls. Another door on the other side of the room was shut. Korra tried that one, and it was locked too.

Asami headed to the controls. “Okay, so I’m seeing some power here. Motors are running. It’s pulling up something from its pipes. Depth of pipe is 90 meters.” She looked over a few more of the control panels, then flicked a few switches. “There. That should turn off defenses.”

Korra glanced at the controls, most of them knobs, switches, and various instruments that read information she didn’t quite understand. “Why isn’t anyone in here?”

The engineer glanced at her. “I wondered the same thing.” Again she poured over the controls. “Look for any files.” She gestured to some of the cabinets on the opposite side of the room.

Korra wandered over and wrenched open the drawers. Very few papers, and most of them seemed to be printouts full of data that sounded like gibberish to her. She tried the other drawers. One held replacement parts for the controls. The other held thick manuals. “Are these helpful?” Korra held out the gibberish printouts.

Asami took them and flipped through the papers. “This is just data of the rig going back a few years. How much oil pulled, who picked it up and when. Huh.” She laid out three of the papers flat on the control panels. “One year ago all data related to ownership ceased. Ships were listed with numbers and workers as letters, no names were used after that. Wait, here, a few days ago, mention of evacuation. Yet…” Confused, she looked over at Korra. “Who rescued them and why leave some behind?”

“You’re asking me?” Korra shrugged. She walked the edges of the room, but she couldn’t find anything else of note other than some open food cans and bottles. “Hey, the pump thing you mentioned. Can we shut down the pipes? So it stops pulling up stuff?”

The engineer nodded. She folded up the papers and tucked them inside her coat pocket. Trailing her fingers along the panels, she scrutinized each label and set of controls. “Likely here.” She adjusted a knob and hit several switches. The lights flickered in the room then plunged them into darkness. Korra flicked out a flame on her palm. “Well, huh,” Asami said, surprised. “That shut down everything.”

Korra played her flame across the walls. “There’s no writing or marks on the walls. Would hate to work here. Nothing to liven it up.”

“At least they have an ocean view.” Asami touched her way in the dark to the locked door. “Give me some light, please?” Korra walked back over and watched as the engineer did her lockpick trick again. She shoved open the door, but it creaked open only a few paces.

“Let me try.” After Asami moved out of the way, Korra kicked forward and a burst of air slammed into the door. Several crates went flying across the room. “Woah, someone blocked it?”

She stepped inside and noted it was a galley. Counters with a stove top on the far end was cluttered with remains of food cans and plates, the table still had some half-eaten food, and the doors to the right hung open. Most seemed to go to rooms with bunks and desks.

Asami tapped her knuckles against a large metal door on the left side of the galley. The front of it held a crank-wheel. “This is likely to the shaft for the drill and casing pipes.”

Korra looked into one of the bunks and played her flame across the walls. “Looks like markings here got scrapped off.” She pulled open some drawers in the desk but found only some writing supplies. The dresser held a jumpsuit. Pulling it out, she tossed it to Asami, who caught it, then wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“Unwashed.” She held it out to examine in Korra’s flame. “Huh. Unmarked grey. No tags or anything.” She dropped it on the table.

“This is spooky.” Korra went to the next bunk but found the same situation. “Wouldn’t they have a uniform?”

“Not all companies require one, but to have standardized jumpsuits like that, that is a uniform. Just unmarked.” Asami pushed open the last bunk that was half closed, then leaped backward with a strangled scream. A body fell out, half in the room and half out. Both of them stared at it, neither moving, until Asami took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Light please.”

Korra obliged, uneasy. She hoped the person was just unconscious. Crouching, she increased her flame, so the light played over the scene. The man was young, tanned skin, black hair cut short, and the grey jumpsuit on his body. Asami patted the pockets of the jumpsuit. She checked his neck and face.

“No pulse. Can your healing check how he died?” Despite the calm expression she wore, a slight tremor haunted Asami’s voice.

“Yeah.” Korra stood and turned the knob on the sink. Extinguishing her flame, she bended the water into a swirl and flowed it over the man’s body. The glow lit the area in an eerie blue cast, and an image of the man built up in her mind. “Spirits, he died a half hour ago! Lungs full of that same stuff the other’s guys got.” She released the water, and it drenched the floor by the man. She flicked the flame into being again. “If we were just a little faster, we might have saved him, Asami!” Korra wanted to kick herself.

“No, those guys out there? If you couldn’t heal them, how could you have healed this guy?” Asami stood and backed away from him with a shudder. “Terrible way to die.” Both of them looked at him. “Should we lay his body to rest?”

“But we don’t know who he is or what culture he’s from..." Korra remembered from Katara’s and her mother’s stories that some of the smaller tribes in the South had differing traditions for how dead were laid to rest. Some burned the bodies, and some laid them out to rest at sea. Which would be best?

Asami sighed. She pulled the man out of his bunk then laid him flat, crossing his arms over his chest. She grabbed a sheet off his bed and laid it over him. “I guess that’s all we can do for now.” She washed her hands in the sink but stayed there, looking down at the draining water. “Korra, I think the answer to this riddle is beyond that door,” Asami said, her words tight and measured.

“Yeah, okay. Ready yourself.” Korra did not particularly want to open it, not after seeing that dead man and the battered lungs of the others. She looked over at Asami, and the engineer looked up with a tense expression, her lips tightly pursed in a thin line, and her brow furrowed with concern.

As Korra stepped closer to the shut door, the sensation of being watched crept over her, and a golden light seeped through the floor. Her vision blurred, and she stepped into a vision of Wan. 

Wan walked through the forest, the thick smell of ash and smoke cloying in his nose. "Wait, that's not good." He pushed through the vegetation. Beside him, a spirit kept his face. She flowed like a kite in the wind and glowed with thick white light, an intricate pattern upon the spirit's chest. The smell grew worse, and Wan increased his pace. Char marks showed on some of the trunks here, and the vegetation was burnt or torn apart. He burst out of the forest and into a charred clearing.

“A spirit!” A man hurled a fireball. Wan leaped in front and deflected it.The fire slammed into the dirt instead.

“Easy there, friends! We’re friendly!” He held up his hands in a pacifying gesture, while taking a step in front of the light spirit. No way was he going to let any of them hurt her.

“I can’t believe it. Wan?” One of the other men ran toward him, and Wan grinned at the sight of his friend. Jaya looked older, his brown hair down up in a bun, and a goatee on his chin.

“Jaya!” He hugged the other. Jaya nearly lifted him off the ground, surprising Wan still more. How much his friend had grown from their skinny, hungry teen days. “What are you doing out here?”

Jaya laughed and waved his hands at the buildings behind him. “You inspired us. Once we heard you survived out here, we thought we could too!”

Wan scanned the small settlement. A few wooden houses with sod roofs were clustered around a commons that held rows of produce. A large swatch of burnt land surrounded the houses, and the forest lay beyond, dark and thick with vegetation. Wan counted eight people outside the homes, though more could be inside. “Where’s Yao? Did he come with you?”

Jaya hung his head in sorrow. “He didn't survive.  We… we lost a lot of good men.” He turned and pointed to the spirit next to Wan. “Why are you protecting this spirit?”

“She’s a friend! So don’t worry. She’s not like the dark spirits you’re fighting.” Again he stepped in front of her protectively. He wondered if he ought to tell Jaya the full story of why he traveled with her, but the look on his friend's face made him pause.

Jaya frowned, his eyebrows creased, and he looked back at the settlers then at Wan. He shrugged. “Dark spirits? We destroy any that come near us, just like they kill us.”

A blaze of white light spilled from Wan's friend, and she reared upward. “You have no idea what you’re doing. You’re only making this worse.”

“We’re making a home!” Jaya responded, angrily."It's you all that's making it worse!"

One of the other settlers shouted behind them. “Spirits!” He ran from the woods, tripped over his feet, and pushed himself up to scramble forward, desperately. Several spirits burst into the burnt clearing, one of them the Aye-Aye spirit along with several other wolf-bear and flying hummingbat spirits.

“That's it! Wipe them out and burn down the whole forest!” Jaya called out to the other settlers. The men ran toward Jaya and the fleeing settler and formed ranks just beyond their homes. Flames lit up their hands.

Wan ran after him, horrified. “What happened to you? When did you become so violent?”

Jaya turned to him, running backwards. “You showed us we could change the world if we stopped being afraid. That's what we're doing!”

Wan shook his head. “This wasn’t what I had in mind!” He rushed after, desperate to stop the fight. “Wait!” He shouted. “We can resolve this peacefully!”

“Get out of the forest, humans,” the Aye-Aye spirit said, but then stopped to look at Wan in surprise. “Stinky! You came back! You both can aid us in stopping these fire loving jerks just like the old days.”

“You’re the ones that are getting stopped for good,” Jaya shot back. He bended a blast of flame, but the Aye-Aye spirit dodged it.

Wan held up his hands and stood between them. “There’s no need for violence! We can come to a compromise.” Wan noticed then that his spirit friends had started to turn dark, their forms darker with red and navy blue tinge. Dread filled him.

"These humans aren't like you!" Aye-aye spirit boomed, angrily. "They destroy without care."

 “These spirits killed our friends! We will avenge their deaths,” Jaya bended another blast, but Wan blocked it. 

“We are the protectors of the forest,” the dark spirits roared with crackling energy. “We will not let it be burned down.” The anger within the spirits swept through Wan, and he could feel the pulse of the chaos spirit, the one that he’d unleashed by accident.

Korra stumbled in the dark, the fire in her hand gone, and Wan’s desperation thumped like a heart in her mind. Her hand grasped cold metal, bringing her out of the vision. “As chaos grows, stability fades,” Said the same voice that had spoken at the South Pole and again on the way to the hidden village. “Seek to understand, Korra. You must dig deeper.” Korra blinked and she was back on the oil rig, no longer in a burnt clearing about to watch spirits and settlers clash in a fight.

“Oh, oh no.” Korra flicked a flame back into her hand.

“Korra?” Asami stood next to her, her green eyes bright in the firelight in Korra’s hands. “What did you see?”

Korra stepped forward to touch her hand against the crank.

“Wan found his friends again.” She recounted the vision and the words the voice had repeated in her mind. She ran her hand over the crank and down the door then moved the flame close to the floor. Oil leaked along the bottom of it. “Wan wanted to stop the fights between spirits and humans. And here we are. Trying to do just that, aren’t we?” Korra thought back to Nakul's creation myth, and Asami's insights into her visions. The pieces still felt fragmented, like they saw only an incomplete picture, yet they stood on an oil rig made by humans, where a rumored dark spirit haunted it. “You were right. The visions got to be mirroring my actions!”

“Then that means…” Asami grabbed the crank. “Get ready, Korra.”

Korra shifted her stance. The water from earlier still lay on the floor by the dead man, but she kept the fire in her hand. She had to see what they faced first.

Asami turned the crank, putting all her weight into it. It creaked loudly. A clank sounded. She pulled the door open slowly, the metal thick and heavy. A stench of oil and decay emanated from the room. As the door opened wider, an oily tentacle suddenly lashed through the opening. Korra slammed it with fire. It lit up the room in a blaze. Asami jumped backward and slid herself across the table, out of reach of the tentacles. Another tentacle swept out and again Korra set it ablaze.

“Water, Korra! Water!” Asami had moved closer to the exit, her glove extended.

“Right!” Korra flicked out her flame and pulled up the water. She bended it in swirls, but she couldn’t see the spirit. Instead, she heard the squelch of crawling then the drip of a liquid right in front of her. Jumping backward, she spun the water around where she heard the sound. Tentacles slammed into her, and she skidded into the wall. The water splashed to the ground.

Sparks from Asami’s glove lit up the room, and the dark spirit hissed. “Electricity worked! It worked!” A thread of excitement and relief colored the engineer’s voice.

Korra scrambled to her feet. “Go! Outside!” She sprinted after Asami. The dark spirit hurtled after them. A tentacle snatched Korra’s ankle and yanked her back toward the galley. She shot a burst of fire and lit the tentacle in a blaze again.

Asami grabbed her arm and hauled her back to her feet. She jumped through the buildings exit with Korra close behind. The dark spirit heaved forward, its tentacles black as oil, it’s bulk oily and thick, and drips of oil scattered across the platform with each pull forward.

“Try again. I’ll distract!” Asami said. Before Korra could vehemently disagree, the engineer dashed forward to zap a tentacle yet again, only to dance out of reach of another. The electric energy seems to aggravate the spirit more than anything else. That couldn't be good.

Korra bended water from the ocean and swirled it up and over the dark spirit. Nakul had used healing techniques, so Korra focused on trying to heal the spirit. The fury in the dark spirit swelled like a tidal wave that crashed through Korra. She lost control of the water, and a tentacle slammed her into a pair of barrels. Wincing, Korra shoved herself to her feet and bended the water upward again.

Two tentacles lashed out at Asami. She hit one with the electroshot glove, but the other caught the ankle of Asami’s right boot. Pulled roughly forward, she hit the ground hard. The dark spirit swept toward her, a mass of sludge and oil.

“No!” Korra pushed the water to slam the dark spirit away from her friend. “Stay back!”

“Korra,” Asami shouted, “Focus on calming it! I got this!” She zapped the tentacle still around her ankle and rolled free, barely dodging yet another attack.

“Focus, focus, focus,” Korra muttered. She pictured the Aye-Aye spirit and its calm healing pool. Gathering the water again, she swirled it upward, closed her eyes, and pictured Wan lowered into that pool. The healing energy that swept through his body and healed his pain and wounds. The cool sensation of the water. Energy blazed through her bending, and the squelching sound slowly faded.

“Avatar,” an unfamiliar voice boomed. Korra opened her eyes to see a massive whale spirit in the tangles of her glowing water bending.

“Why are you angry?” Korra asked it.

In response, images swamped Korra’s mind.

Oil clogged the blowholes of whales. They struggled to breathe, unable to blow the substance free. One by one they suffocated, dropping into the depths below.

The spirit faded into the sky. Korra dropped the water and fell to her knees, the pain of the whales' deaths intense, her breaths in gasps. For a moment, she felt like her lungs were full of oil, and her vision swam.

“Hey, hey,” Asami knelt at her side. Her voice pulled Korra back from the spirit’s images. “Are you okay?”

“They suffocated. The whale pods. The oil suffocated them.” Korra took in gulping breaths and blinked back tears. “We can’t let this rig stay. It’s got to go.”

Asami leaned back on her heels, her expression somber. “We shut it down already.”

“I want to blow it up.” Korra pushed herself to her feet. Anger filtered through her. “Make sure it’s never used again.” If she didn’t, someone else would come along. Then how many more whales would die? How much more oil would leak? Would the village lose all access to clean water? She clenched her fist. She couldn’t let that happen.

“Okay, it’s not that easy. This is a massive metal platform, and there’s oil still stored here. Blowing the whole thing up could make things worse.” Asami gestured to the supplies still on the platform. “Those barrels would likely burst open if any fell into the sea. And oil fires can rage for days.”

“Okay, then we get all the oil off and then blow it up?” Korra stalked to the side of the platform. The four ships and Waaseyaa still sailed nearby. She pointed to the ships. “They can take them off.”

“Let me clarify.” Asami gestured to the metal platform. “Even if we do that, the damage from blowing it up could pollute this area worse. And how will you blow it up? This is metal and platinum, Korra.”

“Ugh, are you going to shoot down all my ideas?” Korra glared at the engineer.

Asami didn’t reply, only sighed and walked to the edge of the platform. She looked across the ocean toward the glacier that covered much of the peninsula. Her silence stretched between them, and Korra felt a surge of guilt.

“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.” Korra scuffed her foot against the metal. “Just, feeling the deaths of those whales, it’s like I couldn’t breathe with them.”

Her friend turned to her. “I know. It’s okay. I want to do this right, Korra. If I plug that well and you get these barrels off, we can at least break the controls to make platform inoperable. Does that work?”

Korra smiled in relief. “Yes.”

***

Waaseyaa positioned the boats in a line in the spot Korra directed. Behind her, Asami had gone back into the building after helped Korra lower both of the injured oil rig workers into Waaseyaa’s boat.  Neither of them had much hope of whether they could be saved, but at least they still breathed. Part of Korra worried that there was some other horrible thing hiding in there to attack her friend but she also knew Asami was more than capable of handling herself. Korra needed focus on getting this oil off the rig. There was a few dozen barrels scattered across the platform, but only eleven of them were full. The rest turned out to be empty.

“Ready!” the older woman waved at Korra.

Korra took a deep breath and air bended the first barrel into the air. She swirled her arms in a circle and lowered it down onto Waaseyaa’s boat.

“Got it! Next one!”

Korra repeated this to load up one more. That boat could only hold two barrels safely, so Waaseyaa started the engine and moved it out of the way. The next boat floated into position. Korra started the process all over again. At least this one could hold a lot more.

It took almost an hour to get all the barrels off the platform, including some of the empty ones. Exhaustion had started to creep into Korra, and the anger and pain from the whale deaths had faded into an uneasy determination to see this through. Her visions had led her here, given her what she needed to understand, so she had to finish it.

“Any others?” Waaseyaa called up to her.

“Let me check in the building!” Korra waved at her and jogged toward it. She hadn’t seen Asami that entire hour, and it worried her a bit. Stepping inside, she noted that one of the panels was lit up, and dim reddish-orange lights lined the edges of the walls. Creepy. Korra walked into the galley and through the thick metal door. She was met with a large room full of pipes and metal struts and dozens of barrels.

But no Asami.

Confused and very worried, Korra walked through the rows of barrels, many of them full or close to full. The empty ones lay near the back. All of them lay on a conveyor belt. The ceiling and walls were covered in pipes and metal scaffolding, which left Korra at a loss as to how any of it worked.

When she couldn’t find Asami among the barrels either, Korra walked up to the central pipe that pushed through the floor of the platform. Next to it hung a pole with gears, metal wires, and tubes attached to it; the wire was thick and a tube was attached to the wire, it ran down into a circular hole next to the central pipe. She looked down to see a shaft that opened up into the ocean. The wire and pipe went all the way down the shaft and into the ocean.

Had Asami gone underwater? But she said the pressures in the ocean could crush things. Would it crush a human? Korra wished she knew more about this stuff. Maybe she ought to read more books. She paced impatiently, then wandered among the barrels to look for any signs of who owned them. None of them had markings, most were a grey color though a few had a white circle painted on one side. Frustrated, Korra stalked back to the weird metal contraption and tapped her foot restlessly.

The metal wire trembled. The gears on the pole began to move and the wire-pipe pulled upward to wind around the gears. Korra took a step back, confused. Several minutes passed, then a metal claw grabbed the top of the shaft. Another one appeared, and a massive metal suit pushed upward onto the floor of the room. It resembled one of Asami’s father’s mechs, but without any of the weaponry and without any wheels. The top of it opened up.

Asami climbed out of it. “Oh, hi. Had an issue with the pipes.”

She jumped to the floor and smiled wanly, her damp hair clung to her her clothes. Shivering, she pulled her hood back over her head. She turned to the hole in the floor and pushed over a round cap that clanged loudly as it hit the hole. Once it was secure, she twisted the crank on the back of the cap. “The spirit had messed up the pipes.” She turned to the central pipe. “Okay, got to switch out the mixture.” She fiddled with several more cranks. One of the pipes in the ceiling detached from the central pipe, swung to the left, and another clamped down. “Once done, we’ll need to get the oil out of here.”

“Right. We’re going to need more ships or take several trips.” Korra felt frustrated. This was taking too long. Why couldn’t she just set the whole thing on fire and leave it at that? “What happens to oil when it burns?”

“Noxious fumes, bad smell, and leaves a residue…” Asami frowned. “No, absolutely not. We’ll move these barrels and break the controls, and that’s all.”

“Fine.” Korra stomped her way back outside to inform the villagers of the additional barrels. 

Chapter Text

Two Days after Solstice, Morning, Wolf Cove

Yesterday after the visit with Varrick and running into Mako, Bolin had pulled a rickshaw through the streets, created earth steps for the princess, and listened to her terrible jokes about the locals. It grated on his soul, left him feeling demoralized, but he had a job to do. Varrick and Korra’s people relied on him to draw, and he would draw. 

He followed Eska up the steps to the palace, weary still from a mostly sleepless night of worry. He stopped to look up at the massive entrance. Two guards flanked the doors, and he wondered if he ought to draw that. Pabu perked up from his food, and put a paw on Bolin’s ear, while leaning back to look up at the edifice of stone, ice, and wood. The pillars on either side of the doors were carved with the swirls of waves.

Eska glanced at him. “What is it, my feeble duck?” 

“It’s so big,” Bolin said. He didn’t dare share his hidden goal. He had to hide that somehow. “Hey, look, I’m learning to draw.” He held up the journal he’d snagged from Mako’s stuff. His brother likely wouldn’t miss it, especially as it only had a few pages with words on it. “I thought I could… maybe draw you in various spots inside? I’m not good with backgrounds yet, but practice helps, right?” He attempted a smile but inwardly he was scared. Scared that she’ll see right through him and turn him to ice right then and there. Then he’d be trapped in prison, and no one would know, and he’d rot away, until Mako realized, and then they’d try to get him out…

“He seeks connection with images,” Desna commented, amused. “I am keen to see results.” 

“Yes. It is intriguing.” Eska gave Bolin one of her rare icy smiles. “You will tell me stories as we do this. Come.” She snapped her fingers. Bolin jumped and fell into step next to her. Sweat dampened the back of his neck, despite the cold of the ice walls and floors, at least it felt like ice to him, though he wondered how much of it was also stone.

Would he be able to pull this off? He hadn’t tried drawing in a long while, and most of it had been doodles as he waited for Mako to return with food when they were kids. Supplies had been scarce, so his paper and pens had mostly been dug out of dumpsters. Most of the drawings he’d lost, but a few he still kept in his lodgings back at Air Temple Island. He was particularly proud of the pro bender drawing he’d done when he and Mako had sneaked into the arena when he was nine.

As they entered the front foyer, Bolin casually looked around and noted that guards were situated at regular intervals along the right and left walls. There were also guards by the wood doors at the back of the foyer. The more regular sized doors to the right and left didn't line up with the intervals of guards though. He looked up at the domed ceiling and the glass windows below the dome. Sunlight lit the interior in a steady glow, though electric chandeliers glowed a steady blue-white above them. 

“Do you wish to draw here?” Eska’s tone was flat, but her eyebrows raised slightly.

“Not sure.” Bolin opened the journal and made a quick sketch, marking the guards as circles. “Hmm. No, maybe not. It’s very… right angle-y.” He shut the journal. “What about in there?” He pointed to the doors across the way. 

Eska nodded. “Much more interesting.” She led him and Desna to the doors. The guards bowed to them and pushed them open. Inside was an intersection of hallways. Straight ahead was a large archway, which led to the garden in the center of the palace. Hallways to the right and left led into semi-darkness lit only by chandeliers in their domed ceilings. Eska led him into the garden, which was full of icy plants, ice sculptures, ice benches, and ice lined pathways. Was everything here ice? He shivered involuntarily.

“Oh, yeah, this works.” Bolin chose the nearest bench. “Lots to try.” He looked around and saw that most of the guards walked circuits in the garden. He wondered if there had been this many guards before Chief Unalaq sent in his troops. Would Korra know? 

Pabu leaned out of his hood, jumped down on the bench, and investigated some of the flowers. It took only a few scampers across the floor, before Pabu raced back and dived into Bolin’s hood again, shivering. Bolin felt sympathy for the poor ferret. He too was cold.

“Good. Now speak.” Eska settled on a bench across from him. Desna walked to some icy flowers and pinched the petals. He didn't tear any, but he did this with several flowers, and Bolin wondered what for.

"Okay, what about?" Bolin drew the rectangular layout of the garden, dots for the guards’ circuits. He pretended to scribble over this, and turned to the next blank page. He stuck out his tongue and focused on drawing Eska and the plants behind her. This was harder than he realized. Everything had three dimensions but paper had two. How did Asami make her drawings look so realistic? Her drawings were like a still from one of Varrick’s movers. 

"I wish to hear why you draw." Eska waved her hand at him to continue.

“So, you know, I started drawing young,” he said, trying to split his focus between speaking and drawing. It proved harder than he expected. “But we didn’t have much, Mako and I. So I’d get paper and pens from dumpsters. It helped pass the time! One time, when I was nine, Mako took way too long foraging for food. So I got bored. I wanted to get in the pro bending arena, and see all the fights! That was a dream. To be on a pro bending team! So I sneaked inside through the sewers...”

“Explain pro bending,” Eska interrupted. 

“Oh yeah, it’s a really cool sport in Republic City!” He paused to try to improve the sketch of her impassive expression. She still looked constipated in his drawing though. Maybe he shouldn’t show her this. “So, there’s three people on each team. A water bender, fire bender, and earth bender.” He quickly described the shape of the arena. Eska’s impassive face made it very hard to know if she was bored or not with his words. Desna had moved to a different set of flowers, but he was closer to them than before. “Goal is to knock as many players into the water as you can. A knockout of all three is a great way to win a round!" He paused and studied his drawing then looked up at Eska. "Lots of rules to it, but it's easy to learn! Best out of three wins the game.” Excitement filtered into his voice. “Mako and I made the team Fire Ferrets, then we got really good when Korra joined us as our water bender. We would have won the championship this year if WolfBat’s hadn’t cheated!”

“I see. Desna, perhaps we should investigate,” Eska said, still looking at Bolin with her icy gaze.

“It would amuse to see peasants attempt to dunk each other,” Desna agreed.

Bolin licked his lips nervously. So that was a sign they liked this topic, okay. He sketched in more flowers. "So, you don't do pro-bending up North?"

"No," Eska replied. "Many of our people are waterbenders only." She looked at Desna. "We spar. Read. Strategize."

Desna made a noncommittal noise and walked around Eska's bench to another set of flowers.

"Oh. Do you have sports?" He wasn't sure what to make of their answers.His pen paused on the page.

"Dog sleds." Desna bent out of sight. "Skis."

Eska had what looked like a faint smile on her stoic face, but Bolin wondered if he was imagining it. "Crass races. Much crashing. You would fit in perfectly."

That actually sounded like a lot of fun to him. Bolin attempted to draw the path that wove to the other side of the garden, and that’s when he saw the guards that stood at attention on either side of a large archway. “Oh, what’s that way?” He pointed. 

“Throne room. We will not go there today.” Eska stood and gestured for Bolin to do so as well. “Show me now.” 

He stood and held the journal toward her. Desna walked over to peer at his work too. 

“Interesting. The flowers resemble snails.” Desna turned away. 

To Bolin’s surprise, Eska smiled. “I would like to keep.” 

“Uh, sure, okay.” He pulled the journal back, tore out the page, and handed it to her. “Glad you like it?” 

“It is atrocious,” Eska said, “However, the intent is intriguing. Come, let us walk.” 

This wasn’t so bad. It almost made up for the punishing day yesterday, where he’d been forced into waiting on her hand and foot, until he wanted to collapse in a fit of tears. He managed a smile and fell into step beside her. He tried to reach for her hand, but the look she gave him, made him shrink back in fear. Okay, so still no touch allowed beyond helping her out of rickshaws or snowmobiles. 

Lunch

Bolin was exhausted. He’d managed several more drawings, especially of the guards, but the drawings of Eska hadn’t really improved, even with easier to draw backgrounds. Why had he thought he could draw flowers? They twisted about in all directions with their icy petals. But at least he could draw arches and walls and windows. Those had a solidity that felt just right. Like the solidity of earth. If he stood on earth. The cold from the walls and floor still made him wonder if he was trapped in an icy heart, one devoid of all care. 

“Your atrocities are improving,” Eska said of the latest drawing of her standing in the currently empty court room. “Good. Lunch awaits.” She grabbed his shirt and pulled him close, and for a moment, he thought she was going to kiss him, but instead, she looked at him with a slight tilt to her head. “You may go but return at three this afternoon.”

He nodded. She released him. He took a deep breath and adjusted his tunic. He wasn’t really sure what he was to Eska, but it didn’t feel like what he imagined a romantic relationship would be. He thought of Senna’s words about unhealthy relationships, then thought of Mako’s words of just saying he was done with this. Then he thought of the ice threats Eska had done offhand yesterday and the day before. 

No, he’d be a good Bolin. Would return on time. “For sure! Enjoy lunch!”

Before she could say anything else, he hurried out of the room, down the hall, only to end up confused and lost two intersections later. Wasn’t the garden around here somewhere? Three turns, one dead end, and several drawings of guards later, Bolin finally stumbled into the garden. Relief. He headed into the entrance foyer and finally into fresh air. He spread his arms wide and stood in the sun, and only felt cold. No warm heat. 

Okay, fine. He’d go to Varrick’s and finish the job. Maybe Varrick would have a feast there? He could eat three whole artic hens right now. And Pabu needed some good treats, he was out of cucumber chips. He headed down the road toward the Ferris Wheel, where Varrick's mansion crested a hill just north of it. Pabu's paw touched his ear as the ferret looked out over his shoulder. If only he could be a fire ferret, how much simpler life would be. 

The walk there involved a lot of dodging protesters and troops. At one point, he ran into a snowball fight between kids. He joined in for a bit, laughing as they pummeled him in response, then darted away the moment troops marched into view. That put him into much better spirits by the time he reached Varrick's mansion. He hit the buzzer, but this time the disembodied voice told him Varrick was not at home. That threw him for a loop, so instead, he wandered to a nearby noodle shop to conquer his quaking hunger. He'd visit Varrick after lunch, and once he got that last payment, he'd run to show it off to Mako. Now his brother couldn't say he wasn't trying to earn a living!

Chapter Text

Pre-Dawn Early Morning, Three Days After Solstice

Asami slipped out of the side room in the big tent, where they had been sleeping. The trips to get all the oil barrels off the rig had taken the rest of the day and most of the next. They'd only had one brush with trouble, when a boat sailed a bit too close to the operation, but the villagers had sent one of their own to distract it away. The villagers had insisted on placing all barrels with their contact at a local fishing dock nearby, near the Seal tribe who lived in a village further north, closer to Wolf’s Cove.

Pulling on her coat, Asami headed out of the tent and walked to the tidal pool in the village commons. The benches from the feast were still in place but the fire pit and other cooking supplies had been dismantled already. A lantern on one bench provided some light, but the cavern was dark. No moonlight in the crevices above. Only the vast darkness of a cave full of dripping water, the murmur of hidden waves, and the soft movement of crustaceans in the pools. The quiet felt almost comforting but also so alien. Growing up in a city, Asami had never realized how much sound surrounded her, and here, she felt the lack of that tumult.

Naga made a grumbling noise, and Asami turned to see the polar bear dog yawn expansively to reveal massive canines. A bit unsettling though Asami knew Naga would never hurt her. Korra lay against Naga’s flank her eyes closed. Despite being given space to sleep in the tent, it didn’t surprise Asami that Korra chose to sleep against Naga instead. The pair were mostly inseparable. Her legs were stretched out, her head and shoulders half hidden by the massive amount of fur, and her hands clasped over her stomach.

Asami settled at the closest bench, pulled out her idea journal, and sketched the pair. Korra looked so vulnerable when she slept, a contrast to her brash fierceness when she was awake. Her visions and Nakul’s creation myth bothered Asami, so she drew a scene from one of Korra’s visions as the background for the drawing. She wasn’t entirely sure what the people looked like in the visions, but she did an approximation and kept it blurry since the focus of the drawing was on Korra and Naga, not the background.

Nakul’s creation myth had mostly focused on Tui and La, but the way she described the elemental groups finding solutions to the Lion Turtle’s Tasks - wasn’t that the goal of the Avatar? Balance and harmony with people, spirits, and the world. Asami turned back to her descriptions of Korra’s visions. She thought of Wan’s fire bending. He hadn’t had it in Korra’s first vision, otherwise he would have used it to save himself, so where did he get it? She tapped her pen against the paper, frustrated. Too many missing puzzle pieces. She wanted to help Korra sort through it, but she felt overwhelmed by her lack of knowledge about spirits. 

However, Asami could help with the other problems. She turned to the list of known facts. She added the results of the oil rig to the list. The oil rig technology had caused harm, angering the whale spirit. If the boats were attacked due to over hunting, then did the fishers used technology to aid in that? The dark spirits in Wolf’s Cove, she’d seen them all over town, but Waaseyaa had reported more by the Ferris Wheel, then should they investigate that next? How much did technology affect spirits? Did it depend on the type of tech?

“Hey,” Korra said, sleepily. “Up early.” She lifted her head slightly and waved.

“Couldn’t sleep.” Asami shrugged. “You should sleep though.”

“Nah.” Korra waved her hand dismissively. “Come over here. Naga’s warm.”

Asami hesitated, worried that this would only bring up her confusing feelings again, but then the thought of being against that warm fur overruled her worry. She slid off the bench and sat down near Korra. Naga was indeed wonderfully warm and oh so soft. She let herself sink against the fur and straightened out her legs.

“What were you working on?” Korra scooted a little closer to peer over Asami’s shoulder at her journal. 

“That list I made about our problems. We need to investigate the spirits in Wolf Cove. Especially the Ferris Wheel.” Asami tapped her pen against her idea journal. “I think there’s a pattern there, but I need more data.” 

“Your mind never stops working, does it?” Korra yawned. “But that’s a good plan. I gotta talk with uncle when I get back, but I could meet at your lodgings in the evening or morning?” 

“Sure. We could get all of Team Avatar together, especially as there’s way more dark spirits there.” Asami needed Team Avatar to be back together; it had given her a feeling of belonging, of purpose, where she didn’t have to dwell in the worry and fear of how to save a dying company. 

“Right.” Korra’s eyes closed. “Team Avatar saves the day again…” She trailed off as her eyes closed. She mumbled something else, only to drift off mid sound.

Asami shook her head at how quickly the Avatar fell asleep. Would Korra remember this discussion? The engineer thought it unlikely. She flipped back to her drawing and added further details to Korra and Naga.

When Korra shifted to lean her head against Asami’s shoulder, Asami smiled and looked down at the sleeping Avatar. The soft glow of the lantern highlighted the brown of her skin, the softness of her lips, and the shadows that played across her muscles and clothes. Why did Korra have to be so unbearably adorable?

Late Afternoon, Three Days After Solstice, Wolf Cove

The ride back to Wolf Cove went by quickly with only one stop for lunch. Nakul and the villagers had all seen them off, and Waaseyaa promised to return to Wolf Cove to assist the locals. Korra and her hadn't talked much on the journey back, most of it had been to discuss the oil rig with Katara. This had troubled the elderly woman. She said that she'd go visit the hospital as soon as she guided them back Tonraq and Senna’s house. If there had been more spirit attacks, then likely the hospitals would need the aid.

Their ride through town had been marked with protests, scuffles with troops, and Korra stopping Naga to try to break up fights between locals and troops. The people had immediately ceased yelling at Korra the moment Katara pulled up in her sled. The amount of respect the Southerners had for Katara amazed Asami a bit, but then she could relate. She still admired Master Katara greatly herself.

"Stay safe and stay out of trouble!" Katara held up her hand. Her dogs barked and sniffed the snow restlessly.

"Same to you!" Korra replied. Katara turned her sled around, and the dogs led her down the hill and to the northern side of the city. She was soon out of sight behind several buildings.

Korra directed Naga up the hill toward the side of the house. “I didn’t realize things got this bad while we were gone,” Korra said, frustrated. “And the protests, won’t they make things worse?” 

Asami slid off Naga. “Your people have a right to protest. Remember the nonbenders who protested their electricity being cut off? The violence wasn’t them. It was Tarrlok’s response. I think the same can be said here.” 

Korra jumped down and pulled off Naga’s saddle and packs. “Maybe, but throwing snowballs at troops won’t help a protest.” 

“Maybe, maybe not.” Asami didn’t have an answer to that. She followed Korra around the side of the house to a storage shed. Korra pulled it open and threw several large hunks of meat at Naga, who leaped up and caught them in the air. The animal settled into the snow to munch happily.

“I may have a bias in this,” Asami admitted. “Katara told me what happened to the water benders in your tribe during the war. How there’s a lot of nonbenders here. When I got attacked by that dark spirit, only Waaseyaa could water bend. The other three were nonbenders and terrible fighters. I guess I can’t help but feel some empathy toward them.” 

Korra looked at her surprised. She cleaned her hands in the snow and water bended them dry. “I never expected you to admit having a bias.” 

“We all have them.” Asami shrugged. “And to be fair to you, I probably should have admitted it sooner.” 

“Huh.” Korra walked back toward the house’s front door. “Then what would my bias be?” 

“You’re asking me?” Asami stopped by the door, surprised.

“Yeah! You’re super perceptive. Do I have a bias?” Korra put her hand on the door but paused in opening it. 

Asami sighed and grabbed one of the packs to carry inside. She needed to return its contents to Senna and take out the few that were hers. “Sure, I could guess what your bias is, but then I’d be assuming based on limited knowledge. And I don’t want to assume things about you. I’d rather you tell me.” Truthfully, Asami wanted to know everything about Korra, but she didn’t feel confident enough to say that out loud.

Korra looked startled. “Oh. Huh. That makes sense.”

She grabbed the other pack and pushed open the door. As they entered, the two immediately noticed that Tonraq and Senna had a lot of people situated around their firepit, including Varrick and his assistant. Several were elderly people with long blue and white robes and hoods. A few others were younger, much closer to Asami and Korra in age.

“Korra!” Senna stood and headed over to hug her daughter. “I’m glad you’re back. We’re having a meeting with our council of elders and others. We hoped you’d be back in time to join us.” Senna reached over to grasp Asami’s shoulder. “You’re welcome to stay and take a moment to rest.” 

“Sure…” Asami felt a bit out of place not being of the tribe, but she also needed to sort out her supplies from Senna’s. "Thanks."

“Okay, Mom.” Korra dropped her bag by the door. Her mother led her into the circle to sit near her on the opposite side of her father. Korra knelt on the pillows and looked over the group with a slight frown. 

Asami settled into a cross-legged position by the door and opened up the packs to sort out her supplies. As she worked, she listened, mostly because it was impossible not to do so. 

“Welcome, Korra,” Tonraq said, warmly. “We were discussing our attempts to meet with Chief Unalaq concerning the curfew, blockade, and troops.” 

“We’ve tried all avenues of communication,” one of the elders said, his voice gravely, and his wrinkles deep and heavy. He hunched forward, his robes loose around his frail body. “The chief has refused to meet with our council. This is unheard of!”

“See? My point is he’s booted all our chiefs out of the palace, and now won’t meet our elders?” Varrick stuffed a cookie into his mouth. “I can’t stop eating these. Zhu Li, remind me to get the recipe later.” He waved a cookie in Tonraq’s direction. “This protest hasn’t stopped the blockade or gotten us a meeting. How long before he starts telling us what cookies to eat?” He tossed down his plate, only to snatch a cookie before it hit the floor.

“Probably a manner of days, sir,” Zhu Li replied with a straight face. 

“Rhetorical question, Zhu Li, you gotta keep up.” Varrick waved a cookie at her. “Not to mention, I now have two ships full of rotten fish. No one is gonna buy rotten fish. Millions down the drain due to that lockdown!”

“What’s your point, Varrick?” Tonraq said, evenly. 

“I’m saying we need to push harder. We got to make a move that will get heard.” Varrick thrust his cookie upward. 

Asami’s hands clenched around the straps of her red bag that had been stowed under a container of jerky. Varrick’s suggestion sounded dangerously like inciting war. She pulled out the rest of her items and dumped them in her bag. 

“Chief Unalaq is here to help the South,” Korra said, cautiously. Her hands were clenched into fists on her knees. “He wants to find balance and get the spirits to stop attacking. How is inciting violence going to help you talk to him?”

“He certainly hasn’t listened to us so far!” Varrick replied. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the Avatar.

“Korra,” one of the other elders said, gently. She held out her wrinkled hand palm upward. “The presence of troops is violence.” 

That was something for which Asami agreed. Korra, on the other hand, furrowed her brow with a slight frown. “They’re here to keep the peace,” she said. “And my uncle is uniting the tribe. Not dividing it.” 

“No,” Varrick said, frustrated. “He wants control of our wealth. My wealth. And I like my wealth. If Unalaq doesn't pull his forces out, then we have no choice but to fight for our freedom!” He gestured to the others. “Right?” Several of the people voiced their agreement. 

“You want to start a war?” Korra jerked her head back her eyes widening. Asami froze and looked at Varrick. She had noted how over the top dramatic he could be in their meetings, but pushing this hard for war made Asami recalculate her thoughts of him. 

Tonraq spoke firmly. “Chief Unalaq already started this.” When Korra looked at him, upset, he sighed, heavily. “Look, Korra, we’re all frustrated. Perhaps you can speak to him concerning this? We need to meet and to find a peaceful resolution.” 

“Fine. I’ll talk to him. Just don’t do something stupid until I get you an answer, okay?” Korra pushed herself to her feet. “Asami, walk with me?” 

She’d finished unpacking her things anyway, so she stood and threw her bag over her shoulder. Senna and Tonraq both looked their way, concerned, while the rest of the group looked angry and frustrated. There really wasn't anything she could say. So she held up her hand in a good bye instead. Asami joined Korra outside, and they walked around the house where Naga rolled in the snow. The cold bit into Asami, and despite wearing two coats and the improved snowpants, she shivered.

“Last night,” Korra said, “you mentioned dark spirits and the Ferris Wheel. I still want to investigate, but I got to try to stop this. War would tear my home apart.” Her voice had hardened. Naga heard this and stopped rolling to run up and push her head against Korra’s hand. “You said you’d support me, does that mean on this too?” 

Asami nodded. “I meant what I said, Korra.”

Korra sighed. “But you don’t agree with my plan.” 

“Hey,” Asami lightly punched her shoulder. “You’re assuming. Ask my thoughts, please.” 

Korra pretended to wince but a smile curled up the corners of her mouth. “Okay, that’s fair. What are your thoughts?” 

Asami turned to look at the city. The sky burned a deep azure, the clouds few and far between, but there, over the rooftops, dark spirits rose and dived. Troops still marched in the streets, the blockade still in place, and the chants of protesters drifted along the breeze. “Tensions are high, Korra. That elder who mentioned the troops being here as violence? She’s right. It is violence.” She looked back at the Avatar. “We’re dealing with a century of tension, right? I want to believe we can sort this out, but I don’t know. We need to be prepared for the worst.”

“Ugh, that’s a good point.” Korra leaned against Naga and waved her hand toward the city. “I want to fix this, you know? I’m the Avatar! I should be able to do it!” 

“It’s not only on your shoulders though.” Asami said as gently as she could.

Korra huffed and jumped on the back of Naga. “Right. Look, I’ll give you a ride back to your lodgings. But I ought to talk to uncle alone.” 

“I understand.” Asami took Korra’s offered arm and pulled up behind her. She hadn’t expected Korra to take her with her to meet with her uncle, and if she had, Asami would have said no, mostly because it wasn’t her place as an outsider, but also because she needed to check in with Future Industries. Likely they had gotten the news of increasing tensions, and she was pretty sure Hue and Kyung were both worried. 

Naga raced down the hill and skidded into a street. Signs from the protest were ripped to shreds in snowdrifts against the sides of homes. On another street, several locals walked along with signs, but most stuck to the rooftops. Troops marched and kicked snow toward the protesters but they kept their circuit and didn’t outright antagonize. It felt like an uneasy truce. 

Korra kept Naga’s pace fast, focused straight ahead. Two intersections later, they stumbled into a large group of protesters marching toward the palace, but a regiment of troops blocked their path. 

“We demand an audience! We demand a voice!” Several people near the front of the group shouted. Those behind them held up their signs or their fists.

“Disperse!” One of the soldiers pushed a nearby man down. “Go back to you homes!” Several other soldiers formed ice spikes in their hands and advanced on the protesters, pushing them back down the hill.

Korra pulled Naga to a stop. “Hey! Stand down, soldiers!” 

The regiment stopped. One of the soldiers stepped forward with a salute; his armor had a more ornate design on the shoulders and chest than the other rank and file. “Avatar Korra! These locals are failing to disperse per Chief Unalaq’s orders.”

“They have a right to protest, soldier.” Korra’s shoulders trembled with anger. “Pushing them only incites violence.” She turned Naga toward the crowd. “Hey, everyone! I’m going to meet with Chief Unalaq to share your concerns! Please wait a little longer!” 

“Avatar, tell the troops to go!” shouted a person near the middle of the crowd. That incited a chant that started in the back but spread to the front. “No more troops, no more curfew.” 

Korra raised up her hand in acknowledgment. “I will speak with our Chief, okay? That’s all I can promise.” She urged Naga forward. Asami looked behind them, only to see the soldiers take up position with the ice spikes back in their hands, but at least they didn't advance. The two sides stood in a stand-off. Then Naga turned an intersection, and they were lost from view.

They were nearing her lodgings, the side streets here mostly empty of protesters and soldiers. Piles of snow lined the avenue along with broken crates likely from the battle she’d fought a few days ago. Her legs ached from the memory of the cold from that battle, and her face burned from the cold. Asami wished she’d pulled up the face mask before riding Naga.

Korra slowed Naga’s pace. “Asami, I don’t know what to do. What if Uncle doesn’t listen?”

“All you can do is do your best.” Asami squeezed Korra’s waist in a sort of hug. 

“Thanks,” Korra sighed. “I hope this works.” She stopped Naga at the door to Asami’s lodgings.

After she dropped to the ground, Asami reached up and grasped Korra’s hand tightly. “I believe in you.” She was pretty sure this attempt would fail, but Korra needed encouragement. She could hear it in the Avatar’s voice. 

Korra smiled and squeezed Asami’s hand back. Letting go, she turned Naga around, and the pair raced back the way they came. Asami watched her go, part of her worried for Korra but also another part caught up in the way Korra’s body moved perfectly in time with the lope of Naga’s run, how her wolf tails streamed out behind her. Even her back was beautiful.

Sighing, Asami headed into the lodgings. The walls inside had several mounted otter-seals and other animals, with a vertical blue strip behind each. Such decorations always seemed gruesome to her, but it was part of the culture here, so Asami had kept her thoughts to herself. The fire pit in the center of the room was lined with stone, and several people gathered around it laughing and drinking tea and alcoholic beverages. Their levity felt like whiplash after witnessing the tension between the protestors and the troops. She hurried up the stairs to her room. 

Inside, the rooms felt empty since it had been booked for the entire air bender family. Although Pema had paid for the first three days, Asami had paid for the rest of the week. In her sleep room, she dropped her red bag on her bed. She’d yet to seal the deal with Varrick, and after the oil rig, she wondered if it was the right thing to do. Especially with how he talked about war in the meeting at Tonraq’s today. Would he insist that she sell her father’s war machines here? But if so, would her saying no ruin the deal? And if she did say yes, wouldn’t that escalate the violence between the North, South, and spirits? Was the choices ruin her company versus ruin the South?

She put her head in her hands, frustrated. No matter what term of her company’s equation she examined in her head, she couldn’t see a way to save her company without causing harm to someone. Pulling out her idea journal, she flipped through the pages, then stopped at her description of the oil rig. She remembered the mech suit she’d used to drop the 90 meters to fix the broken pipe that leaked oil. How the metal had withstood the pressure of the water, and how the tools in it had been perfect for the job. 

“That’s it!” She leaped to her feet and shoved open her suitcase. Digging deep into her clothes, she dug out her blueprint pad, laid it on the floor, and sketched the suit from the oil rig. It wasn’t too far from her father’s design. A bit more compact and armored for the deep sea. She flipped to a blueprint of her father’s war mechs, redrew it’s basic shape on a fresh page, then altered the design of the hands and arms. Build it with more tools, maybe welding, so that it’d be good for construction work in dangerous zones. 

The light faded as the sun began to set. Asami rubbed her eyes and realized she’d been working for nearly two hours. Her head ached, and she stood to grab a cup of water from the nearby sink. At least she had a good start to her idea of converting the mechs to civilian construction and maintenance needs. 

She picked up the phone in the main area of the suite and dialed through to Future Industries. Late in the day, likely no one there, she should have called earlier.

“Future Industries, Kyung speaking.” The line was held an undercurrent of static, likely from the cold and any industrial interference. Surprise and relief flooded Asami. She had thought Kyung would have headed home by this time of day.

“Kyung, Asami here with news. Sour news I’m afraid.” She sat down at the table and looked out the window. The sky had turned to a dark navy blue and violet, and the first stars of the evening began to shine. A dark shape fluttered by her window but then disappeared from view. 

“Ms. Sato! Oh, spirits, it's good to hear your voice. We heard there’s no getting in or out of Wolf Cove. Is that true? Are you all right?” Kyung spoke in a feverish sprint, as if running on fumes. Had she been in the office all day? That worried Asami a little. It was one thing for her to do that, but for her employees? They needed their rest and relaxation. 

“Yes. I’m fine. It’s true. The blockade prevents me from leaving. Troops march the streets, and the locals have been protesting how heavy-handed this has been. It’s looking bleak.” Asami sighed. “I have gotten no further with Varrick. He’s notoriously hard to pin down, but I’ve also been busy assisting Avatar Korra.”

“Avatar Korra?” Kyung sounded surprised.

“Yes. I will likely stay longer to assist the Avatar further. My goal is to still secure a deal for shipping, but this takes precedence.” Asami looked down at her blueprint. “Also, Kyung, I had an idea. What if we converted the war mechs into construction and civil engineering mechs? I’ve drawn some initial ideas, though you will have to wait to see them…” That would be a problem. No way to share her ideas as she couldn’t submit images through a phone line. Though the idea sending images through the lines intrigued her. Would such a thing be possible?

“Construction? Yes, I think we could. I’d have to run estimates on the materials needed and what we could recycle to save money.” Kyung’s voice slowed down into a more thoughtful pace. 

“Excellent. Draw up some designs and calculations. We can compare notes once I figure out a way through the blockade.”

They had to curtail a lot of the factory production to save costs, but if there was a way to recycle the unusable parts, that could save them on sourcing materials. She wanted to keep as many of her remaining employees as she could, especially as they’d been instrumental in helping her clean ship and restart the company on a new foot.

“Also, please take time to rest and relax, Kyung. I will forgo my own salary to keep all of you paid for the rest of the year until we resolve this current crisis, okay?”

“Ms. Sato, are you certain?” Kyung’s concern mixed with her surprise.

“Yes. I have no intention of losing any of you if I can help it. We will get through this.” Asami spoke with as much confidence and surety as she could. She thought of her conversation with Korra on the boat south, how Korra had called her out on her fake enthusiasm. So instead of that, firm confidence would be the game from now on. 

“Thank you. I’ll draw up the paperwork for you to sign when you return.” Kyung paused then added, “Is there anything else we can do for you?”

“No. That’s all. I’ll check in again either tomorrow or the day after. Thank you, Kyung. Keep up the good work, and remember to rest!” Asami did not want any of them to work themselves to exhaustion. 

“You take time to rest too,” Kyung said with a hint of sternness. “I’m not there to wake you up and make sure you eat.”

Asami laughed. “True. I’ll be fine. And thank you for the concern.” She hung up and went to lay down on her bed. Exhaustion curdled through her. It had been a long few days and a nap couldn’t hurt. She laid her arm over her eyes and listened to the rattle of the wind against her window and the faint sounds of protest chants.

Chapter Text

Three Days After Solstice, Late Afternoon, Wolf Cove

When Korra had chosen her Uncle as her new mentor, she had been feeling as if no one believed in her or trusted her to do her job, and yet this entire trip with Asami had proven that wrong. Asami had always believed and trusted in her. As Naga ran up the hill toward the palace, Korra vowed to be better and trust in Asami too. They’d made a pretty good team on the oil rig, even if she hadn’t let Korra blow the whole thing up. 

Korra slid off Naga and scratched behind Naga’s ears. The bear dog followed her into the palace, through the foyer and into the gardens. To her surprise, Mako sat on a bench his head in his hands. She stopped, confused. 

“Mako? What are you doing here?” 

Mako looked up, startled. “You’re back.” He stood and crossed his arms over his chest. “Chief Unalaq asked me to seek you out. He’s been wanting to see you for two days.”

Korra’s first instinct was to snap at him. Hadn’t he listened to a word she said the last time they spoke? But then she remembered the request from her father. She didn’t have time for this. “I’m going to speak with him now. So no need to keep looking.” 

“Okay, but if you’d told me where you were going, I could have…”

“Mako,” Korra interrupted him. “Stop. I won’t betray the trust of those I had to help, okay? Lay off it.” She turned and walked away before she ended up in another fight. 

“Wait!” Mako grabbed her arm. 

Korra wrenched her arm free. “I said stop! I can't talk now.” She stalked away from him and pushed open the doors to the throne room. All her focus had to be on asking for that meeting for her people not on whatever Mako wanted to discuss. There’d be time for that later. She paused at the doors and asked Naga to wait. The polar bear dog reluctantly settled on the path with a mournful whine.

The doors opened into a wide hall dimly lit by chandeliers in the domed ceiling. Benches lined the walls to the right and left, and at the far end, the throne was situated in front of three arches, each with the emblem of the Southern Water Tribe. Just as she suspected, Chief Unalaq sat on the throne.

“So the wayward Avatar has returned.” He stood and met her halfway. “You missed two lessons.” 

“This couldn’t wait,” she said. Now that she was here, she realized she hadn’t planned what to even tell him. Maybe she should have talked that through with Asami before she rushed here. “People needed help, so I went to help. And no, I couldn’t share where, they asked specifically for that to stay between us.” Korra looked up at him and kept her voice as calm as she could. 

“I see.” Unalaq frowned. “That matter should have been brought before me, Korra. As your mentor and as the Chief of this tribe. I could have provided proper aid.” 

“Uncle, trust between my people and the North is fragile. They didn’t feel safe coming to you.” It was part of the truth at least. 

Unalaq grasped her shoulder. His hands were cold. “Tell me where you went, Korra.” 

She shook her head. “I made a promise.” His hand tightened on her shoulder. “So no, I can’t tell you.” 

“I see.” Those words were veiled with a hint of anger. “I am told you traveled with Asami Sato? And Master Katara? Is that true?”

Mako. He’d told her uncle that, hadn’t he? How else could her uncle have known? “I can’t say. Uncle, if you gave your word to someone, would you not honor it?” Maybe if she tried to appeal to his ethics. She did not want to continue this conversation. 

“Some promises cannot be kept if peace and harmony is to be restored.” Unalaq leaned closer. “If these people harbor ill will toward my rule, then I must know of them, Korra. We must protect the portal, and we must unite our tribes as one. Doing this will require hard decisions. So tell me, who are these people?” 

Korra looked past her uncle toward the throne and the water tribe emblems emblazoned behind it. The semi-darkness of the room gave the atmosphere an oppressive feel. “I can’t say, but I do know they seek harmony too. I don’t think they’d harm you.” But was that true? She thought of Waaseyaa and her anger at Korra for not knowing more about Southern Traditions, for being too focused on unity. 

“Then I will request the presence of Asami Sato and Master Katara.” Unalaq released Korra’s shoulder. “Perhaps they are more willing to explain.” 

Shaking her head, Korra said, frustrated, “Master Katara is needed at the hospitals. She came only to assist in healing. That’s all.” Korra took a deep breath and released it slowly to try to calm her rising anger. “Uncle, I didn’t come here to talk about where I was. I came because my people are upset.” Korra gestured to the way she’d came. “The troops out there in the streets? I believe they’re sending the wrong message. It’s breaking apart what trust you had. Without that trust? It’ll be harder to re-unite.” 

“I’m uniting this tribe,” Unalaq said, firmly, “and protecting the portal. Those are of the utmost importance. You would understand this if you attended your lessons on time.” 

This conversation wasn’t going well at all. “Okay, but the people are protesting in the streets, demanding an end to the blockade and the curfew. They distrust the troops. I’ve had to break up several fights, some started by the troops. How is that uniting if all it does is cause anger and fear?” She pushed forward, talking quickly to avoid him interrupting. “As the Avatar, I'm trying to stay neutral. It’s why I’m listening to you and my people. And I think if you just talk through their concerns, show that you care, and are willing to compromise, that they'd trust you better.” 

Chief Unalaq clasped his hands behind his back. “You’ve been talking with your father.” 

Korra clenched her fists. “I’ve been listening to the Southern Water Tribe elders. The protests would cease if you’d just talk with them.” 

“Yet they sent you to request a meeting?” He raised his eyebrows. “Why not set it up themselves?”

“They told me they’d tried every avenue they could to ask you already.” Korra realized she hadn’t confirmed their claims, but then she wasn’t sure how she’d prove them. Politics was not something she had learned much of in her training at the White Lotus compound.

“Odd. I don’t recall any requests. Perhaps they misled you?” He gestured for her to walk with him and headed toward the gardens.

She fell into step next to him, confused. “Several people confirmed the requests were made. I don’t see why they’d lie about this. It’s just a meeting they’re asking for. Isn’t this the point, to find a peaceful resolution?”

“I understand they have misled you.” Chief Unalaq said, tightly. “None have requested a peaceful resolution. Meeting with them when their demands divide the tribe will not further our efforts to bring balance. If the Water Tribes were at war, the other nations would take sides. The dark spirits would thrive off this negative energy, and the world would be thrown into a battle between spirits and man. That would be catastrophic. That is why I tread carefully on this matter.” 

Korra stopped and stared at him. “I don’t want that to happen!” She bit her bottom lip, upset. “Surely if we gather the elders in a meeting, I could help preside and maybe they’ll come to understand your side? Then they can help the people calm down?”

“You are too trusting, Korra. What I do is to keep the peace here. The troops must stay until we have stabilized the South. Any meetings I have with the chiefs will only legitimize their claims that my presence is destabilizing the South. We cannot let that message perpetuate. My role is stabilization and order. Theirs is chaos.” He spoke calmly, reasonably, and it left Korra even more turned around. 

“What can I do then? How do I stop this?” Surely there was something she could do beyond just waiting. 

“Stay neutral. Do not let them deceive you. Continue your training to prepare to open the Northern portal, and do not skip your next lesson. It’s crucial.” His tone held a note of finality.

“Okay, Uncle.” Korra rubbed the back of her neck. It was getting harder to follow all the layers of this mess. “When is the next lesson?” 

“Tomorrow morning at dawn. For today, I will lead you through meditation to calm your mind and refocus on our objectives.” Chief Unalaq opened the doors to the garden and led her through its paths. “Korra, you must learn to practice patience. We will meditate here. Once we finish, I expect you to go and meditate in preparation for tomorrow. Understood?”

“Okay,” Korra said. Her shoulders drooped, and she felt defeated. She’d failed at securing a meeting, and now she had doubts as to whether the elders had told the truth or not. She thought again of Asami’s words.

“Trust your senses here. Trust your vision. Whoever that boy is, whoever that voice was who told you to find the truth, trust them. Trust them more than any of us.”

Asami had suspected people of trying to deceive them, but which side? All sides? Neither sides? North? South? Korra didn’t know, and it frustrated her. Yet, her Avatar sense had led her to the oil rig, to the angry whale spirit, and she’d helped that spirit. She’d helped the village. Why couldn’t it give her a clue here?

Her Uncle chose an open area in the garden near the only tree. He settled on the ground cross legged and motioned for her to do the same. “To connect with the spirits, you must not let the desires and needs of the physical world break your concentration. The spirits are sensitive to our emotions and desires and will react to them, becoming a mirror. Anger, hatred, pain, and fear all push the spirits toward the dark side, but joy, love, hope, compassion, excitement push spirits toward the light. It is in the middle, the balance of the two, that we seek. Meditate and seek that center.” He pointed at the ground again. “Now sit and focus.” 

Korra sat down and mimicked his posture. Even Tenzin had been unsuccessful with getting her to focus long in meditation. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her Uncle’s voice, but he’d gone all sing-songy. That was not helpful for focusing. Instead, her mind drifted to the visions and the words of that disembodied spirit. Dig deep, the spirit voice had said. Maybe digging deep in meditation could work? 

“Korra,” her uncle said, sharply. “Focus on my words and voice.”

“Then talk normal.” She winced when he frowned. “Talking doesn’t help me meditate,” she tried to explain. “It’s too distracting.” 

He sighed again. “So be it.” He gestured to the garden. “Focus then on the sounds you hear, the smells you smell, the textures you touch, then one by one let each go. Dwell in your spirit. That is the goal today.”

“All right.” She closed her eyes again. Concentrating on her senses only made her feel uncomfortable and sleepy. 

So instead, she thought about the Aye-Aye spirit’s healing pool. How calm the waters were. How cool they’d been against Wan’s skin. If she was to meditate, then maybe she could try digging deeper into Wan’s story. She built up the memory of that healing pool, each detail of the wood that curled up and spread its branches above the pool, the spirits that dived and danced around Wan’s head, the Aye-Aye spirit that watched over his healing, the stones that lined the pool.

How long she sat there, her mind immersed in the spirit pool image, she didn’t know. The ache in her body from her recent journeys receded and the sounds of the garden dissipated. The quiet of the pool surrounded her. Light grew from the depths of the pool’s waters and permeated outward to slowly light up the entire pool in a suffuse golden-white glow. 

Memories of Wan bubbled in the spirit pool like silver slivers. She poked her finger through one. 

Wan stood in front of the Lion Turtle, anxious but determined. The spirit was massive, as big as a mountain, and housed the entirety of their city, but Wan had never seen it this close, and its face, the calm and gentle demeanor in its eyes. The hunter spoke the ritualistic words, but Wan barely heard him, so in awe of the mighty spirit. 

“You first.” The lead hunter pushed him forward. 

The Lion-turtle reached out its huge claw and tenderly touched its tip against Wan’s forehead. “May the element of fire protect you from the spirits.” Energy sizzled through his body. 

He took a step backward and looked down at his hand. He punched outward and flame shot forward. Falling backward, he stared in awe. He’d done it. He now had the power of fire. Although he knew the fire must be returned to the Lion Turtle once they left the spirit wilds, Wan had no intention of doing so. His friends and people needed food, needed protection, and this would give them that.

The memory burst into fragments. The cool spirit waters rippled with energy; the slivers of Wan’s memory seemed to dance along each wave. She reached out and grabbed another. 

Jaya stared at Wan in fear and awe. “You know it’s forbidden to keep that! Please, go back and return it to the Lion Turtle!” Wan’s other friends huddled behind Jaya, their eyes wide with wonder and fear. All of them clustered in the circular room of their hidden treehouse. 

“Jaya, we all need to stop being afraid. Let's show the Chou that we have the power to change things!” Wan lit up the room with his fire yet again. The others slowly moved closer and surrounded him. The warmth permeated the room. 

Korra flowed out of that memory, like the tides moving out to sea. The need to dig deeper surged through her. She had to know the truth. Again she touched one of the slivers of silver. Another memory of Wan imploded in her mind.

Wan led them into the compound and shouted orders. His friends and himself all wore disguises, and they tore open the storage and granary, each grabbing as much as they could carry. The Chous angrily rushed forward, their weapons drawn. 

“Go! I’ll hold them off!”  When the Chous rushed him, he unleashed his fire and drove them back. His friends retreated with the sacks of food. More guards joined the fray, and Wan fought more desperately to keep them at bay until all of his friends were gone. A flaming circle sprouted around Wan, and Little Chou leaped on his back and tore off his mask. He shook him off, but seeing Little Chou’s fear at the fireball in his hand, he backed down. He couldn’t kill them. He wouldn’t.

“Even when you have power, you’re afraid to use it,” Little Chou sneered. No, Wan, thought, it wasn’t fear that stopped his hand. It was compassion for life and the knowledge that he had no right to snuff out the life of another. Even if they might deserve it.

Warmth suffused Korra. Each detail a piece of the puzzle, each moment a step forward. She focused on the slivers of silver that floated in the glowing spirit pool. She had to see more; she had to dig deep. Exhaustion crept up on her, but she reached deeper into the pool to touch a sliver.

Wan stood before the Elder Chou, but he held his stance and lifted his chin in defiance. The room was large, the panels red and gold, and the Elder Chou sat upon his throne. Plump but strong, wrinkles lined his face, and he frowned at Wan. “Tell me who else was involved in this rebellion, and I may take mercy on you.” 

Wan lifted his chin defiantly and said nothing. This had been his plan. His friends needed that food to survive, and he’d never betray them. 

“Then you are hereby banished.” The words hit like a sledgehammer, and Wan felt a sliver of dread.

Her focus began to fracture the further she dug into the waters. All of these were before the trip south-east. She needed to go deeper, to find out what Wan discovered. Her concentration broke at the sounds of rustling leaves and the breathing of her uncle, at the tangy smell of nearby flowers and the ache in her back. She struggled to bring back the image of that pool, but instead, the water pushed down into her throat. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. 

The oil clogged their blowholes. They struggled to breathe, the pain of each attempt suffocated them. They dropped, dead, into the depths.

“STOP!” Korra pushed to her feet and jumped away. Her hands hit the flowers, and she looked down to see the thorns cut her wrist. Blood dribbled up in the cut. There was no whales here, no oil. She’d shut down that rig. Surely, they were okay now? She looked around and noted that darkness had fallen, only the light of the rising moon, the stars, and the lanterns by the doors illuminated the garden. 

Her uncle looked at her in worry, his brow creased. “Talk to me,” he said, gently. “What did you see?” 

“Visions of Wan… but then I saw whales. The oil that clogged their blowholes.” Korra took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “Felt their deaths. Uncle, all oil rigs need to be shut down. I… shut down one already.”

He stood. “You shut one down? Is that where you went?” His eyes bored into her, and Korra realized she’d said too much. 

“Not really.” That was a lie. That was exactly where she had ended up.

For a long moment, her uncle gazed at her, his mouth in a grim line. She felt like she was being judged. After several minutes of silence, he waved his hand toward the entrance foyer on the far side of the garden. “Go and rest. Return early tomorrow morning, and bring Asami Sato. I must speak with her before our lesson.” He turned and walked away back toward the throne room. Korra watched him go, confused and feeling lost.

That evening

Korra walked beside Naga toward Asami’s lodgings. Her head hurt, the snippets of Wan’s life confused her more than anything, and she felt exhausted from her talk with her uncle. As she passed by the palace guards, she stopped in surprise. Her mother waited on the other side.

“Mom?”

She smiled, sadly. “May I walk with you?”

“Yeah, sure.” Korra kept one hand on Naga’s shoulder. “Just heading that way.” She gestured in the direction of Asami’s lodgings. “What do you want?”

“Korra, what’s going on between you and your father?” Worry creased her forehead. “I’ve tried to ask him but he won’t say.” 

Korra scowled. “You want to know what's been going on? I found out Dad's been lying to me my whole life. Unalaq told me everything; how Dad and Tenzin kept me trapped down here while I trained; how Dad got banished from the North.” She kicked at a piece of ice.

“So the truth is out.” Senna sighed.

“Wait, you knew? Why didn’t you tell me?” Korra stopped and turned to her mother, upset. Had everyone in her family lied to her?

“That wasn’t my secret to share.” Senna’s shoulder’s drooped. “We thought it’d help you lead a more normal life.”

“Normal? How is that White Lotus compound normal? Do you know what it was like to be trapped in that compound?” Tears stung Korra’s eyes. “All I wanted was to be the Avatar, but how can I if I’m cooped up and held back by everyone? I need you all to trust me, to let me go to the people, to be there for those in need. That’s how I learn! And yet Dad, Tenzin, and the White Lotus - all of you held me back! Why can’t you all just trust me? Is my Uncle the only one that does?”

Senna shook her head. “That’s not true. He’s not the only one. I can’t speak for your father, but I can speak for myself.” She paused at the crest of the hill, and Korra stopped beside her. “When we discovered you were the Avatar, you were young and vulnerable. I thought Tonraq and I were enough to keep you safe. We weren’t.”

“What do you mean?” Korra wiped her tears, confused. “Keep me safe from what?” 

Her mother looked around them. They stood alone in the streets; it was past curfew, and further down the road, troops marched to maintain it. She grasped Korra’s arm and led her into an alleyway, out of view of the troops. Naga followed, her nose to the ground. “Perhaps I shouldn’t share this, but I think you have a right to know the full truth. Very few people knew you as the Avatar, Korra,” her mother whispered. “We kept it a secret for years once the White Lotus found you. Except we were betrayed. We almost lost you, and that is why your father, Tenzin, Katara, and the White Lotus chose to keep you secluded.”

“Wait. Who betrayed us?” This wasn’t at all what her Uncle had mentioned. He’d glossed over this entirely. 

Senna shook her head. “I don’t know, Korra. Be careful, please. The trouble between the North and the South started before you were born, and this situation may be out of your control. I don’t want you to get caught up if violence breaks out.” 

“Mom, I’m already caught up in it.” Korra said, frustrated. “How could I not be? I’m training with Chief Unalaq. I’m helping… you know.” She didn’t dare say it out loud, but her mother nodded in understanding. “I got to stop this war. But to do that I need the full truth.” She paused and stomped her foot in frustration. “Uncle says meeting with the elders legitimizes their claims that he destabilizes the south. So he won’t do it.” 

Her mother looked down at the ground. “That is… I’m not sure we can stop the protests now.” She met Korra’s gaze. “Korra, please remember, your father and I love you very much. I hope in time you and your father can reconcile, but do know that I trust you to do the right thing. Your heart knows the truth.” 

“You sound like Asami.” Korra had been so angry at her father that she hadn’t even considered how her mother had felt about this. It left her with a surge of guilt but also sadness. “She told me to trust my Avatar instinct and past lives. That my heart knows the truth that my mind fails to see.”

Senna smiled. “That girl has a good head on her shoulders and a caring heart. Hold onto her.” 

Korra managed a smile. “Yeah and thanks, Mom.” 

Senna embraced Korra tightly. Korra hugged her back and struggled against the urge to cry. Today had been so confusing. She needed a quiet place to meditate. To try to sort through all she had learned.

Her mother pulled away and held her shoulders. “Will you try to reconcile with your father?”

The pain of her father’s lies, how he only told the truth after his brother goaded him into it, and how he had continuously tried to control her training - that all weighed on her heavily. “I don’t know, Mom.” 

She squeezed her shoulders. “An ‘I don’t know’ is better than ‘no.’ Be safe, and you are welcome to stay in your old room again.” 

Korra shook her head. “I think I’ll pay Asami a visit. I need to talk to her.” Her mother nodded, then turned and hurried away into the darkness of the alleyways. With the curfew and the troops, Korra wondered if she should have walked her mother home.

The sensation of being watched crept into her awareness. Korra looked up, and there on a rooftop, watching her, was a dark spirit. She mounted Naga and moved out of the alleyway. The dark spirit didn’t move. When she entered the street proper, she saw several more, all perched on rooftops, scattered throughout the city. Far too many for her to heal and ask why they came. Dread filled her. Was her Uncle right? Was the unrest unbalancing the spirits even more?

Chapter Text

Three Days After Solstice, late evening

Eska had a particular sense of humor that baffled Bolin to no end. She’d make a statement and expect a laugh, but the statement was just that. A statement. He’d laugh, but he’d puzzle over it. Like calling the South ‘quaint’ and how she wouldn’t miss it at all. That baffled him still. “I don’t get it,” he had admitted the first time she tried that humor, and she had threatened to encase him in ice. 

“Laugh or ice will be your grave,” she leaned toward him, and he leaned backward in response. Sweat trickled down the side of his head. He smiled and laughed, uneasily. 

He propped his chin up on his hand as he sat on the palace steps. The sun had long set, and the sky was ablaze with the southern lights, the dark spirits an inky blackness atop the roofs, and the stars and moon only starting to show. She’d threatened again when he tried to bring up his discomfort that afternoon. 

Bolin clasped his hands behind his back. “Hey Eska, I’m not sure this is working with us? Like, can we just be friends…”

A tendril of water swept from her hands and curled around his neck. “What was that? I didn’t hear you.” Her icy blue eyes bored into his own. 

“Oh! I was just saying, we work so well. Best girlfriend!” He managed a smile and laughed, uneasily. 

He thought of his drawings he’d done, and that had actually been a bit fun. She had seemed to like that. Plus, Varrick, when the man finally showed up at his mansion, had been overjoyed too. The yuan Bolin had stuffed into his suitcase and hid under his bed at Mako and his lodgings, though he kept a few in his tunic, just in case. Part of him wished he’d kept Mako’s journal so he could do that drawing trick to keep Eska pleased, but best not to get his brother mad at him for taking his things again. 

“Sulking in the sunlight?” Eska said behind him. 

Bolin jumped. He hadn’t even heard her coming. “Oh yeah! Gotta soak in that sunlight! Only way to stay warm here.” The cold air nipped at his face, but he’d layered up best he could. Especially with how that palace was mostly an ice prison for him.

Eska stood alone, without Desna for once, which confused Bolin. She stepped forward to stand next to him. “I considered Asami Sato’s words. I admit, I see you as a peasant. Pleasant at times but still atrocious peasant.” Her hands here clasped and hidden by the sleeves of her body-length blue and white coat. “You will not be our equal. I will, however, seek to not cause permanent harm to your body."

“Thanks I guess?” Bolin felt a trickle of relief, though at the same time, Eska hadn't promised to not cause harm at all. A compromise? For a long moment, she stood there like an icy statue. Bolin didn’t feel safe enough to speak, so he went back to staring out into the night. The dark spirits danced across rooftops, and with the the troops and the protest, the city felt like boiling water that was about to boil over the sides of a too shallow pan. “Why don’t dark spirits attack the palace?” It was the only place he felt somewhat safe to sit outside. 

“Our father.” Desna’s voice this time. Bolin turned to see the other twin exit and stand next to his sister. “They are purified when they enter our domain.”

“There’s so many of them.” They freaked him out still. 

“Yes. The South is spiritually bankrupt,” Desna said in his dismissive tone. 

Eska turned and looked down at Bolin. “You will serve me tea now.” No ask, no checking if that’s what he wanted. It was an order like to a servant. Bolin got to his feet and followed her with Desna following behind him. She led him through the foyer to a door on the far right, which lead into another of those maze passages. This one ended in a large dining room. A massive stone - ice? - table took up the center of the room with icy chairs covered in fur pelts surrounding it. Banners of the water tribe emblem or of ocean creatures covered the ice-white walls. 

To his surprise, Chief Unalaq sat at the table. He smiled at them and gestured for them to sit. “Welcome Bolin.” Eska and Desna settled in the chairs on Unalaq’s right side. “I hear you are dating my daughter.” His blue eyes met Bolin’s and that fear surged through him again. He had that same icy stare, so that’s where Eska got it from. 

“Yes, sir.” He stood stiffly behind Eska. 

“I hear you treat her with respect. Good.” He waved for him to sit next to her. “Eat with us.” 

Bolin sat down cautiously next to Eska, surprised that he didn’t have to serve tea after all. Several servants entered from side rooms and carried trays of fish, vegetables, sauces, and tea. They arranged them in front of each of the Northern royals and Bolin. He smiled up at the servant, who was a brown skinned man with black hair and pale blue eyes. He looked startled at Bolin’s thanks and scurried back the way he came. 

“Father, the protests continue. Should we seek to crush them now?” Desna asked. 

Chief Unalaq shook his head. He carefully cut up the fish. “We must let them think they have a voice. This avoids outright war. Tomorrow at dusk I will speak to the city on the steps. I will explain my goals for our united tribes. Give them hope and a future.” He pointed his fork at Bolin. “You will stand with my daughter. Show that I am willing to allow peasants within my retinue.” 

He would do what now? “Yes, sir,” he said, for once speechless. He would be standing next to royalty. Life sure threw him into the most confusing situations. 

“I will also request Asami Sato, Korra, and Mako to stand with me as well. A united Team Avatar will go nicely with the speech.” He smiled at Bolin. “Don’t you think?” 

Bolin wondered if that would make them look like they’d chosen sides, but did he have permission to say that? He didn’t want Eska, Desna, or Unalaq to turn him to ice. He nodded. He forced himself to take a sip of the tea and eat some of the fish.

“Father,” Eska said, “this will put you at risk.”

Unalaq waved the words away. “Troops will keep back the crowds, and I will have our most powerful benders and fighters beside me. I must show the strength of our unity.” 

“Sir?” Bolin ventured. “May I ask a question?” 

“Go ahead.” Unalaq put down his fork, his icy glare focused on Bolin yet again. 

“Wouldn’t having some of the Southern folks stand with you show unity better than us?” At his words, Eska turned to him with narrowed eyes. Her hand rested on his knee, and icy coldness seeped through his pants. He winced. 

The chief tapped his chin. “Perhaps. I must not legitimize the protests, but those that are sympathetic to unity could be useful.”

The icy touch faded. Bolin breathed in relief and focused on eating. Best to not say anything else. He’d narrowly avoided become ice for their water. 

“Father, if the protesters push to attack, will it be prudent for us to squash such rebellion?” Desna’s tone was still flat, but he leaned forward, his hands on either side of his plate. 

Chief Unalaq nodded. “Once they become violent, we will have the perfect opportunity to restore order. Arresting the protesters will be seen as justice. Until then, we must not react.” He sipped his tea. “Don’t you agree, Bolin?” 

Eska looked at him as well. 

“That seems bad! That’ll just make them angrier.” Bolin blurted. He thought of the non-benders who had protested Tarrlok treating all of them as Equalists, despite them so not being that at all. That had only escalated the tensions, made Amon’s violent solution more legitimate. Eska’s icy touch shot through his leg again, and he winced. 

“Oh?” Unalaq waved for him to continue. “Explain.” 

“It’s just… in Republic City… Tarrlok did that. But that only pushed folks to Amon’s side. Things got really violent and Amon took the city. We fought to get it back.” His right knee had gone completely numb, yet sweat trickled down the side of his face. He shivered violently. 

“I see. It will be different here, Bolin. We will not attack. Only arrest.” He paused and tapped his chin again. “Will it ease your mind to know I will put them all on trial? The truth of their intentions will be revealed then.” 

Bolin nodded, and again the icy touch dissipated. 

“It seems you have moments of clarity,” Eska said, calmly as if she hadn’t just froze his knee, “among your foolish banter.” He smiled, weakly in response.

The door behind them swung open, and a soldier walked in and bowed. “Chief, update on the Avatar as requested.” 

Chief Unalaq waved him over. “Yes? Speak quickly.”

The soldier marched to his side and bent toward the chief’s ear. His voice was soft, but Bolin could still snatches of it. “… Mako left Asami Sato’s lodgings at… Senna met with… Korra entered Asami’s lodgings at…” The rest he couldn’t quite catch. A chill swept through him. Team Avatar was being watched. Did the others know? He wanted to race out to tell them right away, but then he’d definitely become a block of ice. 

Chief Unalaq looked pleased. “Thank you, Sergeant. Go now and continue your observations.” The soldier pivoted and marched out, his back straight and his arms stiff at his sides. The door shut behind him, and Bolin’s hopes of escape shut with him.

Chapter Text

Evening, Three days after Solstice

Asami woke to a knock at her door. She looked at the window but that creepy twilight persisted. Her timepiece showed only two hours had passed. Pushing off the bed, she walked out of the sleeping quarters and into the main area of the rented suite. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Mako. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he wore his dark green coat and black pants, his hair slick with bits of melting snow.

“Mako?” She opened the door wider. “What…”

“We need to talk.” He pushed his way inside and sat down at the chair by the table in the center of the room. “What were you and Korra doing?” 

Asami sighed. Of course he’d ask that. She walked to the cabinets on the other side of the room, where a stove was. “Tea?” She pulled out a packet and the kettle.

“Just answer the question, Asami.” His acerbic tone irritated her, but she had no intention of letting that show. 

“Mako, I will not break my word.” Asami poured water in the kettle and started up the flames to boil it. “Was specifically told to not share any details about where we went, why, or who we saw.” 

“Why the secrecy? And why with me? I’m part of Team Avatar too! Or is that not a thing anymore?” The hurt in Mako’s voice felt like a dagger. She considered turning that dagger on him, especially since finding out that Mako had been the one to tell everyone about the Polar expedition except her. But that would cause a fight, and she was too tired for this.

“Korra did ask if you could come.” She settled for a calm and gentle tone. “I wanted Bolin to come as well. But our guide said no one else.”

Asami watched the kettle for a long moment. There was more to this than just Mako being upset at not being included. She turned to face him.

“Why are you here, Mako?”

“To find out…”

“No.” She interrupted him. “You’re not here about the trip.” As soon as she said it, Mako looked down at the table. So she was right. “What is it?”

“Bolin and I can’t stay here. We need to get back to Republic City, but I can’t figure out a way past the blockade. There’s also…” Mako tapped his fingers against the table. “Bolin is doing tasks for Varrick, and I don’t trust that man.” 

“Does anyone?” Asami turned off the stove flame before the kettle came to a full boil. Pema had been very adamant about this when she’d walked in on Asami pouring boiling hot water over tea leaves. She carefully measured out the tea. “If you’re asking for a solution for the blockade, then I’m afraid I’ll disappoint. I don’t have a plan to get past it.” 

“But surely you have some resources, right?” Mako placed both hands on the table and rose half out of his seat. “Some secret company thing to get us out?”

Asami picked up the cups and laid one by Mako’s right hand. She settled into the chair across from him.

“Have you been paying attention?” She was unsuccessful in keeping the exasperation from her voice. “Mako, my company is on the verge of bankruptcy. I have one warehouse, and it’s not even full. I’ve forgoed my salary to keep my remaining employees paid through the year, and I don’t have enough materials to keep my factory running.” 

From the look on his face, he hadn’t realized how dire things were. He slumped in his chair and crossed his arms. “I’m sorry, Asami. I guess… I don’t know what to do then. Bolin isn’t safe here. Eska has him terrified. Varrick is manipulating him. If he gets into trouble, I don’t think even Korra can rescue him. Chief Unalaq doesn’t seem the negotiating type.” 

She took time to sip her tea and study him. His eyebrows were drawn together, his lips tightly pursed, and his back rigid. She recalled prior conversations where he'd adopted exactly this stance only for his concerns to be more than what he claimed. “This is more than just Bolin. Talk. It’ll do you good for once.” 

“You do this with Korra, don’t you?” Mako frowned and met her gaze. “She always comes back so calm after talking with you.” 

Asami narrowed her eyes. Her time with Korra was not up for discussion. “Don’t change the subject. Tell me.” 

The boy squirmed under her steady gaze, then finally spoke. “Okay! I talked with Tonraq the other day,” Mako rubbed the back of his head. “And I think that he has a plan to do something big. But Varrick has a plan too, and I don’t know if they are connected. Varrick asked Bolin to do something, something he convinced Bo was crucial to helping the South. And you know my brother, he wants to help, but he’s naive.” Mako leaned his elbow against the table and swirled the tea in his cup. “Varrick asked me to get him an audience with the Chief, but I couldn’t do it. Asami, this place is a powder keg. I want Bolin out of it. Getting into trouble is his specialty, you know?”

“I know.” Asami drank the rest of her tea and looked toward her door.

She thought of the hidden village and Waaseyaa, how the woman had kept her in the cold to question her on how to stop an occupation. Would the woman and her allies act on that information? Part of her dreaded that.

“There’s multiple forces at work here, Mako. Not just Tonraq, Varrick, and the Northerners. The dark spirits here are angered too. Korra and I talked about going to the Ferris Wheel to confront the ones there. To find out why. I think you and Bolin should come with us. Can meet in afternoon maybe.” 

Mako leaned back in his chair. “Team Avatar on the case?” 

“Yes.” Asami hoped she wasn’t being presumptuous by asking without Korra here, but Mako was sitting in front of her. She pulled out her idea journal and looked at the list she’d made at the Hidden Village. She added what Mako had told her. “Can you give me any details as to what Varrick wanted from that meeting with Chief Unalaq?”

“He didn’t say. Offered to pay me, but I refuse to take bribes.” Mako lifted his chin toward her writing. “What’s that?”

“The facts as we know them.” She tapped her pen against the page. “I need to know who bought the land for the Ferris Wheel, Mako, and I need to know who bought oil rigs from the Southern Water Tribe. Do you think you can help?”

“Why? What does that have to do…”

Asami interrupted him. “Someone prevented restoration of crucial Southern spiritual knowledge by buying the archive land out from under them.”

Mako cocked his head at her, confused."Okay, and..?"

Until she had confirmation from Waaseyaa’s people, she couldn’t give him that part of the tale, so she’d give a rundown of facts. “Dark spirits are angry for a reason. Korra's discovering that in her studies. I mapped out what she’s found so far, and technology seems to correlate. They converge around oil rigs and the Ferris wheel. We need to find who incites them and stop them.” She sighed. Talking around the full story was becoming difficult. “I said I’d help Korra, and this is how I’m doing that.” 

“Okay. But why won’t she let me help her? Do you know how she feels about me?” His words held a sullen tone.

“You’re asking me that?” Asami shook her head. “Mako, Korra will talk to you when she’s ready. I’m not going to be the intermediary between you two, okay?” That was a firm boundary she planned to keep. 

He nodded. “Fair. How do you intend to discover the buyers?”

That was a plan she hadn’t fully developed. Except. She stood and walked to the kettle. Master Katara and Waaseyaa had failed to learn who bought the land, but there was another way to trace it. “There may be documentation as to when the Ferris Wheel and oil rigs were constructed, and that could get us construction contracts.” She turned to Mako with a smile. “That will narrow it down considerably.” 

“Oh. Wouldn’t just checking the land deeds work?” Mako cocked his head, confused. 

Asami shook her head. “I have it on good authority that the documents for that went missing. Even Master Katara failed to make any headway.” 

“So a mystery buyer. Is that the same situation for the oil rig?” 

“Yes. And I have documentation, discovered recently, that whoever bought the rig stripped the rig and its logs of all emblems and identifying information.” Asami began to pace as ideas formulated. “If the oil rig was built in or around the same time as the Ferris Wheel, could imply the same buyer. Both are metal constructs, which means, the escalating dark spirits could be due to the technology the buyer is building…but what about the tech? Is it the metal itself? Or is there a missing third element that we can't see yet? Maybe if Korra can calm them... could she ask then?”

“Asami,” Mako stood and grabbed her arm. “You’ve lost me. Slow down and start over.” 

She blinked at him. She hadn’t realized she’d said most of that out loud. “Right.” She pulled her arm free and walked back to her idea journal. “What I need from you: approximate date of Ferris Wheel and oil rig constructions - a cost for it helps too. Additional information on construction contracts is helpful. I will identify who held wealth during those intervals. Then we gather and compare notes.” 

“Okay.” He smiled and held out his hand. “Hopefully soon-to-be detective Mako on the job.”

Asami ignored it and gave him a hug, glad he was on board. "Thanks, Mako." After Asami shut the door behind him, she returned to her idea journal and sketched out her plan. Anyone wealthy enough to buy land and build expensive technology likely also had business dealings in other countries, which could be traced. She felt fairly confident Kyung wouldn’t mind an on-the-side task to help the Avatar.

Without further information, she couldn’t do much else, so she turned a page and worked on a sketch of variations of a civilian work mech. She lost track of time, drinking at least four cups of tea, so when a second knock came, she was startled to realize it was night. Outside, the southern lights had started to glow across the sky, blotting out the stars. 

She stood and stretched, her neck aching from sitting and drawing for at least a hour or two. When the knock came again, she pulled open the door to see Korra. “Hey!” She stepped to one side. “What’s up?” Not to her surprise Naga followed Korra into the room. 

“It didn’t go well.” Korra sat down and put her head against the table. Asami shut the door.

Tonight was apparently the night to talk through Team Avatar troubles. She suspected sleep wouldn’t be for awhile. Naga curled up next to Korra with a heavy bear dog sigh. Korra scratched Naga’s head with one hand, while her other arm was curled up under her head.

“Your talk with Chief Unalaq?” Asami sat down across from the Avatar. “What happened?” 

“I tried. I really tried.” Korra looked up. “But now I’m all confused. He said no one tried to set up a meeting with him…” She recounted the conversation, only to interrupt herself, go back and adjust what she’d said. “And he wants you to come with me to my lesson tomorrow morning.”

Asami listened with growing alarm. He sounded way too much like those disgusting lawyers and business people who obfuscated to manipulate others. When Korra finished, she looked at Asami with her palms up, as if pleading for help. 

“So he’s one of those people,” Asami said, disgusted. Korra startled and stared at her, and Asami realized she’d said it out loud. She pressed a hand to her right temple. “Sorry. You accurately described despicable lawyers who twist truth and fiction to manipulate others.” 

“Wait, I did?” Korra looked even more confused. 

“That’s the tactic he used on you. Deliberate obfuscation.” Asami hated that tactic with a vengeance. Several companies had tried to do that to her in the last month, likely in hopes of seizing all of the blueprints for Future Industries designs. They wouldn’t do business with her company thanks to her father but apparently trying to steal the designs through manipulation and shady deals was okay.

“But why?” Korra shook her head in disbelief. “How would that help unite the tribes?” 

Asami drummed her fingers against the table. “What would Unalaq gain by not speaking with your Elders?”

Korra crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know. He claimed a meeting would only legitimize the claim he was destabilizing the South not unifying. So I guess not looking weak?”

“Think larger.” Asami flipped open her idea journal. “Why did he want the spirit portal open?”

Korra blinked at her. “Huh? What does that have to do…” she trailed off. “Oh. The troops were to protect the portal and unite the South, he said, and he wants me to open the Northern one. That I have to focus on that.” 

“Is he trying to prevent Southerners from discovering his plans for the portals?” Asami looked at their list of facts and willed for it to reveal something, anything helpful. “We’re missing a major clue. And I think that clue or set of clues is why he won’t meet with your people and why he wants to open the portals.” 

“Maybe this will help. I meditated with him. And I focused really hard on digging out more of Wan’s story.” Korra recounted each of the segments. Asami dutifully wrote them down. “So, does that help?” Korra sounded so hopeful. 

Asami studied the list of visions. They were not in chronological order. “First, Wan steals food. Fails and his people are hungry. Second, he seeks to get the element of fire. Then refuses to return it. He guards his people as they steal food. He’s banished. He befriends spirits. Defends them. Heads south-east. What happens then?” She looked up at Korra. 

She shrugged. “Beats me. I can’t seem to get past that point.”

“No…” Asami looked through the visions again. “No, you did. That moment, when he finds his friends in the wilds. There’s a light spirit with him. Who is that?” She adjusted her chronological order to put that after the south-eastern journey. 

“I…” Korra trailed off and her eyes unfocused, like she saw something Asami didn’t. Asami turned to look behind her, but nothing was there, so Korra focused on something inward. Another vision?

“Korra?” She leaned forward, worried. Naga whined and bumped her nose against Korra’s side.

Korra jumped. “Sorry. I… I feel like I should know. That…” She put her head in her hands. “I wonder if it’s because I’m not good at this spiritual stuff. Is that blocking me?” 

“You’re selling yourself short again,” Asami reminded her. “Remember the whale spirit?” 

Korra’s hands slid into her lap. “Yeah, but you helped.” 

“I just distracted the spirit…” Asami started to say, but Korra interrupted her. 

“You’re doing it again. Downplaying your role.” Korra placed both hands on the table and leaned toward Asami. “I’m making it a rule. No more downplaying your role, okay? I couldn’t have done that without you, and that’s that.”

“Okay.” The fierceness in Korra’s tone threw Asami for a loop. “I won’t around you. Around others, please allow me that. I prefer not to be the center of attention.” She’d much rather work on her inventions and puzzling through problems than dealing with the aftermath of some important thing she did. 

“Deal.” Korra leaned back. “Look, there’s something else too. I spoke with Mom. She really likes you, by the way.” The way Korra inserted it so casually startled Asami.

Korra described the conversation of why she had been secluded at the White Lotus Compound. “So my Uncle didn’t tell the full truth. But Dad’s banishment and actions up North? That’s true, she confirmed it.” 

“I see.” Asami dutifully took note of that information, but where did it fit in the puzzle? “If Unalaq wants to keep you on his side, then why would he include anything to justify your father’s actions?” Yet, who betrayed the secret? That felt like a separate puzzle entirely. Asami felt inclined to believe Senna, even if she doubted Unalaq and Tonraq at times.

“Right.” Korra pushed away from the table and paced. “Which leads us back to those spirit portals. He told me he discovered the one up north and how it can only be opened by me. I chose him as mentor because he really gets this spirit stuff, but ever since I opened the south one, the dark spirit situation seems worse. I had to stop one on the way here! I tried Nakul’s technique, but I couldn’t make any sense of the spirit’s reply. It was just angry.” 

So many layers to this. Asami flipped through her pages of notes. “I think we need to sort out the dark spirit situation. Someone bought the oil rig, outfitted it with Northern Water Tribe torpedoes. Either that implies Chief Unalaq did it, or someone wants us to think that. Master Katara and Nakul said no evidence of buyers could be found for that or for the Ferris Wheel land.” 

“How does that relate to the portal?” Korra paused in her pacing to put her hands on the table and lean forward to look at the idea journal. 

“I’m going back to what we know. We can’t assume anything about Chief Unalaq’s intentions. Not enough data. But we can sort out why the spirits are upset. Since we likely won’t find the deeds of sale, we can determine date of construction of Ferris Wheel and oil rigs. Then use that time frame to look up who would be wealthy enough to purchase them.” Asami felt rather proud of this plan. “And that wound narrow down who is inciting the spirits.” 

“Woah.” Korra looked at her impressed. “That’s brilliant. But how do we figure that out?” 

“I asked Mako to investigate. He came by upset about Bolin among other things.” Asami waved her hand dismissively at the door. “Once he gives me the dates, I’ll call up Kyung at the office. Tell her its Avatar business. Likely anyone wealthy enough to buy land and oil rigs would also trade with other nations.” 

“Mako was here?” Korra frowned. “Why?”

Asami looked up at the Avatar and was surprised to see that look of jealousy. So, likely, Korra hadn’t listened to her plan to call Kyung.

“Korra, nothing happened. I made him tea, and I asked him why he was here,” she spoke carefully, hoping to diffuse whatever was happening between them. “He’s mostly worried about Bolin. Said it bothered him how terrified Bolin is of Eska and how he thinks Varrick is manipulating Bo. Since I have no idea how to get past the blockade, it’s not like I can smuggle them out. So I gave him a task to keep him occupied. He left. That’s it.” 

“Oh.” Korra sat down with a huff. “I’m sorry, Asami. I’m not really upset with you. And I didn’t think that you and him did anything. It’s just. This is going to sound dumb.” 

Asami placed her hands in her lap and straightened. “Korra, nothing you say is dumb. What is it?” 

“I go to you when I’m upset, especially if it’s due to him. The thought he went to you, and I’d just argued with him… that’s what I do. Not what he does.” Korra grumbled. “I’m saying this badly. I guess I suck at sharing. See? Dumb! You’re friends with all of us, and here I am jealous that you acted like a friend to Mako as if oh, I don’t know!” Korra threw her hands up. “See? I can’t even articulate it!” Naga whined in response, and Korra stroked the bear dog’s head. 

That was perhaps the most convoluted jealousy she’d ever heard, and she found it absolutely endearing. Asami couldn’t hide her smile. Korra didn’t want to share her. The urge to wrap her arms around Korra, to touch her face was so strong, that Asami put her hands under her legs. Now she couldn’t use her idea journal. Was she going to stay like this all night then? She found herself chuckling at herself. Okay, Korra wasn’t the ridiculous one. She was. Her and her crush on the Avatar. What a pair they made.

“Wait, what’s so funny?” 

Asami shook her head and took a deep breath to regain her composure. “It’s just…” She pushed away from the table. “Korra, nothing you said was funny. It’s just me. I’m ridiculous.”

The last thing she wanted to do was upset the girl. “How about I make us tea?” She hurried over to the stove to measure out the water again. She had to do something before she said something foolish like admit her feelings. 

“Asami.” Korra had followed her. She leaned against the counter to look at her. “How are you ridiculous? I’m the one being all weirdly jealous.”

The engineer was absolutely certain her cheeks had turned a shade of pink. She didn’t dare speak as she felt certain she’d blurt it out. When Korra gently grasped her shoulder to turn her, Asami realized that silence wasn’t going to cut it this time. 

“I laughed,” she said, finally, “at my own thoughts.”

“I… don’t get it? What were you thinking that was funny?” Korra looked even more flummoxed.

Asami sighed and leaned against the counter, one leg tucked behind the other. “Have you ever had a crush?” 

Korra dropped her hand. “That didn’t answer my question, but okay.” She tapped her lip and looked toward Naga in thought. “Hmm. You know, I’m realizing that I thought I was in love with Mako. Except, it burnt out. Like a match. So now I think it might have been a crush. Isn’t that what a crush is? You really like someone, think you love them, but then it burns out?”

Asami stared at the Avatar with a sinking feeling. “Yeah, that’s one way to define it.” Then was her feelings a crush? Because she really did not want them to stop. She wanted them to grow, to bloom between them. “I’d say a crush is also you really admiring the other person, to the point you want to be with them, but sometimes when you’re with them, it may fail to bring out the best in you…” she trailed off. Well, no matter how she worded this, her feelings did not fit these definitions of a crush. At least not how she understood crushes from past experiences. Because being around Korra seemed to bring out the best in Asami rather than the worst. So did that make these feelings far more than a crush? That really complicated things.

“Yeah.” Korra leaned both arms against the counter and faced the rented room. “Mako seems to bring out the worst in me, and I don’t like it. It’s why I have to just tell him we don’t work. Instead of implying it. But maybe he already knows it?” 

“Better to be direct,” Asami said. Even if she was terrible at being direct with people, especially with Korra, she liked it when others were direct with her. What a hypocrite she was! Best to keep the conversation on this topic and not on her. “He sounded pretty confused before I told him to stop using me as some sort of intermediary between the two of you.” 

“Wait, have I been doing that with you?” Korra sounded horrified. 

“No!” Asami shook her head, vehemently. “No, never. I’m glad you feel safe enough to come to me. But Mako wasn’t sharing his feelings. He wanted me to tell him how you felt, and I won’t do that. You’ve never asked that of me. You share of yourself and listen to me in turn. That’s how relationships ought to work. It’s a mutual sharing, a give and take, a compromise.” 

“Oh, good.” Korra smiled, relieved. Asami smiled back, relieved that she’d successfully distracted Korra. “So…” Korra continued. “What does that have to do with you being ridiculous?” 

Damn. That plan failed. “Normally I’m the one who does this,” she said with a sigh. 

Korra shrugged. “I learned it from you. So, why?”

Asami watched Naga roll onto her side, her tail nearly knocking over a chair. The walls of this rental room held some beautiful carvings of various animals. Looking everywhere but Korra helped her organize her thoughts a bit better. “You bring out the best in me,” she said, finally. “And my feelings are ridiculous. I need to concentrate on assisting you. And on trying to save my company.” 

“Your feelings aren’t ridiculous.” Korra shook her head. “They’re important. And it’s okay to feel them. I’m here to listen to you too.” 

Asami had nothing to say to that. If they’d been playing a game of Pai Sho, Korra would have beaten her soundly. She turned back to the kettle and turned off the stove. She thought about finishing the tea, but the conversation had exhausted her.

“I think… I should try to sleep. You’re welcome to stay here. There’s plenty of room, and I paid through the end of week.” Before Korra could reply, Asami retreated to one of the sleeping quarters to wash up and sleep. It wasn’t until after she’d laid down that she remembered she’d left her Idea Journal, with its many drawings of Korra, on the table.

Chapter Text

Four Days After Solstice, Lunch hour

Mako had been unsuccessful at determining the best location to find the documents Asami needed, so he decided to try someone who was more familiar with Wolf’s Cove. He shifted from foot to foot in front of Tonraq’s and Senna’s door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked. At first no one answered, he started to knock again, when the door opened. 

“Mako!” Senna looked surprised. “What do you need?” 

“Do you know where I can look for construction contracts? I’m helping Asami research who owns the land under the Ferris Wheel.” A cold gust caught him, and he involuntarily shivered. 

Senna opened the door wider. “Come in.” He stepped into the warmer interior, gratefully. “There is two possible offices, but why does she need this information?” She led him over to their firepit. 

“She’s helping Korra sort out who incites the spirits. Said the land was supposed to be a Southern spiritual archive, but someone bought it out and those land deeds were missing.” Mako stood by the fire but didn’t sit. He didn’t want to stay long. “She thought we could trace the buyer through the construction contracts.”

Senna smiled. “Quite the plan. Okay, one of the offices is in the western wing of the Palace. The original team was fired by Unalaq, so I don’t know who staffs that office. However, there’s also the corporate archives in the Southern bank. I suspect that one will have the original contracts.” She settled on a pillow and picked up her stitching. “Now, you didn’t hear me say this, but the corporate offices close at six in the evening, there is four guards, only two are benders.” She pulled her needle through the snow pants. “The palace is heavily guarded, so archives there are difficult to access. If you have an audience with our chief, then it will be easier to explore. Beyond that, I can’t say what you’d find.” 

Mako smiled in relief. “Thank you, Senna. That’s exactly what I need.” 

“Of course, I am not advising any illegal activities,” Senna replied that hint of a smile on her face. “Only sharing facts.” 

“Of course. Only sharing facts. I appreciate your kindness. I have to go and set up some appointments.” Mako headed back to the door. 

Senna waved at him. “Stay safe, Mako.” 

The corporate offices for the Southern bank were located near the center of town, not far from the palace. Dark spirits littered the rooftops, and less protesters were out in the streets. Troops kept most spirits at bay with ice spikes, but the increasing tension worried Mako. If it wasn’t the protesters facing off with troops, then it was the dark spirits that randomly attacked. He ducked in and out of alleyways to avoid the worst of the ruckus. Tonraq seemed certain his plan could stop war, but Mako had his misgivings.

The offices were located in a rotund building with a domed roof and a spire atop it. A restaurant was tucked into the left side of the building and held an outdoor dining area. Perfect. He headed inside and ordered warm tea and a scone. Mako chose a table that had a clear view of the Southern Bank. He pulled out his writing pad and drew the building, each of its windows, doors, and exterior design. He had a few hours until six in the evening, so plenty of time to plan the route. The interior would be the problem, so to fix that lack of knowledge, he'd make an appointment to meet with the archives officer. Then he could map the interior in case he couldn't obtain the information in the appointment. He liked to have back-up plans in case things went south.

Mako pondered if having someone with him could aid in this. Bolin would be helpful as a watch for the exterior, but signaling him inside would be difficult. Asami would be perfect as she could easily take down any guard before they could react. He doubted Korra would have time since she had to make up her lost lessons with Chief Unalaq. Sipping his tea, he sketched out several possible plans. As he worked, he noted how much excitement and purpose this gave him. It wasn’t that he didn’t mind being a beat cop, but investigations and prying out the truth of a matter was more his game. 

He finished his snack and walked over to the Southern bank offices. The name was carved into the stone with blue and white flourishes, and waves had been carved on the pillars on either side of the doors. Pushing open the doors, he noted that two guards stood on either side of the room. The entrance foyer was clean and sparse, fur rugs spanned the floor, pillows on the side benches, and a long counter against the back wall. Two doors were situated on either side of the counter. A lone man sat behind the counter, his uniform a deep blue with white waves stitched on his shoulders.

“Hello.” Mako walked up to the counter. “I’d like to set up an appointment with the person in charge of your history archives.” 

The man looked up, and his icy blue eyes swept over Mako’s semi-casual attire. It was technically the plain-clothes version of his police uniform. “And you are?” 

“Mako, Avatar Korra’s boyfriend.” He wasn’t entirely sure if that was still true, but it couldn’t hurt to lay down his affiliations as thick as he could.

“Oh!” The man’s eyes widened. “I see. Let me check our schedule.” He turned and poured over several documents. “Is this urgent or can it wait till tomorrow?”

“It’s urgent.” He needed to see further into the building for when he came back later tonight.

“Then we have a spot at three this afternoon. Is that sufficient?” When Mako nodded, the man marked down his name. “I’ll need a reason for this visit…” 

Mako considered how best to phrase this since he didn’t want to give away his objective entirely. “We wished to see the history of shipping contracts in the last five years. That’s the best I can say as the investigation is classified.” 

The man raised his eyebrow. “Then why send you?” 

“I’m not of the South or North. Neutral party.” That seemed a good enough reason, and the man seemed to take that at face value. 

“Understood. Return here at three in afternoon, and I’ll take you to your appointment. Good luck on your investigation.” The man nodded at him and returned to his writing. Mako headed outside, pleased with how well that went. Now to get some food and prepare for that appointment. If all went well, he might find the information during the appointment, and at worst, he’d just memorize the way to the archives and come at dark. 

Chapter Text

Four Days After Solstice, early morning

Korra had slept against Naga in Asami’s lodgings. The look Asami had given her right before she headed to bed had left Korra feeling conflicted. She’d been trying to provide comfort, but Asami had taken a step back. Her face full of raw vulnerability, not as raw as when she’d been on that cliff, but just about as close. Korra hadn’t meant to cause her distress. She wanted to make it up to her. 

So she got up before dawn, searched the kitchen, found some food, and proceeded to make breakfast. Her time in the compound had included lessons on cooking - for survival sake mostly - as well as intense cleanliness. Her teachers had been a stickler about that, considering her tendency toward organized chaos. 

Naga whined and stretched. Korra had found some meat in the kitchen, but she’d have to let Naga out to hunt soon. Probably during the lesson would be best. “Don’t worry, girl. I’ll take you out soon.” She tossed a piece of whale meat at the bear dog, who eagerly caught and ate the bite-sized snack. 

The whale meat sizzled in its fat and juices, and Korra added a bit more oil and spices. This place really had so little going for it. The thought that Asami would chose this rustic and limited place seemed highly uncharacteristic, so Korra decided this must have been Pema’s choice. As the whale meat cooked, Korra hummed to herself and boiled water for tea. 

The door to Asami’s sleeping quarters opened, and she stood, in her signature black cargo pants, dark red and black engineer coat with a lavender shirt collar. Her boots shone like she’d polished them, which considering how perfect Asami’s appearance usually was, Korra suspected she probably did shine them. “Korra? What… are you doing?”

“Making us breakfast!” Korra grinned at her. “I figured we should start the day full.” She turned back to the whale strips and flipped them. 

Asami tilted her head and studied her as if she couldn’t quite believe her eyes. “Cooking breakfast? I… didn’t realize you cooked.” 

“Oh, yeah, learned how at that compound. White Lotus were also clean freaks.” The whale strips were done, so Korra flipped them onto the plate, then poured in the only vegetables she had found - reddish-white tubers - into the greasy oil. She added some more salt. “It’s kind of relaxing actually.” 

“Oh?” Asami walked over to the tea kettle and took it off its burner right before it boiled. Just the right moment, perfect. “What are you cooking?” She worked on measuring out the tea. 

“Whale strips and tubers. There wasn’t much else here to be fair.” Korra shook the pan over the fire to more evenly coat the tubers in the grease and spices. “I’m sorry if this isn’t that good. I didn’t have time to go grab better food.” 

Asami’s face softened, a hint of a smile on her lips. “That’s okay. So, you slept here then.” 

“Sure, thanks for letting me.” Korra stirred the tubers. 

“This reservation is big enough for all of Team Avatar. Might as well take advantage.” She waved her hand toward the other three doors that led off to more sleeping quarters.

After she poured the tea, she leaned against the counter, one leg tucked behind the other, and sipped her tea while watching Korra cook. She had that same look as last night, when they’d been talking about crushes. A slight smile as if she held a secret. Korra wanted to ask if Asami had a crush, but considering how quickly Asami had fled last night, she decided it best to let the engineer tell her when she felt ready. 

“So… you okay to come with me to my lesson? I know Uncle insisted, but maybe you’ll see things I miss?” Last night’s conversation had left Korra concerned about her uncle and her people. The picture that they’d started to assemble had a lot of gaps. Someone deceived them, but Korra felt confident Team Avatar could figure it out. 

“Yes, I can come.” She didn’t say anything further, only watched her cook. Korra found she enjoyed the silence between them. When silence had fallen between her and Mako, Korra had gotten restless, sometimes lapsing into talking about random things, but other times pushing to do something, anything. But here, she didn’t mind the silence with Asami sipping tea next to her. What a contrast it was. 

Korra finished up, cleaned the pan, and laid out the plates. Asami didn’t say much, though she did close her idea journal and tuck it into her coat with a blush. Korra figured she’d left it out by accident, and although she’d looked at the page Asami had left open, it felt wrong to look further.

“Not sure the lesson will take all day, but maybe we can work on that Ferris Wheel stuff after?” 

Asami nodded and tasted the food. “This is really good, Korra, thank you.” She smiled with that tender look, the one she tended toward whenever they talked about heavy stuff. It gave Korra a lovely warmth in her chest. Maybe she should surprise Asami with cooked meals more often if only to get her to smile like that again.

***

Naga slid to a stop in the foyer of the palace. Korra’s uncle stood by the doors to the garden. Korra dropped to the ground and helped Asami down. “Hey Naga, go hunt, okay?” She stroked the bear dog’s fur. Naga licked her and bounded out of the room. The hunt would likely take an hour, but Naga would find her by scent if they moved to a different location. 

“Good morning, Korra and Asami Sato.” Unalaq smiled, thinly. “Today’s lesson involves calming spirits. Asami, I would like you to be our bait.”

“Wait, what?” Korra took a step back. “No way!” She looked at her friend, but Asami didn’t seem fazed. She wore her toolbelt with her electroshot glove clipped to her side. 

“Do you not trust yourself and her?” Her uncle raised his eyebrows at Korra. “If you follow my instructions, she will not be harmed.” Turning, he looked over Asami, who met his gaze steadily. “Tell me, Asami Sato, who is Korra to you?”

“My best friend. I trust her with my life,” Asami replied, calmly. 

“Ah, so you are loyal.” He stepped closer to her, and although he was fairly tall, Asami was only a little shorter. “I hear you own Future Industries. Creating war machines that could destabilize the South. Your planned deal with Varrick, it wouldn’t include selling such machines, would it?” 

“I seek access only to the shipping industry. All mechs will be converted to construction models.” She held her ground. Korra looked between the two of them, increasingly confused. Was her uncle testing Asami somehow? “And no, I have no intention to sell to the South at this time.” 

“At this time?” Unalaq smiled, humorously. “I see. Is it true that you are the reason Korra missed two days of lessons?” 

Asami said nothing but yet still held his gaze. 

“Uncle…” Korra tried to intervene, but he held up his hand to stop her. 

“Silence speaks as much as words, Asami Sato.” He glanced at Korra. “Korra, other nations may wish to profit from a possible Civil War. Is your friend such an agent? Seeking to destabilize us?” 

“Asami would never do such a thing!” Korra retorted. “Right?” She looked at Asami. 

Asami kept her gaze on her uncle. “The secure heart and mind stand firm against the agents of chaos. I stand with Korra no matter what.”

That had definitely been a diplomatic answer to her question. Korra felt she was watching some sort of Pai Sho game. She’d witnessed Asami playing it sometimes either by herself or with Tenzin or Pema, though she’d never outright suggested a game with the engineer. Korra wasn't that good at the game, and Asami would likely whoop her butt

“Even if it destroys your company?” Unalaq said, his voice icy. “No resources, no funds, and a nonbender? How will you serve the Avatar then?”

“Uncle, Asami doesn’t serve me. We’re friends. We work together as equals.” Korra didn’t want anyone to serve her. 

“Chief Unalaq, I may wish to save my company," Asami replied, firmly, "but Korra’s mission is of utmost importance. I will fight at her side for as long as she will have me."

“I see.” Unalaq waved his hand at Asami. “Korra, you are the Avatar. Many people like her will never be your equal. You will need to face this fact.” 

“With respect Chief Unalaq,” Asami said, her voice sharp, “Korra is more than just the Avatar. She is also Korra. A friend, a daughter, your niece. She fights for harmony not hierarchical castes.”

Korra looked at Asami, how straight she held her back, her head tilted up in defiance almost, and the calm expression on her face. She’d seen that expression before, the night in the sewers, before they split up to face Amon’s forces.

“You sound so certain of her.” Unalaq shook his head. “Korra, how do you define your mission?”

Korra looked between the two, nervous. “I keep the balance between spirits and humans, to seek harmony between all people. And I think Asami’s right. I don’t want servants. I want friends. Allies.”

To her relief, her uncle nodded at this and ceased the questioning of her friend. 

“Follow. The nearest dark spirit was reported in the industrial district on north-east sector of the city.” Unalaq led them through the palace doors and four guards fell into pace around them, two in front and two in back. “To calm this spirit, Korra, we must first bring it out of hiding. Each spirit that turns dark does so from an imbalance. The escalating tensions, the spiritual decay, and the increasing use of technology all contributes to this imbalance. This imbalance attracts spirits. Our goal is to purify this spirit and send it on its way.”

“Shouldn’t we ask why it’s angry?” Korra asked. She fell into pace next to Asami, who stayed silent with an impassive look on her face. Korra found she couldn’t read her friend at all; it was like Asami had pulled on an impenetrable mask. “So we can fix the source of imbalance?”

Unalaq shook his head. “The dark spirits in the South are too powerful, Korra. The decay here has warped them beyond hope of talk. We must purify. I already gave the order to shut down most factories. This should lower the chance of more spirits being attracted to that sector.” 

The walk wove through several side streets. More troops formed up around them, and protesters hurled angry insults from their spots in alleyways or rooftops. Any that stood in the streets were swept aside by troops to allow them passage. Korra felt uneasy as this seemed too much like she was either being held hostage or that she chose a side, the Northern side, which wasn’t the message she wanted to give to her people. She looked at Asami, but the engineer gave no indication of her thoughts, except for her right hand that had tightened into a fist. 

The industrial sector was encircled by a wide, multi-lane street. Satomobiles and a few trucks were parked along the street, but very few moved due to the troops and lockdown of the port. The warehouses lined the road, their stone edifice marked with dusty windows. Beyond them, lay a maze of narrower streets that led to two factories, a refinery, smelter, and forge. 

When Unalaq entered the center of the industrial sector, a square space that looked more like a run-down park than anything else, he flicked his fingers at the troops, who took up position against the walls of the buildings. Bits of trash littered the snow-covered ground, poles marked its edges, and on each side, the two-story industrial buildings loomed. Only one held any activity, but the workers kept their heads down and hurried past them. 

Korra watched with trepidation. She’d rarely gone to this side of the city. Atop one of the factories, a dark spirit appeared only for it to duck down behind railing of the roof. 

“Asami, I’d like for you to proceed toward the northern factory with this welding torch. Fire it at will.” Unalaq snapped his fingers and one of the soldiers came forward with a long bag. He took the bag from the soldier, who moved to the far edges of the park, close to the walls of the factory. Unveiling the object, it turned out to be a large fire-torch. Unalaq handed it to Asami, who took it without a word. 

“Are you sure about this?” Korra asked her, worried. 

She met Korra’s gaze, and her face softened with a faint hint of a smile. She nodded and took up position. 

Unalaq grasped Korra’s arm and led her away from the center of the park. “We must wait until the dark spirit is upon her. At no point must you come to her aid. The dark spirit must be incited enough to stay in battle, then we engage, understood?” His icy blue eyes bored into Korra’s. She nodded, even though she hated this idea immensely. 

“Asami,” Chief Unalaq called out. “Proceed.” 

Asami nodded and started to walk to the north. Several soldiers fell into pace several meters to her right and left with two more behind her. She pointed the welding torch at an angle toward the sky and fired it up. Flames emitted from its nozzle; she adjusted a setting, and the flames licked higher into the sky. A keening sound echoed from the perimeter. Asami kept her pace until she reached the factory doors. 

"Enter," Chief Unalaq ordered. "The spirits must be driven out."

She paused at his words, then pointed the torch at the metal doors. The flames blasted into them, and the chains on the doors melted into a pool of liquid. She kicked the doors open then entered alone, with only the welding flame to guide her.

Korra moved to race after her, but her Uncle grasped her shoulder. “Wait.” Her uncle raised his hand and thrust it down. Four soldiers sprinted forward. Three raced inside, and the other slammed the door shut, holding the handles firm. 

“You’re shutting them in?” Korra looked at her uncle alarmed. 

“We must incite the spirit, Korra.” He motioned for her to follow. The keening noise increased in the dark spirit appeared above the factory again, then another appeared to the left. Both dived for the factory building and phased through its darkened windows. Unalaq walked calmly forward, and Korra followed, upset. She didn’t like that Asami was alone in there with only three soldiers to help.

The keening grew in strength. The factory door shook as if someone had crashed into it. Korra burst into a run. Anger mounted in Korra. This was an unfair fight! The soldier kept hold of the door as again it trembled. 

Unalaq signaled the soldier, who released the door the moment Korra skidded up to him. The door burst open and a spirit sent Asami flying into Korra. The two tumbled to the ground. The dark spirit flew up in the air and dived at them. Asami rolled off Korra, jumped to her feet, and zapped the spirit with her electroshot glove. The spirit flew backward then swiped hard and sent Asami sprawling. 

Korra dodged an attack, rolled out from another one, and pushed to her feet. The second spirit slammed her from behind, and she stumbled. Diving to the right, she dodged another attack.

“Korra!” Unalaq shouted. “You moved too early! Purify when they are distracted.”

Asami was back on her feet, and she sprinted toward the dark spirit attacking Korra. She swiped it with her electroshot, ducked under its attack, and grabbed Korra’s arm to haul her back to her feet. Korra saw the blood matted on Asami’s left temple, and her breaths came hard and fast. 

“I’ll distract,” Asami said. She sprinted forward again and zapped one of the spirits; this sent both of them flying at her. She dodged, ducked, and zapped, only to for one to swipe her hard. She skidded in the snow and hit against a large metal tank.

Korra melted the snow and waterbended it up in spirals around the spirits. The other howled and dived again at Asami, but the second turned toward Korra. It cut through her water spirals to fly straight at her. Korra moved her hands to the left, and the water turned into a flood that swamped the spirit.

“Focus, Korra! Your energy must hold the spirit steady. Seek the spirit’s energy, feel it’s source of anger, and purify from that center.” He strode forward and swept up a barrage of ice. The second spirit twisted in the air to dive toward him. “Picture the energy calming. Embody warmth. Center in harmony. Do not let anger dictate!” He pivoted and dodged the spirit. “Try again.” 

Frustrated, Korra took a deep breath. Asami still fought the other spirit and her uncle focused on distracted the second. She could do this. Picturing the Aye-Aye spirit’s healing pool, she imagined its waters pouring into the spirals of her waterbending. The healing that had swept away the injuries and pain Wan had, how Wan had connected with the spirits around him, how he’d build friendships. Korra held that image in her mind and moved with the water, bended it upward and around the spirit that attacked Asami, and pushed that harmonious spirit pool waters into it. 

Golden light infused her waterbending, and the navy blue tinged with red began to fade into a golden-green color. The spirit ceased its attack and turned toward Korra. A warmth suffused Korra’s hands. 

Fire burned. Rock tumbled. Mines dug deep and cut through crystal caverns, the ice and natural formations shredded. The cave’s streams clogged with debris, and the cave creatures died. 

Upward the spirit floated through Korra’s bended. “Leave the caverns be, Avatar.” The spirit’s voice rumbled like the earth before it faded into the sky. Korra heaved in a breath and the water fell to the ground around Asami, who had lay on her side, still dazed from the last attack before Korra’s bending encircled the spirit. 

“Korra, focus. One more needs purifying.” Unalaq drove the spirit he fought Korra’s way. This one fought with a vengeance, diving and swiping its tendrils at the soldiers who tried to come to Unalaq’s aid. They skidded and hit the sides of the factory. 

Adjusting her stance, Korra closed her eyes and pictured that spirit pool again. The calm, healing waters and the pulse of energy that illuminated and cured the pain and ills. Spirals of water flowed upward, the energy pulsed, and the fury of the spirit crashed through Korra’s concentration. She gritted her teeth and kept the spirit pool image in her mind. Dark tendrils seeped into the scene of Wan in the pool. The waters began to turn a milky brown, Wan shivered, his skin turned grey, the sky crackled with energy. 

Two massive spirits fought in the valley. One a brilliant white as tall as a mountain and a blue-gold image on its chest. The other dark navy-blue tinged with red and a contrasting image on its chest. The white-gold spirit slammed the darker one into the ground and clods of earth hurtled into the air. Wan pulled the reins of Mula and the beast sprinted to avoid the crash. Dirt sprayed into the air. 

“Stop or you’ll destroy everything!” Wan shouted. He leaped off his cat deer and ran toward the fight. 

“Leave! This does not concern you, human!” The white-gold spirit’s words boomed through him. He stumbled to a stop. 

“It does when the lives of spirits and animals are in danger!” Wan shot back. Dirt and broken trees coated the ground, bits of the mountainsides to the south-east held gaping holes, and rocks littered the valley. 

“If you're a friend to spirits, then use your fire to free me. Change is needed, and we are trapped in stasis,” the navy-blue spirit pleaded.

The white-gold spirit held firmly to the other one and slammed it into the ground again. “Don’t involve the human. This is our path. We must stay together.” 

“Please, save me. She has tormented me for ten thousand years,” the navy-blue spirit whined in desperation. The pain in its voice shook Wan, and he stared at the fight in growing horror. 

“Ten thousand years?” That was awful! “Let it go!” He ran forward again. The navy-blue spirit tried to pull free, and a thread of energy, where the white-gold spirit had curled her tail tight around the other, showed for a brief moment. Wan sliced at it with his fire. The flames fell true, and the two spirits separated. 

The navy-blue one flew up and out of reach of the white-gold spirit. “Thank you human,” he said. “The cycle will now begin anew.” He flew upward and vanished among the clouds. Thunder rumbled in the distance, lightning flashed across the clouds, and a light drizzle fell, soaking Wan. 

“Do you realize what you’ve done?” The white-gold spirit floated up to him, her massive height dwarfed him. 

“Yeah,” Wan crossed his arms and glared at the white-gold spirit. “Rescuing him from your bullying.”

“You are mistaken.” The white-gold spirit shrunk a tad. “I was keeping him under control.”

“And who gave you that right?” Wan shot back. He stepped toward the spirit, angry still. “You tormented him for ten thousand years!” 

“Do you know who I am?” Her energy and light pulsed around him and the surrounding land faded into a haze.

He shook his head.

The intricate design on her chest pulsed. “I am Raava. That spirit you freed is Vaatu. He is the force of disorder and chaos. I am the force of order and stability. For time immemorial we have been caught in a dance of shifting balance.” She leaned over him and the rest of the world faded into the white-gold of her light. He uncrossed his arms and swallowed hard. The reality of his actions sunk into him. “This past ten thousand years, we have been tied together to keep the balance. He sought freedom to explore, but chaos without stability unleashes unbridled change. Do you understand now, human?”

Wan blinked against the glare of the spirit’s energy and blinding light. “So… I unleashed chaos into the world?” Regret and shame coated his voice. 

“Yes. Chaos that will annihilate all life and tear this world asunder without my stability. Together Vaatu and I balance, separate that balance is severed. And it is your fault."

The light pulsed through him, and he felt then the shift in energy within the world. For a moment, he saw with the white-gold spirit’s eyes, the change that had been carefully controlled to avoid overwhelming all. Wan fell to his knees as the massive weight of his actions engulfed him. 

“What can I do?” He asked. “How can I make this right?”

The white-gold light pulsed around Korra. She no longer stood in the industrial sector, but instead she stood behind Wan, who knelt in the dirt in shame and horror. Raava leaned over them. Korra looked up, and she understood then. This was the voice she’d heard. This was the light of her Avatar spirit. “Raava,” she breathed. “It’s you that guides me. Infuses me.” 

“Yes.” Raava’s light pulsed through Korra’s muscles, sinews, blood. “Listen to Wan. Dig deeper. You must see the full truth. Time is short.” The land buckled and shook. The clouds above turned dark as night, and the rain grew into a torrent. Water gushed over her, and Korra fell backward, through the earth, and down, down -

- she hit the ground hard enough to knock the breath out of her. She was back in the industrial park. The dark spirits were gone, and kneeling beside her was a woman in red Fire Nation armor, her black eyebrows raised in an almost cocky look, her eyes a light orange, and her black hair tied up in a bun. Beside her, one hand on her shoulder, stood Kyoshi. 

“Prepare yourself, Korra. A great battle is coming,” Kyoshi said. The light pulsed and faded, the mysterious woman shimmered, and in her place knelt Asami. Worry creased the engineer’s forehead, her mouth pursed, and her green eyes focused on Korra. Dried blood matted her left eyebrow, her raven-black hair half out of her hood, her face mask ripped, and she held one arm limply against her side.

“Hey, are you okay?” her mezzo-soprano voice grounded Korra. 

Disoriented, Korra pushed herself up. Asami gently helped her with her good arm. Korra looked around and realized her Uncle stood to her left. The soldiers were picking themselves up as if they’d been knocked off their feet. The vision had been so intense, like she had been Wan again, and that moment after, she’d been studying past Avatars with Tenzin, and the woman had to be Rangi, Kyoshi’s love, but why had she seen Rangi first instead of Asami?

“What happened?” Korra looked at Asami then at her uncle.

“The dark spirit fought you.” Her uncle looked thoughtful. “You entered Avatar state. More spirits flocked to your energy.” 

“Did I do it though? Purify them?” Korra had no memory of the dark spirit fight. She’d been caught in the vision.

“Yes,” Asami said softly. “You did it, Korra.” She stood and helped Korra to her feet. Pride marked her words.

Korra turned toward the rest of the city. The sky held no clouds, the sun low on the horizon, where it would stay for most of the day, due to that time of the year. “How many spirits?” She could still see some in the distance, closer to the Ferris Wheel and the docks. 

“Four,” her Uncle replied. “You did well, Korra.” He grasped her shoulder. “I am pleased. Let us return to the palace. We must meditate on your progress.” He nodded at Asami. “Thank you for your help. You may go now.” He turned and started to walk away.

“No.” Korra shook her head. Her uncle turned to her with raised eyebrows. Korra pointed to the engineer’s injuries. “I need to heal Asami. I’m not going to let her walk away like this!” 

Her uncle scrutinized Korra. “I see. You will do so at the palace then. After you heal her, then you must focus, Korra. I have more to teach you today.” He glanced at Asami. “We will finish this afternoon. I would like you, Mako, and Bolin to join me this evening at dusk. The afternoon will be yours to do what you will, Korra. Understood?”

From the finality in his voice, Korra realized he wasn’t going to take any arguments. She sighed and agreed. 

Chapter Text

Fourth Day after Solstice, Early Afternoon

On the walk back to the palace, Korra had insisted in helping her walk, which considering she’d bashed up her right knee and shoulder pretty bad made sense, but it still irritated her. The chief led them to the palace grounds, which gave Asami time to consider what had happened. 

When she entered that factory, the lights had been off, the machines silent, but when those three soldiers entered, the doors slammed shut. That’s when she realized it had been a trap. She wasn’t just bait. The soldiers had immediately attacked her. The torch kept them at bay until her attackers froze it, so she resorted to her electroshot glove. One she took out quickly, but the electric shock gave away her position. She’d narrowly avoided being iced to the wall.

With little light without the welder, she’d taken to dodging and hiding. A few carefully thrown broken machinery had distracted another soldier enough for her to sprint, slide, and take him down. The other she had to dodge his water bending attack, then sprinted to the side, pakoured off the wall, and zapped him as she flipped over his head. 

The darkness had felt creepily solid after the fight. That’s when the dark spirits attacked. Her trying to throw open the factory doors hadn’t worked at first, and the spirits had thrown her into a conveyor belt. She’d managed to dodge several other attacks from the larger spirit, but the smaller and faster one kept tossing her into machines or the doors. When the doors finally opened again, the smaller spirit threw her into the Avatar.

Once she’d gotten on her feet, she glanced at the Northern Chief, only to see a look of irritation on his face.

He’d wanted her out of commission, which meant he saw her as a threat. The more she considered his interrogation and the dark spirit fight, the more convinced she became that he wanted to isolate Korra from friends and family, but she’d mucked that up by taking Korra on that trip with Katara. 

She supposed that was one of her talents. She’d managed to mess up her father’s plans. Now she’d do the same with this arrogant chief.

“Hey,” Korra whispered. Her arm was hooked under Asami’s shoulders to help her balance. “You okay?” 

“I’m fine,” Asami whispered back. The pain in her arm and knee wasn’t too bad, the cuts on her head was minor. Nothing she couldn’t handle. “But you saw something, didn’t you?” 

“I’ll tell you this afternoon, okay?” Korra looked at her uncle, and the crease between her eyebrows gave away her worry. 

They reached the palace and had encountered no one, not even protesters the entire route back. The troops likely had cleared the streets for the Northern chief. Inside, the chief led them to the gardens.

Korra leveraged Asami down against a bench. She melted some snow and bended the water over Asami’s knee first. The warm gold energy seeped into the pain and melted it away. Asami leaned against the bench, and noticed the plethora of guards that stood by each of the arched entrances to the gardens. 

“Purifying spirits feels a lot like healing,” Korra said. She bended the water up Asami’s body to work on her arm and the cuts to her face and head. 

“Yes. The techniques are similar.” Unalaq gestured to the garden. “Think of this pocket of life within this ice palace. To preserve its life, the garden requires care and upkeep. This is what we must do with the South. The spiritual side was not upkept and its care was neglected. We must rekindle the traditions to restore that. This will make peace with the spirits.” 

Korra frowned. “The first spirit shared why it was upset, and gave me images of mining trashing underground caverns that killed the creatures there. Maybe this is more than just restoring spiritual traditions.” She looked up at her Uncle. “Is there a way to compromise with the spirits?” 

Unalaq clasped his hands behind his back. “Unlikely.” 

Asami listened and found that answer unsatisfying. “Ethical practices for resource gathering could be adjusted to meet what the spirits want. To rule that out without verifying seems a bit odd. Look at your people. Industry would be needed to make those battleships you have.” 

“The North has kept its traditions and balanced its physical and spiritual needs,” Unalaq replied. “The South has failed at this.” 

“So then you can work with technology and still balance with the spirits, as you just said the North does this,” Asami countered. 

Korra shifted the water back to Asami’s knee. The gashes on her head and face were gone and only a faint tingling was left there, but her knee and shoulder still ached. Being thrown around in the factory had really taken its toll on her. “She has a point, Uncle. Can’t we work toward that?”

“First we must build the foundation with spiritual traditions. Without that foundation, balance won’t be achieved.” Unalaq still held that dismissive tone that irritated Asami to no avail. 

Korra sighed and dropped the water onto flowers next to Asami. “You probably should rest for a bit, Asami.” 

Asami nodded. She thought about the Hidden Village and its focus on assisting the spirits’ needs or coming to a compromise. Chief Unalaq’s way didn’t allow for much compromise. The entire morning left her a bit rattled, but she could tell it shook Korra far more than herself.

Leaning forward, she whispered in Korra’s ear, “If you need to talk, meet at my lodgings after.”

“Okay.” Korra helped her to her feet. “See you soon.” 

Asami glanced at the Northern chief, and his icy gaze scrutinized her, but she kept her temper in check and kept her tone diplomatic. “It was a pleasure to assist in Korra’s training. Good day, sir.”

She turned and walked back the way they came. Part of her wanted to try to investigate the palace, maybe seek out its archives, but the guards were everywhere, so she couldn’t see how she’d get by them without bringing attention to herself. 

The entrance foyer was cold, the walls and floor mostly made of ice blocks, and the pillars that framed each door were carved with water tribe symbols. Pretty but horribly cold. Asami shivered. Her thoughts turned to her company, and she wondered again how she was going to save it. The deal with Varrick would net her access to shipping, but the tumult here in the South left her worried about any sales that headed this way. The last thing she wanted to do was exacerbate the conflict here with technology that angered the spirits. She refused to prove Chief Unalaq’s insecurity true.

She was so caught up in her thoughts, that she didn’t even notice the person behind her until he grabbed her arm. She twisted and nearly flipped him against a wall, but then caught herself just in time. It was only Bolin.

Asami released him, a bit guiltily. She was still off-centered from this morning.

“Warning next time?” She told him. 

He winced and rubbed his arm. “Sorry. Got to talk to you.” He pulled her down the hallway to the left and into a walk-in closet full of shelves, supplies, and cleaning materials. Bolin leaned against the door.

“Uhh. Bolin, what’s this about?” Asami felt a trickle of concern at the odd behavior. 

“We’re being followed and watched by Chief Unalaq,” Bolin whispered. “I witnessed a soldier reporting to him that Korra went to your lodgings last night.” 

“Wait, what?” Asami leaned in close to him to keep her voice soft as well. “Are you certain?” 

Bolin nodded. “Also, Unalaq wants to do a speech and have Team Avatar stand with him. But that’s us choosing a side, right? Like, we can’t do that, right?”

“What is this speech about?” Asami tapped her fingers against her leg and wondered if this watch started up the moment they got back, or if they had been followed to the hidden village. If they had been followed to the hidden village, that would be bad, and she’d have to warn Waaseyaa, but how to do that? 

“Something about his goals for the united tribes.” Bolin spread his hands, helplessly. “I was sort of getting my knee turned to ice for half that dinner.” 

This was not good news. Seemed very much in character for the chief, especially after this morning. Asami was fiercely loyal to those she cared about, and Unalaq had no idea who he was facing. She’d survived her father’s attempt on her life. She could handle what that arrogant chief threw her way. “At Korra’s lesson today,” she said, quietly, “Unalaq put me in a very precarious position. I think he was trying to put me out of commission.”

“That’s bad.” Bolin looked conflicted. “Asami, what do we do?”

Asami wanted to verify what Varrick had Bolin do as well as how exactly he found this all out, but the palace was the worst place for that question. “This is not a good place to talk. I’ll ask the others to meet up at the Otter-Penguin Boutique, that cafe near my lodgings.” 

“But that’s public…?” Bolin cocked his head at her. “Oh, oh, gotcha. That’s smart. Okay, when?” 

“In two hours.” Asami patted Bolin’s shoulder. “We’ll get through this, okay? Just take it a step at a time.” She needed a plan to get past the blockade too, in case things got worse, which meant she needed to meet with Varrick about that too. She had no boat at her disposal, and he had many. “Now come on, before anyone gets suspicious.”

Both of them exited the closet once the corridor was relatively free of people. 

“Where are we going?” Bolin said it cheerfully, but Asami could hear the undercurrent of nervousness. She led him outside into the endless cold. Despite Korra’s healing, it made the soreness in her knee and shoulder ache.

“I need to visit two people. Varrick for the shipping deal. Master Katara for healing questions.” That wasn’t the real reason to see the master healer. She needed to get a message to the hidden village, and Katara was the best option she had until Waaseyaa chose to show herself again.

Bolin nodded. He seemed determined to stick by her side, so Asami went with it. 

Asami had been studying maps of the city while resting in her lodgings, mostly so she wouldn’t get lost again, and the hospital was a two story building situated near the industrial sector of Wolf’s Cove. Two main roads and a side street would get them there, but a protest and troop standoff blocked off one of the roads. Asami pulled Bolin into an alleyway the moment she saw the dark spirits appear on the rooftops on either side of the standoff. 

“I think I see our follower.” Asami had been able to scan their surroundings each time she turned to reply to Bolin’s stories.

She’d purposely got him talking to make it easier to hide her actions. The person kept ducking into alleyways, then would slip out of a different alley to walk casually behind them. How she could have missed this earlier troubled her.

“I think we can shake them at this protest. Head to left. Take the second alleyway you see, turn right, then right again. I’ll meet you there. Got it?” 

Bolin nodded. “Second alleyway, right twice, and presto, Asami!” He gave her a thumbs up. 

As he took the left, she headed down the right side of the protest.

Southerners swamped the street with their signs. The few waterbenders they had faced the dark spirits, but so far none attacked. “No more troops! End the curfew!” The chants echoed around her and was accompanied by the stomp of feet that gave it a rather catchy beat.

Asami slipped into the second alleyway she found. She took a left at the second intersection she found, unclipped her glove, then pressed her back against the wall. She waited, and as she had hoped, she heard footsteps her way. Just as the person rounded her corner, she swiped out his feet, flipped him backward into her hiding place, and slammed him hard against the ground.

“Why are you following me?” she snapped.

The man wore white coat and pants with blue lining and no identifying markers. His face mask made it hard to get a good look at his face, so she tore it off and noted his brown beard, the scar on his left cheek, and his pale blue eyes. “Better start talking.” 

“Or what?” He snarled. “You gonna cry at me?” 

“Oh?” Asami pressed her arm against his windpipe and kept his arms pinned. He tried to push her off him, but she slammed him down again and adjusted her grip. “Maybe a jolt will jumpstart your voice.” She held the sparks from the glove close to his face.

The man glowered at her and pursed his lips. Asami’s patience was waning. She grabbed his shoulder and sent a medium powered jolt into him. His body jerked violently, his muscles temporarily seized up, and tears stung his eyes.

When he still didn’t speak, she upped the voltage. “Okay, okay!” He gasped. “Got asked to keep an eye on you.” 

“Who?” She held the glove close to his face again. 

He looked at the sparks it emitted and gulped nervously. “I don’t know. The man paid decent. He was masked and had no identifying marks. Gave me this to wear and told me to report at night by the docks.” 

“When were you hired?” She let up a little bit on his windpipe.

“Yesterday! Honest!” He coughed a bit, his eyes wide. So recent hire, but that didn’t rule out the possibility of others being hired before yesterday. 

“Anyone else take jobs like this?” The sparks in her glove crackled by his ears. 

“Don’t know.” The desperation in his voice convinced her that he was telling the truth. That frustrated her as she had no way to confirm if they’d accidentally given away the location of the hidden village. The last thing she wanted was for their visit to cause harm to those villagers. 

Asami stood and dragged him up by his coat. Anger turned her voice ice cold. If there was anything she hated, it was others trying to isolate and harm her friends. “Here’s a message for your employer. We are not easily manipulated. The truth will be uncovered.” She threw him hard against the wall. He slid down, shivering violently. When she took a step toward him, he crawled away from her and ran out of the alleyway. 

She waited a bit but heard no more footsteps. It’d been tempting to have the man strip so she could use the uniform to track down his employer, but it was far too cold for that. Part of her recognized she’d taken some of her anger at the Chief out on that man, but the pragmatist in her knew only threats would have gotten that information. 

Asami clipped her glove back to her belt then headed down the alleyway to take the first left. That brought her back onto the street, this time behind the row of soldiers that prevented the protest group from finishing their march. The chants echoed in the confines of the street, and the troops kept slowly pushing forward. That pushed the crowd back, but then they’d try to push forward. It looked like a game of tug of war. Best get out of here before it turned into an outright fight.

Bolin waited on the other side of the street. He examined a store window displaying coats, seal-skin pants, and boots, while he rocked back and forth on his heels. Asami scanned the road but with the troops and protesters, it would be hard to tell if someone else followed them. She’d check again once they were on a more secluded street. She walked over to Bolin and stood next to him. The store wasn’t open, which wasn’t a surprise considering the growing unrest. 

“Come on,” she said quietly to him. “I shook our follower.” 

“Okay.” Bolin looked at her glove. “Got them good?” 

“You can say that.” She turned and headed up the road toward the hospital. “Look, Bolin,” she leaned close to him and whispered in his ear. “I need to know what Varrick had you do, but don’t tell me direct. Weave it into some fantastical story, okay?”

“Right. So there was this otter-penguin I saw the other day,” Bolin shared, a cheerful tone back in his voice. He swung his arms as if in a sort-of march. “It could dance and draw, but it couldn’t decide where to draw, you know? So it danced from place to place, and drew as it danced, and the world began to take shape. Each person, each building, each hallway, but then the otter-penguin got really tired. That was so much work, and the only compliments it got was that its work was atrocious. So the otter-penguin sold its drawing to get some food and a place to sleep.” 

Varrick had asked Bolin to draw each person, building, hallway? Asami considered the story, then realized that Bolin had access to the palace through Eska. That would be perfect for Varrick to obtain some information on the palace, but why would he need it? That troubled Asami greatly. “I see. I hope the otter penguin takes time to rest and recover.” Bolin should not go back to the palace, and she hoped he’d get her insinuation. 

“Totally! Rest and recover.” Bolin smiled at her, but there was a deep unease hidden in his expression. He never could hide his emotions; he wore them on his sleeve. Asami understood why Mako wanted to get him out of the city. She also saw him as a little brother, and right now he was in a precarious position between several dangerous parties. 

“Bolin, do you think you can find Mako for me?” She considered where Mako could be if he was seeking out the construction contracts. Possibly places would be any historical archives, but she wasn’t sure where any of those would be. He’d need to eat though, and it was around lunchtime. “Check your lodgings and any food places. Best way back is to follow this street to the docks, then go up the main road from there. Then meet me at that cafe, okay?” 

“Okay.” He looked up at the rooftops. “And the dark spirits?” His fear was palpable. 

“They don’t like electricity,” she said. “Best to not pay them any attention.” She wished she had better tips, but they still needed to figure out who incited them.

Bolin took a deep breath, gathered his courage and marched off down the street. Asami watched him go until he was out of sight. She turned to the hospital. A scan of the streets showed no follower that she could see, but she doubted there had been only one. 

Master Katara turned out to be in the critical ward, but she came out to speak with Asami over tea in the food section of the hospital. Asami sat in the corner of the room, so she could have a good view of the entire room. The tables and chairs were oriented in rows, and the walls were painted a light blue with white stripes. Large bay windows let in the light, and the ceiling had the painting of sky and clouds. Cozy in a way, but the room was far colder than she expected, and even in her warmer coat and pants, she still shivered.

Master Katara walked over with her walking stick and tea. “Hello, Asami,” she said warmly. “I hear you wish to talk to me?”

Asami nodded. She scanned the room again, but no one was within earshot. “I have some bad news for our mutual friends.” 

Katara sat down and leaned forward her smile gone. “What is it?”

Asami leaned forward as well and kept her voice low. “First, I discovered I’ve been followed. For how long, I’m not sure. The person I caught said he was hired yesterday. Second, Unalaq is trying to isolate Korra. He…” there was no easy way to put this. “Put me in a dangerous situation, which with the way he questioned me this morning, leads me to think he wants me out of commission. I narrowly got out of it.” 

Katara leaned back and frowned. “I believe you. I'll let our mutual friend know. Is there a place you are willing to talk?” 

“Otter-penguin Boutique is by my lodgings,” Asami suggested. 

Katara nodded. “I’ll pass that on.” She sighed heavily and took a sip of her tea. “The dark spirit attacks have started to overrun our resources here.” 

“Team Avatar is working on that,” Asami glanced around the room, but no one had moved in their direction. Most seemed to be near the food bar or the other side of the room. “I got some leads on who might have bought up the land and incited the spirits.” 

Master Katara reached out and gently touched Asami’s hand. “I’m glad Korra has you. You two work well together. Expect a visit soon. And thank you.” 

Asami smiled shakily at the elderly woman. “Of course. I’d do anything for Korra.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, Asami realized there wasn’t any way to ignore or lock up her feelings for the Avatar. They kept influencing her actions and decisions regardless and that scared her a bit.

Asami’s Lodgings, Mid Afternoon

The first thing Asami noticed when she entered the rental suite was that someone had been here. The lodgings cleaning team came occasionally, but they’d never shifted through her things, nor broke the lock on her suitcases. She opened up her bags and checked for any missing items. She wasn’t sure on the clothes, but none of her blueprints were missing at least. 

She pulled out her idea journal and opened to where she’d stashed the papers Korra and her had taken from the oil rig. Had they been looking for these? She tucked them back in her journal and slid that back into the inner pocket of her coat. Good thing she always kept it on her. 

A knock sounded at her door. Asami took no chances. She slipped on her glove and headed to the suite door. Pressing her ear against it, she listened carefully. To her relief, she heard the panting of Naga. She clipped her glove back to her belt and opened the door. 

“Hey, can we talk?” Korra said. She looked tired, and one hand rested on Naga’s head.

Asami motioned for her to enter. As soon as Korra and Naga were inside, Asami took a cautious step out of the suite and checked the hallways. No one in sight. She stepped back inside and shut the door. She held up her finger to the Avatar, and opened each of the suite doors. No one. Next, she headed to the windows. She threw them open and looked outside. No one hanging outside the windows, but the roof was just above her. 

“Hold on a second, and then we’ll talk,” she told Korra. She leaned out the window and grabbed the lip of the roof. 

“Asami, what are you doing?” Korra sounded alarmed. 

“Checking something.”

She pulled herself upward until her feet got traction. She felt Korra grab her legs, which was a little troublesome, but she pulled herself a bit higher until she saw over the lip of the roof. The roof was flat and had a door situated in the far left corner. She couldn’t see anyone, so she turned to look down and that’s when she sighted them. Someone crouched on the opposite roof. As soon as she sighted them, they ducked out of sight. So still being followed, how irritating. She lowered herself down, and let Korra pull her back inside.

After she slammed the window shut, she finally turned to Korra. “We’re being followed.” 

“What?” Korra stared, baffled. “Is that what you were doing?”

“Yes. Bolin caught me. He overheard a soldier talking to Unalaq about following you to my lodgings last night.” Asami gestured to the suite. “Whoever searched this place was an amateur. They broke the lock on my suitcase too.”  

“Okay, hold on. Are you saying my uncle has people following you and searching your lodgings?” Korra put her hands on her hips. “You do realize how that sounds right?” 

Asami entered her sleeping quarters picked up the broken locks and threw them on the table in front of Korra. All of them were smashed. Korra jumped and picked up the locks, dumbfounded.

“Someone broke those. Who sent them, I don’t know. Also, I caught one of the guys following me. Persuaded him to talk.” She tapped her glove. “He said he’d been hired yesterday and was given unidentifiable clothing. The person he met was at the docks and had nothing in which to identify them. Does that sound familiar?” Asami crossed her arms and looked at Korra.

“The oil rig. Everything was unmarked.” Korra put her hand on Naga. “But surely Uncle wouldn’t do all this.” 

“I don’t have enough evidence beyond what Bolin heard, and what happened this morning.” Asami hesitated. 

“Wait, this morning? Do you mean Uncle’s questioning? That was weird.” Korra sighed, frustrated. “I don’t understand why he did that.” 

Asami shook her head. “I expected that. What I ought to have expected was the trap.” 

“Trap?” Korra frowned. “I was with you, when…” she trailed off. “Oh. The soldier that held the factory doors shut. Is that what you meant? I was against that and ran to stop it…”

“That sure, but remember the three soldiers? They attacked me inside. That was the trap.” Asami flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I might look like a useless rich girl, but I’m not that easy to take down.” She tried to keep her voice light to soften the blow, but it didn’t quite work as she hoped.

Korra held up her hands. “Wait, wait, they attacked you?” Korra sat down. “I thought they followed to help.” 

“Korra.” Asami moved a chair so that she faced the Avatar. She reached forward and gently grasped her hands. “I know this isn’t easy to hear, and I’m sorry for that.”

“Why would he have them attack you though?”

 “I’m the reason you were gone for two days,” Asami said, gently. “And I’m here talking things through with you. Think, if you weren’t able to talk to me at all, who would you discuss this with?”

Korra’s hands tightened around Asami’s. “Spirits. He’s isolating me.”

Asami didn’t know what to say to help Korra. This would be painful for her, but there was more she had to know. “Korra, look, I know this is a lot. But I’m here, so is Bolin and Mako. We’re Team Avatar, we’ll get through this, okay?” She pushed as much confidence as she could into those words. “I asked Mako and Bolin to meet us at the cafe at the corner. Especially since they have…” There really wasn’t any good way to say this. “More sour information.”

“More?” Korra looked up and tears shone in her eyes. “What else is worse than hearing my uncle tried to take out my best friend?”

Asami wanted to wipe away Korra’s tears and hug her tightly. So much weighed on the Avatar’s shoulders. “I’m okay.”

“Okay?” Korra pulled away and paced. Naga whined and thumped her tail against the ground. “What if you’d been hurt worse? Or…?” Her hands curled into fists. 

“Korra, stop.” Asami stood and grabbed the Avatar’s shoulders. Korra huffed, but she held still in Asami’s grip. “I’m fine.” Well enough at least, despite the aches. “Important thing is we’re here talking, okay? His ploy failed.” 

“Right.” Korra took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Still. I shouldn’t have gone along.” 

Asami sighed. “Please don’t blame yourself. I agreed to do it, okay? And neither of us expected…” Except, she had expected it. She had known the moment the Northern Chief had said she’d be bait that she might end up seriously injured or worse, but she hadn’t expected the soldiers to enter and attack. She let Korra go and took a step back. “Korra, I think we need to prepare for the worst.” 

“The worst.” Korra said it bitterly. “My uncle trying to isolate me and hurt you. Dad and Varrick having meetings about civil war. The dark spirits attacking civilians. How do we prepare for any of this?”

“I don’t think your father wants war.” Asami chose her words carefully. “He asked your help for a peaceful resolution. Varrick was the one calling for war. You tried to set up that meeting, but Chief Unalaq denied it. We may not be able to convince your uncle, but I might be able to trick Varrick into giving away his plans.”

“All right.” Korra sat back down and leaned forward, her elbows on her thighs. “Asami, I had another vision this morning, but then Kyoshi tells me to prepare myself. A great battle is coming, so I guess your words seem a bit… too on point?”

Asami settled in the chair she’d moved next to Korra. She pulled out her idea journal and wrote down these new facts. “Tell me.” 

Korra related the entire vision in detail and the vision of Kyoshi. When she described how she’d seen Asami as Rangi, Asami paused in her note taking and stared at the Avatar, speechless. She’d seen Asami as Rangi? Kyoshi’s lover? 

Asami looked down at her journal, shut it, tucked it away, and pushed away from the table. She walked to the stove. Her mind jolted back to her waking up at Senna and Tonraq’s with Korra cuddled up next to her. Then for Korra to see her as Rangi? No, she could not think about this. She had to focus. Civil War was looming, and regardless of what she felt, she had to do her part.

“Asami?” Korra sounded worried.

Asami took a deep breath, held it for five seconds, then released it for five seconds. She had told Master Katara that she’d do anything for Korra, and she meant it. “I'm ok. I think that vision is the clue we need,” she said, her tone even. “If Wan unleashed this… Vaatu but the world wasn’t annihilated, then he must have beaten Vaatu somehow.”

“And Raava is in me.” Korra spoke the words with a hint of wonder in them. 

Asami turned to look at the girl. “But how did he stop Vaatu?”

“I don’t know yet, but I think we’re running out of time to find out.” Korra tapped the table, upset. “Raava said time is short.” 

“We need to meet with Mako and Bolin in less than an hour at Otter-Penguin Boutique, that cafe nearby, and I need to meet with Varrick still." With the protests nearly coming to blows, Asami worried that the powder keg that was the South right now was about to blow. "I also warned our… mutual friend about the possibility that we might have been followed for longer than just yesterday and today.” 

Korra jumped to her feet. “We should have this figured out now! All these puzzle pieces, it's maddening...” She paced, while Naga laid down and watched. Asami waited for Korra to finish; the crinkle between her eyebrows betrayed her worry. “What if someone is trying to frame all this on my Uncle?” 

“Maybe, but that doesn’t explain his behavior this morning. Nor his insistence on opening the portals.” Asami really wished she had that information on who bought the land where the Ferris wheel was built. “I think whoever searched my things was looking for what we found on the oil rig. Someone knows we were there. Did you tell anyone?” 

“No…” Korra winced. “Okay, maybe I did. I was meditating with uncle yesterday. I had a flashback of that whale vision, then blurted out that he needed to shut down all oil rigs. That I’d already dealt with one.” 

Asami didn’t know what to say to that. No one else but Katara and the villagers would have known, so that implied that perhaps it had been Unalaq ordering someone to search her quarters. She sighed and leaned against the counter.

“I guess there’s one other possibility, but I doubt it’s the reason for all this.” Asami hadn’t really told anyone about this part of her company’s troubles. “I’ve had several people push for me to sign away Future Industries blueprints. There was also one break-in to our currently shut-down factory a few weeks ago, but we don’t store blueprints or similar documents there. We’ve had no issues since then. I don’t know why they’d bother me here. It doesn't relate to our current situation.”

“I didn’t know that all was happening.” Korra looked even more upset. “That is awful.” 

Asami shrugged and turned back toward the window. Across the street, the lip of the rooftop held icicles, and she couldn’t see anyone up there. Likely they’d know now to hide better. Frustration at the situation filtered through her, and she took a deep breath, counted to five, and breathed out over five seconds.

Korra stood and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Asami, are you okay? Today has been intense.”

No, she wasn’t really, but she found that she couldn’t say it out loud. Asami had run out of ideas, and she was tired. The layers of complexity in their current situation weighed her down. She still had no idea if this deal with Varrick would save her company, and as much as helping Korra with the spirits had distracted her, she couldn’t avoid the inevitable forever. Waaseyaa’s words came back to her.

"If you choose to help, will you force your technology on us? Or seek to aid our preservation of who we are?” 

Korra said her name again. Asami did her measured breathing to help melt away her anger, until she felt calm enough to speak. “I’ll be fine.” She turned to Korra. “You said Kyoshi told you to prepare. So let’s get to work.”

Varrick’s mansion

Varrick’s mansion was located near the Ferris Wheel, which meant she could meet Korra there after this ridiculous meeting. Their Team Avatar meeting had been relatively short, with Mako reporting in his progress and upcoming appointment, Bolin sharing his tales, and Korra deciding to patrol the streets to try to break up fights and calm the spirits. So now Asami and Bolin were being led through Varrick's estate. The grounds itself took up a city block, half of it gardens and workshops, but the house itself dominated the estate with its flowing wood and ice design.

“I can’t get over this place,” Bolin gushed. “Look at this stuff!” He pointed to some of the random inventions that Varrick had on display in his main hall. Most looked like tech from a fevered dream. Though, a few had practical purposes like that remote control transmitter.

Zhu Li lead them up the stairs toward the stateroom for their meeting. Her clothes held a stylish water tribe pattern on the suit pants, shirt, and vest, each meticulously kept, which Asami could appreciate. Seal and polar bear dog rugs covered the wooden floor, which the wood seemed odd considering most of the buildings in the city were stone and ice rather than wood. 

“Remind me to bring you to the engineering wing of Future Industries.” Asami smiled at Bolin, amused by his awe. 

“Oh? Lots of good stuff there too? Like that awesome racecar track?” Bolin looked excited and clenched his hands in front of him. 

“That and more.” They reached the top of the stairs and Zhu Li pushed open the doors.

Varrick stood with a wide stance, his hands behind his back, and faced the massive bay windows. Heads of various animals hung on his walls as trophies, and blue and white banners with his emblem on them hung on the walls. A sofa and several chairs clustered by a table, and an ornately carved wooden desk lay in front of Varrick. 

“Asami Sato and her tiger shark!” Varrick pivoted with a grin. He thrust out his hand and eagerly shook theirs. “Glad you’re back! Got to say, Sato, sending your tiger shark here to help with some errands is mighty smart.” He nudged Bolin and winked at her. “Makes me inclined to give you some better terms!”

“Right.” Bolin coming here without her hadn't been her plan, but she was willing to roll with it. The access to shipping was essential for her business, but it could also aid her in finding a way through the blockade in case the worst happened. “I find it intriguing how wide spread your influence is in the city.” She hoped that would jumpstart the conversation and lure him into her trap. “I’ve been studying the city infrastructure out of curiosity, and your mark is all over it.” 

“Oh, you got that right! Smart to do some research on me.” He motioned for them to sit. “Zhu li, bring the tea and some of those cookies! Can’t get enough of them!” Zhu li nodded and exited. “Gotta modernize the city here. Can’t have us only using carts and telegraph lines.” He leaned forward. “Still trying to get more folks sold on telephones. Can you believe it? So far it’s just the inns and palace!” He threw his hands upward. “But I got a plan for that. Show off the wonders of technology enough, and you’ll get anyone to buy it. Even that stick in the mud, so-called chief.”

“I noticed. So did you lay down the telephone wires to Republic City?” She'd noticed the delay and fuzziness in the telephone connection, how it sounded almost like a radio connection. She was curious as to how Varrick had pulled this off.

"Nah." He waved his hand as if to dismiss her comment. "Only needed to lay down wire to my radio stations. Built as a switchboard on one of those islands by the Air temples."

"Genius." It explained the fuzziness and static in the line. Though now she had fallen off topic. Time for her to pull up the compliments. She glanced at Bolin who stared around the room wide-eyed still. A lot of the bookcases held more random fancy trophies and glittering expensive art than books. “The snowsuit and snowmobile you let Bolin use was quite the interesting design. I take it it was your ideas come to life?”

“Of course! I rattle off the ideas, Zhu Li takes notes, and off they go to our design team! Sometimes those poor blokes miss the genius, so then I gotta go in and fix it up, but it’s always a pleasure to see others appreciate my work. I hear you’re quite the inventor yourself, Sato? Those planes of yours and the mechs?” 

“I redesigned the planes, yes. The mechs are being redesigned currently. The original blueprint was my father’s.” She kept her voice calm, despite the rise of anger at the thought of her father. She still had nightmares of his mech crashing into her own and shattering the glass, the shards falling onto her, and the rise of that mechanical arm. She clenched her fist against her thigh, digging her nails into her skin to get her mind back to the present. “Been working on a few new designs in transportation.” 

“A new design?” Varrick leaned forward his elbow on the table and his chin resting on his hand. “Do tell. Is it some fantastic new automobile? A new plane?” 

Asami waved her finger at him. “Can’t ruin the surprise! I just need this deal to make my sales, get the materials needed, and you’ll soon see it unveiled.” 

Zhu Li took that moment to enter with tea and the cookies. She settled the items in front of them, careful to add honey to Varrick’s tea, and then situated herself by the desk. 

“Oh, come on, Asami! Can’t you give us both a clue?” Bolin looked at her with puppy dog eyes. “I see you drawing all the time, and I just am dying to know what!”

Asami laughed, slightly forced mostly to stay in character as this conversation was beginning to irritate her. “Not until the prototype is ready. I’m sure you understand, Varrick. To avoid others stealing the idea.” 

“Oh for sure! That’s why it’s top secret until I get that prototype out. I got you.” Varrick snapped his fingers and took a swig of his tea as if it was a pint of beer. He snagged a cookie. “I must say your work in weaponry, especially for us nonbenders, has me very interested. Open to including it in our deal?” 

That was a big no, but how to say that diplomatically? “I prefer to stick to the shipping details. We can sort out sales at a later date.” She needed to push them back to Varrick’s plans for the city. Talking about inventions got her distracted. “Let me ask you this, if you had one dream for your people, what would it be?”

“Cut to the chase, eh? I like it.” He crunched on the cookie and waved its half-eaten portion in the air. “Independence is crucial to a thriving business I say. But to get there hard choices sometimes are needed. Though I think you’re no stranger to that. I’ve heard the tales about Team Avatar. Saving Republic City and all that.” 

“Oh yeah!” Bolin grinned. “We took out Amon’s whole airfield, grounded those planes, and saved Bumi’s fleet! And Korra and Mako took out Amon! It was an epic battle.” 

“Perfect! Wanna share those tactics with us?” He narrowed one of his eyes, cocked his head, and seemed to study Asami. “We’ll put it to great use!” 

Asami shook her head. “I’m not here to discuss war strategies. Only shipping. Besides, don’t you have access to better strategists than teenagers?” She said it with a hint of challenge, curious to see his reaction. 

Varrick finished off the cookie, grabbed another, tossed it to Bolin who expertly caught it, and shoved a second one in his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully. “Sure I do. But some of them are holing up on the wrong side of this. Look at the streets! Dark spirits, troops, and protests that lead us nowhere. That sure isn’t working.” Varrick patted Bolin’s shoulder. “Your tiger shark here gave us an advantage. And you can give us an edge. What do you say, sell us some of those fancy mechs of yours? I’ll cut the price of shipping by half.” 

That was an incredible deal. Asami hesitated. Cheaper shipping meant less overhead costs, and higher sales. That could really help pull her company out of its downward plunge, but then she thought of Korra, the dark spirits, and Korra's uncle's accusation that she was here to destabilize with her technology. Even Waaseyaa had warned her against doing such a thing. “The mechs won’t be suitable for your needs,” she hedged. “We’ve been converting them into construction and civilian work.” 

“Shame.” Varrick shrugged and ate another cookie. “Zhu Li draw up the contracts! I’ll set the price at 80% the normal rate thanks to your tiger shark’s brilliance.” 

“Always up to helping!” Bolin said, enthused. He eagerly ate more cookies and drank his tea the same as Varrick. 

Asami inwardly sighed, while she managed a smile for Varrick. “That is acceptable. Shall we return tomorrow to sign and finish any other necessary paperwork?” 

“Sounds great to me. Zhu Li put out guests down for lunch!” 

“Yes sir,” Zhu Li turned to the desk and wrote a few things on the calendar on its left-hand corner. 

“Great.” Asami stood, which prompted Bolin to jump to his feet. “Glad to do business with you.”

From her vantage point, she could make out some of the documents on Varrick’s desk. Most resembled reports, some were blueprint designs, but the calendar had today circled in red with ‘palace’ written and underlined. Add that to his talk of pushing for beyond just protests, his talk of outright war during that meeting Korra and her had attended, and she had a very, very bad feeling about this evening. It seemed strange to her that he’d leave that out in the open, unless he trusted them due to Bolin's actions. Or he had forgotten he left it out. Could be either reason really.

Zhu Li stepped in front of the desk, cleverly blocking it, as they said their farewells. Bolin chattered happily while they left, but Asami couldn’t bring herself to speak. She needed to alert Korra and the others as soon as possible. Maybe they could stop whatever Varrick had planned for tonight. 

Chapter Text

Late Afternoon, Before Unalaq’s Speech, Wolf Cove

Korra wanted to punch someone. At this point, she didn’t really care who. She looked up the main street toward the palace, one hand on Naga’s shoulder, but she didn’t move in that direction. 

Asami kept saying she was fine, but the engineer always tended to flippantly dismiss her feelings in order to focus on other people. Korra had healed her injuries, had seen how Asami taken a beating. At the time, Korra had felt confused by her injuries, particularly the ice injuries, as dark spirits didn’t cause that. Now that she knew the truth, Korra felt anger at herself for not going against her uncle’s decisions that morning. 

Her uncle had tried to take out Asami Sato in order to isolate Korra further. 

And for Asami’s attempt to turn it into a joke? That only angered Korra more. Did her friend still view her life as not mattering? Korra remembered Asami’s bleak moment a few months ago, two days before Asami was set to testify against her father. Seen how the engineer had recovered from that, been more willing to accept other’s help, been more open and playful, even when her work ate up most of her time. Yet, Korra could not seem to get it through Asami’s head that her feelings mattered.

Naga whined and butted her head against Korra’s side. “Sorry, girl.” Korra wrapped her arms around Naga’s neck. “It’s been a rough morning.” She buried her face in Naga’s fur. “Why are people so complicated, Naga?”

The deeper her friends and her dug into the South’s problems, the more Korra was realizing punching things wouldn’t help any of it. 

But that didn’t stop her from wishing she could just punch someone. 

With a frustrated sigh, Korra mounted Naga and directed her down the main street. A few people walked or moved carts up the street, but with the troops stationed at every intersection, most hurried on their path. Up ahead she could hear shouts and chants from a protest near the docks. Korra urged Naga into a trot. Stopping a fight with a punch ought to help her mood. 

Closer to the docks, she could see a massive crowd protesting the blockade, except the crowd pushed up against the railings of the dock, their group condensed into a packed circle while troops surrounded them and pushed up against them. 

Her father stood at the front of the protest group, his hands held up in the air. “Calm everyone! Stay nonviolent. Remember the training!” 

Angrily, Korra directed Naga forward. One of the soldiers turned to her and started. “Avatar Korra!” 

“Open a path for them now.” Naga pushed through the troops.

“Avatar, we are to hold them here until…” one of the Captains started to say, but Korra slid off Naga and grabbed the front of his armor. 

“I said open a path for them and let them leave. Holding them here will escalate things! Are you trying to start a war?”

She released him before she fully lost her temper. The urge to punch him would be satisfying but not helpful. She was supposed to be neutral. Wasn't that what the Avatar did? The White Lotus had taught her she served all nations, so she couldn't just side with her own people, right? Yet, Unalaq had told her to be neutral, and more and more it looked like he might be the one deceiving her. So what was the right path here?

She felt all muddled up inside, and it was only when talking to Asami did everything start to make sense. Maybe if she asked Asami?

The captain saluted her and called out an order. The troops parted, and the crowd spilled toward the opening.

Her father sighted her and called out her name. Korra looked at him, but the fact he’d lied to her, pushed this protest, and ramped up the tensions infuriated her. She mounted Naga and pushed her way out of the troops, heading in the opposite direction. How could she stop a war if he was insisting on antagonizing the troops and his brother? What good was the protests if her uncle continued to dismiss them? She didn’t understand the reasoning, but she also refused to let the troops antagonize the protesters either. 

She headed in the direction of the Ferris Wheel, where the loci of dark spirits congregated. Mako’s report about her father and Varrick during Team Avatar’s meeting had also really upset her. It had forced her to confront how she wasn’t ready to talk to her father yet.

“I spoke with Tonraq. He said he had a plan, and my investigation shows he’s part of the protests. So far they seem nonviolent. It’s Varrick that has me concerned,” Mako said. His words hit like a dagger, and although Korra wasn’t surprised, it infuriated her at how reckless some of the protests had seemed to her.

Bolin interrupted and launched into a bizarre story about otter-penguins drawing people, hallways, and buildings. Asami seemed to understand, but Korra was utterly lost as to his point. “So you see, Varrick knows stuff,” Bolin finished. 

“Bo, what does that have to do…” Mako started to complain, but Asami cut him off. 

“Bolin, are you still dating Eska? Giving you access to the palace?” 

Bolin put his head in his hands. “Yeah, and you guys, you got to help me get out of that!” He turned to Korra desperately. “Why didn't you warn me your cousin had the power to reach into my heart and crush my soul with her bare hands?” 

“Uhh. Because I thought it was obvious?” Korra shook her head in disbelief. Her cousins had always been cold and indifferent to other people. They’d not gotten along well. She still couldn’t believe Bolin hadn’t tried to end the relationship already.

“No, no, not to me it wasn't. I'm very bad at reading people. You should know that by now.” Bolin put his face in his hands and bit back a sob. “Oh, man. Do something, guys!” 

“Bolin,” Asami placed a hand on his arm. “Don’t go to the palace. Avoid Eska. We’ll back you up, right Team?” She looked pointedly at each of them. Korra nodded in agreement with a hint of guilt from not giving him a better warning. “If Eska tries to force you to do something, please let one of us know, okay? You are not at fault for what she does, and you don't deserve this.”

Bolin nodded at her words and used up their napkins to rub away tears and blow his nose. "Thanks, Asami."

“Wait, drawing people, buildings, hallways, and you had access to palace?” Mako stared at his brother. “Bo! Are you serious?”

Bolin groaned. “It was good money, Mako! Besides, it’s just drawings.” 

“We need to adjourn,” Asami interrupted the pair. Her eyes swept the cafe’s tables. “Our watchers have been steadily coming within earshot. Let’s meet by the Ferris Wheel in an hour.” Her head nodded to the north-west, and Korra carefully turned her head. Sure enough a person in that outfit Asami had described earlier leaned against a lamppost. A glance in the other direction met with yet another. Was there more hidden among the cafe-goers at the other tables?

Korra turned Naga down a lesser used road. Why did Varrick want drawings of the palace? Why were they being followed? Korra spied movement out the corner of her eye. She turned and punched the person with a blast of air. It threw the man against the wall. He wore the same unidentifiable outfit as earlier. Korra leaped off Naga and punched him the moment he tried to push away from the wall. Naga bounded to her side with a growl.

“Why are you following me?” she snarled. She grabbed the front of his coat and pushed him against the wall. 

“Look, I’m just passing by!” The man held up his hands, his blue eyes wide.

“And I’m ten feet tall. You’ve been on my tail for the past six streets. Who hired you?” Korra bended an ice spike and pointed it close to the man’s face, enough to slice off the side of his face mask. 

The man gulped. “Just this man at the docks. Gave me this uniform. Pays really well.” 

“Why?” Even seeing the watchers at the cafe hadn’t fully convinced Korra that she too was being followed, but this man confirming it increased her anger tenfold. The lack of trust here, especially if her uncle was behind this, aggravated her. 

“Don’t know! Was told to report where you went and who you were with. That’s it!” 

Disgusted with him and herself, Korra released him and pushed him into a snowdrift. “Go tell your employer to get lost. Next time I see someone following, I’ll beat them to a pulp.” The man nodded, pushed away, and sprinted down the road.

Korra watched him go, then scanned the road and rooftops. Only a few dark spirits watched her, but no one else stood on this particular avenue. She could hear protest shouts in the distance, but they moved away from her location. 

With a sigh, Korra gave Naga a hefty scratch behind her ears to help calm the polar bear dog down. Punching the man hadn’t helped her feel any better, if anything it made her feel worse. She recalled what her uncle had said about spirits responded to the emotions of people, that if she was upset or angry, that made them more likely to turn dark. Keeping one’s emotions more positive or more calm helped calm the spirits and help purify them, except how could she do that if everything around her was imploding? 

Mounting Naga again, she headed toward the Ferris Wheel. Maybe this will help them get answers to how to stop the incitement of spirits. One less thing to worry about would be nice.

At the next intersection, she spied Mako. He leaned against the wall to a shop that was closed. Most of the shops here weren’t open, but this close to the ferris wheel and the dozen dark spirits, it’s likely her uncle shut down this district to keep people safe. She kept her eyes peeled, but the area had an eerie quiet. 

“Hey Korra.” Mako looked at the dark spirits across the street, his posture nervous. “How are you feeling?” 

“I could punch a wall,” she replied. “Seen Asami or Bolin yet?” She dismounted Naga and gave her a good rubbing behind her ears.

“Likely still at Varrick’s. I got the info Asami wanted.” Mako patted his pocket. “I hope it’s what she needs. I couldn’t find anything useful.”

“What do you mean?”

This was the part of Asami’s plan that Korra had to admit she hadn’t listened to as she’d been distracted by the thought of Mako going to Asami like she did. The more she'd thought about it, the more she realized she'd been jealous anytime Mako had talked to Asami the last month especially, which was really confusing. It reminded her of when Mako had been indecisive with her and Asami, how Asami had looked at Mako with jealousy at the time. Actually, the more she thought of it, Asami had never given her a jealous look, only Mako. 

Huh.

Oh, Mako was talking. Korra forced her attention back to the conversation at hand.

“... hired the construction companies did a good job of using a fake company. I looked into that, and the company that hired them doesn’t exist.” Mako flicked his gaze to Korra then returned to watching the dark spirits. “Someone really doesn’t want you to know who bought that land or who built on it.” 

That only angered Korra further. “One mystery after another.” She considered shooting balls of fire at the dark spirits, but she was not in a state of mind to calm them down. 

“So, is now a good time to talk?” Mako asked. “Because I really need to know where we stand.” 

Korra sighed and leaned against the wall next to him. “Mako, I’m sorry, ok? We don’t work, and I think you know it too.” 

“Yeah, I know. But I needed to hear you say it.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m going to see this through with you, okay? I still love you. But when this is over, I’m gonna need a bit.” 

“I get that. And I care about you, Mako. Thanks for being here.” It was the best she could do, but at least he understood. Might be one of the few times he did, which said a lot about their failed relationship.

They waited in silence, mostly because Korra didn’t want to talk. What else could she say? Instead, her thoughts drifted to Asami. Out of all of them, Asami seemed to draw out the best in Korra. Then there was her never-ending patience, the willingness to talk through things, to take her time in replying which helped calm Korra somehow. Plus the way she smiled at Korra, like she was the only person in the world, and her cute blushes. “Mako, can people of the same gender be together romantically?” She surprised herself with the question. 

“Where’d that come from?” he looked at her. 

“Nevermind.” Korra shouldn’t have asked him. Now the silence between them felt strained.

To Korra’s relief, she heard Bolin’s voice. She pushed away from the wall and turned the corner to see Asami and Bolin heading their way. Asami had her glove on her hand, ready as always.

A sensation of being watched crept over her, and Korra spun to see one of the dark spirits leap off the building and soar into the air. It circled them then sped toward the ferris wheel, the steel structure dark and empty. Several others settled on its cabs. 

“I count eleven.” Asami stopped next to her, one hand on her hip. “That is more than we’ve ever faced.” Her face had that look from earlier, where she kept her face impassive. “We also have a situation with Varrick.” 

“What now?” Korra couldn’t keep the anger from her voice. 

Asami glanced at her. “I caught sight of Varrick’s calendar. He circled today and only wrote ‘palace.’ He also pushed hard for me to sell my father’s mechs to him. I declined.”

Korra clenched her fists. “No time or anything? Just the word palace?” 

“Zhu Li suspected me. I couldn’t get closer.” Asami sighed. “Getting Varrick to reveal plans proved elusive. He did heavily imply he favors force over nonviolence. For now, I suggest we focus on drawing out a spirit in this area so you can talk to it.”

“And what if Varrick’s plan is happening right now?” Korra protested. 

Mako shook his head. “Sunlight.” He gestured to the sun that hugged the horizon at this time of day. “Night would be optimal for any operation.” 

Korra had to admit both of them had a point. “All right.” Korra sighted a few dark spirits on a building in front of the ferris wheel. “One you say? Okay, Mako and Bolin give the ground in front of the ferris wheel a shake and fire off shots at the nearest spirit. Asami stay with Naga...”

“No. I’ll play point.” Asami gave her a pointed look of exasperation. "Don't coddle me, Korra."

Korra frowned. “You were hurt this morning…”

“I’m fine,” Asami interrupted. “Focus. You need to center yourself for this, okay?”

Korra did not like this plan, but she knew better than to fight with Asami. The engineer was as stubborn as she was, and the stalemate would only waste time.

“Fine. Naga, stay behind me.” She water bended snow into water and hovered it above her hand. The rest of Team Avatar spread into a diamond formation with Asami at point, the two bender brothers on either side, and Korra at the back with Naga. 

They advanced slowly down the street. Best not to incite all eleven. Several dark spirits broke away from the massive ride and flew their way, four in total. The rest swirled tighter around the metal construct. 

Asami signaled Bolin, who stomped his foot and called up a massive stone. He hurled it toward the closest spirit and it swept through it to land with a crash further down the road. Mako responded by punching fire blasts at that same spirit, and it dived toward their formation. Asami settled into her fighting stance, her glove on her hand. 

Korra had to calm her anger if she was to pull this off. She breathed in slowly, held it, and breathed out. As the spirit hissed and dived at Asami, who dodged and shocked it, Korra wove her water up and around that spirit in a spiral. She imagined Aye-aye spirit’s healing pool and focused on every little detail she could. Her spirals glowed a golden-white. The spirit bucked and thrashed in the spirals, but Korra wove them tighter and centered herself on the healing pool, on its waters washing through this spirit. 

The keening of other spirits threatened to break her focus, but Asami shouted and waved for the brothers to follow her. They raced ahead to meet the other three spirits. 

Focus, Korra told herself. The spirit in her spirals began to glow as well, the dark navy and red fading. “Spirit,” Korra called, “why are you angry?” Energy pulsed through her and the water, and Korra blocked out all other stimuli to focus only on this spirit and the image of the healing pool. Energy pulsed until the world faded into greyness that dissolved into another vision of Wan.

 Wan reassured Mula. “I’ll be back. I'm going to visit that flying turtle. Wait here, friend.” He settled into the tree and Mula faithfully pulled back its branch, only to release it. Wan was shot into the air, and he hit the side of the turtle. He scrambled up its side and breathed in relief once he reached more stable ground. Up ahead a whole series of towns were full of people dressed in long yellow and orange robes. A group of them meditated nearby.

“Hello!” Wan walked forward, eagerly. He headed toward the nearest nomad, who sat crosslegged in the dirt.  “Uh, I'm sorry to interrupt."

The nomads looked at each other. The closest one turned toward Wan. “Where do you come from, stranger?” 

“From a turtle city far away. I'm Wan! For the past two years, I've been exploring the wilds and befriending spirits.” He stopped a few paces away from the group. 

The nomads exchanged amazed glances. “Remarkable. Come sit with us. Share your tales.” He gestured to the circle of people. One of the other nomads moved to make room.

Wan took a few steps but stopped at the sight of the small spirit on the nomad’s shoulder. It was about the size of Wan’s hand and looked a bit like a large, rotund bee. The greenish-blue hue shifted into a deeper navy-blue tinged with red. “Oh no. Not here!" Wan stumbled backward when the spirit hurtled toward his face. He swept it away.

Crashes and cries of fear emitted from the huts, and women and children ran out of several. Nomad men rushed to their aid. A dark spirit grew out of the hut, and shredded it with its growth. Another dived from the sky to tear apart another. Dark spirits popped up all over the village. To Wan’s horror, Vaatu flew down from the clouds. 

“Vaatu,” Wan said, evenly. “You’re not welcome here.” He sent a shot of fire at Vaatu, but Vaatu only swatted it away with his tail.

“We meet again, human. I come to bring change. The world has been locked in stasis too long, so why do you stand opposed now?” 

The nomads stumbled to their feet and backed away from the massive dark spirit. “Wait, why is the dark spirit here without his other half?” The closest nomad looked at Wan.

“Uhh, I’ll explain later!” Wan rushed forward and shot fire at the dark spirits that threatened several nearby children.

The children ran from his fire and the dark spirits, and other nomads rushed to form a circle around the younger ones.

“ Stay back!" Wan cried as he kicked fire at another dark spirit. Again and again Wan drove off the spirits, but there was just too many of them. Vaatu hovered and watched. 

Raava flew up from under the lion turtle and crashed into Vaatu. “Vaatu, this is not the right path!” 

Vaatu shot upward in the sky, out of her reach. “Raava, you trapped us all in stasis. Should we not explore new ways of being?" He laughed, and the chuckle swept through Wan like a slap. "When Harmonic Convergence comes, I will change this world.” He spun in a circle and vanished into the clouds. 

Raava’s energy swept over the lion turtle and the dark spirits faded back into their usual selves, many diving off the lion turtle and out of sight. “I told you not to interfere,” Raava turned to Wan. 

“I couldn’t just sit by and do nothing!” Wan shot back. “I can help!”

Raava's tail pushed him backward, her irritation evident.

“Great spirit, we thank you, but why were you split from your other half?” The first nomad that had spoke to Wan stepped forward with a bow. 

“Ask him.” Raava gestured at Wan with her long tail.

“I didn’t understand!” Wan spread his hands in desperation. “Vaatu tricked me! I would take it back if I could!” 

“What has transpired cannot be altered now. As Vaatu searches for a new way of being, he spreads chaos. I cannot keep up with it.” Raava moved closer to the humans, and that’s when Wan noticed it. She was much smaller. 

“He’s gotten bigger and you smaller. Why?” 

“Balance between us was broken. His energy leaches and turns mine to chaos, and thus I fade,” Raava replied. 

Wan hung his head in shame. He turned to the nomads. “I’m sorry for endangering your village, but I promise to fix this!”

The nomads looked over the devastation from the spirits. “How?” Their people had started to pick up the pieces of the huts, and others tended to wounds. The sight humbled Wan and made him even more determined.

Turning to Raava, Wan lifted his chin, his voice holding a hint of challenge. “I’m going to learn the other elements. Become stronger and fight with you.”

Raava didn’t reply, but she didn’t protest either. He headed down the side of the Lion Turtle. The jump to the cliff scared Wan a bit, but he had to do it. He ran forward and leaped. To his surprise, the closest nomad ran with him and slowed his fall with air bending. Wan landed on the cliff that faced the great Lion turtle. The helpful nomad landed next to him, and even Raava had floated down to his side. The three of them faced the Lion-turtle who regarded them curiously. Mula trotted up behind him.

“Great lion turtle," Wan said, stepping forward. "I ask that you grant me the power of air. I got to defeat Vaatu before it's too late.” 

The lion turtle’s voice vibrated through Wan’s entire body. “You already carry the element of fire. No human has ever bended two elements at the same time.” 

Wan clenched his fists. “Please, I can do this. I’m not like other humans.”  He met the alien gaze of the massive lion turtle, whose huge eyes regarded Wan somberly. Hints of rainbows reflected in its irises. The clouds above had turned grey and the air was dense with humidity.

“Perhaps or perhaps not. Raava will need to orient your energy to hold two elements.” 

“Ancient one, why should I help this human? He caused this!” Frustration colored her tone. 

Wan turned to her desperately. “Raava, please, I can't let the world fall into chaos because of my mistake. Neither of us can defeat Vaatu alone, but together we have a chance. Let me help.”

Raava sighed. “You may be right. Very well. I will help.”

The lion turtle reached forward and touched his claw to Raava. The nomad bowed in respect toward Wan and the Lion Turtle. Wan mounted Mula. Raava stayed at his side and they traveled down the cliff. 

Golden-white light pulsed through the vision, and her vision turned gold. Korra blinked, and the light faded to reveal the Ferris Wheel, her spiral of water bending, and the now cleansed spirit who looked up at her.

The spirit’s voice echoed in Korra’s head. “Lost, shattered, once sacred, not forgotten ground. Cleanse it, Avatar.” The spirit dissipated. 

Korra gasped and blinked. Asami, Mako, and Bolin fought three other spirits and Naga had rushed forward to guard Korra herself. They’d drawn the three closer to Korra, but the others by the Ferris Wheel had started to keen in an ear-splitting howl. Rushing forward, Korra drew up more snow and stepped into the Avatar state. Energy pulsed through her body, and she flew upward on a blast of air bending. She swirled the water around the entire fight scene. 

One of the spirits tried to dive toward her, but Mako’s fire blast distracted it. Another got zapped by Asami, and Bolin drove a spike of earth at another. 

Korra closed her eyes and pictured the healing waters of the spirit pool. The energy that pulsed through Wan’s injuries and knitted his skin back together, easing the burns, and healing the bruises. Golden light swept through her again. 

“What’s that thing Vaatu talked about?” Wan shifted his stance in the desert sands and motioned for Raava to come closer. 

“Harmonic Convergence. That is when Vaatu and I must balance one another else the worlds are destroyed.” Raava stopped and faced Wan and Mula. “It is a year away in your time.” 

“Then let’s train! I’m ready for air now. How’ll we gonna do this?”

“I must pass through you to combine our energies.” 

“Okay, sounds easy enough. You done this before?” That eased some of Wan’s worried, only for Raava to dash that. 

“No, this has never been attempted before. It’s dangerous.” She leaned over him and seemed to consider his words. 

“So? I was told that about the spirit wilds, and I survived that! Bring it on, I can do this.”

He braced himself, but nothing could prepare him for the electrifying jolt of energy that shot through his entire body when Raava passed through him. He let out an involuntary shout, but then forced himself to breathe. The element of air grew in him, and he flicked his hand. Air shot forward in a gust. “Woah, this feels completely different.” More calm, gentle, and less intense than fire.

“So, if you and Vaatu fight every ten thousand years, then why haven’t either you of you been destroyed?” He did more tests, and then kicked out a blast of air. It didn’t shoot out like fire, but instead swirled in a gust of wind. 

“We were once one spirit, but a cataclysm split us. Every since, our cycle of death and rebirth has remade the world many times. Few but spirits survived those eras. I sought to stabilize us to see how humanity and the new creatures would develop. This is why I held him in check." Raava floated closer to Wan. "In the end, he cannot destroy light any more than I can destroy darkness. One cannot exist without the other. If I defeat Vaatu, he will grow inside and emerge from me. The same will hold true if Vaatu defeats me. That was the prior cycle.” 

Wan looked at her, surprised. “So that doesn’t sound bad. If he wins, you’ll come back!” 

Raava sighed. “Yes, but you won’t live to survive it. This world as we know it will be destroyed without my stability.”

She flew forward and faced Wan.

"Now focus, Wan, you must not rush the element of air. It must flow like the wind across this desert.” Wan nodded and shifted his stance to be more flexible. “When the time comes, I will aid you in the other elements, but each require different approaches. I suggest you meditate when we rest. You will need it.” 

The vision fractured and the wind from Wan's training swept her up into the sky. The three cleansed spirits looked at her, one a polar bear dog, the other a mink, and the third an albatross. "Cleanse this land. Restore the spiritual heart, Avatar. It is the first step."

The world glowed around her with energy that pulsed under the Ferris Wheel, but the navy blue with red swirled under the metal construction. Korra felt the tumult of the land, the fury and pain from the anchors of metal that pierced the ground in deep shafts; several had pierced ice caverns. The source of the spirits' pain erupted from those devastated caverns.

Desperate to fix, she grasped the ground under the wheel. It shook and rattled, the spirits around it swept upward, and she pulled the earth under the wheel out of the ground. She let out a shout of agony at the sudden weight and threw the entire swathe of earth and metal into the nearby bay. The waters poured upward from the sunk wheel and swept toward the ports, but Korra slammed her hands forward and swept the waves out to sea. The battleships parted at the massive wave, the ice walls shattered. As the wave passed, the ships moved to reassemble formation. Below her the hole in the ground revealed the openings to the broken cave system.

Exhaustion coated Korra, and the Avatar state abruptly left her. She fell and collided with Asami. The pair tumbled into a snowdrift.

"Whoops," Korra said, tired. "Tried cleansing the land." 

"Well, that's one way." Asami looked in amazement at the massive hole in the ground and helped Korra sit up. "Can you stand?"

Korra nodded and let Asami pull her to her feet. Her legs felt limp, so she whistled Naga over and pulled herself onto her back. "Bit dizzy."

"Let me help then." Asami pulled herself up and gathered the reins for Korra. "Rest. Throwing the Ferris Wheel also stopped those other spirits."

Asami mimicked Korra's typical command to Naga and the brothers fell into a jog beside the polar bear dog. Korra looked back at the hole, and to her surprise, Asami was right. No dark spirits were anywhere around the hole nor on any of the nearby rooftops. The oppressive feel to the air had faded into a steady calm. She'd done it. Korra leaned against Asami and took the moment to gather her breath.

"Did you have to tear out the whole earth?" Mako said from the left. "That was... dangerous."

"How else could I cleanse the land?" Korra protested. "The spirits were adamant."

"It was awesome though! Did you see that wave? We could break the blockade like that!" Bolin looked excited.

"Hmmm." Asami hummed thoughtfully at that. "I think this proves your uncle wrong. The dark spirits can be reasoned with here."

Korra realized with a start that Asami was right.

As they moved through the streets, Korra found herself feeling a little better. She took back the reins, but Asami kept her arms around her waist to stay balanced. They turned off the side road and onto the main street that cut through the center of Wolf Cove, from its port to the palace.

Up ahead, the sounds of shouts grew in strength. Korra changed Naga's direction and motioned for the others to follow. She led them up the streets, turning onto the main road, and that’s when she skidded to a stop. Her father’s protest had marched up from the docks and were once again stalled halfway to the palace. 

“What is he doing?” Korra hissed. She didn't want to deal with this so soon after their victory; she wanted to talk to Asami about the visions.

“Leading a protest.” Asami pointed at the group. “They’re peaceful, Korra. Do you see any bending? Weapons?”

“No,” Mako said, irritated, “but this causes unrest.” 

“Don’t people got a right to be upset?” Bolin said. “I mean there’s scary spirits, troops everywhere, that blockade, a curfew! I’m upset for them!” 

“Right.” Korra didn’t want to admit out loud that Asami and Bolin had a point. She headed toward the group and the others’ followed. The shouts grew louder, and she realized they chanted a phrase over and over. Above their chants was the yells of the Captain of that regiment. 

“Disperse or be arrested!” 

“No more curfew, no more troops!” The chants changed to screams when ice spikes hurtled into the crowd from the soldiers. 

"Oh no!" Korra slid off Naga, tossing the reins back to Asami, and sprinted forward. Her exhaustion caused her to slip, but she pushed off the ground and thrust a wall of earth between the soldiers and the protesters. She leaped upward on a gust of air bending. Team Avatar had split to either side of the protesters.

“Stop it!” Korra landed on her wall and glared at both sides. “We’re one tribe! Start acting like it!” 

“Whose side are you on?” One of the protesters threw a snowball at her.

"I'm not on any side!" Korra waved her hand toward both sides of the wall. "As the Avatar, I'm supposed to serve all people. So I gotta be neutral!"

“Aren’t you one of us?” Said another.

“You’re a terrible Avatar!” A teenager called out. 

“I’m trying to stop a Civil War!” Korra turned to the troops. “Stop fighting the protesters! Escalating this doesn’t help.” 

Another snowball hit the back of Korra’s shoulders. She turned to see more hurtled her way. 

“Stop!” Tonraq stepped forward and held up his hands. “We are here to protest the speech. Avatar Korra is not our enemy.”

Grumbles and angry shouts persisted, but the snowballs stopped.

Korra looked down at her father, and he looked up at her. She still wasn’t ready to talk to him. She jumped off her wall and punched it back into the ground.

Landing in front of the troops, she marched toward them as she raised ice spikes around her. “Give them space now.” 

The Captain stepped forward and met her halfway. “Avatar, we are under Chief Unalaq’s order to disperse the protest. We must prepare for his speech. We were also ordered to take you to him.” 

“Touch me, and I’ll ice all of you.” Korra didn’t want to talk to her uncle either. She was still furious by him harming Asami. “I am not participating in that speech; neither is Team Avatar. We will remain impartial witnesses, understood? Now go, take your team, and report to my Uncle my message.” 

The captain pursed his lips in anger. He pivoted and called out an order. His regiment turned with him and marched up toward the palace. 

Korra turned back to her people and dropped her ice. “I said I’d be impartial witness. I will not walk with you either.” She waved over Asami and Naga and the bender brothers. “Team Avatar, let’s go!”

She mounted Naga behind Asami, too tired to settle in front. The bender brothers jogged next to them. Korra pointed at the last building before the path to the palace. It held some crates and was off to one side. Asami directed Naga for that spot.

“You sure about this?” Asami asked her softly. 

“Standing with either side sends the wrong message,” Korra said. “And how can I stand by Uncle after he hurt you?”

Asami’s response was a sigh, but she didn’t say anything further. Once they reached the building, Naga stopped and sat down. Asami and Korra slid off. The steps of the palace were several meters ahead of them, the palace itself loomed, and a few dark spirits had appeared on the rooftops nearby. From the unrest? Korra was not ready to face anymore. Throwing that Ferris Wheel and stopping the wave had taken a lot out of her. She leaned against Naga.

"Asami, I had two visions of Wan. He met air nomads." Korra sat down abruptly in the snow next to the building, off to one side of the palace path. Asami settled next to her, while the bender brothers chose two nearby crates to form a sort of semicircle around her.

Asami pulled out her idea journal. "Tell me."

Mako and Bolin exchanged confused glances and moved closer. Korra recounted both visions and kept her voice low to avoid others overhearing. "So I think this Harmonic Convergence is important, but I gotta dig more to learn why I guess." She looked at Asami with a hint of desperation. " I don't get how this relates to the portals still!"

The protesters had moved forward, but they stopped a good hundred meters from the steps. The soldiers had entered the palace only to return and line the steps. Despite being off to one side, Korra felt a bit overwhelmed by the standoff. If violence broke out, she wouldn't have the energy to stop it. At least not until she rested a bit more, and now with these visions getting more intense, she felt on the cusp of a bad revelation, and part of her dreaded what was to come.

"That's a major clue." Asami tapped her journal with her pen, her gaze focused far away. "Wan is learning all the elements. And Raava said it's never been done."

"So he's the first Avatar." Korra couldn't believe she didn't realize it before. "And he fought the dark spirits in my vision. Learned air when he sought a way to fix stuff."

Asami pointed her pen at her. "Just like you. We fought dark spirits. You cleansed one, and it talked to you. You literally threw a chunk of earth to fix their needs."

"So more proof you're right. My life is mirroring his in a way." Korra wondered at this. "Those spirits told me to cleanse the land, so throwing the Ferris wheel out seemed easiest. But it wore me out."

"Hey, can you bring us up to speed?" Mako looked between them baffled. "Whose Raava and Wan?"

"Storytime!" Bolin leaned forward eagerly.

Korra gestured to the palace. "We'll share after. Uncle is coming out."

The rest of the team looked up to see Chief Unalaq exit the palace with Eska and Desna standing on either side of him. He stopped at the first step. His gaze swept over Korra and her friends, and his disappointment faded quickly from his expression.

Korra hoped she was doing the right thing. It was so hard to tell anymore what was right and what was wrong. This entire conflict had turned into a grey mess of confusion for her, which frustrated her. Plus, part of her worried still about Varrick's calender, his red circle around the word 'palace.' Korra leaned against the wall and focused on breathing. She was the Avatar. She had to be ready for anything.

Chapter Text

Unalaq’s Speech, Palace 

Two technicians set up a radio and a microphone, which they tested several times before settling into position behind Chief Unalaq. Next to him, Eska glanced at toward Korra, her face impassive. Korra noted that Bolin had hidden behind Naga. He’d really taken Asami’s suggestion seriously. 

Her uncle stepped up to the microphone and regarded the protesters, another crowd off to one side, and Team Avatar. Korra looked up at her Uncle, and she felt another stirring of anger at how he’d hurt Asami earlier. 

“I speak today in hopes of restoring balance to the South. Avatar Korra has worked hard to understand the spirits and the land, and together we have opened the Southern portal. The Southern Lights have returned and the Everstorm has ended. This is only the beginning of a new age, one in which spirits and humans will live in harmony. To achieve this grand vision,  I ask all the people in the South to be patient as we adjust. The blockade is temporary, the curfew is only until we have brought peace to the spirits, and as the South relearns its spiritual essence, all of you will understand the hard choices I have made.” His voice rang out strong and full of conviction. 

Korra didn’t know what to think because a lot of what he said was true. The opened portal had stopped the Everstorm and restored the Southern Lights. Yet at the same time, it felt like what Asami would call a diplomatic answer. Plus, it made it really hard for her to actually look impartial. 

“No way tyrant!” A man shouted from the protest group. He threw a snowball, but it didn’t come close to even hitting the steps of the palace. “Why won’t you meet with our chiefs?” 

Chief Unalaq narrowed his eyes. “Bring that man forward.” He gestured to one of his soldiers. 

Korra straightened. The man backed away from the front of the group, but several soldiers darted forward and grabbed him. Other protesters held onto his other arm. 

Tonraq stepped forward; some of the crowd parted to give him space. “Cease this.” He met his brother’s gaze. “We have asked for a peaceful resolution.”

“It shall come in time.” Chief Unalaq smiled, humorlessly. “Questioning the Chief is seen as a dire offense in the North.” 

Korra stood and stepped forward. “Uncle, let him go. Speaking up about his concerns shouldn’t be punished.” 

For a long moment, Chief Unalaq stared at Korra. Then he sighed. “So be it. I will follow the will of the Avatar. Release him.”

The soldiers pulled the man up and pushed him into the protesters, many of which had spread out into the street and alleyways.

“I remind all of you that I seek to reignite our united tribes as one people,” Chief Unalaq continued. “I am not here to spread discord, unlike my troubled brother. The dark spirits thrive on the negative energy he creates with each protest. Avatar Korra and I have sought to cleanse as many dark spirits as we can, but as you all have seen, many congregate within this city. The Avatar wishes to stay impartial in this battle, but the moment will come for us to gather as one. To bring about a new reign of peace.” 

He paused and looked at Korra again. “Starting tomorrow, I will shut down all mines, oil rigs, and factories. Everything run on oil will be confiscated. Telephone lines will be temporarily shut down. Use of radio must be authorized. Technology incites the spirits. Until we have restored harmony with the spirits, I cannot allow such technology to continue to harm our people.” 

Korra stared at him, shocked by the announcement. When she’d asked him to shut down oil rigs, this was not the result she wanted. 

Tonraq raised his voice in frustration. “Unalaq, this is a step too far.”

Unalaq swept his hand toward the city. “Look and see how the Ferris Wheel had to be purified to stop dark spirit raids. This is the only safe way. Once spiritual balance is achieved, privileges will be returned. Until then, all protests are forbidden without my authorization starting tonight. Any protesters caught in the streets will face prison. May harmony be restored and peace upheld. Good night.” 

Shouts of anger erupted. The soldiers pushed forward in a line to hold back the crowd. Chief Unalaq and his children turned and marched back into the palace followed by the radio crew and several soldiers.

Korra couldn’t believe her ears. She looked at the rest of Team Avatar. Asami leaned against Naga, tiredness etched on her pretty features, but there was no surprise. 

“Everyone head home!” Tonraq’s voice rang out. Korra turned, and to her relief, her father ushered protesters away from the troops. “Rest tonight!”

Except, the troops didn’t let them retreat. The soldiers advanced, and several waterbended the closest protesters into buildings. Tonraq rushed and helped them up. If this kept up, would it devolve into outright violence? 

Korra rushed up to the steps to the palace. “Soldiers! Back off and let them go in peace!” The Avatar energy seeped through her, and the elements swirled around her form as she lifted upward.

The captains flinched, and the closest soldiers scrambled out of her way. The assaults stopped, and the protesters fled into nearby alleys until only a few stragglers, her father, the troops, and Team Avatar were left. Korra shifted out of the Avatar state and landed on her feet, the sudden absence of intense energy leaving her dizzy. 

Tonraq met her gaze, and he nodded. Turning, he helped the remaining stragglers.

Korra breathed in relief and walked back to Team Avatar. One crisis averted. 

Bolin’s voice sounded behind Naga. “How’d he know what happened at the Ferris Wheel?”  Pabu peeked out from his hood only to duck back into his warmth. 

“We were followed, Bo,” Mako sighed heavily. “Tarrlok tried clamping down like this, and it only accelerated Amon’s plans. I suspect a similar situation will evolve here.”

“This is wrong. I can’t let an outright Civil War break out!” Korra clenched her fist in anger. “I got to talk to him.” 

“Wait,” Asami still leaned against Naga. “Remember what Katara and your parents said? These troubles started long before any of us were born.” 

“I know! But I got him to leave that man alone. Surely I can get him to listen to me on this. He ought to be lenient, not more harsh,” Korra protested. This decision didn’t even make sense, not with what her and Asami had discovered with the spirits. 

“Yes. But think, he refused to meet with your people to reconcile peacefully.” Asami’s reminder of that failure hurt. 

Korra glared at the engineer. “Are you saying I can’t do this?”

Asami shook her head. “Korra, you can do whatever you put your mind to. The problem isn’t you; it’s him.”

Her words hit deep, and Korra deflated. “I got to try. I don’t want war to break out.” 

Asami studied her for a long moment. “I know.” She pushed herself to her feet, one hand on Naga. “Mako, Bolin,” she looked at them, and both stood beside her, “and myself are all with you. I need to call Kyung at Future Industries before all telephones lines go dead. We can meet at Otter-Penguin, okay? And prepare for whatever is tonight.” 

“Yeah, we got your back,” Bolin said as Mako nodded.

Korra reached forward and pulled all of them into a hug. Asami’s arm around her shoulder felt firm and comforting, and Bolin’s was more of a hearty slap, while Mako hugged Asami and Bolin, not quite touching Korra.

“Thank you. Keep your eyes peeled for whatever Varrick is up to, ok? I’ll meet you soon.” She pulled back and rubbed Naga’s fur. “Stay with Asami, girl. I’ll be back soon.” She kissed the top of the polar bear dog’s head. Naga whined but stayed by Asami when Korra turned and headed for the palace.

Korra found her Uncle in the throne room, the room dimly lit. Eska and Desna made an acerbic remark as they left, leaving her alone her uncle.

“So you wish to stay impartial.” Her uncle studied her. “Taking the neutrality position to its extreme I see.” 

“I’m trying to avoid Civil War, but what you just did,” Korra gestured to the doors behind her, “that’s too much! Please allow people free use of radio and telephones at least!” 

Chief Unalaq shook his head. “You have been speaking with Asami Sato, haven’t you?”

“What’s she got to do with this?” Korra stomped her foot frustrated. “She’s not even from the South!” Asami’s words earlier today rang in Korra’s head, how Unalaq wanted her out of commission. This felt almost like a confession to Korra.

“Our friends can easily blind us to truths.” His eyes had narrowed. 

Korra shook her head. “Friends support me! I decided to confront you on this. Punishing people for using any technology will only anger people further. And taking away their way to talk to other tribes? What if another tribe needed aid? That’s going too far.”

Chief Unalaq made a dismissive sound. “Without the ability to communicate, use technology, access transportation beyond sleds, any possible insurrections are heavily crippled. This goes beyond limiting technology to avoid darkening spirits. We must also maintain order. Radio calls with my authorization are suitable for any that may need aid. Don’t worry, Korra. This is all under control.” He smiled at her and leaned back against the throne. The dim light casted a deep shadow across him. “Tomorrow I insist on a crucial lesson to prepare you to open the Northern portal. That is crucial to ending this potential conflict.” 

Korra didn’t know what to say to that. It made a lot of sense, but at the same time, it felt wrong. “Fine. Tomorrow then.” Korra turned and walked out of the throne room. Her fists clenched, and she stormed through the garden, only to be stopped by Eska and Desna. 

“Where is my Bolin?” Eska stepped close to Korra, and Desna stood on Korra’s other side. “I wish to speak with him.” 

“Helping me.” Korra recalled his fear of her cousins. “Look, if you want to be with Bolin, treat him nicer, ok?”

“She claims we treat others poorly, sister,” Desna commented. 

“How strange,” Eska agreed. “We are the embodiment of nicety.” 

“Unlike you, cousin,” Densa added. “Your brash fire ignites the night.”

His words irritated her, but then she thought of how Asami had called her brash too. How intense her fights were with Mako and how quick to anger she could get. Getting called out like this hurt a bit. 

“At least I have friends.” Korra pushed past them, angry all over again. She stormed out of the palace, frustrated. The southern sky burned with the aurora, and although there was less dark spirits among the city, she could see some near the industrial district still. Troops marched the streets, and several people, not yet in their homes, were being rounded up already. 

Jogging down the steps, she headed toward that cafe by Asami’s lodgings. Naga’s paw prints pointed the way along with a set of three other footprints. Darkness was falling, and if what Asami found had merit, they needed to sort out what Varrick was up to. One word circled in red on a calendar wasn’t really helpful information for her uncle. Had it been a note about Chief Unalaq’s speech? He had announced it would happen. Korra wished she could shake the man to find the truth, but if not even Asami could trick Varrick into spilling his guts, Korra wasn’t sure her more punch-heavy method would aid them. 

Soldiers were at each of the intersections, and several more were confiscating vehicles, especially snowmobiles and cars. Where were they even going to put all this stuff? Rounding the corner, she sighted the cafe, and the rest of Team Avatar sat at one of the outdoor tables. The place itself looked closed, no one inside, and the lights dark. Naga thumped her tail and bounded over to Korra. Korra hugged the polar bear dog and rubbed behind her ears. She’d need to clean Naga’s teeth later.

As soon as she reached them, Asami stood and motioned for them all to follow her. She led them into her lodgings and up to her suite. Mako did a thorough examination of the floor, while Asami searched her suite. Bolin looked out the window. Korra and Naga settled at Asami’s table. Once all three seemed satisfied, Asami gestured for Mako and Bolin to sit. 

“So we said we’d get you up to speed.” She pulled out her idea journal and rattled off the facts and brief summary of Wan she’d written down. “And that’s all we know so far.” 

“I’m confused.” Bolin looked between them. “You fought an oil rig spirit? When?” 

“A few days ago. Don’t want to talk about it.” Korra sighed in frustration. She ruffled Naga’s fur. “You were right,” she said to Asami. “I couldn’t convince him. He said there’s a crucial lesson I need to attend tomorrow.” 

Asami frowned. “Want me to come with?” 

Korra shook her head vigorously. “I don’t want to give him more opportunities to hurt you! He already was irritated that I talk to you.”

“Wait,” Mako looked between the two of them. “You were at one of Korra’s lessons?” 

Asami nodded. “Chief Unalaq requested my presence.” She lowered her voice, causing all of them to lean closer. “Interrogated me, then put me in a very perilous position. I barely got out of it intact. Based on our evidence thus far, I believe Chief Unalaq wanted me out of commission.” 

“You were hurt.” Korra crossed her arms over her chest. “And we think my uncle was trying to isolate me.”

Mako looked shocked. “Wait, he wanted you out of commission? That’s… a big claim. And you agree with that, Korra?”

Korra nodded. “I was there. I healed Asami’s injuries. And my Uncle was very unhappy that I talk with Asami still.”

When Mako shook his head in disbelief, Korra felt a flush of irritation. Did he not believe them? She leaned forward ready to yell at him for it, but Asami lightly touched her arm and shook her head. Mollified, Korra leaned back and swallowed her anger. “Mako, didn’t you have something for Asami?” 

“Oh yeah!” He pulled out some paperwork and handed it to her. “This was all I could find. Whoever bought the land used a fake company to hire the construction. As for the oil rigs, that was even harder to track down, and again the buyers used a fake company. That may be why we can’t locate any deeds.” 

Asami flipped through the paperwork. “Strange. I’ll get this to Kyung. There’s a telephone in my lodgings, one of the few in town apparently, but if Unalaq is cutting the lines, then I need to do that as soon as possible.” She folded the paperwork and tucked it into the inside pocket of her coat.

“Whose behind it all, you think?” Bolin asked. 

“Assumptions and guesswork won’t help here. We need more data.” Asami tapped her fingers against the table. “Korra, should we do a watch on the palace?” 

“In case Varrick pulls something?” Korra nodded. She really didn’t want outright war to break out. It’d devastate her people. 

Mako leaned in close. “We need a backup plan to get out of here if things go badly.” 

“Asami and I were going to meet with Varrick tomorrow,” Bolin offered. “To finish that deal for her company.” 

Asami nodded, absently. “80% cut on shipping price. If phones won’t work tomorrow, I won’t have a way to review the contract with the company lawyer. I’m concerned he’ll slip in a clause for weapons that I don’t want sold down here. I’m trying to convert my father’s mechs into construction models, but…” Her expression changed to a look of pain almost. “That takes time…” 

“So until then, it’s all still in your warehouse,” Mako said.

Asami nodded and looked at Korra, worried. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it, okay?” Korra lightly touched Asami’s arm. “Let’s focus on tonight first. We could confront Varrick directly. Or is it better to have one of us watch his estate and others watch the palace?” 

“That rich dude definitely would hire someone else to do his dirty work,” Mako said. Asami nodded. “Bolin and I can watch the estate…” 

“That won’t work. Anyone out after curfew will be arrested,” Asami said, irritated. “That speech was a warning. Not just to Southerners but to us. He looked right at Korra and us when he listed the bans and possibility of arrest.” 

Korra pushed to her feet annoyed. “Then I’ll patrol with Naga. He won’t arrest me.” 

Mako pounded the table, upset. “We’re Team Avatar! We ought to have your back.” 

Asami reached out and rested her hand briefly on his shoulder. “Korra can handle this. Trust her. We will confront Varrick tomorrow during the allowed hours.” She pulled back. Her touch seemed to have calmed him too. 

A flood of jealousy surged through Korra. She knew it was irrational. Asami seemed to sense this as she reached out to grasp her shoulder. That helped a bit. Korra knew her friend was being kind, that was just how Asami was. Maybe when this was all over, Korra could sit down and try to sort out why she felt jealous.

“Okay. I should head out. It’s getting dark.”

Asami squeezed her shoulder, released it, and nodded. “You can do this. Let us know what you need, okay?” 

Korra managed a smile for them. “For sure.” She stood and left Asami’s lodgings with Naga close behind. Downstairs Korra paused to ask the lodgings attendant about food for Naga, and he directed her to the south side of the building. There she found a restaurant of sorts, and the cook was glad to offer up some meat for Naga, especially in thanks for Korra stopping the troops from arresting her son at the protest.

The air outside was crisp and cold, but Korra’s heatbending kept her warm. She mounted Naga and headed back to the main street that cut through the heart of Wolf’s Cove. Soldiers were still stationed at intersections, but the city itself was quiet, deserted almost. It left Korra feeling off-centered. The sun had set for a long night and the moonlight was almost overtaken by the Southern Lights. 

She turned Naga toward the palace and noted how dark it seemed. Hardly any lights shone in the windows, and the guards at the front were sparse. She thought back to the meeting her father had had with the elders, Varrick, and her mother. How he’d agreed with Varrick but then relented and asked for a peaceful solution. Fear crept through her. Would he change his mind after today’s speech? She turned Naga and raced through the streets toward her parent’s home on the outskirts of the eastern edge of the city, close to the mountain range. Surely he wouldn't. She had to convince him to do nothing.

When she got there, she directed Naga to the meat shed, tossed out another pile of food for her best buddy, then headed inside. Only her mother sat at the firepit. 

“Mom? Where’s Dad?” Fear choked her heart. 

Her mother looked up. “I’m not sure, honey.” 

“He was at the protest and the speech. He told everyone to go home and rest. Why wouldn't he be here?” Korra wasn’t sure what she’d do if her father joined up with whatever Varrick had planned. 

Her mother looked sad. “Korra, the troubles here are a long time coming. Your father hoped to direct the anger in a more peaceful direction…” She sighed heavily. “Except, Varrick is plotting a rebellion, and he asked Tonraq to join…”

“What?! Dad is part of a rebellion?” Korra took a step back. No, no, he couldn’t be. 

Her mother looked down at the firepit. “I don’t know, but I don’t want you caught up in it.” 

“It’s too late, Mom. I already am. All of Team Avatar is.” Korra turned to the door. 

“Korra, wait!” Her mother hurried to her feet and grasped her arm. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to stop them.” Korra met her mother’s worried gaze. “I can’t let a Civil War tear us apart, Mom.” 

She sighed and released her. “Always the fighter. Please be careful.” 

Korra couldn’t promise that so she only squeezed her mother’s shoulder and left. Naga waited at the door, her goofy grin on her face, and Korra rubbed the fur behind her ears. “We need to hurry, girl.”

She mounted and turned Naga toward the palace. Her polar bear dog eagerly burst into a run, and the wind blew back Korra’s wolf tails. The route took her through a more residential district, and she witnessed smashed snowmobiles, cars with their engines torn out, and soldiers who marched down to do more damage. She didn’t have time to stop them. She had to get back to the palace. 

Fear and anger curled around her heart. She leaned forward. If her father was part of this, then she’d have to stop him too. The thought brought tears of frustration and anger, but she refused to cry. She had a job to do as the Avatar. 

Naga took the steps to the palace four at a time. The guards on either side of the doors were unconscious. Oh no. Naga slammed into the doors, bursting them open, and Korra saw more guards knocked out. Korra dismounted and checked the pulse of one. He was still alive at least. “Naga guard that door, please.” She pointed to the front door. Naga barked and sat herself directly in front of it.

Korra followed the trail up a corridor, past the garden and throne room, and into the interior of the palace where the walls were lined with wood and ice. Two massive staircases led to the upper floors. She sprinted up one. Several masked rebels burst into the hallway with Unalaq over one of their shoulders. Three fought against the remaining guards, while two guarded the man with her uncle.

“Stop!” Korra shifted into her fighting stance. “Put him down, and I’ll pretend I saw nothing. We can still stop this!” 

“No, nothing can stop war now,” the rebel hissed. His blue eyes bored into her, and the others beside him faced off with her. “Move.” 

“No, I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t let you pass.” The voice sounded too much like her father, but it couldn’t be him. The rebel’s shoulders weren't as wide, or was that wishful thinking on her part?

A blast of icy water erupted from the masked man on the right, but Korra bent it away from her. It splashed against the wall. The rebels adjusted into a formation around the man holding Unalaq. Korra couldn’t injure the man holding her uncle, so she focused her attacks on the others.

The rebel with Unalaq raced for the stairs, while she slammed one rebel with a blast of ice into the wall. That rebel cursed but couldn’t break free. The other raced after the fleeing rebel. “Stop!” Korra sent water down the staircase’s railing and froze it. Sliding down, she blocked an attack by one rebel, while the other threw up an ice wall. Korra leaped forward and smashed her way through the wall. 

They raced through the hallways, and each wall they threw up, each time they tried to freeze her, she blasted her way out. Throwing up her own ice wall, she directed their flight away from other exits and toward where she left Naga. They took a corridor around the gardens, and just as Korra had hoped, they burst into the front foyer and skidded to a stop. Naga barked and growled. 

Korra threw up ice walls around the other doorways, then blasted the other rebel hard with air bending. He flew against a wall and fell to the ground. The final rebel looked at her. Korra ran forward and grabbed him. “Dad?” Her voice held anger and worry. “Why’d you do this?” She tore off the man’s hood and mask, but then froze at the unfamiliar face. "You're not my father."

“He refused to join us,” the man hissed. “You and him are traitors, helping…” Korra punched him in the face to shut him up. 

***

Chief Unalaq stood by the garden doors. He wore his nightgown still, but his stature held confidence. “Thank you for saving me, Avatar Korra. They caught me by surprise in bed.” He gestured to the guards who had tied up the rebels. “I want Varrick and his men thrown in the darkest prison!”

“Uncle!” Korra stepped toward him and spread her hands, palms upward. “You can’t lock them away. That will make my people angrier.” 

“You want them to go free?” Unalaq frowned.

“Have mercy on them,” Korra tried to channel Asami’s calm confidence. “Let them stand trial for all the South to witness. Every Water Tribe resident deserves that right.” 

Unalaq regarded her, but then his expression softened. “Very well. I will honor the Avatar’s wishes.” 

Relieved, Korra dropped her hands to her side. “Thank you. If you’re okay, may I go? I’ll be back to check on you again later.” Her uncle nodded and waved her away. Soldiers formed a circle around him as others tended to the wounded. 

Korra called Naga over and mounted her again. They headed to her parents’ home at a more leisurely pace. Surely this meant they’d stopped the war. Varrick’s plan had failed, right? She hoped so, but the sight of destroyed snowmobiles and the soldiers that marched the streets to carry out Chief Unalaq’s will left her conflicted. This still felt like an escalation but on her uncle's part, which didn't that mean she ought to do something? To act as the Avatar to stop the encroaching violence?

But what should she do? She felt overwhelmed. Dealing with Amon had been so much easier, but here everything felt like a spectrum of grey.

Despairing thoughts clouded her thoughts when she reached her parents’ house. She rubbed down Naga with supplies in the shed, which her polar bear dog greatly enjoyed. It gave her a moment to think through what she would say if her father still wasn’t there. Because that would mean he was connected to the attack. Words wouldn’t come, and Korra wished she’d stopped to consult Team Avatar for advice. 

Steeling herself, she knocked on the door and pushed it open. To her relief, her father sat with her mother at the firepit. Both of them were eating a late dinner.

“Can I come in?” Korra asked, abashed. 

Tonraq and Senna both put their food aside and stood. “Of course!” her mother said. “Are you okay? We heard there was an attack on the palace.”

Korra couldn’t hold back the tears. She rushed forward and hugged her Dad. “I’m so glad you weren’t with the rebels! I don’t know what I would have done!” 

Her father hugged her back. “I may disagree with my brother, but I would never attack him.” 

Korra pulled away and rubbed at her tears. “I’m sorry for thinking you had anything to do with them.” 

Her father grasped her shoulder. “I’m the one that needs to apologize. I never should have held you back. I want you to know, when I saw the portal open and the Everstorm cease, I was proud of you.” 

That brought out the tears again. “Thanks, Dad.” 

Her mother grasped her other shoulder. “When your father and I found each other, all we wanted was a simple life and raise a family. When we discovered you were the Avatar, that simple life was over. We knew one day the world would need you, and you wouldn’t need us anymore.” 

Korra vehemently shook her head. “No, that’s not true. I still need you.” She hugged them both. For a long moment, they stood like that, and Korra felt relief and peace again. Her family was still her family. She had Team Avatar backing her up. Things were going to be okay. She'd stopped the war, right?

The door to their home burst open and Unalaq strode in wearing his typical Chief outfit. Two soldiers flanked him.

The three pulled away from each other, and her father stepped in front of Korra. “We weren’t expecting you.” 

Unalaq smiled, grimly, and pointed at Tonraq. “You and Senna are under arrest and will stand trial.” 

“What?” Korra stared at him, horrified. “Why? They weren’t there hurting you!”

Unalaq met his brother's shocked gaze. “For conspiring to assassinate me.”

Chapter Text

Asami’s Lodgings, after Korra departed to patrol

Asami picked up the telephone and was relieved to still hear the radio static and then the operator switchboard. She directed the call to Kyung’s residence, glad she’d remembered that she had a listing of numbers for all her department heads in her Idea Journal. Kyung picked up on the third ring. 

“Hello? Kyung here.”

“Asami Sato calling.”

“Asami?” Kyung sounded surprised and worried. “Why are you calling so late?” 

There was no easy way to put this. “I have bad news. Chief Unalaq is cutting all communication lines starting tomorrow. I’m trying to get this call in before that happens.” 

“Oh no. We need to get you out of there!” The rise of panic in Kyung's voice showed she understood this for what it was - escalations toward outright Civil War.

“Kyung, we have no ships to do that.” Only Varrick had ships. Maybe if Korra was willing to aid them, they could push past the blockade with her waterbending. The Ferris Wheel throw had shown Korra could easily do it. “But I have a plan on how to escape. First, I need you to do something for Avatar Korra. Don’t speak of this to anyone, okay? It’s not related to Future Industries.” 

“Of course. I’ll help in any way.” 

Asami felt relieved to hear that, though she hadn’t any doubts as to Kyung’s loyalty. Since she’d made Kyung department head of research and design, the woman had been instrumental in helping Asami start to rebuild. She’d even helped Asami track down one of her father’s former right-hand-men, who had served as a share holder and department head of the automobile division. He’d left the moment Hiroshi had came out as the supplier of Amon’s machines. Asami managed to convince Lukken to return, though the others had moved on to other companies. 

“Can you review these dates and find the most wealthy individuals in the North and South Water Tribes? And what companies they had listed during that time period?” She listed the dates from the documents Mako had found.

Static rippled through the connection. Kyung repeated the dates in confirmation. “Got it. I’ll track this down, in the meantime, Asami, how…” Her voice abruptly cut off as the line went dead. Asami tried to punch through a connection, but the telephone failed to work. Not even static or a dial tone came through the receiver.

She turned to the bender brothers. “Chief Unalaq works quickly I see.” She dropped the phone on its cradle. “He cut the communication lines already.” 

“Oh no.” Bolin looked horrified. “How are we going to get out of here?” 

“Bo, she said she had a plan,” Mako comforted in a gruff voice. “You do, right?” He looked at her hopefully. 

Asami nodded. “Tomorrow morning we meet with Varrick about my shipping deal. I need both of you with me. We will convince him to take us to one of his boats. I’ll need you two to distract him, while I take out the captain and take control of the vessel. If Korra can join us, then she’ll waterbend us past the blockade. Then we’ll hope it’s Varrick’s fastest.” It was a terrible plan really, but Asami didn’t have much time to think of a better one. Their options had dwindled to nearly nothing. 

“That all depends on if Varrick cooperates,” Mako pointed out. 

“We’ll make him.” Her tone held more confidence than she actually felt. Asami motioned to the other rooms. “Get some rest, guys. Tomorrow is going to be bad.” 

***

Asami didn’t sleep. She didn’t even change out of her day clothes, only left her boots by the door to her sleeping quarters, washed up, and laid down. Civil War felt inevitable. She recalled Katara’s words concerning how many nonbenders existed due to the One Hundred Year War. Slipping off the bed, she walked to her window and looked out over the town. The people here were being terrorized, just like what Tarrlok had done. Asami rested her forehead against the cold glass and closed her eyes. What defenses did the South have against an army of skilled waterbenders?

If she handed over the mechs to Varrick, the South might have a chance, yet it would also destabilize the spirits, which was worse. Most people didn’t have any way to defend against spirits. Over and over this argument went in her head, and it was maddening. The quiet of the room made her want to march outside and do something, but there wasn’t anything she could do. Plus, with Unalaq already trying to knock her out of commission, such a move would provide further opportunities of treacheries. She had no doubt they were being watched still. 

A knock sounded on her window. Startled, she looked and saw Korra hanging from the lip of the roof. Confused, she opened the window and moved to the side. Korra threw herself in and shut the window behind her.

“Where’s Naga?” Asami asked. 

“In the stables. I needed to shake a follower.” She took a deep breath, only for it to end in a sob, her bright blue eyes shone with unshed tears. “You were right.” Korra said flatly. “Rebels attacked my uncle, and I saved him. But then…” Korra looked suddenly fragile. “Unalaq arrested my parents for conspiring to assassinate him. He said he’d choose a fair judge. But I don’t know if I can trust that.” 

Asami didn’t hesitate. She wrapped her arms around the Avatar. Korra trembled and buried her face in Asami’s shoulder. Dampness cooled her shoulder from Korra’s tears. Gently, Asami rubbed Korra’s back and wished there was something she could say, but there wasn’t.

When Korra pulled away, Asami dug out a handkerchief and handed it to her. She settled on her bed and patted the mattress next to her. Korra sat down and wiped her face. “I don’t know what to do.”

Asami put her arm around Korra again, and Korra leaned her head against her shoulder. “We’ll figure it out together, okay? Right now, you need sleep.” Her heart ached for the Avatar. 

“Can I stay here?” Korra asked in a small voice.

“Yes.” 

The Avatar slid off her boots and laid down next to her. Korra needed the comfort, Asami told herself. She wrapped her arms around Korra, who laid on her side with her back to her. Korra grasped her arm. Regardless of how she felt or her struggles with her sexuality, she needed to help Korra through this. If that meant holding her while she rested, then so be it.

Next day: Day of the Trial - 3 in the morning

Asami woke confused and disoriented by the pressure against her chest, only to realize Korra had her arm wrapped around her tightly. That’s right. Korra had asked to stay here. Asami turned her head, and there was the Avatar, only a few fingerwidths away.

It was still dark outside, the Southern Lights bright in the sky, and the shifting colors bled through the curtains to cast shadows across Korra’s form. She could easily plant a kiss on Korra’s forehead, but that thought was not helpful. Asami looked up at the ceiling, glad Korra was still asleep and unable to see her blush. 

Best focus on being productive. Except, until she had an exact time for the trial, she couldn’t fully plan the rest of the day, and that irritated her a bit. She preferred having a solid schedule, a foundation so to speak, but if that was one thing she noted about Team Avatar, schedules were loose and flexible. There had to be way she could help Korra save her parents, but Asami couldn't find a solution based on their current knowledge and evidence. Unalaq always seemed one step ahead.

Korra grumbled into her shoulder, and Asami looked at her, distracted from her planning. When Korra mumbled something else and yawned, Asami found herself smiling at how absolutely adorable Korra was waking up.

“Asami?” She opened her eyes. 

“I’m here.”

“Will you come to the trial with me?” Korra pulled her arm away but kept her shoulders touching Asami’s own. 

“Yes. What time?” 

“One in the Afternoon. I can come here to get you.” Korra turned onto her side to face Asami directly, one arm under her head. “And thank you, for letting me sleep here.”

Asami smiled at her and kept her hands folded across her stomach, ignoring her urge to brush a lock of Korra’s hair from her face. “Of course. You’re welcome anytime.”

Korra looked surprised. “Really? It doesn’t bother you?”

Maybe that hadn’t been the wisest thing to say to a very cuddly Avatar, but the words had burst out of Asami without thought, and she didn’t want to back down on them now, not with Korra looking this vulnerable. 

“No. I said I was here for you. I mean it.” She wanted her voice to sound firm and confident, but instead the last three words sounded vulnerable to her own ears. Being present like this, allowing herself to do this, triggered a lot of shame still, but if there was one thing she was good at doing, it was compartmentalizing. There would come a time, later, when she’d have to take out this shame, worry, and confusion and seriously examine it. Until then, she would focus on the present and do her best to support Korra, her friends, and her company’s workers.

Korra reached out to grasp one of her hands. For a long moment, they looked at each other.

“I know you’re worried,” Asami said, softly. “You want to burst out there and do something, to punch away the problem and save your parents. But right now, resting is the most important action you can take. You need to be at your best, okay?” 

Tears shone in Korra’s eyes again. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Always know what to say?” 

Asami managed a smile and squeezed Korra’s hand. “I listen.” That was the best answer she could offer; most of what she said to Korra was from instinct more than anything else. “Now rest.” 

8 in the morning, Day of Trial

Asami got up before Korra. After washing up, she put on a change of clothes then sat down at the foot of her bed and brushed her hair. Korra looked so vulnerable and fragile when she slept. It was such a different view of her, especially after the day when she’d chucked a massive mound of earth into the bay. She wished she could fix all of Korra’s problems; somehow get her parents out of prison and to safety. She sighed and put away her brush. Pulling on her boots, she gave them a quick shine. 

“So you do shine your boots.” Korra’s voice startled her. The Avatar had rolled over to watch her. 

Leather boots required care, and Asami rather liked this pair.

“Did you sleep okay?” Seemed the better reply. When Korra nodded, Asami let out a breath of relief. “I think we should review today with the rest of Team Avatar. I had a plan… but it needs revised to fit the trial and its aftermath.” She gestured to the bath area. “Go wash up. I’ll meet you at the table.” She paused long enough to lightly touch Korra’s shoulder but then pulled away and hurried into the other room. 

Mako was already up and searching the cupboards, likely for the nonexistent food that Asami never thought to buy. She'd assumed they'd just go out to eat during the stay here, and then there just hadn't been time for groceries.

“Hey.” He looked over at her. “When should we head to Varrick’s?”

“Get Bolin up. We need to alter our plans.” Asami waved her hand toward her sleeping quarters. “Korra came last night with bad news.” 

“What happened?” Mako looked startled.

So he didn’t know. Korra must had gone straight to her. Asami didn’t know what to think about that. 

“Korra can explain in a bit.” Asami focused on making tea. It didn’t feel right for her to share the news. 

“Wait, she’s here?” Mako pulled out a box of crackers from one of the cabinets. “I didn’t hear her come in.” 

“Came in through my window to throw off a follower.” Asami measured out the tea. “Get Bolin up. I’ll make us tea.”

Mako stepped closer to her. His fingers pressed indents into the cardboard box he held. “Asami, Korra seems to trust you more lately. Can you share what’s going on with Korra? I'm really worried. She’s asked me some weird stuff after she broke up with me.” 

“Stop.” Asami turned to him, angrily. “I told you I would not be an intermediary between you two. If she wants to talk to you, she will. Now go get your brother up, so all of Team Avatar can plan.”

He stiffened at her words, slammed the box on the counter, and stormed toward one of the sleeping quarters. 

Fifteen minutes later, Team Avatar had assembled at the table. Asami served the tea and settled down between Korra and Bolin. “Korra, bring us up to speed?” She raised her eyebrows and took a sip of her tea to try to calm her nerves.

Korra nodded and related in a flat voice the attack on her uncle and her uncle arresting her parents. “The trial is this afternoon.” Korra leaned against the table and twirled the tea in her cup. “I’m to testify against my own parents. But I feel like I can’t trust my uncle anymore, and I don’t know if this judge will be as fair as he claims.” 

“Your parents were arrested,” Mako repeated, dumbfounded. “Were they part of the plot?” 

“No!” Korra glared at him. “Asami and I were at their meeting. Dad wanted a peaceful resolution. It was Varrick that wanted violence, and no one mentioned anything about harming the Chief!” 

“Then share that. It should acquit them.” 

Asami didn’t believe it would. “Since the trial is at one in the afternoon, I propose we meet with Varrick this morning under the guise of trying to fit in the meeting before a scheduled, authorized radio time. My needing to verify terms with the company lawyer should keep him placated. We can then push to tour his boat in the evening, where we will take it over then.” 

“Take over his boat?” Korra frowned. “Why?” 

“We need a back-up in case we have to get out of here,” Mako explained. “I asked Asami for a plan.” 

Asami looked at her tea, unwilling to meet Korra’s eyes. “If you need me to stay here, Korra, I will. But I want to also get that set up for Mako and Bolin if the worst happens. I also think it’ll be handy if the trial…” she trailed off. Unalaq and Tonraq did not like each other, and Asami suspected that this was just another ploy to try to isolate Korra. Which meant Team Avatar was likely next. 

“If the trial what? Asami, what is it?” Korra started to reach out, but then curled her hand around her cup instead. “You got that worried look.”

Best to just say it direct as her hints hadn't gotten through to Korra so far. “Your uncle wanted me out of commission. He’s placing the blame for the attack on your parents. He’s attempted to isolate you. I don’t think this trial will be just or fair, and we need to be prepared for that.”

Korra’s lips tightened into a thin line. “Uncle still sort of listens to me. He wanted to throw everyone in prison without any trial, but I convinced him not to do that.” 

“Korra,” Asami clenched her tea cup tightly. She recalled how Unalaq had engaged in manipulation of the Avatar right in front of her. “Remember Chief Unalaq’s interrogation of me? How he tried to convince you I was some foreign agent destabilizing his reign?”

Korra frowned but nodded. 

“I think he did something similar with you. He chose the worst option knowing you'd convince him to do the trial. It falls into line with his other manipulation techniques. He wants you to think you have some influence on him.” Asami had spent a bit too much time reviewing events in her head, and that was the only conclusion she could surmise. 

“That’s a lot of conjecture though,” Mako said, irritated. “What proof…”

“Unalaq wanted Team Avatar to stand by him at his speech!” Bolin interrupted. “He told me himself!”  

Mako turned to his brother in disbelief. 

“Every discussion you’ve described with Unalaq so far, Korra, has been deliberate obfuscation and manipulation. Remember the portal? How wrong you said it felt? And how insistent Unalaq was to go there instead of following your instincts? He claims to trust and believe in you, but did he listen to your instincts?” Asami knew she might be pushing too hard.

Being the recipient of gaslighting was something she’d dealt with in regards to her father, and it was partly due to the benders at Future Industries that she'd ended up on her current path. She wanted Team Avatar to be that foil for Korra, and she needed Korra to understand this. As much as she didn't want to talk of her father, it might be the only option left to get it through the Avatar's stubbornness.

Korra pushed away from the table and paced. “No, he didn’t listen to my instincts, but he's also taught me a lot about spirits! And he was right about some of the spirit stuff.” Frustration coated her voice. “I don’t want Civil War. I don’t want to believe my own uncle is bad.” 

“I didn’t want to believe my father was evil either, Korra, but when you found that hidden factory, I had to face that fact.” Asami took a deep breath. “When I saw all of you scattered and hurt by my own father, I took a stand. I did not stay neutral. I chose you, Korra, and all of Team Avatar.” She blinked back tears. All of this brought back the pain and fear from her father’s actions, and despite her best attempts, that bled into her tone. “I fought my own father, who tried to kill me. I know what you’re going through, okay? And I know this is hard. It hurts. You’ve been gaslit by someone you thought you could trust. But that’s why we’re here. We got your back. You aren’t alone.” 

Korra stopped pacing and met her gaze. Tears shone in her eyes. For a long moment, no one said anything, and Asami found that she was holding her breath, hoping she'd finally gotten through. She forced herself to exhale.

Korra sat back down and grasped one of Asami’s hands. “You’re right.” She squeezed it, let go, and looked down at the table. “I’m sorry I didn’t get this earlier.” 

“Hey, Unalaq is way confusing,” Bolin said. “Talking in his fancy words to tie us all up.” Pabu peeked out of his hood and climbed up on Bolin’s head with a chirp as if agreeing. He tossed up a piece of cracker, which the Fire Ferret caught. 

“Yeah, he is.” Mako slouched in his seat. “Asami, you got a point, and I’m sorry too. I defended him a bit too much.” 

Asami felt a flood of relief. Talking about her father risked triggering a flashback of the moment he tried to kill her, but she'd managed to push through it. No flashback happened, and the pain and fear had faded into determination. “What’s important is that we are all on the same page. So let’s plan, okay?”

Varrick’s Mansion, 10 in the morning

“He’s not here.” Asami felt frustrated and surprised that the doorman had let them in the mansion grounds to begin with, but after a long and fruitless search, none of them could find any sign of Varrick.

She walked into his office with Mako and Bolin behind her. This was the last place to search, and it made her feel a bit odd that the guards on the property hadn’t bothered them once. She wished Korra was with them, but they’d agreed it was best to make Unalaq think he still had some power over Korra, so she’d gone to the lesson. That worried Asami to no end as it meant putting Korra in reach of manipulation again, but she’d promised to support Korra and her decisions, so she’d bit back her protests.

“Mako, help me search this place for Varrick and any evidence on where he went. We got to find a way out of the South," she had added that last bit mostly in case Varrick or his guards - if any hid in here - would know they weren't with Unalaq. "Bolin keep an eye on the hallway.” She gestured to them both. If they failed to find Varrick here, then the only other option was he hid on his boats or he had already been captured.

“Okay.” Bolin settled in a chair that faced the hallway, which wasn’t really what Asami had in mind, but she let it slide.

She turned to the desk and began to search it. The top of it had scattered papers. One of them was the contract between his and her companies, and it wasn’t even finished. That irritated her. She opened one of the drawers but it was only writing utensils. The rest were locked. She dropped down and pulled out her lockpicks. 

Mako searched the bookcases and cabinets, but most of those were locked as well. “This is quite the collection of titles. Crosses all genres.” Mako shook his head and walked over to a massive platypus bear. He poked it absently. “Do you think Varrick was arrested as well?”

“Trying to find that out,” Asami replied. She managed to get one of the drawers open. Inside she found a lot of files. She flipped through them. Most were contracts with various independent business owners in town. She pulled one out and glanced through it, only to realize there was a clause at the end that bought controlling shares. A chill swept through her. She put the contract back. For her own deal with Varrick, she'd have to make sure that clause didn't exist.

Unlocking another drawer, she found construction contracts. One in particular caught her eye. She pulled out her Idea Journal and held up Mako’s find against the one in Varrick’s drawer. The fake company Mako had found was on this contract, which was also from the same time period. Except the fake company was a stipulation of this contract to seal the construction deal. It didn’t list what the construction company would be making however. She checked the next set of files. Mako’s copy didn’t list an origin for the fake company, but here it was, in the next file. The construction company - the one the fake company was made for - wasn’t from the South but the North. Asami folded this proof and stuck it in her Idea Journal with Mako’s copy. 

Digging further, she found several other contracts for various constructions - some of them mines - that used that same company. She took those as well, then shut the drawer and locked both with her lockpicks. She stood and looked around the room, keeping her face impassive.

“I didn’t find any documents saying where he went, nor did I find the full contract he claimed would be ready for our meeting." Best to keep up appearances in case the guards overheard them. She gestured for the sofa. “Let’s wait a bit. We were early for my meeting with Varrick anyway.” She needed to think through what this meant.

Mako and Bolin both looked at her, but they nodded and sat down. She settled down next to Bolin. A large clock took up part of the wall to the left of the desk, next to a bookcase. It’s pendulum swung back and forth with a soft and irritating ding.

Varrick’s company had utilized a Northern construction company to build things that angered the spirits and hid the connection under a fake company. For someone deadset on defending the South, why had he worked with the North on building mines, metal constructions, and so forth? Was there no suitable companies in town? But the prior drawer had listed a few that he’d managed to buy controlling shares of, so that couldn’t be it. She was missing a major clue here.

“This is great though,” Bolin leaned back in the sofa. “I could really like living in a place like this! So much space to explore! So many activities!” 

Footsteps sounded in the hallway. All three of them looked up to see Eska and Desna enter the room. The twins wore their fancy blue and white robes, the insignia of their royalty woven into the intricate stitched designs on the borders of the robes' fabric. Asami appreciated the quality of their clothing even though she had a deep anger and dislike of the two.

“Eeyaaah,” Bolin flinched at the sight of Eska. “I… totally wasn’t hiding, just helping my friends here!” He smiled, shakily at her.

Eska narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not on the hunt for you… currently.” 

Desna said, “We search for Varrick.” 

“What did he do?” Asami asked. She knew exactly what he did, but she didn’t want the twins to know that. 

“He is a traitor to the Water Tribe, along with our aunt and uncle,” Eska said. 

“So Korra’s parents were arrested?” Mako asked.

Asami felt relieved that he also was going with the ‘we-had-no-idea’ ploy. 

“Your powers of deduction are impressive,” Desna said, his sarcastic, flat tone betraying that he was, in fact, not impressed.

“Yup, he’s a cop. He’s good at that.” Bolin jerked his thumb at his brother. 

A guard walked up to the twins, his thick armor layered with blue and white, the water tribe emblem on his sleeves. “Varrick’s not here. We searched the entire grounds.” 

Eska’s face was impassive still, but her tone belied a slight irritation. “Very well. Desna, let us continue our search elsewhere.” She turned to Bolin and gestured to him. “Boyfriend, bow when I exit!” 

Bolin jumped to his feet and bowed deeply. “Yes… yes, my sweet koala otter.” He dropped to his knees. 

Eska almost smiled. “You are so cute when you grovel.”

That really angered Asami, and she started to stand, only for Mako to put his hand on her arm. She pulled free, irritated that his unspoken warning was right. They couldn’t afford to antagonize the twins right now. Instead, Asami watched the pair and their guards leave, while she clenched her fists tight. 

“Bolin,” Asami turned to him. “Don’t let her do that. We're here to back you up.” 

Bolin shook his head, fiercely. “I don’t want to be turned into a human ice cube! And Mako’s advice didn’t work!” 

Mako put up his hands. “Don’t blame me for your girl troubles!” 

Asami sighed. “The only options I see here is either be honest and as clear as you can when you talk with her. Maybe say, 'Eska, I appreciate our time together, but I must break up with you. We aren't a good fit.' Or avoid her until we get out of here.” 

Varrick’s muffled voice suddenly sounded from behind them. “Honesty is for fools, kid.” 

All of them looked around, but they couldn’t see where the man could be. “Varrick?” Bolin asked. He had turned toward the wall of trophies and the stuffed animals. 

“If you wanna ditch this girl, make yourself scarce like I did.” 

Asami crossed her arms over her chest. If she didn't know any better, the voice had seemed to come from one of the stuffed animals, but surely not? “Uh, where are you?”

“Somewhere Unalaq will never find me!” Varrick pushed up the platypus bear’s mouth and showed his face. “Inside Ping-ping! So how you doing?” 

That was the most ridiculous but cunning hiding place she’d ever seen. It had never occurred to her to look inside the stuffed animal decorations. 

“The coast is clear,” Mako said. “You can come out now.” He looked as flabbergasted as Bolin, who stared at the bear in awe almost. 

“No way, mister! Not until I know its 167 percent safe!” He shifted his head to the side as Zhu Li’s arm appeared with a cup of tea. “Thank you, Zhu Li.” He took a sip then spat it out in horror. “Ugh, bleh! You forgot the honey!” 

“There’s no honey here, sir.” Zhu Li’s voice came from the bottom of the bear. Wait, the bottom of the bear?

“No honey? We’re in a bear for crying out loud!” Varrick huffed. 

Asami couldn’t believe her ears. “You’re… assistant is in the bear with you.” That had to be the most uncomfortable situation she’d ever heard. How did that woman put up with this? Asami would have zapped Varrick good with her glove if he'd asked her to join him there.

“Of course! Wherever I go, Zhu Li goes too!” Varrick grinned. “Now, hey, Bolin, I got a little something for you.” He snapped his fingers. “Zhu Li, do the thing!” The back of the bear, under its tail, dropped a stack of yuan. “Now, you see, this trial is likely rigged. So I need to you to keep my trusty rebels out of prison.” 

“How?” Bolin picked up the money and flipped through it. “Woah this is a lot!” 

“Bribery?” Asami looked at Varrick surprised and yet, that might actually work. If the judge is corrupt, which Asami was certain the judge would be, then maybe money could sway them. “That’s against my ethics, but I see how it could work.” 

“Are you all serious?” Mako stared at them in shock. “That’s illegal.”

“Nonsense! There’s always people willing to look the other way for a few yuans. And if it keeps Korra’s parents and my rebels from prison, then what’s the harm? So capitalize on it!" Varrick held up his finger dramatically. “Got it, Bolin?” 

“I catch your drift, Varrick-bear.” Bolin pocketed the money and grinned at his companions. 

Mako groaned and face palmed. “I want it known I’m against this, but okay. Whatever.” 

Asami still couldn’t quite wrap her mind around the ludicrous situation of Varrick and Zhu Li in a stuffed bear. So she put it out of her mind to focus on the upcoming trial. “Stay here, Varrick. We need to discuss your boats after the trial. If we fail at this, we’ll all need a swift exit.” 

“Got a way to punch through that blockade, eh? I’ll gladly take you to my yacht!” Varrick held out his hand. “Shake on it, partner?” 

Asami frowned. No way was she shaking his hand on this, not after his suspect documents, but the annoying truth was that they did need his boat and his cooperation to get access to its controls. She suspected it'd be locked up, and if things go really bad at the trial, they might not have time for her to pick the lock and the ignition.

“I’m not your partner. We haven’t even finished signing our deal. But yes, we have a plan. And we'll assist you for now.” 

Varrick waved his hand at her. “Eh, good enough for me! Now go. Can’t be late to a trial!” 

Chapter Text

Day of the Trial - Otter Penguin Boutique

When Asami sighted Waaseyaa at Otter Penguin Boutique, she told Mako and Bolin to meet her at the palace’s courtroom. Bolin chose to interpret that as her trusting him to go bribe people, and he’d given her quite the wink and a thumbs up. Mako had face palmed. Yeah, Varrick's plan was doomed to fail.

She waved them away and headed into the cafe. After she ordered a tea, she headed to Waaseyaa’s table and sat down.

“Hey.” She felt nervous being this out in the opening, and she did a scan of the other tables. No one sat near them, but there was at least one person further down the road that Asami was positive had been following them since Varrick’s.

Waaseyaa leaned toward her and laid her hand over Asami’s own. “Act like this is a date,” she said quietly. “Two watchers to right and left.” 

Asami looked at their hands and tried to hide her shock. A date? That was what Waaseyaa had come up with for their cover story?

“How is your day so far?”

What should she say? She'd never actually dared to go on a date with a woman, mostly because she'd been too afraid of her father finding out. Asami hadn't wanted to deal with another fight, especially considering how he'd called queer people - like her - monstrous two days after the fight over the lesbian book. She took a deep breath to try to calm her rising panic.

“Strange. Curfew and no radio?” Asami said, carefully.

The woman's other hand pressed down on the one already covering Asami’s, and she felt a piece of paper slip into under her hand. “I hear you are going on a journey soon, honey. If we can’t talk by radio, will you write?”

“Yes.” This ploy took a lot of concentration for Asami, and it made her extra anxious as Korra would be by soon for the trial. “I promise to stay in touch.” She struggled to think of a way to share what she’d found at Varrick’s. Her creativity wasn’t wanting to work with Waaseyaa’s warm hands over her own, and the cold air swept over her and through her hood. She shivered. “Have you heard the news? I heard the Avatar’s parents were arrested! I wonder what happened…” This was a terrible way to do this. 

Waaseyaa seemed to sense her plight. “Oh, that’s terrible.” Her blue eyes met Asami’s own with an intensity that elicited a blush. That kind of look she’d seen between couples in the parks of Republic City. This woman was good. No wonder the Hidden Village sent her to be their operative. “I heard they're looking for Varrick too. Weren’t you trying to work on a deal with him?” 

“Yeah,” this at least she could be honest. She sighed heavily. “It’s a mess. Went to my appointment with him today, and he was missing. Got to tour his mansion though. I plan to utilize his shipping, but I vehemently disagreed with selling any stock to him. I…” she trailed off and struggled to think of a way to get this point across while still keeping the date feel. “I’m sure you’ll find my talk of all those contracts,” she emphasized the plural of that word, “boring.” 

Waaseyaa’s hands tightened around her own, but her expression of adoration didn’t change. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out, honey. Though I shouldn’t keep you. Got to get back to work soon.” She leaned forward as if to kiss Asami, and for a moment, Asami nearly panicked. Thankfully, Waaseyaa only placed her cheek against Asami’s own. “Got your message. Doubled our guard. Tell me quick what you’ve found.” 

“Right. Got evidence the North colluded with Varrick’s company. They built the oil rig and Ferris Wheel. Got an associate in Republic City tracking down details on who the North associate is.” 

Waaseyaa pulled away and smiled. She patted Asami’s hands. “Be safe, okay? I’ll see you soon.” She stood, placed her tea cup and pot on the front counter, and left. 

Asami slumped in her seat and took a sip of her tea. Ugh, it was cold. She tried to force herself to drink it, but after two more sips, gave up. She hoped she never had to do that again. Someone else surely could act better than her.

Standing, she curled her fingers around the piece of paper Waaseyaa had given her and headed to her lodgings. The icy wind stung her nose and cheeks, and she was glad to settle by the roaring fire in the front room. No one entered after her, and no one sat in this area. The only person was behind the lodgings front desk. She put her back to the person just in case.

Pulling out the paper, Asami read: “Reach us by radio. Tune to frequency 483. If you follow our agreements, we will come to the South’s aid when the time comes.” She tucked this into her idea journal next to the folded up contracts she stole. So as long as she did not sell her stock to Varrick, then Waaseyaa’s people would aid the South. Asami put her head in her hands. When the time comes made it sound like the woman believed the Civil War was inevitable.

Korra’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Hey, Asami?” 

Asami pushed to her feet and managed a smile. “Time to head out?” 

Korra stepped close to her and dropped her voice low. “How come you were holding Waaseyaa’s hands at the cafe?” 

Spirits, Korra had seen that? Asami put a hand to her right temple and rubbed it. “We were being watched. Though why she picked a date as cover is beyond me. I nearly had a panic attack. Putting me in upsetting situations seems to be her specialty.” Anger had seeped into her tone. She'd never forgive Waaseyaa for almost freezing her to death with her questions.

Korra’s brows furrowed. “What did she want?” 

“To deliver a message and to listen to what we'd found.” Asami considered showing her the note, but then decided to wait. Korra had enough on her plate than to add that the Hidden Village was preparing for war. "If she tries that date cover again, I'll make it a break-up."

That got a chuckle out of Korra.

"Okay. Let's go then." Korra headed outside, and Naga enthusiastically greeted Asami with a hip butt nearly knocked her into a snowdrift. Asami scratched the polar bear dog's back. "Naga, calm down, you just saw Asami yesterday!" She helped Asami up and took the reins in front of her.

They rode Naga up to the palace, and Asami helped Korra rub down and feed Naga in the stables. Mako and Bolin were waiting in the front foyer, and the two fell into step next to them.

"There's a lot of people coming to this trial," Mako said. He leaned closer to Asami. "I also caught our follower. I couldn't get an identity either on who hires these people though."

Not surprising. Asami sighed in response, frustrated, though at this point, she was pretty sure it was Unalaq ordering them to be followed. No one else made sense.

Asami stopped just inside the courtroom in surprise. Ice pillars held up the domed ceiling, and the walls were covered with water tribe emblems and flags. Asami took a few more steps into the massive chamber, amazed at the intricate carvings on the ice pillars. Bone chandeliers hung from the apex of the curved ceiling. Over a dozen row of benches took up the majority of the room. Before them, lay the dais and the judge chair, and behind that were three ice alcoves that resembled curved doorways. Off to one side sat the law clerk, who wrote fastidious at his desk. 

“This is bigger than I expected," Asami finally managed to say.

“Yeah.” Korra sounded surprised too. “I’ve never actually been in here.” That startled all of them, and they all looked at her. “What?” She shrugged. “I lived at the White Lotus compound. It’s not like I was allowed in the city much.” She led the way through the crowd to a bench close to the front.

Asami followed feeling a bit sad to hear that, especially with how casual Korra dropped hints of her isolation in that compound.

Mako and Bolin sat down first, and Asami took position between Bolin and Korra. 

“Hey,” Bolin leaned close to Asami. “I did the thing. Gave it to them over there and told them to take care of it.” He grinned and looked over at a group of men in the opposite benches, who were counting yuan. He gave them a thumbs up, and they returned it. 

Asami face-palmed. That was not how bribery worked at all. 

Off to the left, the prisoners entered from a doorway half hidden by a pillar. They shuffled forward, chains around their hands and ankles, several guards in front and back. To see Korra’s parents at the end of that line made everything very real. Senna looked tiny compared to the tall and broad shouldered men. Korra stiffened next to her. Part of her wanted to take Korra’s hand, but uncertainty filled her, so she rested her hand near Korra’s on the bench, her fingers almost touching. 

The Judge entered, his long robes trailed on the floor, his skin a wrinkled brown and his hair pulled back in silver braids. He surveyed the crowd and the prisoners, his gaze only briefly falling onto Korra. Korra’s fingers curled around Asami’s own.

Chief Unalaq entered last, and his gaze swept over the crowd. His eyes narrowed at the sight of Team Avatar together and his mouth twisted in a slight grimace. Asami squeezed Korra’s hand partly to comfort her and partly out of defiance of the chief, even though she knew he couldn’t actually see it. Still, she had some satisfaction that she’d managed to pull Korra out of his orbit. Take that, arrogant chief, she thought, and next time don’t underestimate a nonbender.

The law clerk hit his desk with a gavel. “This trial will now come to order! Judge Hotah presiding.”

Gesturing to Unalaq, Judge Hotah said, “Chief Unalaq, please describe the events of last night.”

Bolin leaned close to Asami again. “Oh man, I should have paid him!” 

“Yeah, you think?” She said, annoyed.

“I slept in my chambers when the rebels attacked. I was unconscious and woke in the front foyer. Korra had defeated them, and her polar bear dog guarded the entrance.” He gestured to the rebels next to Tonraq. “I provided evidence that these rebels were present at a crucial meeting with Varrick, Tonraq, and Senna. Korra and Asami Sato witnessed this meeting.” 

Asami jumped at the sound of her name. Unalaq looked her way with a slight smile. 

Judge Hotah frowned. “I see. I will start with Asami Sato. Come to the stand.” He gestured to a railing near the prisoners.

Confused, Asami let go of Korra’s fingers and looked at Korra. Korra shook her head vigorously as if trying to tell her she didn’t tell him. But then how did Unalaq know she was there? Unnerved, she stood and walked to the spot the judge had indicated. 

“According to Unalaq’s testimony, you were present at a meeting with these rebels. Are you from the South?” 

“No..”

“Explain why you were present, Asami Sato.” The judge glared at her. 

She set her face to her most impassive mask and kept her voice calm and even. “I was unpacking supplies and sorting through my things and Korra’s. We had returned from a short trip. I was invited inside to stay warm.”

“Do you remember what was discussed?” 

“I remember discussion of people’s fears and worries. They sought a meeting with Chief Unalaq for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.” She kept her gaze on the judge, but in her periphery, she could see Unalaq glaring at her. 

“Was Iknik Blackstone Varrick present?” 

“Yes…” Asami considered how she was going to get out of sharing what Varrick had said. The best idea often was the simplest one.

“Per evidence presented to me for this trial, Varrick spoke of inciting a rebellion. Did you witness this?” 

“Sir, I don’t recall. I did not participate. Like I said, I was unpacking supplies.” She held the judge’s gaze and hoped that answer was good enough. She needed Varrick’s yacht if they were to get out of the South at any point.

“Were these men at this meeting?” He gestured to the prisoners.

Asami looked over at the rebels. She didn’t recognize the men next to Tonraq. “I don’t recognize the men next to Tonraq. I believe you may have the wrong meeting in mind. The one I attended was about peaceful…”

The judge scowled. “Enough! Do you realize lying to a judge is worth several years of prison?” He leaned over his desk and glared at her. 

“Your Honor, I speak the truth.” She held his gaze, determined not to give away any weakness.

The judge glared back then sighed. “I see. Go sit. I call Korra to the stand.” 

Asami lightly touched Korra’s shoulder as she passed her, and Korra gave her a weak smile in return. Asami sat down and sighed heavily. Honestly, she couldn’t remember half the people that were in that room. There had been nearly a dozen. If Korra’s testimony differed from her own, then that could be bad for both of them. Asami wondered how in the spirits Unalaq even knew of the meeting, let alone that she'd been there. Someone at the meeting must have been a spy.

“Wait, you went to a meeting with Korra and her family?” Bolin whispered.

Beside him, Mako looked at her in irritation, his leg jumping up and down in restlessness.

“Was after our trip,” Asami whispered back. “I didn’t participate. Just unpacked my stuff and stayed in a warm area.”

Korra was asked the exact same questions, and she responded exactly the same as Asami. That was a relief at least. As long as their stories were the same, the judge wouldn't be able to call a mistrial or accuse them of lying.

The judge slammed his hands on his desk. “Avatar Korra, per the evidence presented to me, the meeting of which we speak concerned Varrick wishing to incite a civil war. Is this true?” 

Korra visibly winced. “Varrick said a lot of stupid things, your honor.”

Bolin shot to his feet. “Objection!”

“Quiet! Answer the question, Avatar Korra.” Judge Hotah’s voice held a hint of warning.

“Varrick said violence might be needed. But my father shot him down. Dad wanted a peaceful…” Korra’s voice held a hint of frustration.

“Enough!” The judge interrupted her. “Were these men at this meeting?” 

“Not all of them, no.” 

“And where did this meeting take place?”

Korra frowned and didn’t answer. 

“Your honor! If I may?” Bolin jumped to his feet again.

Asami pressed her hand to her right temple. Did the boy honestly think he could stop a trial?

“May what?” The judge snapped. 

Bolin flinched. “Uh, declare a mistrial?”

“Sit down!” The judge pointed at Bolin, who immediately sat. 

“Are you crazy, bro?” Mako hissed. “That’s not how this works.” 

“I had to try!” He whispered back. 

“Now I will ask one more time,” the judge continued. “Where did this meeting take place, Avatar Korra?”

Korra looked at her parents and then at Judge Hotah. “My parents’ house.”

“And did not Tonraq and Varrick lead this meeting?” 

“My father asked for a meeting with Chief Unalaq for a peaceful resolution!” Korra said, defensively. “They are innocent!”

“Silence!” Judge Hotah stood. “I’ve heard enough.” He looked over the prisoners and then Korra. “I’ll return shortly with my decision.” He walked out through a side door. 

Korra stomped back to the bench and plopped down next to Asami, her arms crossed over her chest. “That was messed up.” 

Asami sighed. “Trials don’t normally go like that here, do they?” 

“I don’t know,” Korra huffed. “I’ve never attended one here.”

That surprised her a bit. Asami had assumed the White Lotus had taught her about her people, yet it was starting to look more and more like they hadn’t.

She leaned forward to look at Korra more closely. Tears shone in Korra’s eyes, but she held that stubborn expression. “Korra, I’ve sat through court sessions back home. None of them were like this.” 

Korra drew in on herself. Asami leaned back and laid her hand on the bench between them. There wasn’t much else she could say or do at the moment.

“Excuse me, I’m going to try to break up with Eska.” Bolin stood and gestured to where Eska and Desna had left the room. “Uh, wish me luck?” He looked nervous and scared. 

“Mako, go with him,” Asami said. 

“What?” Mako glared at her. “Bolin’s a big boy. He…”

“Mako. Go. With. Him.” Asami enunciated each word and glared back at him.

With a huff, he stood and strode after his brother. 

“Huh. I could never get him to do anything,” Korra said, startled. A faint hint of a smile tugged at her lips. “I guess being a leader of a company teaches you things?” 

Asami shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it does. There’s way too many stuck-up men like him there.” 

“And do you tear them down when they act like jerks?” Korra laid her hand next to Asami’s own. 

“When needed. I do try to be diplomatic about it.” There had been a few meetings where she had to do her breathing exercise to avoid knocking heads together. Some of the older men seemed to take offense to her leading meetings at such a young age, but she was their boss, so they better get used to it.

“Oh, so you use all those big words? To confuse and dazzle?” Korra teased. 

Asami smirked. “Sometimes I get blunt with them.” 

“Oh, one long sentence, eh?”

Asami playfully poked her shoulder. “Teasing gets you everywhere. But really, how are you feeling?” 

“Like shit.” Korra sighed. “I’m worried.” 

“We’ll get through this.” Even as she said the words with confidence, Asami worried that this trial was the cusp of Civil War. She could hear the angry murmurings of those around them. Waaseyaa’s note felt heavy in her pocket.

***

Bolin and Mako returned just before the law clerk hit his gavel, so Asami didn’t have a chance to ask them how it went. Both looked very subdued. Had it gone badly? Eska didn't seem like the person to take such things well.

Judge Hotah entered. “I have come to my decision. Senna!” A guard led her forward. “I deem you innocent. You are free to go.”

The guard undid her chains. Korra jumped to her feet and met her mother halfway down the aisle. They hugged in tears. 

“For the rest of you.” Judge Hotah stepped forward and clasped his hands behind his back. “On the charge of treason, I find you…” His eyes flickered over Korra and her mother. “Guilty. The penalty is death.” 

“What?” Korra shouted.

Asami leaped to her feet, followed closely by Mako and Bolin. She looked at them and their horror matched her own.

“You can’t do this!” Korra stepped forward and pointed at the judge. “You take their lives, and I’ll tear you down!” Fury shook her body.

Judge Hotah took a step backward in fear. 

Chief Unalaq held out his hands. “Korra, please calm down, I’ll speak to the judge.” He turned to Judge Hotah. “I know I said I would abide by your decision, but I urge you to reconsider. Show my brother and these men mercy.”

Even now, in front of all these people, the chief was playing the manipulation game. It infuriated Asami, and she was tempted to throw something at the jerk’s head. She hoped Korra didn’t fall for this too. 

Judge Hotah sighed. “Very well. I will change their sentences. All of you will spend your lives in prison.” He glanced briefly at Korra and quickly left the room.

All of the prisoners heaved a sigh of relief. The guards ushered them out of the room to a door opposite the one the Judge left through. Asami watched them go with trepidation.

Korra spun on her heel and stalked back to her mother. She gently took her mother’s arm and walked to Asami and the others. “Can we all meet outside?”

Asami nodded and fell into step next to Korra with Bolin and Mako behind them. None of them spoke until Korra had led them to the stables. Naga eagerly greeted them, that goofy grin on her face, and she gently nudged Senna for pets. Korra's mother tenderly stroked the fur behind Naga's ears as if it was a lifeline.

“I’ll check the area,” Mako said quietly. “Come on bro.” He grabbed Bolin’s arm. 

Asami moved to follow, but Korra grabbed her arm. “Wait, tell Mom what you said to me back at your lodgings.” 

Senna looked at her. Tears streaked her face. Asami pulled out another handkerchief and handed it to Senna, who quietly thanked her and dabbed at her eyes. 

“Are you sure, Korra?” Asami looked at the Avatar, worried. When Korra nodded. Asami sighed heavily. “Senna, I think the trial was rigged. Unalaq is trying to isolate Korra. I know this because he tried to take me out yesterday morning. Trapped me in a factory with three soldiers and two dark spirits. I barely got out of it.” She kept her voice soft. “Korra shared with me what Unalaq has been telling her. And it’s… gaslighting. Kya and Katara told me a little of the rift between your husband and Unalaq, and I think this was his way to get rid of Tonraq.” 

“That’s…” Senna put her hand on Naga and put her other hand to her chest. “Were you hurt?” 

“Korra healed me.” Asami spoke gently. “I think you were let go to keep Korra on his side. Just as Unalaq pretended to convince the judge to change the sentence.” 

Senna silently studied her and Korra’s faces then reached out to grasp Korra’s hand with her left and Asami’s in her right. “I believe you, Asami. I never trusted Tonraq's brother, but I didn't expect him to stoop to this. Are you planning something?"

“Yeah, we sort are. What happened in there wasn't justice," Korra said. "And I'm sorry I lost my temper earlier. I didn’t mean to threaten the judge’s life.” She scuffed her foot in the hay and sighed. “But I wouldn’t have let anyone die.” 

“Hey.” Asami gently grasped Korra’s shoulder. “We know. Will you be okay, Senna?” She looked at Korra’s mother. “Is there anything you need right now? I know it’s a lot at once.” 

Senna gave a shaky sigh. "Thank you both. Right now I need to see my husband. We can talk further later.” She squeezed their hands. “Korra?” 

Korra nodded. “I’ll take you on Naga. Asami, we’ll meet you and the brothers later. What’s a good place?” 

Asami saw the look of determination in Korra’s eyes, and she had a feeling Korra wanted to break her father out of jail. If so, they’d definitely need Varrick’s boat. “Meet us at... that one large fancy house in town.” She didn't particularly want to say Varrick's name out loud this close to the palace.

Korra nodded. “Thank you for everything.” 

“Of course. That’s what I’m here for.” Asami gave them a shaky smile and slipped her hands free. She left them with Naga.

Not to her surprise, Mako and Bolin waited on the other side of the stable doors. 

“They okay?” Mako asked, his brow knit with worry. “Thought we’d give you space.” 

Asami sighed. She motioned for them to follow her. Once they were a ways down the hill, she scanned the road and was glad to see no one within earshot, but there was one person loitering further down the street in that unmarked clothing.

She put her arms around Bolin and Mako's shoulders and leaned close to them. “Told Korra to meet us at the mansion. I am pretty sure she hopes to rescue her father, but if so, we need to prepare to nab a ship. Ready?”

Mako nodded. "Korra has my support."

"Yes! Always wanted a boat." Bolin grinned.

Asami smiled. "Then let's go collect a platypus bear."

Chapter Text

Outside the Prison, Mid-afternoon

The prison was located within the northern mountain range. The road was steep and its sides were riddled with boulders and ice. Korra’s mother held onto the Avatar, and Korra unconsciously heat-bended to keep herself and her mother warm. The wind in the pass blew at close to freezing temperature, the ice crystals in the air like daggers against any bare skin. Directing Naga onto a thinner road, Korra sighted the ice entrance of the prison, it’s pillars on either side watchtowers, and the gate a mix of ice and metal. 

The guards were Southerners, and the offered a formal bow to Korra and her mother before opening the gates. The creak of the hinges echoed in the pass. Inside, the building itself was carved into the side of the mountain. A small square building had been built from stone and ice next to the prison’s entrance. 

“Here to see Tonraq, Senna?” The prison guard in the building waved at them. He bowed to Senna and Korra. "I'm truly sorry for these circumstances."

“Yes, Kanook,” Senna replied. “Is he here?”

“For now." Kanook walked up to them and looked at the main gate. "Look, I'm not supposed to do this, but the warden is doing a task for Unalaq. And you and Tonraq have been kind to my family many times. I'll get you to his cell and keep an eye out in case the warden returns early. It's not much time, but it's something.” The man shook his head, frustration in his voice. “What happened wasn’t right.” 

“Thank you, Kanook. I'll remember this kindness.” Senna gave him a wan smile.

Korra hopped down from Naga and aided her mother’s descent. After petting Naga and ordering her to stay, Korra led her mother through the prison doors the guard opened. The hallways inside were stone and very dim, few lights hung in the ceiling. 

The guard motioned for them to follow, and he led them down two hallways and then right to a short cellblock. All the rebels were in separate cells. Korra ran to her father’s and grasped the metal bars. 

“Dad!” Korra wanted to bust him out right then, but the rest of Team Avatar likely wouldn’t have the boat ready yet. 

Senna pushed her arm through the gaps in the metal. Tonraq grasped her hand. “How are you, honey?”

Tonraq managed a faint smile. He laid one hand over Korra’s. “I’m fine.” 

“Good.” Korra looked around but the guard that led them inside was at the intersection, waiting just out of earshot. She lowered her voice. “We’re going to get you out of here. My friends and I got a plan.” 

Shaking his head vigorously, Tonraq squeezed Korra’s hand. “Korra, no. Saving me would incite a Civil war. The north will crush the south. Please promise me you won’t do anything rash.” 

Korra couldn’t promise that. She leaned closer. “Dad, listen, I made a mistake, okay? I trusted Unalaq when I shouldn’t have. He tried to take out Asami. He’s thrown you in jail. He’s been manipulating me, and I don’t trust that judge. You aren’t safe here, and I can’t just let them take you away.” 

Tonraq frowned. “My brother did what to Asami?”

“Three soldiers and two spirits attacked her. She’s a really good fighter, you know? But she still got hurt.” Korra took a deep breath and looked over at her mother. “I don’t want you to be involved, Mom. You have to stay safe.”

“Honey, this is dangerous talk,” Senna looked at the other cells.

“I know, but Dad needs to know the truth too.” Korra met her father’s gaze, determined. “I can help you.”

“For my brother to stoop to harming teenagers.” Korra’s father sounded bitter. “Korra, I understand you want to save me, but war will break out.” 

“Aren’t we already at war?” Korra countered. “I was too blind to see it, but then Asami laid it all out: the north’s behaviors, decisions, actions. And now I can’t unsee it, Dad. I helped Unalaq hurt our people, and I got to fix it.” 

Senna lightly touched Korra’s shoulder. “Honey, the South doesn’t have enough warriors.”

Korra knew that Asami would hate this idea. She dropped her voice to a softer whisper. “What if… the South had access to weapons?”

Tonraq looked dubious. “You sound like Varrick, Korra.” 

“No, he wants bloodshed. But Asami’s company got stuff that knocks out people. If our people had it, they could use the electricity to nullify water bending.” Korra clenched the bars tightly. It felt like a longshot. Surely the spirits wouldn't be upset with those electroshot gloves and other hand weapons. 

Both her parents looked at her surprised.

Korra checked around them again, but the guard still stayed at his post at the intersection. She couldn’t see well enough into the other cells to see who was in them. “Some of this tech is nifty gloves or long batons. Could our people practice hand to hand moves? Asami and I… we met a tribe that could help the fight.” 

Tonraq studied her and sighed. “Even so, getting me out could incite a painful retaliation against our people. We’d have to train with these weapons to fight back, and there’s no time.”

Frustration curdled through her. Was all her ideas useless? “Okay. I’m not giving up on you, Dad.” 

“I know.” He squeezed her hand and turned to his wife. “Senna, it will be okay. We’ll get through this, and I’ll find my way to you again. I promise.” He gently wiped away her tears. 

“I love you,” she said quietly. “Please be safe.”

“I love you both. Now go before they suspect us.” He released their hands and sat down on his bunk, his tall, muscular form hidden by the heavy shadows. 

Korra angrily brushed away her tears. Taking a deep breath to try to calm herself, she helped her mother up the corridor to the guard. 

“Hurry,” the guard whispered. “My shift change comes soon with the warden.” He hurried them out of the prison and shut the door behind them.

Korra helped her mother onto Naga, and they left the complex. This time, Korra urged Naga into the snow rather than take the street. Naga bounded across the mountain side, around boulders, and down the slope toward the city below.

Tonraq and Senna’s home

Senna clenched the sink in the kitchen, her knuckles white almost from the grip. Korra finished drying the glass she held and put it in the rack. Her mother wept again. Senna had struggled against the tears since they came home and ate leftovers, but now, they fell again, and it pained Korra to see her mother like this. 

She placed a hand on her mother’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Mom.”

Senna wiped away her tears with the handkerchief Asami had given her earlier that day. “I… I hate feeling so helpless…” 

“I know.” Korra pulled her mother into a hug.

Maybe she couldn’t get those electroshock weapons to her people in time, but what if she focused on the judge. Get him to reverse his sentence. That wouldn’t incite war, would it? It’d go through legally. At least, Korra thought so, but she didn’t really know much about the legal situation within the Water Tribes. Partly because the White Lotus had never taught her it. She felt unprepared, and that angered her too.

“Korra, please, don’t put yourself into danger over this.” Her mother’s voice broke at the word danger. 

“Mom, I’m the Avatar. I can’t avoid danger. And this injustice can’t stand.” Korra pulled away and held her mother’s shoulders. “I tried to stay neutral, thinking that's what the Avatar ought to do. That it’d stop a war. Except, Asami’s right. Neutrality is a side. And it’s a side that aided Uncle and hurt our people. I got to make it right.” 

Senna managed a smile and laid her hand over Korra’s. “I know, honey. You’ve always been a fighter. I wish I could do more to help.” 

“Maybe you can. Talk with Master Katara. Get in touch with that Hidden Village. Try to get word out to the other villages. Maybe if we all work together we can hold off Uncle until help comes.” Korra had no idea who to ask for help though, but surely someone somewhere would aid the South?

Senna sighed. “What help would come?” 

“I don’t know yet. But Team Avatar beat Amon’s forces, and there was only the four of us, Iroh, Naga, and Pabu. And Amon had airships, planes, electroshock weapons, and a lot of fighters too.” Korra let go and dropped her arms to her side.

Senna leaned against the sink. “Someday you will have to tell me that story in full. But for now, please find your friends, do something safe. I will go to Katara, if not for company.” 

Korra hugged her mother again. “Be safe, okay?” She left before she could start crying too.

Naga and her raced through the streets. Anger simmered deep inside Korra, like a volcano that rumbled and growled before it exploded. She had to find that judge. Starting at the palace, she asked the guards if the judge was still in and willing to take a message, but they pointed toward the road out of town, heading south. Thanking them, Korra leaped onto Naga and urged her into a run. 

The road curled through a residential district, the area silent as death, most windows covered. Troops stood at attention at each intersection, while vans loaded up communication devices and snowmobiles. This was so wrong, and seeing it only fueled Korra’s anger at her uncle and at herself for allowing it to go this far. 

After the road left the edge of the city to pass below thick ice cliffs, that's when Korra sighted the satomobile. It chugged along several hundred meters ahead. She bent low over Naga, and her polar bear dog chased after the vehicle. The judge must have sighted her as the satomobile picked up speed, but Naga’s wide loping run easily caught up to it. At Korra’s direction, Naga slammed her side into the satomobile. It smashed its passenger side into the cliff and came to a stuttering halt.

Korra stopped Naga, leaped off, and grabbed the Judge. She slammed him against the side of his vehicle. 

“What - what do you want?” Terror riddled his words, his face ashen.

“It’s not what I want. It’s what Naga wants,” Korra snapped. Naga growled menacingly beside her. “And she wants my father out of prison.” 

Judge Hotah swallowed audibly. “I… I’m sorry. That's not possible. I’m just following Chief Unalaq’s orders…”

The realization hit like lightning. Asami had been absolutely right. The trial was a sham. Korra’s hands tightened on the judge’s robes. “Explain!” She leaned closer in fury. 

“I’ve… said too much!” Hotah looked away, desperate.

Korra hauled him over to Naga and clicked her tongue. Naga opened her mouth. “If you don’t wanna be Naga’s evening snack, then you better start talking.” 

Judge Hotah trembled violently. “Okay… okay, I… I worked with your uncle for years. He said the trial had to look real.” 

“Did he tell you what to say?” Korra’s fury built with each sentence this vile man said.

“Yes, every word! Please…” Tears shone in the judge’s eyes. 

“Why let my mother go and not my father too?” 

“He wanted to keep you on his side…”

When those words left the judge’s mouth, Korra felt like ice had been thrown over her. Asami had been right again. More manipulation. Which meant, if her uncle had been manipulating all of this from the start, had any of his words been true? 

The judge continued, his voice desperate, “and he needed your father out of the way again. Like when he got your father banished…” 

“What do you mean, ‘he got my father banished?’” Korra’s hands shook, her fury so bright within that the world around her felt veiled in red. Her shaking hand sent Hotah a bit too close to one of Naga’s canines. 

Hotah yelped. “Please, I only did as told!”

“Then you better start talking.” Korra leaned him further into Naga’s mouth. 

Hotah looked around Naga’s mouth. “Please, let me sit, I’ll tell it all!”

Disgusted with him, Korra pulled him out of Naga’s mouth to set him between her great paws. She kept hold of his robes. He gulped when Naga’s right paw lightly touched his leg.

“Okay, Unalaq wanted to teach Tonraq a lesson. He’d been ambivalent about spirits, scoffing almost, and Unalaq wanted Tonraq to face the reality of spirits and human interaction.” He swallowed audibly when Naga's paw moved closer to his leg. “Look, he hired the bandits to attack the city, knowing Tonraq would defend. Told the bandits to hide in the sacred forest, knowing Tonraq would pursue, and waited to purify the angry spirits until after Tonraq failed. He wanted him to see the power of the spirits and why his brother must heed his words about them.” The story came out in a rush of words. “But when Tonraq stood before their father, Unalaq couldn’t admit the truth. He said it would destroy all he’d built, the trust people had in his ability to keep the peace between humans and spirits, so he said nothing. Tonraq took the fall and was banished.”

Disgust caused Korra toss him against his vehicle. “So my uncle started all of this. Let my father be banished for his misdeeds. Came here to control the south through force. Tell me then, what does he want with the portal?” Korra took two steps toward the judge who cowered by his car. 

“I don’t know! I am called upon only for the legal and political matters!” Hotah put his hands over his head and crouched as if that would ward off Korra’s anger. 

Korra slammed her hand against his car just above the judge’s head. “Maybe think harder.”

Hotah shuddered at the noise. “There was rumors, among those loyal to Unalaq, that he’d met great power in the spirit world during his meditations. But that is all I know! I swear it on my life!” 

Great power? Korra’s fury drained into horror. The vision of Wan freeing Vaatu from Raava came to mind. What had she done? Was Vaatu somewhere in the spirit world now? “Thank you, Judge Hotah.”

Korra strode away and pulled herself onto Naga. She needed to learn the rest of Wan’s story and fast. “Naga, let’s go!” Naga eagerly left the site and headed back into town. The anger that had guided Korra down this road had transmuted into dread. Asami and Korra’s own instincts had tried to warn her. Why had Korra trusted her uncle over herself and her loved ones? She'd been so naive!

Shame and anger sliced into her dread, and she directed Naga toward Varrick’s mansion. They had to get her father out of jail, had to get those electroshock weapons into the South’s hands, and push for the other Southern tribes to join together in this fight. Would Republic City help? Would the Fire Nation or the Earth Nation? Korra didn’t now how any of that worked. Maybe Asami or Mako would know. 

The roads near Varrick’s mansion were blocked off with troops. That wasn’t good. Korra directed Naga around the perimeter until they found an alleyway between the metal fence of Varrick’s property and a recreation hall.

Sliding to the ground, Korra comforted Naga. “I won’t be long, I promise.” She rubbed her bear dog’s ears and kissed her snout. “Wait here.” 

With a burst of air bending, Korra hopped the fence and ducked low among the bushes. A few soldiers worked on opening the front gate of the mansion. They slammed it with their water cannon, but the thick metal only shook. Korra ran crouched toward a side door. Of course it was locked. Without Asami here to help, Korra slammed her shoulder into the door, bursting it open. 

Faint voices came from upstairs. She took the stairs three at a time. A door at the top of the stairs was partially open. Korra burst inside to see Asami, Mako, and Bolin circled around a stuffed platypus bear, which happened to be talking in Varrick’s voice. 

Asami turned first. “Korra! Are you okay?” Her eyebrows furrowed in worry. 

“No. Unalaq is a liar!” Korra stomped up to them, the anger once again returning in full force. 

“I’ve been trying to tell you that all along,” the platypus bear said in Varrick’s voice. Korra gave it a double-take.

“What happened?” Mako asked.

“I found the judge.” Korra paced. “And I got the truth out of him. Asami was right! The entire trial was a sham. He was fed everything to say by my uncle. And freed my mother only as a ploy to keep me at his side. Worse, I found out the truth about my dad's banishment. Unalaq hired the barbarians to attack their tribe. Then he told them to hide in the spirit forest, knowing my dad would go after them.”

“In a bid for chief?” Mako asked.

Korra stopped and looked at him. “Maybe. Hotah said Unalaq chose to let my father take the fall for his misdeeds. That he did it out of fear of losing the trust people had in his power over spirits. But yeah, i guess it also meant he'd be in line for chiefdom…” Korra put her face in her hands. “I can’t believe I trusted him!”

Asami grasped her shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. You didn’t know…”

Korra looked up at Asami, tears stung her eyes. “But my instincts, Wan’s visions, they all tried to warn me. I didn’t trust myself. I looked to my uncle for all the answers. Just like I used to do for my White Lotus teachers. And this time I really messed up. I asked Hotah about the spirit portal. And he said Unalaq found a great power there.”

Asami’s face paled. “Vaatu.” 

Korra nodded. “But I don’t know where. Nor do we know how Wan defeated him yet! I need to get the rest of Wan's story, but the visions just come. How do I make them come?" She tugged on a wolf tail in frustration.

"Tenzin. Remember our talk with Katara? You can access the spirit world in meditation. Tenzin can help. We need to get you to him."

Korra winced at Asami's words. "I guess so." A thought hit her hard. "Wait, if Unalaq has access to Vaatu, then is that why the spirits are angry?”

“Spirits.” Asami’s hand dropped, and she pulled out her idea journal. “The spirits can be purified. But is the opposite true? Can someone corrupt them using a similar method?” She swiftly recorded a few notes, then glanced at Korra. 

The thought had never occurred to her. “I…don’t know. I wish Nakul or Tenzin was here.” Korra looked at the others. “But we can’t stay here. Soldiers are blocking off all roads around this mansion. And they were tearing down its gate. We got to leave now.” 

“I’m staying in this bear!” the playtpus bear said. Korra looked at it and wondered why in the spirits Varrick chose that as a hideout.

“Then I’ll just lead you out like you’re my pet!” Bolin suggested. He looked around the room and came up with some rope. Tying it around the stuffed bear’s neck, he took a step back. “Yes, that will do.” 

“All right, but if the exits are blocked off, how do we get out?” Mako jerked his thumb at the bear. “And with that thing?” 

“Air bending.” Korra motioned for them to follow her. “I know a good place to do it.”

The platypus bear creaked off its stand and fell to all fours. Slight yelp came from it, this time a woman’s voice, which weirded Korra out. She put it out of her mind and led the group down the stairs. She took them to the side door she’d broken. Holding up her hand, she stepped outside and flattened herself against the wall. She heard the sounds of fighting. Then the slam of something heavy against metal. No one on this side of the mansion though.

“Follow.” She hurried across the path and into the bushes.

The others followed in her wake, and they wove through the gardens back to where Korra had first jumped the fence. She motioned for them to stand next to it. One by one she boosted them up and over. With Asami, Korra warned her right before she boosted her up. Once Asami was safe on the other side, Korra jumped over. 

“We’ll need to split up,” Asami said. “We’re too conspicuous like this.” 

“Then will you help free my father?” Korra looked at Asami then Mako. “Bolin, can you get that bear to the docks?”

“Sure can!” Bolin grinned.

“If you do this, there’s no going back,” Mako said with a slight frown. 

Korra looked at him. “I know. Are you going to help or not?”

Mako nodded at her words. “Okay, I’ll help.” 

“I’m with you, Korra, always,” Asami rested her hand against Naga’s flank. Korra's polar bear dog had pushed up against her for pets. 

Tears stung Korra’s eyes. “Thank you.” 

“And I’ll help too,” Varrick’s voice announced. “Now gather around Ping-Ping. Let’s talk plan.” The others looked at each other but dutifully gathered close. 

The Prison

Korra ordered Naga to stay out of sight behind a boulder. She dropped into the snow next to Asami and Mako. Their perch was slightly above the front gate. The guards were significantly more than earlier, but most were by the front gate, not the entrance. Asami pulled out a gadget, flipped out a small tube, and held it up to her eye.

“There’s a side door to the main entrance two hundred meters west. A trench blocks off that side. One guard and the metal fence goes into the mountainside.” She flipped the scope away and pocketed it. 

“That’s not too bad.” Mako held up his hand to estimate distance. “I could…”

“No. Both of your bending is way too visible. I’ll drop in on the guard. Then you two will hide in that alcove where the side door is.” Asami glared at Mako when he opened his mouth to protest. “Fire is easily seen. My attack won’t be.”

“And if the door is locked?” Mako snapped. 

“Asami can lockpick it,” Korra said, distracted. She counted the guards that patrolled by the front entrance. Only two, four more at the front gate. 

Mako startled. “Wait what?”

“Yes. You two will keep watch as I do.” Asami pointed to a part of the ridge that was above the trench. “Korra, can you tunnel me down to the trench, so I can come out right in front?” 

“And the guards won’t hear that?” Mako’s voice held a touch of sarcasm. 

“Not with an avalanche.” Korra pointed to the mountain on the opposite side of the pass. “I can easily cause it down the Northside. That sound will cover up our work.”

Mako nodded, appeased. “Let’s go.” 

The trio ducked down the side of the ridge, and half-ran, half-crouched to the point Asami had located. Korra took a deep breath, briefly shifted into Avatar state to give herself a boost to her bending, then focused on a boulder high up on the opposite mountain. She shifted it and several others. The massive boulder rumbled down the side of the mountain, along with the others and a rush of snow. The tumult was near deafening. 

“Okay.” Korra pushed down and the ground in front of them dipped and cracked open like an egg. She punched further and dug at an angle, the way a bit slippery from the cold.

Asami tapped her shoulder and pointed up at one point, and Korra shifted her stance to make a stairwell for her friend to traverse. Asami hopped upward with Korra behind and Mako at rear. At the top, Korra shifted the ground to expose them to the outdoors again.

Asami was up and over the lip of the trench. The takedown was swift, silent, and only a few sparks shone at the lip.

Korra slipped over with Mako right behind. 

Asami squatted next to the unconscious guard. She nodded toward the alcove then held up three fingers. Jumping over the lip of the trench, she approached a nearby guard, who leaned against the side of a building. Two seconds later, the guard was unconscious, and she dragged him behind the building.

Korra and Mako took the moment and dashed across the ground. They ducked inside, just before another guard walked around the side of the building, only to come face-to-face with Asami’s glove. She stashed him with the other guard and joined them in the alcove.

Digging out a lockpick, she motioned for them to keep watch, while she put her ear to the door and fiddled with the lock. Korra and Mako settled into fighting stances. The guards at the front gate didn’t move, but the other patrolling was still walking back and forth on the other side of the prison field. So far he hadn’t seemed to notice anything. 

A click followed by a clank sounded, and Asami pushed open the door. She held up her hand, going first.

Korra scowled and followed, only to witness Asami do another quick takedown of a guard. Mako loosely shut the door. Korra had only been here once, but she’d be able to recognize the path once they were at an intersection. She took the lead and ran to the intersection ahead. They were close to the main gate, which meant two intersections away from her father. She darted across first. Mako second, and Asami last. The next intersection held a guard.

Asami sprinted, backflipped over Mako and Korra both, and her legs slammed into the back of the guard. He fell hard, and she zapped him while she rolled off and into the intersection.

She motioned for them to join her.

Korra couldn’t believe how fast this was going. Asami was a powerhouse. Korra took the lead again and ran to her father’s cell. “My Dad’s here…”

Asami nodded and bent to lockpick, only to frown and look up at Korra with a shake of her head. “There’s no one here, Korra.” 

“What?” Korra leaned against the bars. She was right. The cell was deserted. 

“Ah, I see you came, as I suspected.” Unalaq said from further down the corridor.

Asami leaped to her fighting stance, Mako next to her, while Korra only stood and stared at her uncle in disbelief.

“I’m sorry, Korra, but you’ll never see your father again.”

“Where’s my father?” Anger and a touch of fear curdled through her. 

“On a ship. Heading to the Northern Water Tribe as we speak." Unalaq stepped into the light with a smile. 

“You will bring him back, or I’ll take out your entire army!” She stepped in front of her friends and shifted her stance. 

“Korra, remember yourself. As the Avatar, you must not threaten war.” Unalaq’s words were calm and measured. “You must remain neutral, or our tribes will never find unity.” 

“Unity? You call this unity?” Korra swept her hand vaguely toward Wolf Cove. “That’s not unity! That’s occupation!” 

Unalaq frowned and shifted his glance to Asami and Mako. “I seek unity. I believe your friends have blinded you, Korra. Has not Asami Sato proven to be a chaos agent? Leading you astray from your lessons? Working with the traitor Varrick to destabilize our tribe?” 

“No you don’t.” Korra stepped closer and shook her fist at him. “Asami has been at my side. Helping me sort out the spirits, no thanks to you! You act as if we can’t reason with them, but we can! Those at the factory and Ferris Wheel were upset over shattered crystal caverns and dead animals! I know because I asked!” 

Unalaq shook his head. “A trick, nothing more. Purifying can give us images, yes, but you cannot reason with spirits this out of control, Korra.” 

Korra didn’t know what to say to that. She didn’t know if it was true or not. 

“You can reason with them,” Asami said. She stepped up to Korra’s side. “I’ve seen it done. Unalaq, your manipulation of Korra is over. We know the truth now.” She looked at Korra. 

Mako stepped up too. “And we won’t let you get away with this.” 

That gave her heart. Korra straightened her shoulders and faced her uncle. “You don't want unity. You want power. You've always been jealous of my father, haven't you? You got him banished so you could become chief, and I bet it just killed you to learn he was the Avatar's father. No wonder you kept trying to take me away from him. But you won’t anymore!” 

Unalaq raised his eyebrows. “I only ever wanted you to realize your destiny."

"Liar," Korra growled. "We will stop you."

"And you three will do what?" Unalaq said, mildly. "Harming me will start a war. Dark spirits would destroy all our people. Do you truly wish for such chaos?” 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Korra snapped. “You need me to open the Northern portal. So if you want that done, you’ll send your troops home and return my father.” 

Unalaq abruptly laughed. “Oh? You think I need you still? No, Korra. I do not.” He slid one foot backward, and a sudden rush of water slammed hard into Asami. She hurtled backward, and skidded along the ground. 

Furious, Korra sliced three blasts of fire at her uncle, who neutralized them with water.

Mako shot more fire, but Unalaq blocked.

Korra slammed a fist of earth up, knocking her uncle to one side. 

“Mako! Korra! Go! This isn’t worth it!” Asami shouted from behind them. 

Korra pushed forward and blasted more fire, then twisted her uncle’s water back at him to punch him against a cell door. He grunted and hurtled several ice spikes. 

“Korra, let’s go…” Mako dashed backward, still firing off fire blasts, but each one was neutralized by Unalaq’s water bending. 

Furious, Korra slammed up a wall of rock and sprinted after her friends. They raced back the way they came, but guards had piled into the prison in all directions.

Asami took out two near her, but she had a limp. Mako fired at several behind, and Korra slammed her way through the ones in front with blasts of fire and earth. They soon reached the side door. Outside, only a few guards were still manning the gate, but they were running toward them. Korra punched up an earth wall to block their path. Another wall she placed in front of the side door. 

Asami leaped into Korra’s tunnel. Mako followed. Korra came last and closed it up after them. 

Chapter Text

Wolf Cove - early evening

Asami laid flat on the roof and looked through her eyeglass. Troops barricaded entire roads with toppled Satomobiles or ice walls, and local water benders defended key intersections and buildings. Water and ice sliced through the air, bone spears or bladed boomerangs clashed, and in other streets, locals took to the roofs to throw rocks and metal objects. Most of the fighting was localized on the main roads that cut through the city north-south and east-west. Another large segment of troops was around Varrick’s mansion, which was still under siege. A few locals must have broken in and holed up there, as the spray of ice was visible even from her location on the northern side of town.

Two streets to the south, she could see several blocked off streets and one satomobile on fire. None of the main city thoroughfares were safe for Naga and them, especially the one’s south-west.

She sighed heavily, frustrated. She’d guessed this would happen after the trial, the place had been a powder keg, but Korra had been shocked. They had stopped on a ridge just north of the city, where Korra had taken the time to heal Asami’s knee. It still ached a bit, but it hadn’t been broken. Just a twisted muscle. 

Turning, she checked the area to the west. The alleyway,  where Korra and Mako waited on Naga, had an intersection to the west, and one of the other paths opened into a small commons between several apartment buildings. No people there, though she could see several crates, cans, and benches. She couldn’t see past that route due to the apartments being taller than the one on which she perched. She pocketed her multitool.

Skidding backward, she crawled back to the opposite side. The jump to the next building wasn’t far. She could probably make it, but that depended on if there was ice or not. Best to not risk it. Slipping over the side of the roof, she grabbed its edge to dangle herself. Her arms burned at the effort, but she managed to snag her foot around the drainage pipe. The slide down burned her hands with cold.

“What’d you find?” Korra whispered. She held out her hand.

Asami grasped it and let Korra pull her onto Naga. She settled into her spot behind her and curled her arms around Korra's waist. To her surprise, Korra gently patted her hands before taking up the reins.

Mako took the back end of the saddle, his hands gripping the saddle’s edges.

“Its chaotic. Avoid the main streets. Most are blockaded. Avoid the mansion. Still under siege.” Asami pointed back the way they came. “There’s an alleyway heading west. Go that way.” 

Korra nodded and directed Naga into the alleyway. These paths were oddly quiet. No dark spirits, and if there were any city residents, they were hiding in their homes or out among the fighting. The clamor of fighting and shouting was muted in these alleys. When they entered the commons area, Asami touched Korra’s arm to signal her to stop.

Sliding off, she checked the perimeter of the commons. There was two exits. One that led to the main east-west street. Another that headed straight west to another section of alleys. These endless alley's made this section of Wolf Cove feel like the labyrinth that Waaseyaa had dragged her through in that dark spirit fight days before. Odd that it now felt like years ago. So much had happened since then.

“Asami, can your eyeglass see a route up there?” Korra pointed to the top of the apartment complex to their left. The three story structure was sculpted from stone and ice, it’s windows circles, and its roof a mixture of leather and wood.

“Yes, if you help me up.” Asami didn’t particularly want to crawl along the drainpipe again. 

Korra slung her upward with a whirlpool of air, and Asami hit the roof with a thump. She started to slide, the top coated in ice, until she snagged one of the wooden poles that bunched up the thickly layered leather. After dragging herself along that ridge, she reached the peak of the roof and held onto the antenna there. Pulling out her eyeglass, she scanned the streets again. This viewpoint worked perfectly. Much of the city seemed to be built in clusters along the main thoroughfares, where each cluster was oriented around a central commons, and from that grew several alleyways that branched out toward the main streets. She mapped out a safe route that followed the alleyways directly west, which would get them to the docks easily. No fighting in that western path. 

The docks were the biggest problem. She counted twenty-four soldiers stationed in clusters along its length. They’d could go north-west to the water itself. If they swam, they’d reach the yacht easily, but that would mean possible hypothermia. 

Cursing quietly, she wished they had a radio to check on Bolin and Varrick-bear. She couldn’t see them in any of the streets, and although Varrick had a plan to get them through the siege, it had required quite a bit of acting on Bolin’s part and that was after the theft of a soldier’s armor. Apparently, Varrick had a few gadgets he’d hidden in Ping-Ping for such an escape, which made Asami even more worried for her friend.

Sighing, she pocketed her multi-tool. Surely there was another way to get through. She looked toward the northern mountain range. The blaze of Southern lights lit the sky as the sun crested toward the horizon.

That’s when she sighted it. The cluster of dark spirits near the prison, six of them at least, and they drifted down toward the city. Straight toward the docks. She dug out her eyeglass and focused on the prison. There was movement there, but the magnification on her glass wasn't enough to be certain as to who was up there. She suspected Chief Unalaq, which if dark spirits came from his location then why hadn't he stopped them? Had he caused them? The thought unnerved her.

After she pocketed her eyeglass, she slid down to the edge of the roof. Waving to Korra, she braced herself. The sweep of air swirled her around and dropped her down to the ground. She hit the pavement of the commons area and stumbled backward into Naga.

“Never going to get used to that,” she muttered. Grabbing Korra’s hand, she slid into position, her arms around Korra's waist. This time Korra rested one hand over Asami's own. “Okay, there’s no clear way to Varrick’s yacht. Twenty-four soldiers along the docks. I saw no sign of Bolin either.”

“Then how do we get out of here?” Mako sounded irritated. 

“Dark spirits,” Asami pointed to the north-west. “They’re coming down from the prison toward the docks. Six of them. Incite them and lead them to the soldiers. Then we use the distraction to board the yacht.”

Korra looked at her in surprise. She grasped the reins with both hands. Naga huffed under them and pushed her snout against one of the crates. “Are you sure about that? Shouldn’t we try to calm them?”

“We can’t take on twenty-four soldiers and six dark spirits, Korra. Well, maybe you could in Avatar mode, but that means less time to catch up to your father.” Asami couldn’t think of any other way to reach that boat. The density of troops was too high.

Korra scowled. “Then let’s do it. Mako, you’ll take the first shot. Asami, you want point again? Stay on Naga if so. Mako and I will run behind.” 

The thought of riding Naga into battle sent a thrill of excitement through her. “Yes.”

She unhooked her glove and slid it on her hand. Too bad the settings required touch. She’d have to examine the glove later to see if she could add a longer distance for the electroshot pulse. 

“This is a terrible plan.” Mako’s hands gripped Naga’s saddle on either side of Asami. “Stay alive at least?” 

“We’re Team Avatar!” Korra grinned back at them. “We can do this. Now which way, Asami?” 

With her directing the way, the trio and Naga traversed the maze of alleyways. The shouts, crash of ice and debris, and clash of bladed boomerangs increased in loudness as they rushed toward the docks. A painful keening slowly gained in strength from the dark spirits. Naga crashed through several crates and a clothesline. Mako yelped at a mouthful of undergarments, while Asami got hit with a shirt. She threw it off and ducked under the next clothesline. Mako grabbed her belt to avoid being knocked off by the line Naga ran under. 

They burst out onto the docks just as the dark spirits reached the northern most edge. The nearest soldiers shouted and raised up their bone spears and ice spikes. 

“Go!” Asami shouted.

Korra and Mako leaped off Naga. Fire shot toward the dark spirits along with a spiral of ice spikes from the pair.

“Naga, run!” Asami leaned forward, one hand clutched the reins, and the other she held out, the electroshot pulse facing outward. Naga barked and hurtled forward. The polar bear dog's great bulk knocked the first wave of soldiers onto their backs. Naga bounded over the next line. Several soldiers got swiped by Asami’s glove, and they cried out before hitting the ground unconscious. 

Behind her, the dark spirits' eerie keening grew in strength. The soldiers around and behind called out in alarm. The sound of bending rent the air, but Asami didn’t let up on Naga’s charge. She urged the polar bear dog forward, and Naga eagerly leaped over or slammed into any soldiers in her way. Leaning to one side, Asami knocked out yet more soldiers with a blast of electroshot. She nearly whooped at the thrill of it all. 

Varrick’s yacht was only a few hundred meters ahead. Seven soldiers guarded it, but two turned and ran at the sight of Naga’s and Asami’s charge. The others shifted their stance to point their bone spears straight at them. Could the polar bear dog make the jump? Asami wasn’t sure. The soldiers they’d already slammed through had mostly been waterbenders, and the speed of their attack had knocked them down before the ice spikes had finished forming.  

She refused to let Naga get hurt. Asami pulled up her feet so she squatted on the saddle, the reins tight in her hands, while she balanced precariously. “Naga, stop!”

The polar bear dog skidded to a stop, and Asami used that momentum to hurtle off the back of Naga. She sailed up and over the five, shocking one and slamming leg first into another. She twisted her legs, snapping something in the man’s arm, and then rolled off him. The one she zapped was down, but two rushed her with their spears. She roll dodged to the left, swept up on her feet, and kicked one soldier in a spin kick to the head. He fell backward into his companion, upon which Asami zapped them both. 

The last one dived at her with his spear. She dodged, grabbed his spear, then used his momentum to send him flying against the rope railing. He cried out as he flipped over it and into the water. Still holding his spear, Asami took a deep breath and pushed the unconscious soldiers off the gangplank. 

“Naga, come!” Asami motioned to the polar bear dog, who raced forward and bounded up the gangway to the yacht.

Behind her, Korra and Mako ran, each bending their elements to knock aside soldiers in their way. The dark spirits they’d incited descended on the other soldiers in a crash of howling, ice spikes, and spirit tentacles. A few soldiers went flying through the air, some into the water, and others into buildings. That made Asami hesitate with a hint of guilt.

“Asami! Get the yacht moving!” Korra reached the gangplank with Mako a few steps behind. 

Asami ran toward the central control cabin, skidded across the deck's wooden beams, and slammed her shoulder into the door. It burst open, unlocked, and inside was Ping-ping and Bolin. “You made it!” Relief coated her voice. She leaned the bone spear against the cabin wall.

“Never underestimate a platypus bear!” Varrick announced as he raised the paw of Ping-Ping dramatically. 

“And a good disguise!” Bolin grinned in his Northern Water tribe armor.

How they had pulled that off, Asami would have to ask later.

“Pull us out. We’re being chased.” Asami gestured to the controls that Varrick hogged. She couldn’t get around the playtpus bear’s bulk. 

“Right on it!” Varrick-bear leaned forward, and the costume’s massive paws pushed up a lever and smashed several buttons. The engines of the yacht roared then faded into a gentle hum. That slightly unsettling sense of lilting back and forth swept through Asami as the boat pulled away from the dock toward the line of battleships.

Korra and Mako stumbled into the cabin breathless. “We pulled up the gangplank and the ropes…” Korra pointed at the battleships that blocked the exit to the harbor. “We need to get past those. Is there anything that can get me close enough to push them out of the way?” 

“Thought you’d never ask!” Varrick pushed up the mouth of the bear to look out at them. “I have a plane!” He pressed a button on the console, and a section of the yacht in front of the cabin opened up. A biplane lifted up to the deck. 

“Why do you have a plane on a boat?” Mako asked, dumbfounded.

“Why in case it sinks, of course!” Varrick said, smugly.

Asami studied the situation. She needed at least two hundred meters before the plane could build up enough speed to take off, and this boat definitely did not have that length.

“There’s no runway. How do we take off?” She saw no sling-like mechanism that could shoot the plane forward. Nor did she have time to devise one. The plane just sat there, uselessly.

Varrick winced at her words. “Zhu Li, take note, ‘build a runway.’” A higher-pitched voice made an affirming noise from the legs of the stuffed costume, which made Asami feel a little bad for the assistant. Can't be fun to be below Varrick.

Korra glanced at Mako and then at the plane. “Wait, I have an idea. Asami, willing to fly this thing? Mako and I will take the wings and bend our way off this boat.” 

“Of course.” She snatched the keys off the side of the boat console and led the way to the plane. The cockpit had goggles, thankfully, and she donned them, bounded into the seat, and turned the keys. The engine started with a deep rumble that trembled through the entire craft. Korra took the left wing, and Mako to the right. 

“Ready?” Korra shouted with a thumbs up. 

Asami returned the thumbs up. She gripped the plane’s controls. Shifting up the throttle, the plane rumbled forward. Mako and Korra blasted fire behind them, and the speed increased way faster than Asami had expected. She pulled up hard. The plane swooped off the boat, skimmed the waves, then pitched up. She angled their ascent toward the battleships and leveled out about eighty meters above the ocean waves.

As they roared closer, several ice spikes shot from the decks. Mako sliced them away with blasts of fire. Korra entered Avatar state. The sudden surge of energy raised the hair on Asami’s skin. A massive wave of water slammed into the side of the battleships, and two crashed into neighboring ships. Varrick’s yacht, tiny in comparison to these behemoths, shot toward the gap. She flew past the line.

“Torpedo!” Mako shouted.

“Get me closer!” Korra called. 

Asami yawed the plane in a wide arc and turned back toward the battleships. She dipped down, closer to the ocean, and kept the plane level. Korra swept her hands forward. The ice torpedoes hurtling toward the yacht twisted into the air only to fall down with a crash on the decks of the nearest battleships. More ice spikes sliced toward them, but Mako’s flame bursts melted them into water. Another torpedo launched, and again, Korra swept it up onto a battleship deck. With a sweep of her hands, Korra slammed a wave hard into the line, and the battleships buckled and hit against one another.

Pulling upward sharply, Asami yawed the plane again. Varrick’s ship should be outside the torpedo radius. An ice spike sliced just below the plane. The engine howled at the forces Asami pushed on it, but the plane turned and flew north-west again. They overtook Varrick’s boat. Asami drew back on the throttle to keep them only a few hundred meters ahead. 

“Do you see any ships?” Korra shouted. 

“Not yet!” Mako replied. 

Asami wished she’d grabbed her pack off Naga’s saddle. Their brief stop at her lodgings had resulted in only grabbing her blueprints, red bag of supplies, and one change of clothes for her and Korra. She’d had to leave the rest. The route to Mako’s lodgings was impossible to reach, so they’d headed along alleyways with Asami as their scout. 

So without her specialized goggles, Asami could only rely on her natural vision. Varrick’s goggles were green tinted, not her favorite, but at least they were clean. Far ahead, she could see boat shapes. Two peeled off to the west, but the third kept north. Instinct told her that the one heading north likely contained Korra’s father. The other two started to turn in wide arcs toward them.

“Ready yourselves!” Asami yelled. “We got company!” 

She pitched the plane downward and yawed to the west. The waves splashed in turbulence around the swiftly moving ships. She rolled the plane to tip Korra's wing closer to the ocean, while she leveled out their dive. 

Korra pushed the water forward in a massive wave that crashed onto the decks of the ships. One rocked and nearly tipped. The other slowed and turned toward the west. Another massive wave struck the bow of the one still heading their way, and it shook the ship violently. Ice torpedoes shot through the water from its bow, the ice of them slicing through the tops of the waves. 

Sweeping them upward in a watersprout, Korra threw both at the ships. One landed on the deck of the closer one, while the other splashed just north of it. With a another push of her hands, a massive wave pushed both ships into each other, stalling them both.

Asami rolled the plane back to horizontal, and yawed to the east to race after the northern ship. Varrick’s yacht followed behind. “Korra!” Asami yelled over the wind. “Jump on my mark! Gonna crash into that ship!”

“Got it!” Korra shouted back, while Mako gave a thumbs up. 

After she pushed the throttle forward as far as it went, the engine shrieked and increased in speed. The wind blew her raven-black hair back like a cape, and the entire plane shuddered. The battleship loomed closer. Asami gritted her teeth and pushed her legs up onto the plane’s seat. She kept hold of the steering column and angled the plane downward toward the bow of the approaching ship. Just a bit closer. Closer.

“JUMP!” She leaped upward, Korra and Mako a second behind, and tumbled in the air. The plane hurtled forward and slammed into the boat. It exploded in a fiery mess of metal. The ship shook and lilted to the right. Asami hit the water hard, the air punched from her lungs. The cold seeped through her clothes instantly. She pushed upward and broke the surface with a gasp. 

Korra swam to her with Mako just behind. “Up we go!”

Korra grabbed Asami’s arm and swept them up on a watersprout. They tumbled up and onto the tilting boat. Korra waterbended the water off of their clothing and hair and threw it at the soldiers who rushed toward them. Two skidded backward at the assault.

Mako kicked fire blasts, knocking one of them backward.

Asami sprinted forward, skidded, and knocked out the legs of one. Sweeping upward, she kicked him and slammed her electroshot glove into the side of the other. The soldiers dropped with a pained cry. 

One soldier near the central building dived toward a door, but Korra slammed him in place with ice. 

“Where’s my father?” she shouted. The soldier jerked his head toward the door next to him. 

The trio sprinted toward that entrance. The door swung open with more soldiers, but Korra swept them overboard with air bending. The metal floor rang with their sprint, and they descended into a dimly lit interior. 

A soldier rushed out of a galley, only to get pushed back with an electroshot jolt from Asami’s glove.

Another came from behind, but Mako swept him into the wall with a blast of fire. The path led to another door, and Korra kicked it open. Down they descended to a row of cells. The dim lights swayed above their head to cast long shadows on the metal bars and their occupants.

“Korra?” Tonraq’s voice came from the first cell on the right. “What are you doing?” He stepped forward to grab the bars, and his surprise melted into frustration.

“Getting you out! Asami? Can you get these open? We’ll guard!” Korra motioned to the locks. She turned to face the stairs with Mako at her side.

“On it!” Asami dropped down, pressed her ear against the lock, and slid out her lockpicks. She closed her eyes, focused on the sounds of only the lock, which proved harder than she thought. Korra and Mako's bending was loud in the quiet of these underdecks. She twisted her lockpick until she heard the soft sound of gears moving. The door clicked open a minute later. She moved to the next cell and did the same. Korra and Mako kept back the Northern soldiers, and the icy cold of the hull soon faded with each blast of fire from the pair. Several minutes later, Asami had all the cells open. The hallway ended in a wall beyond the last two cells, so no way to exit that way. 

Some of the rebels just stood staring at her in surprise. All had shackles. She squatted and picked the locks on the ones around their ankles, then did the same for their wrists. The metal clasps fell to the ground with a most satisfying clang. It took only a few minutes to free all five rebels and Korra's father.

“Thanks, Asami,” Tonraq looked at her, a curious expression on his face. The other rebels clustered close behind Tonraq. "You all okay?" He addressed the rebels, and they all sounded off with the affirmative. Even though he hadn't led them, Asami found it interesting that they all had fallen into rank behind him.

“Welcome. Korra, this is a dead end.” Asami pocketed her lockpicks and adjusted her glove on her hand again. 

“Then up we go!” Korra pushed her hands forward and a whirlwind of air slammed into the soldiers that had made the mistake of descending. They hurtled upward, some hitting the ceiling, and others tumbling into walls. Unconscious soldiers littered the stairwell and hallway.

Team Avatar and the rebels rushed forward, and two air blasts later, they were on the deck of the battleship. 

“Korra, you said you wouldn’t do anything rash!” Tonraq ran up to his daughter.

Varrick’s yacht had finally caught up and skipped along the waves alongside the battleship. 

“I had to! I’ll explain later!” Korra pointed at the yacht. "That's our ride!"

Asami took a deep breath and sprinted forward as fast as she could. Right at the edge of the ship, she leaped. The distance was only a dozen meters, but she hit the side of the yacht’s railing hard. She curled her hands tight around it and swept her legs up and over. She landed lightly on the deck.

Mako tumbled into the side only to miss the railing. Asami snatched his arm and pulled him up enough for him to grip the railing and swing himself over.

The yacht drifted away from the battleship, the gap now too wide to jump. Korra airbended the rebels two at a time. Asami helped move them away from the railings, each looked startled by the sudden flight. Tonraq and Korra did the jump together on Korra’s whirlwind. They tumbled together onto the wooden deck.

While she moved the rebels to a safer spot, Mako ran up to the pilot cabin to announce they were safe. The yacht moved away from the damaged battleship and sped up. Behind them, the battleship burned and lilted, its momentum stalled.

Asami leaned forward, her hands on her knees, and sought to catch her breath.

Behind her, the rebels settled into chairs around bolted down tables. The room was likely the galley. Counters lined the walls, several fridges tucked into a corner, a stove on the other end of the counter, and across from her was a shut door. Likely leading to the rest of the ship. She knew for a fact this hadn't been where Bolin had entered the interior when she met with Varrick that first day in port. They had come from the other side.

“You okay?” Korra grasped her shoulder.

She nodded and straightened. “Feel bad about the plane though. Was a nice one.” 

Tonraq stepped in front of them, his arms over his chest. “I’m grateful for the rescue, but I specifically told you not to do this, Korra.” 

Korra looked at her father. “Dad, hear me out, okay?” She gestured to the seats in the galley. Asami stood by her, while Tonraq took a seat next to one of the rebels. “Asami suspected the trial was a sham, so I decided to seek out the judge.” Korra glanced at Asami, and something in her expression hinted at guilt. “With some… persuasion, I confirmed our suspicions. Unalaq told the Judge what to say.” Korra explained everything she’d learned, and Tonraq’s expression changed to sadness and anger. 

“So my brother betrayed the tribe and me.” He sighed heavily. "And Wolf Cove? Is Senna okay?"

"She went to stay with Master Katara," Korra said.

“The city is in bad shape.” Asami gestured vaguely to the south. “Wolf Cove is a battleground now. We had to get creative to reach this yacht.”

“Once we did, Mako and I fire bent the plane off this ship. Asami did some tricky flying, amazing really. That got us through the blockade. Then Asami flew the plane into that battleship to help us reach you!” Korra seemed quite proud of Asami's flying skills. Asami glanced at her with an affectionate smile. 

Tonraq raised his eyebrows. “So that’s what hit the ship.” He put a hand on Asami’s shoulder. “Thank you for all you did.”

For some reason, Asami felt tears prickle her eyes. “It was the right thing to do,” she managed. The look Tonraq had given her was the one she had always wished to see in her father. Pride for her work.

He squeezed her shoulder and let go. “Then it’s started.” He sighed heavily and turned to the rebels. "We are now at war."

“What’s our next move?” one of them asked. He was the tallest, most thickset of the bunch.

“I’ve been running from my brother too long,” Tonraq’s voice turned ice-cold. “It’s time to put my brother in his place.” 

The rebels all stood and thumped their fist against their heart. “You have our support, Chief Tonraq.”

Korra stepped forward and put her fist over her heart. “And mine too. I’ll be glad to fight by your side, Dad.” 

Tonraq turned to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Korra, no.”

Startled, Korra stared at him. “But you said the South won’t stand a chance against Unalaq’s forces. I can help!” She waved her hand at Asami and the rest of the yacht. “I know Team Avatar would too, right Asami?” She looked at her. 

Asami nodded. “But I think you need us elsewhere?” She studied Tonraq thoughtfully. “To get help?” 

He nodded. “The best action you can take is to get Republic City on our side. The South can give Unalaq a good fight for a while. But we'll need the United Forces in order to win this war.” He took a deep breath. “It’s possible Fire Nation may lend us aid as well. They still owe us reparations.”

“All right.” Korra clenched her fists and looked up at her father. “I’ll get you all the help you need. I love you, Dad.” She hugged him, and he held her tightly.

Asami watched, and to her dismay she felt a touch of envy. This was something she'd never quite gotten from her own father, especially after he'd discovered her sexuality. She bit it back, determined to feel glad for Korra instead. Korra needed this.

“I love you too.” Tonraq released Korra and held her shoulders. “What you said in the prison. Did you know all this then?”

Korra looked at Asami. “Sort of? Asami guessed. We’ve been investigating the spirits together, and Unalaq was wrong about them. We can calm them down to communicate. He said we couldn’t, that the South was too corrupting.”

“I think he’s corrupting them.” Asami tapped her fingers against her leg. “Think for a moment, those dark spirits that hit the docks? They came from the prison.” 

“Oh.” Korra’s eyes widened. “Oh no.” She looked at her father. “Dad, can our people handle Unalaq and dark spirits?” 

Tonraq's hands dropped to his side. “How do we fight them?” 

“They don’t like electricity.” Asami lifted up her glove. She flexed it and it shot sparks upward. "But this won't stop them."

“Your company has those and batons, right? Could that help the South?” Korra asked hopefully. 

“Yes, but I don’t think it’s a good idea, Korra.” Asami clipped the glove to her belt and pulled out her idea journal. She looked at Waaseyaa’s note. “When we visited that village with Master Katara, we made friends with the people there. They know how to handle the spirits, Tonraq. And I have their radio frequency. They said if Korra and I honor their agreement, they will aid you.” 

“Agreement?” Korra looked puzzled. 

“I can’t send my stock south, Korra.” Asami looked at her then at Tonraq and the rebels. “That was the agreement. The technology can anger the spirits. If I’m right and Unalaq can corrupt spirits, then you don’t need others getting corrupted by the tech you use. I’m sorry.” 

Korra stomped her foot. “Damn.” 

Tonraq studied them both, thoughtfully. “I'd like, when this is over, to hear this story in full. Asami, can you contact that village? Ask them to meet me in the northern pass by Wolf Cove?” 

“Yes, sir, I can.” She tucked her idea journal back into her coat. “Waaseyaa is the name of my contact. Her mother, Nakul, tried to build a story archive of Southern traditions and stories, but someone bought out the land…” 

“We’ve been investigating that too,” Korra admitted.

Tonraq raised his eyebrows. “All this time?”

“Right under Unalaq’s nose,” Asami said with a hint of glee in her voice. “A nonbender ruining his attempts to control Korra.” That brought her quite a bit of pride, especially considering how bigoted he'd been during his interrogation of her. She tapped her coat. “I found proof of who might be behind that. It looks like someone in the North worked with a Southerner.”

She was reluctant to state that it was Varrick’s company since they were on his ship, and she needed more proof. These documents didn’t address who the Northern counterpart was. Could Varrick been blackmailed into being the Southern counterpart? Or did he play a more active role? She didn't know yet.

Tonraq stroked his beard. “I see. All right, I want details once you find out more. My goal is to liberate a radio tower as soon as we can…” He looked around for something to write on, so Asami pulled out her idea journal and held out an empty page and a pen. Tonraq wrote in neat characters a radio frequency. “If you are able to secure help, that is the frequency to reach us.”

Asami glanced at it and noted it was a much lower frequency that the Hidden Village’s one. She wondered if there was a radio in the control cabin. “If you are going to meet up at that pass, then you shouldn’t stay here much longer. We ought to locate our position and get you to land as soon as possible.” She gestured to the door. There had been a map at the back of the control cabin, where Varrick was likely still in that ridiculous bear costume.

Tonraq nodded. “Good call. Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

Northern edge of South Sea - 1 day after Tonraq’s rescue

Asami leaned against the control panel to the left of the yacht’s controls and adjusted the frequencies on the radio. “Varrick, take a break,” she said, her tone as calm and even as she could make it. “I can pilot for a bit.” If she wanted to make this call to Future Industries, she really needed the man and his assistant out of the cabin. 

“Oh, what an idea! Gotta say a nap does feel perfect about now. Just be careful with my beauty!” Varrick sounded tired, his usual cheerful quips lacking.

Asami watched him amble out in that ridiculous platypus bear suit. Once the door shut behind them, Asami slipped over and held her ear to the door. She heard the plodding of footsteps. Silence came minutes later. She opened the door a crack and checked the exterior deck. No one in sight. She shut and locked it. Good, now Varrick couldn't return and interrupt her transmissions.

The yacht controls had quite a few instruments, more than she was used to seeing, but then she’d never piloted a ship this size. She verified their heading and path. Still en route to Republic City, likely to reach it in four days. Pulling out her idea journal, she flipped on the radio and did a check of the panels for any possible recording equipment. Nothing stood out to her. 

She set the radio frequency, picked up the microphone, and started her transmission. “This is Asami Sato contacting Future Industries PR and Comm department on frequency 383.2 hz. Please relay confirmation of message.” She set the transmission to send every three minutes. It might take awhile for the department to realize the radio frequency was in use; the entire time she’d frequented the Future Industries tower, she’d never heard of the radio frequencies being used.

Turning, she studied the map and laid her pen between Capital City in Fire Nation and Republic City. Fairly close, so perhaps a day journey at most. The trip to Ba Sing Se would be much longer, which Tonraq hadn’t mentioned them as a possible ally, so perhaps not worth it. Something about the map bothered her. She slid her finger between the South Pole, up the South Sea, and to Republic City. Oh, they’d passed right by the Southern Air Temple, meaning they’d missed Tenzin and his family. Was the backtrack worth it? Asami wasn't sure if they'd still be there. Tenzin and Pema's plan had been to visit all the temples.

She nibbled on the end of her pen. Her thoughts turned to the documents she stole from Varrick. She had yet to share them with anyone, but then she hadn't had time to actually study them. Maybe she'd misread it when she'd first looked at them. Could Varrick had no idea the impact his works had on spirits, and if he did know, would he stop? Or would he care only for profits? A memory of one of her father's lessons on business intruded.


Asami sat on the edge of his desk in Future Industries Tower. She twirled a pen in her fingers, and her boots thumped against the front of the desk. The private school her father had her attend had ended early, and she'd walked to the tower instead of calling the mansion's staff for a ride. Her father worked on some paperwork behind her. "Dad, what are you working on?"

"Employee contracts." He smiled at his young daughter. "I am revising them."

"Why?" She turned to look at him. His greenish-brown eyes held deep shadows under them, the lines in his face stark. He'd been working long hours again, which was why she came to the tower. She'd wanted to see him. Being in the mansion alone was not fun.

"Asami, it's important to take care of our employees. So I go through the contract periodically to adjust to our changing times. And to make sure our employees have benefits and raises that is liveable."

"Liveable?" She cocked her head at him.

"Yes, enough to live on comfortably. Happy and fulfilled workers mean improved production and better efficiency." He tapped her nose with his pen. "As the owner, it is my responsibility to care for my workers just as I am responsible for how we impact our environment and the public. Someday you may take my place, and you too will need to shoulder these responsibilities. Never take your workers for granted, Asami."

Tears stung her eyes. That was years ago, when she was about ten. Was that before he met Amon? She angrily wiped away her tears. That gentle father had turned to hatred, raged war against their home, terrorized the public, shredded their company's name, and tried to kill her. Her father was lost. But that didn't mean she couldn't utilize that lesson of caring for her employees and taking that responsibility seriously. She wondered if Varrick cared as much for his employees.

The radio beeped behind her. Asami rushed over and toggled the receiving mode. 

“Future Industries Comm department. Asami Sato, where are you?” The voice held quite a bit of static, but Asami recognized it as Sezoh, the head of their PR and Communications department. 

“I’m currently in the northern edge of the South sea.” She turned back to the map. “I am en route to Republic City.”

“How did you get past the blockade?” Sezoh’s tone sounded relieved. An odd clicking noise cut through his words, only for the last word to repeat twice. She frowned and adjusted a setting, which brought his voice back clearer. “...heard fighting broke out.” 

“Yes. I witnessed it. I will explain once I return. Please notify Kyung that I will need assistance in a delicate matter.” She didn’t know Sezoh well enough to discuss what she’d found with him. “I am approximately four days from port. Ask Kyung if she can meet me and Team Avatar at the docks at that time.” That was a rough estimate. 

“Understood. Is this matter time sensitive? And may we contact you on this frequency?”

“Yes and yes. Do not share any information of who you are if someone other than me picks up. Request me first.” She hoped that would be sufficient. “Thank you, Sezoh.” 

“Ms. Sato, I ought to be thanking you for your generosity. Stay safe.” The line changed to static.

At first, Asami couldn’t sort out why he’d be thanking her, then she remembered that she had forgone all income to keep her employees paid through the end of the year. Right. She sighed and clipped the microphone back into place. Would it be enough to keep them afloat? Frustration at the lack of solution broiled through her.

The controls needed only minimal adjustment to keep the trajectory. She flipped the radio back on and listened on random channels for any possible transmissions. Her stomach still roiled with nausea from the ship movement, despite the tea Korra had brewed to aid her. The radio hissed and clicked, and a few times seemed caught in a loop of voices only for that to fade into a hiss of static.

On frequency 444.3 hz, she got a surprise transmission. “Emergency. Ship attacked.” It listed the coordinates in latitude and longitude.

She checked the map and realized they were nearby. Was it worth the delay? No other information in the transmission. The signal repeated itself, and she wondered how long it had done so. 

It was a risk, but she wouldn’t feel right not checking. She input the coordinates and turned the yacht.

***

The door to the cabin rattled, and Asami unlocked it. She’d slowed the speed down to a crawl as they approached the coordinates. 

“What’s going on?” Korra tumbled into the room, a look of alarm on her face. “Why are we slowing?” 

“Got an emergency transmission.” Asami pointed to the radio. “These are the coordinates…” She couldn’t see any sign of a ship. “Strange.” She flipped on the radio and adjusted back to that frequency, and again the transmission sounded. “Something has to be transmitting.” From the windows, she could see nothing but ocean on all sides. 

Mako entered with a frown. “Hey, we stopped…” He listened to the broadcast. “Uh. That’s not good.” 

“No. Mako, take the controls.” Asami gestured to the throttle and the wheel that turned the rudder. “We may need a fast exit. This ramps up speed, this turns.” 

He nodded. “Easy enough. Signal?”

“I’ll shoot flame into the air twice,” Korra offered, which was way more discernible than what Asami had planned to suggest. Korra led the way outside, and they crossed the deck to the bow of the ship.

Looking over the railing, Asami gasped. Debris littered the waves, much of the wood the tangled remains of a large vessel. Farther ahead, a floating spire on a large swatch of wood. Likely the transmitter. 

“What could destroy a ship so thoroughly?” She needed to get closer to some of the debris and check for blast marks. If that wasn’t present, then she had no idea what else this could be. 

“I don’t know.” Korra walked slowly along the railing, staring into the waves. “But something is off here. Like…” She paused halfway around the bow. “Oh, oh no.” She pointed off the starboard bow.

Asami froze, her eyes widening. A massive dark spirit rose from the waters.

The dark spirit raced toward them, the water curling up around it like the sides of a trough. “Korra, can you purify it?”

“Gonna try!” Before Asami could stop her, Korra leaped off the side of the boat and drew up in a watersprout. She raced toward the spirit, and the two collided in a clash of water only a hundred meters from the yacht. Korra blasted upward on air bending, then swamped the spirit in a massive wave. Korra shifted into Avatar state, and she dodged several attacks, only to get hit by a tendril. Another tendril hurtled toward the ship. 

Asami didn’t think it through. She had her glove on her hand and raced toward the tendril, her arm upraised. The tendril hit her glove first, and the electricity sliced through it, cutting the tendril in half. Both sides fell around her, and for a moment, she was surrounded on both sides by inky blackness. Energy pulsed from the tendrils, the keening noise deafening, and pain crept through her head.

Explosions dazzled her. Light flashed like a beacon in the dark. Pain riddled her body.

With an angry shout, Asami pushed forward with her glove. Blue arcs seared through the oily darkness, tore a hole in a tendril, and Asami rolled through it. She stumbled to her feet, dazed, shaking. The tendril slipped off the deck. Broken railing fell with it. Swirls of golden water circled the spirit.

Korra soared high in the air, and the dark spirit heaved in the center of the maelstorm. The energy of the Avatar state pulsed around Asami, the yacht, and the spirit.

Asami fell backward and stared as the energy sucked upward. The darkness receded from the spirit, and for a moment, what looked like a whale started to form. The spirit shimmered and faded. The spirals dropped into the ocean, and Korra fell, the Avatar state gone. She hit the water hard and sunk. When she didn't surface, fear clenched Asami's stomach.

“No!” Asami tore off her glove, boots, and coat. She dived into the ocean. Cold tore through her. Swimming as fast as she could, she aimed for where Korra hit the water, but Korra still hadn't surfaced. Diving, she swum further and sighted Korra’s form sinking deeper. Asami's lungs ached, but she dove deeper and grabbed the Avatar’s arm. She pulled Korra upward, toward the light above, and with a gasp, she broke the surface. 

Korra was unconscious and heavy. Far heavier than Asami had expected. She curled an arm under Korra’s shoulders, and floated onto her side. Swimming one handed proved treacherous as the waves tossed them up and then down. Cold seared through her. Salty water burned her nostrils.

A light flashed in front of her. She swam toward it, blinking against the salt in her eyes that mixed with her tears. Korra dragged her down, but she struggled to keep their heads above the waves. 

“Asami!” Bolin’s voice echoed across the waves. “Grab on!”

A circular object hurtled through the air, a long cord attached to one end. It splashed into a wave nearby. Asami kicked and thrashed her way with Korra. She reached out and snatched the side of the floating ring. Hooking one arm, she pulled up with her other and managed to get one of Korra’s arms hooked too. A wave smashed down on them, and for a moment, she struggled to hold onto the ring and Korra. The world tumbled and twisted. 

They were jerked up and out of the wave. Asami’s hair clung to her face, but she couldn’t brush it out of her vision, else she lose her grip on Korra. Their bodies hit the side of the yacht, then hands grabbed her and Korra. She tumbled onto the deck, her arm still around Korra, who flopped atop her.

"Are you okay?" Mako dropped down beside them. Bolin hovered behind him.

"Get some blankets! I'll attend Korra." Asami pushed Korra off and checked the girl’s pulse. Still beating. She dropped her face down to Korra’s mouth, but she couldn’t detect a breath. Asami had required her employees and herself to undergo first aid training just a month prior after a near-fire had threatened the factory. She'd practiced on a felt dummy. Surely, she could do it here.

Pinching Korra’s nose, she breathed into her mouth. She did the count, just as she recalled in the training, then checked Korra’s breath, still nothing. She did it again, and on the third try, Korra gasped and coughed. Asami turned her on her side. Korra coughed up water, while Asami gently patted her back. 

“Ugh,” Korra groaned and attempted to sit up. Asami wrapped an arm around her and pulled Korra up against her. “Asami?”

“I got you.” Asami couldn’t stop shivering. The South Sea had been far colder than she’d realized in the moment. Her teeth began to chatter.

Korra looked at her. “You… you’re soaked.”

A towel dropped onto her head. She looked up and realized Bolin had dropped it on her.

Mako ran up from a side door with several more.

She grabbed the edges of the towel with her free hand. “Thanks…”

Alarmed, Korra bended off some of the water from Asami’s clothing. Her hands trembled with fatigue, the water fell to the deck, and she tilted into Asami’s side. “What happened?”

“You defeated that dark spirit!” Bolin said. “And then you fell, and Asami dived in after you, and she grabbed you and tried to swim back, but the waves were throwing you around, so I threw some life rings at you, and Mako and I pulled you up!” 

“We need to get you two inside.” Mako wrapped a towel around Asami and another around Korra. “It’s too cold out here.” 

Beneath them, the yacht trembled as the engine started up again. It pulled forward, cutting through the debris of the prior ship. Bolin took Asami’s right arm, Korra had her left, and Mako had Korra’s left arm. The four of them staggered to their feet and headed toward a side door. 

Zhu Li opened it from inside and ushered the four down a long hallway to an interior room that felt as hot as a Fire Nation island. A curtain cordoned off half the room, bookcases lined the walls, and the ceiling had blue fabric hanging in a wave pattern.

“Warmth is good,” Asami murmured. Exhaustion percolated her bones, and she felt dizzy. She sunk onto pillows near the warmth of the - fireplace? It was a stone platform with glowing coals in the middle of the room. Korra settled next to her.

“Drink this.” Zhu Li knelt next to them after she shooed the brothers from the room and shut the door. “Please remove your wet clothing.” Of course to avoid hypothermia. 

Asami drank the warm tea and handed it to Korra. "I got spare clothes in my red bag," she said to Zhu Li.

She pushed herself up and knelt behind the curtain. It took several tries to remove her water logged clothes, the fabric stuck to her skin, and wrap herself in the thick and long towels. She pushed them under the curtain and crept closer to the warmth of the coal fireplace. 

Zhu Li took away their clothes, shut the door behind her, and the two were left in the silence of the room. The coals crackled and spit in front of them. 

“You saved me,” Korra said, softly. 

Asami looked at her. Korra’s gaze was focused on the coals. “Of course.” She didn’t know what else to say. Korra had wrapped one towel around her chest and another over her legs, even then, the brown of her skin shone bronze from wetness and the glow of the coals and dim light. The shadows highlighted the definition of her muscles, which left Asami a bit breathless. Best to look at anything else.

Korra breathed out heat, the room temperature rose. “Thank you.” She leaned against Asami.

Instinctively, Asami wrapped an arm around her. Korra’s skin was warm, much warmer than expected. “What… are you doing?”

“Heat bending.” Korra smiled up at her. “Pretty easy fire bending technique.”

It felt lovely, even as it boggled Asami’s mind. She wanted to ask more questions, but Zhu Li interrupted. The woman glanced at the two of them with raised eyebrows and laid out the spare clothes Asami had grabbed during their rush to leave Wolf Cove.

“Do you need anything else?” The woman’s voice held a gentle quality, a stark difference from the strict professional tone she used around Varrick. 

Asami shook her head. The cold had started to fade thanks to Korra’s heat-bending. “Thank you.” 

Zhu Li’s lips twitched in an almost smile. She bowed and left the room.

That’s when Asami became conscious of the fact that she was essentially naked under all these towels, and Korra was still leaning against her, likely similarly so. Asami’s face burned in a blush, she swallowed audibly, and dropped her arm. She grabbed the clothes. 

“Um. I…” 

Korra looked at her and abruptly laughed. “You’re as red as a tomato!”

“Uhh, thanks?” That only increased her embarrassment. She crawled back behind the curtain. The towel over her shoulders slid off. This was one of her cotton long-sleeved shirts, its hue a light lavender. She quickly donned her clothes, glad to be in warm and dry garments.

She stole a glance around the curtain, and caught sight of Korra’s back, the towel dropped to the ground next to her. All thoughts froze at the sight of Korra’s perfectly symmetrical back and forearms, and then Korra’s shirt covered it. 

Asami looked away, even more embarrassed. Guilt and shame flooded her for sneaking a glimpse of her friend. She donned her coat, her hand checking for her idea journal, which was thankfully still there. The boots she left to one side, too tired to continue. She shivered, cold from the act of changing clothes. She moved with her back to Korra and settled on a pillow by her, so she could hold her fingers in front of the coal firepit. Warmth suffused through her cold and prickly hands.

“So, that was a really big spirit,” Korra said. She had donned the rest of her clothes without bothering to hide the view. Asami held up her hand, convinced her blush was now burned into her skin. “And I had another vision too. But I also saw you.” Korra dropped down onto the pillow next to Asami and grabbed Asami’s hand, to pull it into her lap. 

“Saw me?” Asami couldn’t quite look at Korra, so she focused on the firepit instead.

“Yeah. It didn’t make much sense. You floated in darkness, engulfed in pain, then blue light tunneled around you. That’s when the vision hit.” Korra massaged Asami’s hand. “Are you okay?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Asami glanced at Korra, flustered still. “I had to do CPR on you.” 

Korra looked confused. “CPR?” 

“First aid. I breathed into your mouth and did that three times till you finally breathed and coughed up sea water. Do… you not know the term?” That confused Asami as she had assumed it’d be part of Korra’s healing training. 

“Oh.” To Asami’s surprise, Korra blushed and looked at the coals. “Water benders call it something different.” She released Asami’s hand and tugged on a lock of her hair. “So, uh, I should tell you about that vision.”

Asami pulled out her idea journal, balanced it in her lap, and readied her pen. 

Wan shouted, “Stop!” He stood between his spirit friends, now corrupted, and his human friends, who were caught up in their hate. “Raava, please help!” 

Raava dived into Wan’s body, and her power split through him. He rose into the air, all four elements swirled around him, and white light poured from his eyes and mouth to surround his form. Air bending pushed both sides away from each other, as the earth pulled up fences between the sides, and fire and water swept back any that tried to cross the barriers. 

“He’s using all four elements…” one of his human friends said in shock. 

“Stinky?” his Aye-Aye Spirit friend faded back to its normal self, no longer a distorted red and black form.

“Stop the fighting.” Wan looked from one side to the other. “You must work together. Cease cutting down the forest, friends. Spirits, please offer help in locating safe places to harvest.” The white energy that suffused him began to burn through his body. He trembled violently. 

“We cannot trust them! They have failed to listen,” the Aye-Aye Spirit cried out in frustration. 

“All spirits are bad!” One of the humans shouted. “They killed our friends.” 

“In self defense!” A spirit shot back. 

“Stop!” Wan felt desperate, but the power of Raava was clouding his vision. Pain ripped through him. 

“Wan, I must leave you. I’ll kill you if I stay inside you.” Raava’s voice held worry. 

“No! It’s working!” Wan struggled to stay conscious. “We can do this!” The pain overwhelmed his senses. Raava flew out of his body and caught him as he fell unconscious to the ground. She flew up into the air, and below her the two sides howled in anger. They slammed into each other in a vicious fight.

Asami finished writing down Korra’s words. “Wait, this is the continuation of your vision of Wan’s friends. Raava was inside Wan here, but couldn’t stay there. Why?”

“I don’t know. But you know how Wan looked just like me in Avatar mode? I'm positive my Avatar spirit is her!” Korra moved into a lotus position, her hands on her knees. “I heard her voice again. ‘Find a place connected to the spirit world. Seek the truth there.’ Except I don’t know where to go for that. Tenzin might know, but has he replied to our radio transmission yet?”

Asami shook her head. “Not yet, but I can try again.” She sighed and tapped her pen against the journal. “Korra, why did you fall unconscious after purifying that spirit? That… hasn’t happened before.” 

Korra shook her head. “I’ve never faced one so big. But I didn’t fall unconscious I don’t think. I had the vision at the end, and an image of whales being hurt by explosions in the water. Then I was in the water. Choking on it. Couldn’t figure which way was up. Then I woke to you on the deck.”

Her words sent a chill through Asami. “Oh. Oh, I saw that vision too. The dark spirit attacked the yacht. I used my glove to electrocute its tentacle in half. It fell around me, and I felt the depth charges hurting me and others in the water.”

“Woah.” Korra looked at her with wide eyes. “Then me seeing you in darkness — that’s when the tendril hit you?”

“I think so. I wonder... can any of us talk to spirits then? Maybe you don't have to be a bender?” Asami wrote down these observations and Korra’s recount of Raava’s advice. “There’s an Air Temple north of Republic City. Weren’t the air nomads super spiritual? So wouldn’t their temples be good spots for spirit world connecting?”

Korra tapped her lip thoughtfully. “I guess it'd explain how Nakul's people could talk to spirits too. Would Air Temple Island be a good spot too? I could try meditating there.” She made a face of discontent. “Ugh, meditating. So not good at it.”

Asami smiled and gently touched Korra’s shoulder. “I think you’re selling yourself short again.” 

“Is that your new mantra?” Korra cocked her head to one side with a smile. 

“Maybe.” Asami blushed and looked down at her idea journal. The urge to wrap her arms around Korra and just hold her consumed her thoughts. Her hands curled into fists. Now was not the time for this foolishness. She tucked her journal away, pulled her legs against her chest, and rested her chin on them. 

A knock on the door sounded, and Korra called for them to enter.

“Hey,” Mako entered first followed by Bolin. “Are you two okay?” Bolin echoed Mako’s concerns. 

“Yeah!” Korra smiled at Asami. “Thanks to Asami! And I’m getting better at the spirit thing.”

“That was a huge one. Like bigger than a whale one!” Bolin spread his arms wide. 

“Why was it here?” Mako frowned and settled onto a pillow across from them. 

“Depth charges harming wildlife. Whalers use them to stun whales sometimes.” Asami replied. “Korra, are some spirits tied to natural resources? Remember Katara's story about Hei Bai?" After the oil rig expedition, they’d gathered around the bonfire in the center of the village to rest, and Katara had shared stories of hers, Sokka’s, Toph’s, and Aang’s adventures - one story included the tale of a spirit furious at a forest being cut down. Asami had included it in her spirit notes for Korra. At this rate, she'd end up with a novel length guide for Korra.

“Oh, that’s a good point. I think so.” Korra drummed her fingers on her knee. “So spirits get angry if we overhunt. Or damage the environment. But why get angry about technology? Is it all tech?” She looked thoughtfully at Asami. “Do they dislike planes too?”

Good question for which Asami had no answer. “I’ve gone through my notes of everything we’ve learned so far, Korra, and I found these correlations: Depth charges harmed wildlife. Ferris Wheel struts pierced fragile cave ecosystems. The factories processed ore from mines that also pierced those caves. The oil rig leaked oil that killed wildlife. Tech that negatively impacts the environment correlates with the appearance of dark spirits.” 

“Huh.” Mako studied the two of them. “Does your electroshot glove also upset them?” 

Asami shrugged. “Maybe, but they were already dark spirits by then. If there was a non-corrupted spirit for me to expose my glove to, then I can verify if it turns it dark, but that’s an unethical experiment.”

Korra sighed. “Yeah, let’s not make spirits angry on purpose. Purifying them is exhausting.” She rubbed her face. “I guess I wanted to know if your planes are safe to send to my people. That’d give them an edge in the war.”

Maybe if she asked Nakul and Waaseyaa. Before Korra and Asami had left the Hidden Village with Katara, they had been pretty intense discussion about the use of Asami’s company’s technology and its impact on spirits. “They didn’t seem to mind the satomobiles. I should ask.”

“I gotta say,” Bolin said quietly. “I really, really don’t like these spirits. They are terrifying.”

That Asami could agree with, though in the heat of the moment, she spent more time being scared for Korra than for herself or about the spirits themselves. 

“When we reach Republic City, we need a plan,” Mako said. “I gotta return to Chief Beifong right away. But when off duty, I could help find aid for your people. Just don’t ask me to help with Raiko.”

“I need to check on Future Industries,” Asami admitted. “But I can still attend a meeting with Raiko and you, Korra. I need to figure out a way to sell our stock, otherwise we’re going to go bankrupt, but I don’t want anything going south that could harm our agreement with the Hidden Village.” 

“Varrick could help! He’s got so many ships!” Bolin gestured toward the rest of the yacht. “He told me he loves to help the little guys.”

Asami sighed, frustrated. She needed more time to investigate the documents she’d stolen from Varrick. If he was blackmailed into that position, then she’d feel better about sealing the deal with him on shipping. But if he actively worked with that Northern agent, then could he be trusted at all? She almost pulled out her idea journal to show them, but the fact they were still on Varrick’s yacht stopped her.

“So… the plan is what?” Mako frowned and folded his arms over his chest. 

“Meet with Raiko and ask him to help my people." Korra flicked a finger up for each item. "Then we get hold of Fire Lord Izumi. Ask her too, and remind her of the reparations she owes us. Next find Tenzin, and figure out Wan’s visions. Mako, do you think Chief Beifong would be up to sharing where she gets her airships? They aren't part of Future Industries, so maybe they won't hurt our agreement with the Hidden Village.” 

“I don't know. I guess it can't hurt to ask.” He sighed. “This feels like an up hill fight.” 

“We can do it,” Asami said with more confidence than she felt. “We’re Team Avatar.”

Chapter Text

Republic City - Five Days after Tonraq’s Rescue

Asami felt strangely out of place stepping onto the docks on the western edge of Republic City, her red bag slung over her shoulder. She’d left hoping for a deal to save her company, and she’d returned after helping Korra inadvertently start a war. Naga bumped her head against Asami’s hand, and she scratched the polar bear dog’s ears. Korra stood on the other side of Naga, one hand on Naga’s shoulder. They stood off to one side of the gangplank, waiting on the others to disembark.

The entirety of the voyage after the dark spirits had been spent mostly in a state of awkwardness for Asami and nausea. She kept thinking of Korra's back the entire rest of the voyage and had ended up with some new detailed sketches. Korra had almost walked in on her drawing one. That was mortifying.

They'd also gone over their plan twice only to have Varrick nearly walk in on them the second time, so Asami had changed the subject to card games and Pai Sho. She did learn that Varrick was terrible at Pai Sho, mostly because he was easily distracted.

She also learned that Varrick was impossible to work with. Varrick had walked in on her disassembling parts of his yacht's radio. If she was honest with herself, it was partly boredom and partly to stop the weird clicking noise that made the radio a problem to be fixed. Spending the next hour with him putting it back together convinced her to never disassemble anything in his vicinity again. Most aggravating, irritating, frustrating endeavor she'd ever undertaken. In retaliation, she unlocked every single lock on the yacht simply because she could. Varrick's rant about dark spirits unlocking doors made it all worth it. Now forever enshrined as the Mysterious Unlocking Incident.

Asami breathed in the brine-scented air, glad to be off Varrick's boat. It's speed was impressive but unsettling for the stomach. The sun hung high in the sky, the boat having pulled in around the noon hour, and the quay was clustered with workers loading and unloading nearby ships. The steep hill to the street held several stairwells, most of which were traversed by passengers or workers. The next pier over, a smaller vessel was being offloaded with crates. The sounds of the city swept through Asami, and after the quiet of the South and the ocean, the clamor felt like a comforting tidal wave.

“Hey Chief!” Mako waved at Chief Beifong, who was supervising the transport of prisoners from a navy cutter to a van the next pier over. Most of them held water tribe colors, but a few were wearing triad colors. 

Lin turned and looked them over with a frown. She stalked over and crossed her arms. “Thanks for starting a war, Avatar.” 

“Hey!” Korra said defensively. “I didn’t start it! Well, maybe, but Unalaq is the one that clamped down with more and more oppressive crap until my people revolted!” 

Lin scowled. “Whatever. Mako, I need you back on the beat yesterday. There’s a Southern Water Tribe Peace March this afternoon, and I want you there.” 

“Ohhh, a peace march!” Varrick strode down his gangplank with Zhu Li right behind him. “Hello, dear Lin, you are looking lovely today!” 

“Shut it, Varrick. You’re at fault for this war too.” Chief Lin glanced over at Asami. “And don’t think I don’t know your role either Sato. Honestly, thought better of you.” She turned and stomped back to her original task.

Asami glared at her back, irritated yet at the same time relieved. Lin’s acerbic attitude made the city feel homely again.

“Peace march?” Korra looked over at Asami and Mako. “I think I gotta attend. To show the South that the Avatar stands with them!” 

Mako looked nervous. “Maybe… you ought to sit that one out.” 

“What? Why?”

“I just think having you there blatantly supporting one side will only make things worse. You could at least try to seem neutral.” His words came as a shock to Asami. It took her a moment to wrap her mind around why he was arguing this, and she came to conclusion that it was likely due to his job.

Korra bristled. “You sound just like my Uncle! Being neutral is what caused this mess, Mako. The war still broke out because of that sham trial-”

“Well maybe he was right on that one thing!” Mako interrupted.

Korra stepped forward, one finger pointed at Mako’s chest.

Asami reached over and grasped Korra’s shoulder. She really did not want to deal with an escalating fight between these two. “Korra, this fight isn’t worth it.” Korra sighed and crossed her arms instead. “Mako,” Asami said, evenly. “We just got back. Let’s focus on our plan, okay?” 

“Right. I’m going to work.” He stomped off before Asami could offer him a ride. Perhaps for the best since him and Korra seemed intent on antagonizing each other.

Bolin ambled up next to Asami and pulled a cookie from a silver tin in his hands. “Oh, my dear brother, so high strung. If only he could take a break.” Give it to Bolin to find the stash of cookies on every boat they traversed. He broke off a piece to feed Pabu, who sat on his shoulder, one paw on his ear.

“Did I hear you four have a plan?” Varrick turned to them with a grin. “I do love plans. Tell me, how can I help said plan?” Behind him, it looked like Zhu Li was taking notes, which kindled Asami's suspicion.

“Well, we’re going to ask Raiko about…” Korra trailed off when Asami squeezed her shoulder tightly. She didn’t trust Varrick enough, not with those documents searing a hole in her journal. Korra rubbed Naga’s ears and glanced at Asami with furrowed brows. Once she spoke with her lawyer, San, she'd talk to Korra about her findings.

“Zhu Li's already scheduled a meeting for us with President Raiko tomorrow. We'll get them on board. Care to join us? I’m one of his biggest donors, and he loves that sort of thing.” Varrick leaned close to the three of them and put his hand over his mouth as if to direct his words to them only. “I also matched that donation with one to the opposing side. Gotta hedge my bets you know.” 

Asami dropped her hand back to Naga, who pushed up against her next for pets. Her plan had been to try through Future Industries to secure the meeting faster than if Korra and her went alone. Varrick’s plan likely was better as Future Industries had no ties with the South, so it wouldn’t have made much sense. 

“Sure! Still wanna come with, Asami?” Korra asked. Asami nodded. 

“And me?” Bolin leaned around Asami. “What can I do?”

Varrick walked over and slapped his back. “Why, my boy, you’re going to be helping me, remember? The grand project of detailing the South’s predicament!” He waved his hand in an arc in the air. “We’ll show the horrifying truth of Unalaq’s reign of terror!” 

“You’ll be doing what?” Korra said, startled. 

“Uh, is this that mover tech you mentioned?” Asami asked. 

“Oh yes!” Varrick grinned. “It’ll be like a documentary! But with a bit of embellishment to really tug at the heart-strings. Everyone will be roaring to help the South then!” 

“Yeah!” Bolin nearly hopped in excitement. “I’ll gladly help! Gosh, guys, do you think I could be the next mover star?” 

Korra and Asami exchanged glances. This sounded like a terrible idea to Asami, but who was she to ruin Bolin’s excitement? “I’m sure you will, Bo. Just be sure to drop by later for a chat, okay? I ought to head out. That’s Kyung over there.” She waved to her research and design manager, who waved back from where she leaned against an older Satomobile. Kyung had parked as close as possible to the docks, but a staircase separated her from the edge of the docks and the furor of workers and other passengers. “Though if you need rides?” 

“Bolin and I will ride in style.” Varrick gestured up the hill at a customized Satomobile with blue paint, white trim, and gold-tinged metal ornaments, likely Future Industries most expensive line. It amused Asami a bit that Varrick had purchased that from her company. He steered Bolin toward the stairs. “We’ll see you tomorrow!”

“That’s a Future Industries vehicle,” she whispered to Korra. “Funny that. Are you going to the peace march then?” 

Korra nodded. “I can’t just sit idly by. What are your thoughts though?”

“I agree with you.” Asami motioned for her and Naga to walk with her. “Your people are in dire need. Unalaq is a tyrant and a manipulative bully. If this isn’t a cause for the Avatar, then what is?” She leaned over Naga to whisper, “And if Unalaq is somehow connected with Vaatu, then it’s bigger than just a civil war, isn’t it?”

“Do you think I ought to include that in our meeting with Raiko?”

“Maybe, but he will ask for proof. We have your visions, increase in dark spirits, an open portal, and our speculation.” Asami couldn’t keep the frustration from her tone. “I think that’s adequate proof, but who knows what Raiko will think of it.”

“He’ll doubt it?” Korra stepped onto the staircase toward the road. “Why?” The staircase was a trifle narrow, so Asami followed with Naga behind her.

Asami shrugged. “I don’t know. I prefer to plan for contingencies. Since Varrick set it for tomorrow, I can meet you either at Future Industries… I was going to ask some trusted people at Future Industries for advice on this to be honest.” 

Korra paused halfway up to turn to her. “You know, I’m glad you’re with me.” She smiled and grasped Asami’s hand. “You always think of stuff I miss.”

Tears pricked Asami’s eyes. Hearing that meant the world to her, and she found she didn’t know quite what to say. So she squeezed Korra’s hand and managed a smile. Naga whined and butted up against Asami. Letting go, Asami and Korra restarted the climb if only to move out of the way of the polar bear dog. 

Kyung took a step forward, only to freeze at the sight of Naga. “Ah.” She had her hand outstretched. “Ms. Sato…”

“Kyung,” Asami said warmly. “This is Avatar Korra and her polar bear dog, Naga. Korra, this is Kyung. She’s my research and design head.”

“Hey! Nice to meet you!” Korra grinned and shook Kyung’s hand. “I hear you’re helping me figure stuff out?” 

Kyung nodded, apparently speechless. 

“Great! Thanks for that! Asami, I’ll meet you at your company’s tower after the march, okay?” Korra bounded onto Naga.

Asami waved her off and had to laugh when Kyung watched Korra ride away, that shocked expression still on her face. 

“I did tell you I was helping Korra, right?”

“Uh, yes.” Kyung looked at her with a shake of her head. “You didn’t mention the polar bear dog.”

“Oh, that.” Asami shrugged. “Slight oversight I guess. How about we get going? I want to hear how things are here. And I’ll fill you in on what happened.”

She wished she had a change of clothes, but that required her to go all the way to Air Temple Island. Her current outfit was still suitable for work, as it was her engineering clothes, more for the factory than meetings though. She'd definitely use the bathroom to clean up and reapply some makeup. Looking older than she was tended to help her get through meetings with her staff.

The drive to Future Industries took over a half hour, partly because the march had blocked off several roads, so Kyung had to drive around and take an out of the way bridge to the Industrial portion of town. Kyung reported dismal sales and dropping revenue, not as bad as Asami had feared, but it left them close to bankruptcy. Not that her news was any better. Asami recounted a summary of the troubles in the Water Tribe, and her own struggle to get anything useful out of Varrick. 

“Did you really fly a plane into a battleship?” Kyung asked once Asami had finished.

“Yes.” Asami smiled, amused at Kyung’s shock at her activities. “I dare say it worked. Though too bad for the plane. Good quality one.” 

Kyung shook her head. “You amaze me every day, Asami. So the deal with Varrick? The eighty percent discount? Was that actually signed?” 

“Not yet. I have the paperwork to review with San. I need to confirm he isn’t pulling any weird clauses that will force us to sell our stock in specific regions or worse. He’s apparently known for slipping in clauses to get a controlling share.” She thought of the documents in her Idea Journal. “I… have some evidence of his somewhat shifty contract tendencies. I also… have evidence he might be the person buying out the land for the Ferris Wheel…”

“Oh!” Kyung slowed her satomobile then executed a parallel park move in front of the Future Industries tower. “That reminds me. I did get the information you seek, and for the Southern Water Tribe in that time period, Varrick is the only one with that wealth. For the Northern Water Tribe, I made a list. It’s quite a few people.”

That confirmed it. Asami pulled out her idea journal and handed Kyung the contracts she’d stole. “Thanks, Kyung. I’ll have to think of how to narrow down the Northern ones. What do you think of these?”

Kyung looked them over, her mouth in a grim line. “Yikes. You weren’t kidding about that clause. And a shell company? I think you should have San and maybe Gaolin look this over. They’ve got more expertise.”

“Can they be trusted?” That was another worry Asami had. She didn’t want this to get back to Varrick, not before she was ready to expose him. "The less that know, the less likely Varrick will hear of it."

“Why not? They’re loyal to the company.” Kyung handed back the documents. “I think you need to trust your employees, Asami. We stayed for you and for our hopes you’ll see us through. I doubt any would take information to a competitor.” 

Asami managed a smile, though she was nervous about talking this through with anyone really. Gaolin, the head of their human relations department, was less approachable man than San, the company lawyer, and his expertise was more business and people relations, while San was all legal.

“Thanks for the reminder, Kyung, and I know. I hope I can live up to your expectations.” She didn’t have much confidence that she could. Especially with the state of their sales and her failure to secure the deal before she returned. “Let’s head up and call a meeting.” Perhaps after she could grab an early dinner with San to review the documents.

Asami looked through the cabinets in her office on the top floor. She didn’t have much hope of finding anything useful to help her share her sour news. Her father's former contracts for shipping might be useful for comparison with Varrick's deal proposal he'd given her for her review. She pulled out a few and laid them side by side on her desk. 

There had been a lot more companies available during her father’s reign. She flipped through his shipping contracts and counted at least six. All had been either subsumed into Varrick Shipping Industries or went bankrupt, she’d have to look them up in the city library to verify. The contracts themselves differed on terms, but all were more localized, as in one company dealt with shipping to Fire Nation, and another to Northern Water Tribe. For her, she had only Varrick Shipping, which she supposed made it easier and cheaper but yet more prone to Varrick's whims. 

Frustrating. She turned to their inventory and read through the items for the hundredth time. The only difference from when she left was that three of the mech units had returned to production for conversion to construction mechs. Kyung’s notes on that was thorough and her designs remarkably similar to what Asami had drawn. She pulled out her blueprints, and adjusted her design to incorporate some of Kyung’s ideas, then notated possible fixes to some of the issues Kyung had detailed for the conversion. 

“Ms. Sato?” Kyung leaned against the doorjam to her office. “Ready?” 

“Yes.” Asami stood and offered her blueprint and notes. “Here’s my notes on the construction mechs for your review.” She gathered up her other documents and pressed them into her folio. “Let’s hope everyone is open to what I have to say.”

The agreement with the Hidden Village was bound to irritate a lot of her team, especially the business-savvy ones. She also had to be careful not to reveal much about the village either. Best to call it one of the Southern tribes and leave it at that.

The meeting room was one floor down in the central portion of the building. It consisted of a long table surrounded by chairs, next to big bay windows and a long counter for refreshments. All the managers and department heads were already in the room chatting amongst themselves when Asami and Kyung entered. There was only twelve of them in total, mostly due to the inability to rehire for empty positions since they lacked funds. Everyone quieted by the time Asami had reached the head of the table. 

“Thank you for your flexibility,” Asami began. She laid her folio down in front of her and looked over the mostly male group. She’d yet to have the funds to hire more women engineers and managers, but the group solely needed it. “I return today with sour news. I witnessed a full scale invasion by the North, troops that terrorized the locals, and dark spirits that roamed the area. The Northern Chief was relentless in his occupation: a blockade, destruction and seizing of transportation vehicles, and blocking all transmissions. I worked with Avatar Korra and friends to fight our way out of the situation. Because of this instability, I’ve yet to finalize the shipping deal with Varrick Shipping. My goal is to review the proposal I was able to make with him with our legal team as soon as possible.”

“Ms. Sato,” one of the managers - Rioko if Asami remembered correctly, he was with the automobile division. “Did you say you had to fight your way out?”

“Yes. The Northern Chief conducted a false trial to dismantle all leadership in the South. War broke out not long after.”   

“Wouldn’t the South or North be a perfect buyer for our mechs and planes?” Gaolin asked.

Asami frowned. That sounded highly problematic to her. “I made an agreement with one of the tribes to not send any of our stock into that situation as it may worsen their relations with the spirits. They did not want to fight a two-prong battle.” 

Gaolin leaned forward, one arm on the table. “Ms. Sato, that’s crippling our ability to sell. There’s a lot of profit to be made in war. Surely, a few mechs and planes wouldn’t harm all their spirits.” A hint of mockery underlined his tone.

“Not at the expense of people’s lives, Gaolin.” She partially stood, her hands on the table, and met his gaze. “I have seen firsthand the damage of a dark spirit. An entire whaling vessel torn to shreds. People killed or severely injured. Bending does little to stop them. I found my electroshot glove can hold them off but only for so long. The only solution requires people skilled in calming spirits, and right now that’s few and far between. The best solution is to not antagonize them but instead work with the spirits.” She took a deep breath to calm the rising tide of her anger. “I’ve been assisting Avatar Korra with analyzing the spirit situation, and we’ve accumulated enough data to find strong correlation, which heavily implies causation. Technology which negatively impacts the environment corrupts the spirits. This includes war machines.”

“The planes are civilian class though.” This statement came from the air division, newly created when she decided to adapt her father’s planes. Kal, the manager, leaned forward, his arms resting on the table. “Wouldn’t that prove useful to them?”

“If I can reestablish radio contact, I will request a radio meeting to discuss with the Southern leadership, but at the moment, no messages can get in or out. I believe we’d be better off selling the planes to the Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom.”

Right before they pulled into port, Asami and Korra had attempted to contact Tonraq to no avail. He must not have liberated any radio towers yet, which was a little worrisome. The Hidden Village radio line did work, but Waaseyaa had already left for Wolf’s Cove and Nakul had been unavailable to answer any of Asami’s questions at that time. Tenzin still hadn’t replied to their radio call either.

The meeting continued in a similar vein for nearly two hours. Endless questions, a thorough examination of Varrick’s possible contract, and idea generation for other ways to supplement revenue. In the end, she’d managed to instill some hope of recovery from this crisis, but she could tell that most walked away disappointed. That hurt her more than anything. She recognized that she’d gotten so caught up in helping Korra that she didn’t attend enough to the needs of her company, but that wasn’t something she was willing to admit to anyone. Not even to Korra.

Asami didn’t bother with eating. She instead met immediately with San in a neighboring meeting room to the one they’d just been inside. “Thank you, San, for your help with this.” She pulled out her folio. “I ask for your discretion. Nothing can leave this room.” She shook the lawyer's hand. His clothes were impeccable as always, the suit in the newer style of vest and a blouse with ruffled sleeves.

San nodded and pulled out some paperwork. “This will bind me to that request. I can sign if you so wish.” He pushed it her way. She looked it over, the terms were simple nondisclosure agreement. When she nodded, he signed after her signature. 

“Here are documents I obtained from Varrick Shipping. I was assisting Avatar Korra with investigating dark spirits and what may be corrupting them.” She explained her evidence for how the spirits were corrupted by human activity. “These contracts I procured - can you look them over to explain what exactly Varrick was doing with that Northern contact? I need to verify his involvement in inciting dark spirits.” 

San nodded and reviewed the documents. His eyebrows furrowed and deep wrinkles creased his forehead. “This… is… strange.” He laid out all the contracts side by side. “This contract.” He pointed to the oldest one. “Has stipulations regarding what Varrick Shipping Industries must purchase. It requires the use of a shell company for all further business and other activities. I find it odd that the shell company is registered both in Republic City and in Wolf’s Cove.” That tidbit surprised Asami as well. 

“Can I access that shell companies records here?” 

San shook his head. “Private company. Even a public request to view records wouldn’t reveal much more than it exists.”

“So then what else does the contracts say?” That irritated her. Maybe she could convince Team Avatar to help her on a mission to procure a copy anyway. It could have more information than what they found in Wolf Cove. She needed to know who that contact in the Northern Water Tribe was, and if they were connected with Chief Unalaq. That alone could help expose Unalaq as a war-mongerer, which could aid in getting more aid to the South.

“There’s a non-disclosure agreement within it, so not sure how you obtained this. If Varrick gave it to you, he’d be violating this agreement.” He then tapped the next one in chronological order. “This one has a clause specifying the dismantling of any Southern Traditions and Spiritual Archive.” He picked it up and read the clause.

The signed partner is hereby required to dismantle or purchase any properties related to the Southern Traditions and Spiritual Archive. Construction of such an archive, regardless of ownership, is seen as a violating of this statute. All attempts to dissimate knowledge of such an archive must be suppressed. Funds included in this clause is to be used only for this project and for this stipulation. 

Asami leaned back in her chair, stunned. “Why would the Northern contact require such a thing?” Even as she said it, part of her guessed this was influenced by Unalaq’s plans for the South. How could he justify the South being spiritually bankrupt if such an archive were to exist? She wasn't sure who else would have incentive to do such a thing.

“It seems these contracts existed to fund very specific projects, where most proceeds were to go to the Northern side of this shell company. These latter ones provided extensive funding for Varrick Shipping’s research division, but the requirement to receive that funding required the construction of mines in specific locations. As for why the archive was so targeted, I can’t say.”

“Does it spell out how these locations were determined?” Asami found it troubling that the locations had been deliberately chosen. Korra had been adamant when she calmed the spirits that the corruption came from the mines destruction of fragile cave ecosystems. The Ferris Wheel had that same issue.

San read through the documents, his finger going over each line. “No. I suspect a surveyor was used, which is typical for such a project.” He sighed. “Asami, how did you get these?” 

“If I say, would you be required to turn me in?” Asami didn’t want to admit she had literally taken it from Varrick’s office the day of the trial. 

San tapped his fingers on the table and frowned at her. “Not necessarily. What is said in this room stays in this room per our legal agreement. However, if you were seen at any point, I may not be able to stop any probe or charges against you.” 

“I’m positive I was not seen if that helps.” Considering Varrick had been in that platypus bear costume, the mouth shut so unable to see out, and she hadn’t announced her actions, she doubted he’d witnessed it. Mako and Bolin had been distracted, nor had she shared this with them. 

San sighed in relief. “That is for the best.” 

“San, is there a way to leak this to the news? I think people need to know how the South was harmed, their archive prevented from being established, and that the North had a part in that.” His expression made her add, “I’d stay anonymous.” 

“Perhaps, but would that not increase the tensions in this war?”

“The South is fighting for survival, San. I can’t just sit by while Korra’s people suffer. I made an agreement with one of their tribes to not sell technological weapons to anyone in this war, but maybe I can help this way. Get the truth out.” Asami leaned forward, her hands on the table. “What if the leak convinces more people to provide aid to the South? Whether it be monetary, supplies, or troops, anything could help.” 

San rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You’re not making this easy, Asami. Leaking this will put you in a precarious situation, especially if anyone discovers you did the leak. I'd also advise to sit on this a while longer to verify all information and to determine which newspaper will honor your need for anonymity. I have a few suggestions, but, tell me. Are you sure you wish to pursue this?” 

Asami nodded. “I told Korra I’d help in anyway I can, and I will honor that promise.” She pulled out a pad of paper. “Speaking of that, I have a question regarding President Raiko. I am assisting Avatar Korra with requesting aid for the South. Do you have any advice on how best to confront the issue? We have worries as well about Chief Unalaq’s plans for the Southern portal that relates to the use of dark spirits being weaponized by him. Our proof is fairly definitive, but is there anything we ought to keep in mind?”

San ran a hand through his short-cropped hair. “President Raiko is a cautious man. He plays his cards close and expects incentive for any favors. And yes,” he held up a hand before Asami could protest, “he likely will consider this a favor. Be direct and to the point. Talk him up if possible. Play to his weaknesses. If you can spin this to show how not helping will negatively harm chances at reelection, then utilize that. Beyond that, all I can say is good luck.” 

That was somewhat helpful. Asami pulled out a pen and wrote down those notes. “Thank you, San. Now, for the leak, I can draft a piece for publication. Tell me, what would be best to include from those contracts? Or should I provide full copies? And would this action fall under the right to free speech?” She planned to take careful notes.

“I want it known that I disagree with this course of action.” Even as he said it, San smiled, “but I must say your stubborn bravery reminds me of your mother. What help I provide next did not happen, understood?” 

Asami smiled, relieved. “Of course.”

Chapter Text

Republic City - Southern Water Tribe Peace March

Korra directed Naga around a huge group of people. Most wore water tribe clothing, but a few were dressed in some of the newest Republic City fashions. Asami would probably like those outfits, though some of them felt a bit ostentatious to Korra. “Hey!” She called to one of the people on the edge of the group. “Whose leading this?” The crowd easily parted for Naga, but it didn't help her find her way.

The man jumped and bowed. “Ah, Avatar Korra! Uh, them.” He pointed to a smaller group further along the road. “Pleasure to meet you!” He called after her when she turned Naga in that direction. She waved back in response. 

The smaller group was two men and two women, all in Southern Water Tribe clothing. They were clustered together talking, and one had a megaphone in their hand.

“Hey,” Korra slid off Naga. “Sit, Naga.” She gave Naga a good ear scratching when the polar bear dog settled next to her. “You all organizing this march?” 

“Yes…” All four turned to her in surprise. “Avatar Korra!” All of them looked at Naga then back at the Avatar.

Korra smiled and held out her hand. “Yeah, yeah. I’m the Avatar. This is my polar bear dog, Naga. She’s super nice. I’ll be riding her probably tonight. What’s all your names, and how can I help?” 

Each introduced themselves. The taller man with a darker skin tone than Korra’s was Arnoq, Ruk was the shorter man with a bronze skin tone and sea-green eyes, and the two woman looked like twins - Kara and Nu, each had their hair in braids and their eyes a deep ocean blue. Korra didn’t feel confident she would be able to tell them apart later. 

“We’re planning to start in a half hour,” Ruk said. He held the megaphone. “We were going to do some speeches first. But if you’re here, would you be willing?”

“Yeah, weren’t you there when it all went down?” Nu asked. 

“Yup. Me and Team Avatar.” Korra didn’t want to leave out her friends. “I guess I could say some words. What would be best?” She rubbed the back of her head, nervous. Part of her still felt a lot of guilt for her role in this Civil War. If she hadn’t helped Unalaq so much, would it have gotten so bad for her people? 

Arnoq handed her a flier. “This is our goals. Maybe give us a summary of the current situation and try to work in our goals? Kara, if you want to speak after? She’s the assistant to the director of the Southern Water Tribe Embassy.” 

Kara swatted his shoulder. “You make it sound more important than it is.” 

“Hey!” Arnoq grinned. “Don’t let her fool you. She’s got the director’s ear for sure.”

Korra smiled, but she felt a bit confused. She’d only recently, right before their trip, learned about embassies, so she didn’t know how they worked. Another item the White Lotus had failed to properly explain. She read through the flier quick. 

Chief Unalaq is not our chief. He came with troops and blockaded our shores. He claims we have no spiritual traditions, that we worship only technology, which is blatant bigotry. Our eight tribes all hold traditions unique to each of our homes. He seeks to force his cultural beliefs on us. Now we have lost all communication with our loved ones as all phone, telegraph, and radio lines are down. There’s no getting in and out. We demand: 

1. Full communication restored with all Southern Water Tribes.
2. End the blockade.
3. Remove all troops.
4. Restore our Tribal Council. 

Our people deserve autonomy. We deserve to have our traditions and way of life honored. Come on Moonsday, three in the afternoon, and march for the Southern Water Tribe’s freedom!

“This is really good.” Korra looked up at the quartet. “I agree with all of this.” 

“Great!” Nu grinned. “Then you’ll speak?”

“Sure!” Korra looked over the crowd. “What should I expect in the march tho? I’ve… never actually been to one.”

It wasn’t as if the White Lotus had let her out long enough to get to know her people well, so if there had been marches like this in the Southern Water Tribes, Korra wouldn’t have known. The closest she’d come to seeing one was when Team Avatar had encountered Tarrlok harassing nonbenders who just wanted their electricity turned back on. 

Ruk pointed down the street. “Marches usually start with some speeches to get the crowd all in the zone and thinking about our demands. Then we go over some safety stuff. After that, we march to the our ending location. For us its our embassy. The police will guide us.” He sighed. “There’s no way to have one without their presence. We have to sign up with them, so that we can have the road for the two or so hours we think this will last.”

“Really?” That surprised Korra. “You… don’t just show up and march?” 

Ruk shook his head. “Not legally thanks to that safety law passed recently in parliament.”

Korra had heard how the elections for the first parliament had been set for the same election as president. That's also when she discovered she wasn't technically a citizen yet, so couldn't vote, even if she had known who to vote for. Mako had talked to her a bit about it, being interested in those hard on crime. Asami had gotten into an argument with Mako over it, her take being the parliament ought to focus on meeting people's needs. Korra had snacked on sea cucumber chips with Bolin, while the other two argued. That had been months ago. She didn't miss her and Mako's fights, but she did miss those quieter moments of them all together without the world in need of saving.

“We thought about it." Arnoq shrugged. "Get enough people to block traffic, and that disruption can help get our point across, but it could mean the police rushing us and arresting as many as they can. None of us have the kind of funds to bail folks out like that.” Arnoq absently flipped through the fliers in his hand. “I don’t like the police much. They can be… overbearing.”

“He means brutal,” Kara translated.

That surprised Korra too. “Brutal? I mean, I know Lin can be tough and demeaning, but I’ve never seen her be… that?”

The four exchanged glances with each other. Nu spoke first. “You’re first name basis with the police chief?” All of them seemed suddenly subdued.

“Look, we didn’t mean anything by what we said,” Kara added. 

Korra had no idea what was happening. “She helped me defeat Amon. That’s all. Really, it’s okay!” She held out her hands. “I just don’t know this stuff. I… kind of grew up sheltered. So I’d like to hear about your lives and what life is like for you all here. And I promise I won’t tell the police chief.” That seemed to relax them again. 

“All right.” Arnoq nodded at the crowd. “A lot of us live in the Water district. It’s not far from Dragon Flats Borough. There’s a lot of poverty there, and the police love to drive through looking for trouble. It’s not as bad as Dragon Flats though. That’s where some of the triads originate. Right now we’re in Creeping Crystal territory, but our borough is an overlap of triad territory, so it’s hard to say who will have it next year. Sometimes our people get picked up despite not being with any triad.”

Korra frowned. “That doesn’t seem right.” 

Arnoq shrugged. “We don’t have connections or money for bail. So we spend a few nights in the stint.” He nudged Kara. “It’s why we’re pretty proud when one of us makes it.” 

“Oh hush, you.” Kara smiled at him affectionately. “A lot of us were born here, but our grandparents or parents weren’t. They came here during the war or not long after it ended. Some of us have relatives down south still.”

Nu gestured to the crowd that was slowly growing larger as they drew closer to the start of the march. “We’re proud of our heritage. That Unalaq bastard may claim we got no traditions, but our parents taught us a lot about our culture and people. About igloos, whaling, seal hunting. I can carve up any animal like the best of them! Sea prunes are hard to get here, but it’s a favorite. Ruk’s parents own a bar that mostly serves Southern cuisine.” 

“Hey, maybe I’ll stop in sometime?” Korra offered.

She wondered if Asami or the bending brothers would like it. A lot of the restaurants they’d preferred in Wolf’s Cove had been fusion restaurants, which had served dishes that combined Southern cuisine with other Nation’s flavors. Korra hadn’t minded as she’d gladly eat any food that tasted good. Not that they were able to visit any once Unalaq began to squeeze his fingers around the South.

“That’d be rad!” Ruk grinned. 

“Thanks for sharing all this.” Korra smiled at the group. “I guess, truth is, I was sort of kept apart by the Order of the White Lotus, and I learned more about those in power than those on the ground. I’m trying to fix that now. It’s why I came.”

She sighed and rubbed her hair. Korra really didn’t want to admit that she’d helped Unalaq or that the man had been her teacher for a bit. That might turn these people against her, and she really didn’t want that. They seemed cool. Like possible friends. 

“Your flier,” Korra held it up, “touched on some things, but it didn’t cover how bad it was. After the sham trial of my father, it was a fight to get to the docks, and a fight to get out at all. I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for Asami Sato, Mako, and Bolin helping.”

“Wait…” Nu leaned forward. “Asami Sato? The daughter of Hiroshi Sato? I heard some conflicting things… like her father served Amon.”

“What a nightmare that was,” Arnoq said bitterly. “Equalists tore up some of our homes on the southern side of our borough.”

Korra shook her head, vigorously. She refused to let these people think badly of Asami, and since Asami wasn’t here to downplay her role, Korra planned to talk her up. “Sure, he did, but Asami went against her father! Tenzin, Lin, myself, and some officers had been beaten badly by Hiroshi’s mechs. Then she shows up after Mako and Bolin got caught too. And like, one moment she’s standing there in front of him, and the next, she shocked him unconscious, then wham!” Korra mimicked one of Asami’s moves rather badly. “She downs several Equalists and got us out of that trap! She even fought her own father! Captured him with Bolin’s help, and then she testified against him.” 

The four looked at her, eyes wide, as if not quite able to believe it.

Korra grinned and put her hand on Naga’s shoulder. “You should have seen her take out the guards when we were rescuing my father down south. I barely had to do any bending! She also flew the plane that helped me break the blockade. And totally saved my butt when I nearly drowned after purifying a dark spirit on the way here. Sort of wish she’d came tonight. But she had to do company stuff.” 

The four looked at each other. “Woah,” Arnoq said. “Gonna rethink how I view her.”

Nu looked confused. “Why wasn’t all this in the papers? All we hear is how horrible Future Industries is for supporting Amon.” 

“She took over Future Industries.” Korra felt frustrated. She recalled talking to Asami about it a few months ago and how Asami had dismissed Korra’s idea of talking her up to the press. “And she purged the Equalists. She even did all those community projects! Like those repair station-things? Maybe I ought to talk to those papers. Get the story straight. Asami would kick my butt though. She hates being the center of attention.” Korra smiled ruefully. 

“Damn,” Arnoq said. “I’ll be sure to set the record straight if I hear folks badmouthing her.”

“Wait, Asami Sato kicking the Avatar’s butt?” Ruk’s eyebrows rose. 

“Yeah, we spar a lot, and Asami wins most of the time.” Korra was mildly amused by the shocked looks on the others’ faces. Talking up Asami was not only fun but very satisfying. In Korra's mind, everyone ought to know about how awesome she was.  

Korra looked toward the crowd. “Do you think it’s time to get started? I don’t wanna take up all your time reminiscing.” Part of her felt antsy to get going.

Nu looked at an old pocket watch, which was covered in scratches. “We got a few minutes still, but why don’t we get started? And if this goes well, maybe you’d be up for a pint at Ruk’s family’s bar after? Swap more stories?” 

“Not tonight. Gotta work with Asami on how to convince Raiko to help the South. But maybe another night?” Korra liked the idea of new friends. 

“Deal.” Arnoq grinned. He flipped over a flyer, snagged a pen from Kara’s pockets, and got another swat from her. He jotted down an address and handed it to Korra. “You’ll find us here most days." 

"Say," Kara interrupted. "You might want to meet with some of our representatives at parliament. Sure, President Raiko might command the troops, but he can't declare war. At least not anymore, parliament took that over."

"Really?" Korra somberly realized she knew next to nothing about how the new government worked here. "That's good to know. We can try that too."

Kara smiled. "Bring your friends and meet up with us. We can give you pointers on who to target for parliament. I do work at the embassy, you know. We're required to know this stuff."

"Thanks!" Korra couldn't wait to tell the others. If Raiko was a dud, then maybe they could push for action this way. "So for the march, what's next?"

"I’ll introduce the march," Arnoq said, "cover safety and our goals. Then I’ll hand this over to you. You give the run down of the situation, and then Kara you finish up. Once we’re done, Nu do the sound off, and we’ll start marching!” 

Seemed straightforward enough. Korra was excited to get started.

Speaking in front of people wasn’t something Korra particularly liked, but at the same time, she didn’t mind it. The fascinating aspect was watching people’s faces as she spoke. So when Arnoq handed her the megaphone after his portion, Korra found it energizing to see people looking to her for the truth of their people. She rested her hand on Naga's shoulder. The polar bear dog sat on her haunches next to her, her tongue out, and a grin on her face.

“Thank you all for being here. I’m Avatar Korra, and this is Naga. What I saw under my uncle’s rule was horrible. He tricked me into opening the Southern spirit portal, and used that as an excuse to invade the South. He instituted a curfew, began to penalize marches and protests, ordered all transportation vehicles seized, banned use of communications and cut off all phone and radio lines. 

“My father and mother were arrested on false charges of treason. I learned that the trial was a sham. Chief Unalaq told the judge what to say and do. And he did it to get rid of my father. To isolate me and use me as a pawn. Because of that trial, Wolf Cove is now a battleground. Fires and fighting everywhere.

“Some of the local spirits are being corrupted, and their attacks have increased. Asami Sato’s and my investigations into the dark spirit attacks turned up evidence Chief Unalaq is partly to cause for the rise in dark spirits along with technology that harms the environment.

“Asami, Mako, Bolin, and I worked together to rescue my father. We got him to safety, and he asked us to come here to seek aid. Our people are locked in a Civil War, and we’re outnumbered. What my friends and I discovered leads me to believe Chief Unalaq will not be content with dominating the South. 

“We need all your help. Push for Republic City's leadership to send aid. Demand the communication lines to be reopened. Demand for withdrawal of troops. Thank you.” The applause and shouts startled Korra. It swept through the crowd in an almost deafening wave.

She handed off the megaphone to Kara and hoped she said the right things. 

“Thank you, Avatar Korra,” Kara said after the applause had died down. “I am Kara, assistant to Ambassador Runook. Today we gather in grief and anger over the tumult that has befallen our people. In honor of those who have been harmed or fallen in battle, my sister, Nu, is handing out candles and lotus flowers. Chief Unalaq seeks to destabilize our home, to tear apart our traditions, to make the South a copy of the North. As Avatar Korra has witnessed, he’s brought brutality on our people and his ambitions grow deadly. Who will stand up against his tyranny? Will the other Nations call out his war crimes?” She paused and shouts echoed through the crowd. 

“We demand full communication restored with all Southern Water Tribes. We demand an end to the blockade. We demand removal of all troops. We demand that our Tribal Council be restored to power and our people given autonomy. We march today in honor of those demands." Kara paused dramatically as people cheered, applauded, and stomped their feet in response to her words. After several minutes, she held up her hands for the crowd to quiet again. "Today, we will march to the Southern Water Tribe Embassy, and we ask all of you to pick a buddy. Stick with that buddy for duration of this march. Once at the Embassy, we will lead you in a traditional chant to end our demonstration. Nu, sound us off when ready.” Kara stepped back and handed the megaphone to her sister. 

Korra mounted Naga, impressed by the speeches she’d heard from the others. These organizers were good. She looked over the crowd. On both edges of the crowd, a few people wore traditional water bladders around their chests, likely water healers. In fact, the people had sort of organized into lines. Nu and Ruk jogged along the side of the crowd, from back to front, handing out candles and lotus flowers. Those on the ends of the lines passed down the supplies.

Once she’d made it back to the front, Nu announced, “Sound off, left, right, left, right!” She marched forward with the count, and the other organizers followed. Naga and Korra settled into place next to the organizers, while the crowd behind lit up their candles and fell into the marching chant. 

After a few blocks, Nu stopped counting, and instead led a traditional song. It was one Korra hadn’t heard in a very long time, one her mother used to sing about the beauty and freedom of the ice floes. To hear it in this setting gave the song a very different feel. Nu had a lovely singing voice, and others in the crowd also took up the song. The chorus rose and tears stung Korra's eyes at the beauty and fearlessness of the singing.

Naga kept wanting to bound forward since the march's pace was slow for her, but Korra stroked her head and kept her pace as close as possible to the other organizers. She hadn’t organized this, and it didn’t feel right for her to take the lead. She was here to support not take over. 

On the sides of the street, the police had put up barriers, and a few stood at attention at each block. Most of the people on the other side of the barriers either kept their attention focused on where they were going, or they stopped to either cheer on the march or call out rude things.

"Get a job!" Yelled a few, while others shouted, "Southern trash! Go home!"

"Autonomy for the South!" shouted others in response to the cruel chants.

The closer they came to the Southern Water Tribe Embassy, the more Northerners showed up to boo their progress. A massive statue of Sokka had been built in the center of the road in front of the embassy. The four story building held the tribes colors, and some of its exterior decorations had been carved in the stone to resemble typical features seen in the South. Massive pillars with domed roofs stood on either side of the main entrance, which held huge three story tall windows. A fountain bubbled on the grounds in front of the building, and flowering bushes lined the pathways.

Korra had reached the path to the fountain and lead Naga to a stop.

An explosion ripped through the right side of the building. Flames roared outward. Korra leaped off Naga, and fire bended the flames away from the crowd. Behind her, she heard the organizers calling out directions and leading the march away from the flying debris. Another explosion shook the building, and again Korra fire bended the flames away. 

“Secure the area!” Chief Beifong shouted. Officers ran to push back against the crowds and the marchers.

Korra ignored them and sprinted forward. People were trying to leave the building, but there was likely more trapped. The roof had started to collapse, and someone was trying to climb out of a window. Swirling up on a tornado of air, Korra caught the person, who had slipped and started to fall. The man gasped, shocked at the sight of her, and she deposited him on the ground. 

“Avatar Korra!” The chief bellowed at her. “Got people trapped on fourth floor! Fire brigade on its way!” 

“On it!” Korra swirled higher and dived through a window. She rolled and jumped to her feet. Smoke and fire raged around her, and she air bended the smoke away from her. Sprinting out of the room, she fire bended the flames out of her way and wished she had more water. Ahead she heard screams of pain. Tearing down doors as she went, she finally found the survivors, trapped in a large meeting room. Some were under the table, but others clustered by the window. 

“Follow me!” She waved at them and grabbed two survivors, who were nursing injuries on their legs. She tossed them over her shoulders in a fireman’s carry. The others fell into step behind her. The smoke and fire was intense and blocked the route to the stairs. She’d have to a carve a way. 

Breathing in deep, Korra shifted into the Avatar state, and energy coursed through her veins. Fire and air swept aside the smoke and fire to create a tunnel. Korra waved the people through and followed behind to hold the tunnel around them. The stairs were partially collapsed, and with a kick, Korra blasted a hole in the exterior wall. Flames licked out windows. The heat oppressive. 

“Hold on!” She leaped out the hole with the two she carried and air bended her way to the ground.

Several officers and fire brigaders had rushed into the alley, and she deposited the people at their feet. Bounding upward, she landed in front of the other seven. Most coughed and gasped, their faces reddened from heat.

“Gather close to me, everyone! We’re going for a ride!” The group clustered around her, some grabbing the back of her clothes and her belt. She swirled up the tornado and hurled them out of the building in a bubble of air. They landed with a bounce, and the survivors tumbled in all directions. 

A crack and a shudder passed through the ground. The building began to tremble. 

“Is there others up there?” Korra called to one of the survivors. 

A woman answered from where she sat, leaning against a lamppost. “Yes. Third floor! There’s no way out if the stairs are gone!” 

Korra nodded and ran again at the building. The energy of the Avatar state shot her up, and she slammed through the wall to the third floor. The ceiling caved, and flaming debris collapsed around her, but she pushed it aside. Tearing down doors again, she found others, some unconscious. 

“Everyone!” She shouted down the hallway. “I’ll create a tunnel for you! Move to me!”

She pushed her hands forward and a blast of air swept the smoke and fire down the hallway to the other side of the building. Holding back the fire, debris, and smoke, she clenched her teeth and waited as people stumbled out of doorways. Others dragged injured people, and they all hobbled her way. The ceiling shuddered, cracks appeared, and the flames roared against her hold. She pushed a hand the way she’d come to create another tunnel. 

“Go!” The survivors followed her command and ran or dragged others to the hole in the wall. Behind her, the fire brigade threw up a ladder and began to help the survivors out of the building.

Again the ceiling shook. It cracked and started to fall, but Korra slammed her hand upward and held it in place with all the elements. Sweat dripped down her face. The heat swelled. She waited, holding it all steady, until the last person stumbled past her.

“Is that it?” she asked, struggling to keep her hold. The fire battled her, and the destroyed upper floor crushed against her bending. 

“Yeah!” The woman grabbed the unconscious person near Korra and dragged her toward the exit.

There was only the person over Korra’s left shoulder and herself. She let the hallway in front of her go and focused only on the area above her and the path to the hole. The ceiling caved in with a crash and that side of the building shuddered. More debris tore through the third floor and into the second. 

Korra turned and walked back, holding the tunnel firm as she went. The person on her shoulder still hadn’t woken. The fire brigade worked to get the last two people out safely. “The lower floors?” Korra yelled at the fire brigader. 

“Evacuated!” The man answered. He held out his arms, and Korra knelt so he could slide off the unconscious person. “This all of them?” 

Korra nodded, stepped through the hole, and released her hold on the building. Exhaustion coated her senses,, and she fell out of the Avatar state. She dropped to the ground on a gust of wind and landed roughly. Stumbling, she backed away from the building and looked up to see it had partially collapsed. Water hoses and water bending soaked it’s front. The flames began to sink and fade. 

The horror of it finally hit Korra. Who would do this? Turning, she ran toward the water benders and fire brigaders at the front of the building. Their work was going too slow. Flames still licked the sides of the building and threatened a neighboring one. Korra reached the lines of men and woman in red and black fire-proof suits, clear masks over their faces. 

Reaching out, she felt the water in their trucks’ tanks and pushed it through faster. It shot out of their hoses in a furious display of raw power. She directed the torrent at the flames and doused the building in a massive shower. The flames extinguished. 

Cheers erupted from behind her. She turned to see the marchers in clusters. In front was the organizers, who helped water benders with injured near the edges of the police line.

Naga bounded up to her and butted her head against her hand. "Hey, I'm okay, girl," she reassured the polar bear dog, while rubbing her snout and behind her ears.

“Thanks, kid.” Chief Beifong walked up to Korra and regarded her somberly. “You did good in there. Saved a lot of lives.” 

Korra met the police chief’s gaze. The destroyed building was a testament to someone’s hatred of her people. Could it have been a Northerner? That ignited a flame of anger and pain within her. "Who did this? Was it Northerners?"

"We're investigating that. Can't speak to it until more is known. Just know, we'll get to the bottom of it." Lin turned and jogged back to her line of officers that helped the evacuated to safety beyond their perimeter.

To the right, Mako rounded the debris and jogged toward the Chief.

Korra turned and met him halfway. "Mako!" He skidded to a stop. His hair was slicked back with wetness, and his clothes were soaked. Had he been in the vicinity of when she'd flooded the fire? "The Northerners did this, didn't they?" Her anger had risen to a fever pitch. "They're way out of control!"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure it's them. Almost caught fire benders leaving the scene. Just don't jump to conclusions, okay?" He moved to pat her shoulder, but she jerked out of reach and stomped angrily away.

Chapter Text

Lobby of Future Industries Tower - two hours after the Southern Water Tribe Embassy Attack

At precisely six in the afternoon, Asami received a call from the Police Headquarters. Considering she’d just talked with San about the stolen documents that were currently burning a hole in her Idea Journal, the Police calling her now left her close to panic. Kyung had reassurred her that San, being a lawyer, took the agreement to not share her secret seriously. Which meant there was no reason to not take the call. Briefly, she had considered claiming to be too exhausted to talk, which though true would result in Kyung demanding she go home and rest, and there was too much to do.

So here she was, in the office, taking a call she did not want to take. “Asami Sato of-”

“Hey, it’s Mako.”

Asami had never been so relieved to hear Mako’s voice. She collapsed into her office chair. “Oh good, it’s just you, Mako.” 

“What?” He sounded confused. “What do you mean, ‘just you?’”

Oh. She’d said that out loud. “Nevermind. What do you need?”

He sighed.“Korra just left for your tower. Demanded I call you. So I called you.”

His words confused Asami. “Okay. First, why didn’t she call herself? Second, wasn’t she at that march?” As far as Asami remembered from past marches, especially during the reign of the bender council, marches took a very long time, partly due to the endless speakers and partly due to the endless walking. She’d assumed this one would be similar.

“I don’t know why!” Mako said, exasperated. “She just shoved the phone at me and told me to tell you she’s coming! And yes, she was at the march.”

Asami's exhaustion plus Mako's words only increased her bafflement. “But there’s no phones at a march…” It would have been outside for the march to even, well, march.

“Well, no. But there’s phones here. She had to give a statement at the headquarters.” 

“What?” Asami pressed a hand to her temple. “She… didn’t punch someone, did she?”

Truthfully, there was likely a lot of people in Republic City that deserved a good punch. The only other possibility, if it hadn’t been Korra herself, was she witnessed something bad happen.

“Wait, is she okay? Did someone attack her?” If someone had attacked Korra, then Asami had every intention of being the one giving the statement for punching someone, and she wouldn’t feel the slightest guilt.

“Actually, this time, it wasn’t her.” Mako sounded surprised at his own words. “No, no one attacked her. And, before you ask, I can’t really talk about what happened,” Mako hedged. “Suffice to say, the march didn’t end well.” 

“What do you mean? Did the marchers do something?” Asami felt like she was playing a game of sixty-six questions. A game she thoroughly despised. “Mako, out with it already.” Irritation filtered into her voice.

“Not them. Look, it’s a police investigation now. Korra will probably tell you.” Mako sighed heavily. “Just, be careful, okay? The tensions here are high, and everyone now knows the four of us escaped the blockade down south.” 

That was not a warning she wanted to hear. Which meant Korra had given a speech about their activities. Asami pressed a hand to her temple. This was going to complicate her plan, wasn’t it? “I’m always careful, Mako. You know that.” 

“Not when you’re with Korra,” Mako pointed out. “I swear the two of you just… feed off one another’s energy.” 

He wasn’t wrong. But the words ‘feed off’ still offended her. “I assure you that I will be careful when with Korra too. You be careful as well. I’d like all of us in one piece, thank you.”

Team Avatar was essentially her family now, along with the air bender family. She needed them to all be okay. Perhaps that was selfish of her, but then, she’d been doing her best to keep them all alive, so it evened out in the end, right?

“Will try. So see you at eight?”

“Yes.”

While still on the yacht, Asami had originally suggested Team Avatar meet here, but Korra had shot that down saying there was no food. That had offended Asami; there was food. A cafeteria did exist, though Asami hadn’t ever stepped foot in it. Perhaps she shouldn’t have admitted that, since Bolin had been scandalized, Mako had asked if the food was that bad, and Korra had definitively decided Air Temple was the meeting place. 

“Mako,” thinking of that conversation reminded Asami of Varrick, “do something for me.” 

“What is with you two and asking me to do-” Mako started to exclaim, but Asami interrupted him. 

“This is for Bolin, okay? Don’t let Varrick monopolize your brother. Varrick’s not trustworthy.”

She pondered if it was worth sharing her findings with Mako, but then decided against it. As a police officer, he might feel the need to drag this to Lin, and that would spoil her plan to leak it all to the press. No, she’d have to guard the secret close. 

“Oh. In that case, we’re in agreement.” Mako hung up after that. 

Well, he seemed to be taking things better than when they first pulled into the docks. Asami sighed and dropped the phone into its cradle. She had a headache, been nursing one since her talk with San, and no amount of tea seemed to help. A nap sounded better, but she didn’t want to leave Korra waiting either.

Asami gathered up her things and headed into the workshop portion of the office. Kyung was bent over the design table, her brown hair in a curtain around her face. Radio was off, which was usual for Kyung's intense concentration.

“Kyung, shouldn’t you head home?” 

Kyung looked up. “Not until you do.” She stood and put her hands on her hips, her tone almost motherly, except she was only five years older than Asami, so definitely did not look the part. “You just got back from a harrowing ordeal, came here to lead several intense meetings, and already working yourself to the bone?” 

That call out hit a little too close to home. “In my defense, life hasn’t really given me a vacation.” Asami gestured vaguely to the universe in general. “First my father’s betrayal, the Equalists, Amon, cleaning up Future Industries, Kanna leaving, Dad’s trial, the trip south, battling dark spirits, helping Avatar Korra’s investigation, testifying at another trial…” she trailed off as she’d run out of fingers to count off. “I really need a vacation.”

To her surprise, Kyung laughed. “That you do. I’ll lock up tonight, okay? Go rest.” 

“All right, point taken.” Asami let her head of design and research win this round. “Resting I will do.”

She slung her red bag over her shoulders and headed to the elevator. Once inside, she hit the ground floor button and hoped no one entered. Quiet for a bit to compartmentalize the day - week - would be nice.

To her dismay, Gaolin entered on floor fifteen. 

“Good afternoon, Ms. Sato,” he said gruffly. His black beard hung down to his chest in a braid, and his hair was slicked back in a typical pull over style of older businessmen. “May I ask for your ear since we’re here?”

“Certainly, Gaolin. What can I do for you?” She kept her voice neutral.

What was with men and their irritating tendency to accost her in elevators? It ought to be a criminal offense. Maybe she should make it a rule that all people must set up a meeting with her to have her ear. Except, she needed to hire a personal assistant for that. Another thing to add to her list.

“I wish to speak of the mech conversion process. Don’t you think we’d sell for much higher if we kept them primed for war?” He glanced at her over the rim of his glasses, being a head shorter. 

“No.” Asami disliked this man almost as much as Zoryu. She took full advantage of their height difference to stare down at him. “First, I will honor the agreements already made. Second, the construction field is a steady market for new technology. Benders and nonbenders could work side by side on similar tasks, provide better support for one another’s work, and mechs could augment benders’ bending. I believe if we focus efforts on reaching those companies to aid them in their worker shortage so that they can tap into the nonbender labor force, we’d be able to sell the units as soon as the conversion is completed.” 

“Hmmm. I read your proposal, and it’s ambitious, but we near bankruptcy. Ambition means little with no money, which I am sure you know.” Gaolin smiled, thinly. “The shareholders are displeased…”

“Our employees and our customers are my goals, Gaolin,” Asami said, with forced patience. “I heard what the shareholders said in our meeting, I acknowledge it, but I believe they play their hands too conservatively. With what we determined concerning our deal with Varrick, we should be in a much better place within a month.” 

Especially if her plan worked. Once she’d explained her goals beyond the leak, San had offered her a lovely clause to their corrections to Varrick’s deal. If all worked as planned, they’d be in the gold in no time. San and Kyung were the only ones who knew of this plan, and she preferred to keep it that way. All of them knew how risky this was. San had gone over the consequences twice with her. That’s when he learned how stubborn she was. 

That’s why it had to work.

“If you say so.” Gaolin tipped his head in a bow. “I hope you have a good evening.” The doors opened and he exited on floor nine. 

After the doors closed, Asami heaved a sigh of relief. She leaned against the back wall and looked up at the ceiling. A painting of the sky had been placed there at her bequest, mostly for her amusement since she doubted anyone stood in the elevator to stare at its ceiling. Now it gave her something calm to look at.

The elevator dinged, and Asami exited, only to skid to a stop at the sight of Korra in the lobby, arguing with a guard. On the other side of the entrance, Naga lay looking mournfully through the lobby’s glass wall. Korra, on the other hand, was marked with soot, and a streak of ash crossed her left cheek. 

“Korra!” Alarm caused her voice to squeak. “Are you okay?”

Korra turned. “Asami!” She gestured to the guard. “This guy won’t let Naga inside!” 

Asami walked up to the guard, who like Gaolin was also shorter than her. “Naga is always welcome inside Future Industries,” she looked down at him, one hand on her hip. “Please record that for future visits, understood?”

“Yes, Ms. Sato!” He did a flustered bow and hurried back to his post. 

“Now, will you please explain…?” Asami gestured to the ash. “Mako was not helpful.”

“Oh.” Korra looked down at her arms and clothes. “That. I guess that means you don’t want a hug?” She held out her arms with a lopsided grin. 

Asami crossed her arms over her chest. “That won’t work on me. Out with it. What happened?”

She actually wouldn’t have minded the hug, but ash stains weren’t easy to get off clothes, and Asami despised the smell of smoke. 

Korra sighed. “The Southern Water Tribe Embassy.” Her shoulders drooped, and she looked tired. “The march had gotten to the edge of that plaza, when the embassy just exploded. I ran in and held back the fire and debris to get folks out. Helped the fire brigade stop the fires. Mako tells me to not jump to conclusions, but who else but Northerners would do this? Three people died!” 

The pain in Korra’s voice demanded an answer. “Korra…” Except, Asami didn’t know what to say. If words wouldn’t come, maybe practicality would help. Asami stepped forward and grasped Korra’s hand. Korra leaned her forehead against Asami’s shoulder. The stench of smoke assaulted Asami's nose, which ramped up her anxiety. She counted slowly in her mind to keep herself from calm. Smoke had often given her flashbacks of the fire that killed her mother, but she'd gotten better at handling it. Today, she shouldered through it and wrapped an arm around the Avatar. “How about we get you cleaned up? And some food in you?”

Korra nodded. “Air temple island?” 

“Sure.” She still felt strange about staying at the Island without the air bender family, but if Korra was there, then stay there she would. Besides, as painful as the Air Temple’s beds could be, it was better than her office sofa.

As Korra and her left the building, Asami found herself doing a scan of the area, partly from habit and partly because Korra had blurted to the world that they were fugitives from the Southern Crisis. Even after they mounted Naga to ride through the streets at a breakneck pace, Asami refused to let down her guard. If people were bombing Southern embassies, then Asami was determined to make sure no one sneaked up on them.

***

Asami made tea as Korra showered. The documents in her idea journal weighed heavily on her. The bombing had only intensified the knife’s edge she walked. Varrick would be considered a victim since he had mostly funded the embassy, so the timing of the leak would prove even more delicate. Not that she had enough on her plate.

She'd already done a walk around the buildings, verifying that only White Lotus guards existed, and even them she eyed with distrust. How would she know if they were truly White Lotus? As she measured the leaves, she had to admit their time in the South had made her a trifle paranoid. But was it paranoia when they'd actually been followed in the South to their detriment?

Her thoughts were disrupted when Korra walked in, a towel slung over one shoulder, her clothes looking the same except cleaner. Times like these made Asami wonder if all of Korra’s clothes were just the same outfit ad infinitum. Would the Avatar be offended if Asami bought her something different? Just for the sake of it? She'd keep it blue.

“Hey, you hungry?” Korra tossed the towel into the sink.

“Yes.” Asami realized with a start that she’d not eaten since their breakfast on the yacht before they’d reached the docks. 

“I’ll make something.” Korra rummaged through the cabinets and icebox to pull out various vegetables and grains. “It’ll be a vegetarian dish. No meat here.”

Asami nodded and poured tea for both of them. She pushed one cup toward Korra and sipped her own. “How was the march?”

Korra assembled her ingredients and went to work chopping them up, measuring out spices, and laying out the oils for the pan frying. “The march was really great, you know?” She paused to take a sip of tea. “There were these four water tribers, Arnoq, Ruk, Kara, and Nu, and they organized the whole thing. Ruk’s parents own a bar in the Water district, and they invited us there. Kara is assistant to the Southern Water Tribe ambassador, and she said she had some tips on how to talk to the folks in the parliament. She seemed to think Raiko was a dead end. But I figure we ought to try him first, right?”

“Yes.” The tips San had given her hadn’t provide much hope for her either. 

As the oil started to sizzle, Korra added in vegetables and sauce. “So they asked me to give a speech of what’s really happening down there. I guess folks here don’t know the whole story? That part went well. It was when we got to the embassy that things exploded. Literally.” Korra leaned against the counter to watch the vegetables, somberly. “Half the embassy collapsed. I saved as many as I could.” 

The sorrow in her voice stung Asami’s heart. “That’s all you can do, Korra.”

“But three still died!” Korra looked at her, upset. “If I’d known where they were, maybe I could have-“

Asami lightly touched her arm. “Korra. You didn’t know. Their deaths are not your fault. Think of the ones you saved, ok?” 

The Avatar sighed heavily. “All right.” She stirred the food and set up another pan, this time for the grains. “What about you? How did things go at work?” 

Asami wasn’t sure why she was surprised Korra had asked, but she was. She looked down at her tea and swirled it in her cup. “A lot of pressure to sell the mechs to the South. I refused. Convinced them it’d be better to convert to construction mechs. Provided a plan on how we could achieve that, and…” she trailed off and pondered if she should explain what she’d found about Varrick to Korra. 

“And…?” Korra looked at her. “Did something else happen?” 

“In a way.” No, she couldn’t lie to Korra. That was not a thing they did. “I may have done something illegal when we were searching for Varrick. Before we found him in that ridiculous suit.”

“You? Illegal?” Korra sounded surprised. 

Asami winced. “Don’t tell anyone this, okay? Not Mako and definitely not Bolin. In fact, I shouldn’t even be saying it out loud really.” She sighed heavily. Korra was looking at her in alarm now. “I picked the locks on Varrick’s desk. Searched his files, and…” Oh spirits, she should just say it. “I stole quite a few documents.”

The startled look Korra had made Asami wince. Before Korra could respond, Asami leaned toward her, a little desperate to redeem herself in the Avatar’s eyes. “Look, I had to! It was evidence we needed!” 

Korra tilted her head. “I’m not upset. Just surprised. What did you find?”

That made her feel a little better. “The documents were contracts with someone up North. I had my company lawyer review them with me.” She hesitated again. This part was tricky. She didn’t want to reveal her plan directly, but she could maybe hint at it?

Korra sprinkled in spices and folded them into the dish. “What’d you find?”

“The funds from the Northerner was riddled with stipulations. One that stood out was blocking all attempts to build a Southern Tradition and Spiritual archive.”

Korra scowled. “That two-faced liar. Ought to punch in his smug face!”

“Korra, it gets worse. Stipulations in other contracts involved locations on where to build, how deep to go, and other oddly exact items. I think someone surveyed the area and chose them specifically to anger the spirits.” She sipped her tea, gazing out toward the dining area. “I have a plan on what to do with this. But…” 

“But what?” Korra pulled plates from the cabinet. The anger was still apparent in her voice.

Asami didn’t know how to explain. In fact, she felt like a hypocrite, and she didn’t want Korra to think badly of her. So the silence stretched between them, while Korra finished cooking the meal. 

“Okay… if you don’t want to say, you don’t have to, Asami.” Korra dished the food onto the plates. “I want to help though. To support you like you do me.” She held out a plate. Fried teriyaki vegetables were layered over a bed of rice with pickled carrots on the side. It certainly smelled good.

“Thanks.” With a shaky smile, Asami took it and followed Korra to the dining table. She settled on a pillow next to the Avatar, while Korra took the head of the table - the spot Pema or Tenzin usually sat. Asami ate for a bit and considered how to best explain. 

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you,” she finally said. “If I pull this off, you’d get help, and I could save my company. If I fail, it’s… going to go very badly for me, and I want to do everything I can to make sure none of you go down with me.”

Korra shook her head. “No, not that again. Remember when I was your witness for that lawyer stuff? You told me you didn’t want me to go down with you?” Korra waved her fork vaguely toward the south. “Look at what we did down south. For spirits sake, we helped start a war when we broke my father out of jail. So why can’t I do the same here for you?” 

Asami looked at her, baffled. “First, your uncle started that war. Second, your father was wrongfully imprisoned, and third, that was a Team Avatar mission. This is mostly my troubles.”

Korra reached over and grasped Asami’s hand. “Asami, why do you act like your troubles aren’t as important?”

“Because they aren’t?” Asami was already flustered by Korra’s hand gripping her own, but for her to stay that? That was endearing but simply not true. “The world won’t end if my company fails. The world might if your missions fail.” 

With a frustrated huff, Korra flung her hands upward. “When you put it like that, okay. But that’s not my point.” She pointed her fork at Asami. “I want to help, even if it means going down in flames with you.”

Asami laid her fork down. “How can you say that without knowing what the plan even is?” 

“Because I trust you.” Korra scraped off the last of the dish and ate it, then slowly pulled the fork out to suck off the teriyaki. 

Asami found that movement highly distracting, so she took a deep breath and focused on the details of her plate instead.

“The less people know, the less chance it’ll get back to Varrick. Right now only one person knows the entire plan, the second knows part of it, and you know it exists.”

“How come that one person gets to know all of it?” Korra pointed her fork at Asami again. 

“Because he’s the lawyer helping me try to pull this off. Unofficially.” Asami gave up. “Let me put it this way. I’m trying to lay a trap for Varrick. I’m also trying to get the truth in the hands of the public, so everyone will see what we’ve seen. That part I’m doing anonymously. The trap though depends entirely on the very thing I criticized Unalaq for. Deliberate obfuscation. I have to play their game for this to work. Which makes me a hypocrite, okay?” 

“You’re not a hypocrite," Korra countered. She dropped her fork onto her plate with a clatter. "So how can I help?”

Frustrated, Asami gathered up the dishes to distract herself by washing them. Except, Korra stubbornly followed and prodded her for an answer.

“To be honest,” Asami said as she scrubbed perhaps a bit too hard on the dishes. “I’m not sure how you can help. Beyond forcing Varrick to sign our deal. Or maybe writing up your account of the dark spirit attacks.”

“Okay. I’ll do it.” Korra dried the dishes and put them back in the cabinet. Her smile was very different from the brash and cocky one during fights; this one was soft, tender almost but with a hint of mischief.

Biting her lip, Asami dried her hands and turned to look at the dining area, both hands on the counter behind her. Should she clarify as to what Korra meant? Asami had given her two options after all. After a moment, she decided to let the dice fall where they fell.

“So, we ought to go over what we’ll say to Raiko.” 

“Right!” Korra grabbed her hand and led the way to the den. She pulled Asami down next to her on the hard-backed sofa. “Varrick will do whatever he does, but I figured we’d share our entire story in depth. So Raiko can understand the stakes.” 

Asami thought back to San’s words. “No, some context may help, but from what I’ve been told, Raiko responds more to favors. Which I suppose means campaign money.” She doubted that would convince him to aid the South, even if she scrounged up a large sum to contribute. The idea left her feeling a bit unsettled.

“Wait, money? Like a bribe?” Korra recoiled in horror. “I thought this system was supposed to be better.”

That was a blunt way to describe political favors. “It’s technically called lobbying. Happened with the bender council too.” Asami shrugged. “Most companies and resident action groups use that system. Those using it claim it's supposed to give minorities a voice.”

“Wait, give minorities a voice? But how if it involves money? Most folks don’t have your kind of wealth.”

Asami winced at the mention of her wealth. She knew Korra wasn't point it out to be cruel, though at the moment, all of Asami’s savings was being drained to survive without any paycheck until the end of the year. That included covering the wretched mansion’s taxes.

“True, not having money would make it difficult to use the lobbying system.” She sighed. “Most companies have a lobbying department to be honest.”

“Does yours?” The look of alarm on Korra’s face was still present. 

“Uhh…” That was a good question. Asami tallied up the departments that still had employees. “I guess not. We did though. I can’t afford to hire anyone right now though.”

“But you’re okay with bribing politicians?”

Asami leaned back against the hard wood and looked up at the whorls in the ceiling. “I don’t know what to think of it to be honest. Dad used it a lot. I thought it was gross at first too, but he told me it’s standard business practice." She paused at the reminder of him. "But then I guess secretly creating mechs for Amon to wage war on our city and trying to kill us is also business for him, so maybe I shouldn’t blindly trust his words.” The bitterness crept into her tone despite her best attempts to hide it. Her mind decided this was the perfect moment to unleash that wretched flashback of her father's fury breaking the glass of her mech, the moment she thought she was about to die.

Korra suddenly hugged her, and her earthy smell exorcised the memory from Asami's mind. “Hey, I didn’t mean to upset you.” 

Asami breathed in deep to center herself with Korra and leaned against the Avatar's side. “No, it’s okay. And you’re right. Let’s try a different tactic.”

To her surprise, Korra shifted to keep one arm around Asami, while one of her legs touched Asami’s own. This was absolutely lovely. Except, it was not helping her ability to think straight. Neither was her exhaustion.

“I could punch him.”

Asami leaned forward enough to look at Korra’s face and was relieved to see she was smiling. “Maybe if he turns out a coward.” When Korra seemed to seriously consider her words, Asami hastened to add, “I’m just joking, Korra. No punching allowed for now, okay? We’ll save that for Vaatu or your uncle.” 

Korra nodded, her tone dead serious. “Deal.”

Asami's tired brain pictured Unalaq's face being punched, and it was quite the satisfying image. She shifted so she could sort of lean her head on Korra’s shoulder. The day had caught up to her. A nap sounded better than trying to concentrate on planning. Maybe she’d just let the dice fall where they would on this too. 

Chapter Text

BOLIN

Republic City - night, Temporary Arena near the Docks

Varrick led Bolin to the edge of the arena. “Now see here, kid. We got to introduce you so everyone who sees Nuktuk will be excited to know you are the star.” He spread his hand in the air in front of Bolin. “Just picture them chanting your name! Now, all you gotta do is get them riled up. You nearly won that probending championship. Play off it!” Varrick dragged him out beyond the curtained area. 

Bolin walked, uneasily, with Varrick onto the raised stone platform and looked up at the stands of people that surrounded the central arena. The stands were completely full, despite being made of metal and set up hurriedly in the space around the make-shift arena. The ground had been painted to look similar to a pro-bending arena, though without the water, Bolin wasn’t sure how this place would work for that. 

Varrick released him and snagged a microphone from its stand. “Welcome one and all to Varrick Industries’s biggest announcement of the year!” He placed a hand on Bolin’s shoulder and guided him to the center of the arena. “My friends and I have escaped the evil clutches of Chief Unalaq who has brought war and devastation upon my people. I have gone to great lengths and peril to document the horrors brought upon us. Today we will start the production of the next big mover hit! Bolin, of the Fire Ferrets, will be the star of my new mover semi-documentary: Nuktuk: Hero of the South!” 

Varrick handed off the microphone to Shiro Shinobi - the announcer for pro-bending - and gave Bolin a hard pat on the back. Bolin managed a shaky smile. The crowd cheered, and a chant of his name echoed through the stands.

"Folks, that cheer you're hearing is for local favorite, Bolin, of the Fire Ferrets. Let's see if we can get a quick interview. Bolin!" Shiro Shinobi turned to Bolin with a smile. His mustache drooped in the humidity, his hair slicked back, but he looked almost regal in his fancy green suit and vest. Bolin still wore his green tunic and trousers from their ship ride north.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Bolin discovered that if he ended his boring rambles of way too much feelings with “give it up for my fans!” or “isn’t republic city grand!” then everyone would cheer and shout in excitement. Who would have thought that a few key words would capture the public so intently?

“You’re a natural at this!” Varrick had his arm around Bolin’s shoulders. They headed back toward Varrick’s satomobile. “I think we’ve found your calling.” He grinned and winked at the boy. “Now, we’re going to start the film shooting tomorrow. But how about you help me out. Korra, Asami, and I are meeting up with Raiko tomorrow before the film shoot. Is there anything I ought to know beforehand? To be on the same page?” Zhu Li had hurried ahead to move the satomobile closer.

Bolin started to speak but then stopped. Pabu curled up around his neck and chittered in his ear, and it reminded him of how adamant Asami had been about not sharing their plans. With anyone. She’d stopped Korra after they docked too, and Asami was his chosen sister. He couldn’t betray her trust, but yet, shouldn’t Varrick have a better idea of how to help them? “They’re going to ask Raiko to aid the south. But also warn him about the dark spirits.” That was safe enough.

“Dark spirits?” Varrick waved his hand dismissively. “Hogwash, this is about Chief Unalaq using his spiritbending to wreck havoc on my people!” He thrust his finger into the air dramatically. “I have it on good authority that Unalaq is corrupting those spirits! He just used that portal nonsense as an excuse to invade!” 

“Uh, whose authority?” Bolin was confused. They stopped at the edge of the road, while Zhu Li pulled up and parked.

Varrick threw open the door to his Satomobile and grinned. “Why the Avatar of course!” Bolin stared at him, startled. When had Korra said that? He thought back through the Team Avatar conversations and remembered Asami suggesting it, Korra being open to the possibility, but neither confirming. He also did not remember Varrick talking with Korra alone, especially since he'd spent most of his time with Varrick, while Korra was with either Asami - far more likely these days - or Mako.

"But when did you talk to Korra?" The words tumbled out of his mouth, and he blanched. His mouth once again ran itself before he could think it through.

Varrick only laughed. "Many a time! It was a long voyage, kid." He ushered Bolin into the vehicle and slammed the door shut.

MAKO

Republic City - Police Headquarters 

Mako had to admit that Asami was right. Bolin was in another potentially bad situation with someone that should not be trusted. In fact, Mako worried that all of them were in a bad situation. Part of that stemmed from the remote controls he’d found when he’d chased the fire benders after the embassy bombing. Second part of that was Korra's speech about their escape was now being broadcast along with news of the bombing on nearly every news station. So whoever bombed the building now knew they were in town and had sided with the rebels. Great, more things to worry about.

He sighed and rested his arms on the desk in front of the suspect book. Behind him and on the other side of the aisle, other cops worked at their desks writing up their reports or taking a dinner break. It was late in the day.

His trouser pocket weighed heavily on him. One of the remotes he'd given to the Chief for evidence, but the other lay in his pocket. He’d likely be thrown off the force for withholding evidence if found out. He figured he’d destroy it after he had Asami examine it. Or better yet, Asami could destroy it after she figured out how it works, so that no one ever needed to know he’d just done the stupidest thing in his life. 

The detectives working the embassy case ambled out of the Chief’s office. Gang pulled a muffin from his pocket - seriously? thought Mako - and bit into it.

“So how’s the beat cop today?” The taller one, Lu, slapped his desk. “Still hoping for the big case to break?” His partner laughed, and the pair wandered off to irritate someone else. Incompetent idiots. 

He returned to flipping through the book of known criminals and triad members. The fire benders he’d seen somewhere, but he couldn’t recall where. His best guess was they were part of a triad. Technically his shift was over, but staying to look wouldn’t hurt. He skimmed through each page. None of the known Triple Threats fit the bill. He flipped to Tera Triads.

“Mako, get your ass up and go home.” The Chief exited her office and pointed at the door. “I need you ready for the beat tomorrow morning.” 

With her looking at him, he wouldn't be able to tuck this under his arm and take it with him, so he left the book as is. “Yes, ma’am.” 

He still had two hours before Team Avatar scheduled to meet. Where would Bolin be? He could try Varrick’s yacht or the house Varrick owned in Republic City. The yacht seemed the best bet.

He threaded his way through the office, down the stairs, but paused by the door to the equipment floor. Taking the chance, he opened the door and walked to the photo lab. A lone technician worked in the dark room, their humming surprisingly in tune and quite pretty sounding. No one else was there, so Mako signed out a camera and film using Lu and Gang’s names mostly to spite them. He figured Asami likely had a dark room somewhere; she was rich enough, right?

He hurried into the garage where his assigned motorcycle was parked. To his irritation, streamers and toilet wipes had been tossed all over it. He suspected Lu and Gang, but had no real proof. It took nearly ten minutes to clean it off and throw it in a proper trash bin. 

Revving the engine, he headed up the ramp to the streets. The remote in his pocket gave him an idea, and he headed back to the scene. The embassy’s entire right side was collapsed and the left was slowly deteriorating. The beauty of the building lost, its garden crushed, and the fountain drained of water. 

The metal bending officers guarding it only waved at him when he stepped over the police tape. With his hands in his pocket and the camera in a strap around his chest, he walked around the perimeter of the blast zone. He started with where he’d sighted the fire benders leaving the crime scene. Going slowly around the perimeter, he took pictures of each section until he reached the other side of the building. Korra’s holes were marked with broken beams and shattered stone. 

He thought about going inside, but the instability of the building wasn’t something he wanted to risk. So he headed back to his motorcycle and drove down to the docks. The sea breeze was cool today, and the air thick with moisture and the smell of brine and oil. Mako locked up his motorcycle against the platinum racks installed along the street by the stairs to the docks. 

Varrick’s yacht was lit like a pro-bending arena despite fact night hadn’t fully fallen. The exterior white and blue, but the lights gave it a rainbow hue. The docks seemed even busier than they had been when they’d first pulled in earlier that day. Workers rushed to and fro with sleds full of crates. Mako paused to watch, and noted that a few of the sleds had crates marked with Varrick Industries on the side. Those went to a large container ship a few piers to the right of Varrick’s yacht. 

A bouncer stopped his progress up Varrick’s gangplank. The man was as huge as Tonraq in stature. “State your business.”

“I’m Mako, Bolin’s brother? I wanted to remind him of our meeting tonight with the Avatar.” He figured a name drop couldn’t hurt. 

The bouncer frowned at him but turned and shouted at another person outside of Mako’s line of sight. “Wait here.” 

Mako sighed and turned back to examine the bustling workers. Ten minutes passed then fifteen before Bolin burst out of the yacht and bounded up to the bouncer and Mako. 

“Hey Mako!” Bolin grinned. “Glad of you to come! So much cool things happening!” 

“Did you forget we’re meeting the others at eight tonight?” Mako glared at him, frustrated. 

“Oh yeah! Let’s go!” Bolin patted the shoulder of the bouncer, who continued to glare at Mako, and fell into pace next to his brother. “So, is the ferry still up? What with the air benders on vacation?” 

Mako hadn’t checked, but he assumed it would be, or else there was no getting to the island. He led the way down the quay to where the ferry usually was, and to his relief, a White Lotus member sat on a stool next to it playing cards with another guard.

“Hey, we need a lift to the island?” Mako asked. 

The ride over was saturated with Bolin’s extravagant tale of how Varrick took him to the makeshift arena by the ruins of the pro-bending arena. How he’d been interviewed as a Fire Ferret and impressed the crowds with his prowess and adventures. Mako wondered how much of it was true. His brother was a terrible public speaker and why Mako had done most of the interviews, but he was too frustrated and tired to prod the truth out of Bolin. He wondered if this is what Asami felt like listening to Bolin’s long stories. 

“Hey guys!” Korra waved when they disembarked. She'd been standing on the pier, rocking back and forth on her heels. “I made us some food.” She led the way up the winding path to the main house. 

The island was eerily quiet without the chaos of the air bender kids. Gave it a spooky feel that Mako, and apparently Bolin as he’d thankfully shut up, didn’t like. The White Lotus guards kept to their circuits, but none of them spoke and most moved far too quietly for Mako’s liking. At least being an mountainous island, it was well fortified.

They found Asami in the den. She bolted upright at their entrance, the blanket falling from her shoulders, and her hair all askew. Mako had never seen her this rumpled, not even the one time they slept together. Her hair had always been perfect and her demeanor polished. Here she blinked at them as if coming out of a dream, her body and face lined with fatigue. She frowned and quickly combed through her hair with her fingers. 

“Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” Her voice had a flat affect. 

“Hey, it’s okay! You needed it.” Korra grinned at her and patted her shoulder. “I’ll set up dinner. Bo, wanna help?”

“Sure!” He eagerly dashed out with Korra, leaving Mako and Asami alone. 

“So.” Mako scuffed his foot against the floor. “I got some things for you to look at.”

“Oh?” Asami had managed to get her hair looking almost normal. 

Mako pulled the camera trap over his head and placed it on the table in front of the wooden and horribly uncomfortable sofa. How had Asami managed to sleep on that thing? he wondered.

"Do you have access to a dark room? I took detailed images of the blast zone. I need a technical eye on it." 

Asami tilted her head, confused. "I thought you said you couldn't discuss the case with me."

"Well, that was before I found out two incompetent hacks were assigned the case." Mako scowled. "They're immature too. Ribboned my cycle. Worse, they’re buying the story it was the Northerners and haven’t even followed up with any of the witnesses beyond Korra and the ambassador. We had a whole slew of them - hundreds showed up to that march."

"You don't think it was the North that did it." When he shook his head, Asami thoughtfully tapped her chin. "It is rather... convenient timing if they had."

Her words helped Mako feel a bit more confident in his theories. The engineer's deductive reasoning had really impressed him lately.

Asami turned the camera over in her hands. "And yes, there's a dark room at the mansion." She sighed. "I'd rather not go there, but since it's for a good cause, I'll do it tomorrow morning. That good enough?"

"Yeah." He didn't want to mention the fire benders to her. She didn't need to know the full case to help.

"There's another thing." He pulled out his police gloves and took out the sack containing the remote control. “Found two at the scene at the embassy. Gave one to the chief, but I don’t trust those two detectives.” He handed her the bag. “Can you take this apart and tell me how it works?”

Asami raised her eyebrows. “Going the illegal route. I like it.” She dug into her red bag and pulled out her own gloves. Gingerly, she took out the remote and turned it over in her hands. Her eyebrows crunched together in thought.

Mako had always found that expression especially adorable. He wondered if it was worth trying another relationship with her, but that would shatter the friendship that was stabilizing between them. Best to stop dating the girls on Team Avatar, he decided.

It probably shouldn’t have surprised him that she pulled out an entire toolset from that small red bag, but it did. He wondered if the bag was somehow bigger on the outside, especially when she next pulled out a blueprint pad and pens. She’d left it open next to her on the couch, and he could see clothes in it too. Definitely had to be bigger on the inside. Probably some nifty engineering trick she’d done to achieve that. 

She unscrewed the cover of the remote device and unveiled its innards - a mess of wires, batteries, tubes, some sort of weird looking electronic box, and a button. “Interesting. They’re using a radio frequency to transmit the signal.” She pointed to the tubes first and then the box. “The vacuum tubes amplifies the signal created from the button pressure here, which then gets converted into a radio frequency and transmitted here.” She pointed out each part. “It’s genius really. Why didn’t I think of this?”

“Probably for the best since that remote is how they blew the explosives.”

Mako felt a bit relieved that Asami didn’t have any device like this. Meant she was less likely to become a suspect, not that she could have been since she was seen by multiple witnesses working in Future Industries. Still, there was really only a handful of people who could manufacture these devices in town. If the detectives had been worth their salt, they'd have checked into businesses like Asami's to see if any had produced similar tech that might have been sold or given to the suspects. Keun Enterprises, Cabbage Corp, and Varrick's Industries were also high on the list of possible places that would have the technology and know-how to produce these things.

Though, a thought occurred to him. "Do you think someone could cobble this together on their own from spare parts? Or did this require a lab?"

Asami’s frowns held a mixture of beauty and deadliness, especially now that Mako knew how easily she could take him out. Before he’d seen her take down her father and the equalists in her father’s secret factory, he’d found the frown more endearing rather than scary. Now he knew it to be the warning it was. 

“Considering the handiwork of this particular remote, whoever crafted it was not an amateur." She pointed to the vacuum tube and its neighboring box. "These items alone are incredibly expensive to produce. They also look relatively knew which makes it less likely they were scavenged. Was it made in an engineering lab? I don't know, but someone gave the designer the components to build this."

She tapped the box component again. "As for how it works, this signal requires a receiver. For this to trigger the bombs, a receiver would either need to be mounted on the bomb itself, or at least placed on the starter that would light a fuse to the bomb.” She drew a fairly detailed sketch of the remote, a pattern of waves to symbolize the signal, and a rough drawing of a receiver on a bomb. “Most receivers  range from ten to twenty centimeters in length for most radios. If only one signal is used, the corresponding box wouldn't need to be too thick either.” Asami glanced at Mako. “Won’t bore you with the details of how receivers work.” She tapped the wires she’d drawn from the receiver to the bomb itself. “This is likely where the fuse would be attached to the receiver. To light it, the receiver must have had a starter rigged to spark once the signal is received.” 

Mako pulled out his writing pad and took notes, grateful she'd kept her explanation in layperson terms. When she got too excited, she had a tendency to lapse into full engineer-speak, which quickly lost him. Made him wish he'd had the money for a primer course on engineering. Although the government had started to subsidize education, making it pretty cheap these days, Mako still didn't have enough savings for much more than his apartment, gas, and food. It'd likely help his goal to be a detective too. He'd have to check the benefits of his job to see if taking a course here and there was included.

“So, this is a pretty complicated mechanism?” 

“No, it’s simple really.” Asami leaned back and looked at him with raised eyebrows. 

“I mean, complicated for someone like me. Or for say a member of the triads.” Mako knew from experience that most people in the Triple Threat Triads couldn’t walk their way around a radio let alone something like this, even the nonbenders in their triad had been of dubious intellect. He knew from experience. The Tera Triad wasn’t much better. Creeping Crystal and Agni Kai though had a few members that were more likely to get a handle on tech stuff, particularly long-distance weapons like darts or flamethrowers.

“Oh. Then I guess yes, it could be.” Asami tore the sketch off her pad and handed it to him. “In case you need it later. Want me to tuck this all back in your bag?”

Mako shook his head. “Toss it in the bay or do whatever you want with it, just don’t let it leave this island. Lu and Gang, the detectives on this, seem to have a beef with me. I don't want to give them fodder to make my life worse.” Mako sighed. “I don’t trust them to solve this case.” 

Asami nodded. “You’ll figure it out.” 

“Hey! Guys! Food!” Bolin poked his head in the room. “Oh, whatcha doing?” He wandered over to the table, where Asami had dismantled the remote. “Woah, what’s that?”

“A remote that triggers…” Asami trailed off at Mako’s quick shake of his head. “... things. Was looking into how it worked.” 

“That’s way neat!” Bolin pointed at the casing. “Hey, remember back in Varrick’s mansion? There was that whole hallway of display cases?” Bolin spread his arms wide. “I could have sworn there was something like that there. But bigger! And next to it was this box. I didn't get a look at the display label though.”

“Oh.” Asami leaned back, her eyes widening. “Oh, you’re right, Bo. There was a remote and receiver on display there.” 

Mako stared at them. Varrick. That’s right, Varrick also had the money, technology, and skills to create these things. He also had motive to blame it on the North. Unlikely he’d be at the crime scene committing the act, but buying off a triad to do it? Seemed like something a crook like Varrick would do. He shifted the man to the number one spot on his suspect list.

Chapter Text

Air Temple Island - 171 AG Winter - After Escaping the South

Asami paced in the rock garden of Air Temple Island. Her red bag of supplies included the camera Mako had given her. She had said she’d develop the film at the mansion this morning, but instead of marching down to the docks to head across the bay, she had put her bag down to pace instead. 

She had not returned to the mansion once in the past six months. The last time she’d tried was the two days before her father’s trial, and it had caused a panic attack at the gate. So she’d turned around and returned to Air Temple Island.

Yet, last night, she had casually agreed to go willingly to the heart of her father’s fountain of hate, where his horrific underground workshop lurked like a whirlpool to suck her into a void of despair and pain. Every step echoed with loss in that place. 

In an hour, she needed to go in to work, where she’d be thrown into several meetings, and then there was also the meeting with Raiko in the afternoon. After that, she hoped to catch Varrick and demand a meeting to seal the deal finally. She’d visit the mansion after her day was complete. That seemed more sane than threatening to destabilize her mind before the day began.

The sun had barely risen, its ember rays just starting to grace the horizon. Asami paused in her pacing to look across the bay to the spires and lights of Republic City, her home. The mansion lay on the northern side of the city, on the other side of downtown and the towers that clustered around its center. The pulse of lights from satomobiles and Cabbage cars gave some of the streets a streaked look, and the clamor of the city hung in the air like a distant echo.

“Hey.” Korra said behind her. Asami turned, surprised to see the Avatar up this early. “What’re you doing up?” She yawned, still in her pajamas of shorts and tank top. 

“Work. Mako’s project. A million tasks to do and not enough time in the day.” Asami gestured to the city. “I need to get going in about… an hour.” 

“Did you eat?”

That hadn’t even occurred to Asami. “No.”

“Then come eat breakfast with me.” Korra grasped her hand and tugged.

Startled, Asami didn’t resist when Korra lead her back into the house and into the kitchen. Was this a thing they did now? Holding hands? Asami wasn’t sure how to interpret this. Could Korra feel similarly? Surely not. The Avatar had just broken up with Mako not long ago. Asami was overthinking everything, as usual. 

Korra released her to scrounge up ingredients for whatever she had planned. “Make us tea,” she ordered and pointed to one of the black tea blends. 

Asami smiled, amused. She took the container down from its shelf, set the water to boil, and measured out the leaves. This day had improved already. She got to hold Korra’s hand. Watch Korra cook. Make tea with Korra. She could almost get used to this.

Except, none of this aided her quest to try to compartmentalize her feelings for Korra. If anything, it added fertilizer to them, which meant Asami needed to actually sit down and think through what these feelings truly meant. That sounded terrifying.

With Mako, things had been comfortable and safe feeling. She knew it wouldn't last with him, and most of her frustrations with Mako centered on his failure to be honest and upfront with her.

With Korra, Asami felt safe and comfortable at times, but her feelings and attraction to the Avatar made the situation more complicated, laced with this unspoken need to be there for Korra regardless, coupled with the want to have something more than friendship. Except, Asami didn't know what exactly she wanted yet. The more part was too vague currently, and that was partly because she was too afraid to take the feelings out and properly examine them.

“What’s going on in that bright mind of yours?” Korra asked. She’d decided on pancakes, and the sweet bean flavor hung in the air between them. 

Being truthful meant stating she’d been ruminating on how she felt about Korra, which meant bringing those emotions into visibility. Making them nonretractable. No, that was not a thing she would do. Last thing she wanted was to spoil whatever brewed between them.

“Nothing much…” Asami took the water off right before it boiled, just as Pema had taught her.

Korra glanced at her, not believing her, but she didn’t press further to Asami’s relief. 

While Korra cooked, the sweet bean smell blossomed between them and invoked a wellspring of intense emotion. “That smell though…” Asami set down the tea kettle. “It reminds…” she trailed off and found herself thinking of her mother. Her mother's face remained blurry, but the scene, as hazy was it was, felt so comforting and homey.

Her mother plopped a sweet bean pancake on her plate, then picked up a cookie cutter and handed it to Asami. “Press down like this,” she said, gently taking Asami’s hand to press down on the safe side of the cutter. The shape sliced through the pancake, and a platypus bear shape formed. Asami laughed in delight. She did the next pancake herself, and now had two identical platypus bears. The unusued portion of the pancake she mushed together into a tower.

The flow of sweet maple formed rivers between the shapes. “What’re you doing today, Mom?” She eagerly swirled one of the bears in the maple before she pierced it and devoured it in one bite. Just like what the platypus bear would do with its own sweet bean pancakes. 

“I’ll be working on the Future Industries tower blueprints. The design must be finalized by tomorrow.” Her mother smiled and gently tapped her finger against Asami’s nose. “Would you like to help again? You did such a good job yesterday. So many great ideas for the aesthetics.” 

“Yes!” Asami nearly jumped in her seat. She loved it when her mother took her into her workshop to help draw or build scale models. Her own drawings weren’t that good yet, but she’d been practicing hard. 

“Great. Now eat up, okay? Young girls need their food to grow.”

“Asami?” Korra’s voice broke through the memory. “You okay?”

Asami laughed, softly, and wiped away a tear. “It’s just, my mom made sweet bean pancakes for me. Sometimes for breakfast, sometimes as a treat. She’d give me these cookie cutters, and I’d make shapes in the pancakes. The platypus bear was my favorite.” She smiled at Korra. “It’s been a long time since I thought about it. Thank you.” 

Korra flipped a pancake and smiled back. She seemed uncertain, that worry still in her expression. “What was your mother like? If that’s okay to ask?”

Asami strained the tea leaves. “Loving. Gentle. She was an architect. Future Industries Tower started out as an engineering school. Parts of it still is I guess, those floors we still rent out to the university.” Asami sighed and leaned against the counter, one foot tucked behind the other. “She’s the one who taught me to draw. She also taught me a lot about engineering. We’d make models together. I wasn’t very good at it. I mean, I was six or younger, you know? But I kept at it even after…” She trailed off. 

The pain of her mother’s death still ached at times, and that grief never fully went away. The smell of smoke had been a trigger of anxiety and sometimes panic attacks her whole life because of the fire that killed her mother.

Ever since she was seven years old, she'd visit her mother's grave on her grief anniversary. It was a ritual her father started with her, and when he abandoned it four years ago, she kept it up alone. That anniversary was a few weeks away still. Asami realized her grief hadn't really grown any bigger or smaller, but the box that held that grief had grown larger, making it less intense and overwhelming.

“She’s the one that taught me that benders and nonbenders are both people. We can get along and care for each other.” 

Korra glanced at her. “She sounds like you. Kind, loving, though not sure about the gentle part since you beat me in sparring far too much.” That got a laugh out of Asami. “Is that how you were immune to your father’s hatred of benders?” Korra flipped another pancake and added it to a growing pile of them on the plate next to the stove. 

“Yes and no. Kanna, one of my mother’s best friends, also helped solidify my mother’s morality in me. She stayed at the company and acted like I guess an Aunt would act. Took me on adventures sometimes. She left a few months ago for the South to care for her sick brother, who had a slow-moving terminal illness.” Asami had gotten a few letters from Kanna since she’d left. 

“I don’t really know when Dad met Amon,” Asami continued, quietly, “that would require me to read his journals, and I can’t yet. He… had been distant at times since Mom’s death, prone to drinking. I think he’d tried to hold true to Mom’s legacy of being kind to people as we may not know what sorrows they hold. At least until I was thirteen.”

“What happened then?” Korra finished the last pancake and started cleaning the pan. 

Asami shook her head. The memory of his drunken rage not long after her thirteenth birthday was not a memory she particularly wanted to revisit. She couldn’t remember now what had spurred it, but she did recall that she’d blamed herself for it. His rages happened more and more often the older she got. He never physically hurt her, but the words he said had haunted her at times.

“I’d rather not talk about it.” She pushed away from the counter and picked up her tea.

Korra nodded and accepted that. She divvied up the pancakes and handed a plate to Asami. They sat in the same place as last time to eat. Korra dived into her food with a fervor that always amazed Asami. It wasn’t all that different from the air bender kids or Bolin, really, but Korra did so with a joy that rivaled the others easily.

Asami daintily ate. “How do you do this?” Asami savored each bite, such a treasure. “It’s fantastic.” 

“Practice and stubbornness.” Korra smiled and pointed her fork at Asami. “The food at the compound got monotonous sometimes, so I’d sneak in to help the cook. Give it some flavor. On the few days I was allowed outside, I’d make it a goal to learn a recipe, so I could take it back and show the cook. Once I showed I could handle myself, he let me cook my own food.” 

“Well, you’re a pro.” Hearing about Korra’s childhood made Asami sad. It sounded more lonely than even hers. She had no real friends growing up but at least she could stay with her father. 

Her thoughts had gotten too depressing, so Asami switched the topic to ideas on how to track down Tenzin instead. “We ought to plan a way to get you to Tenzin. Surely he is somewhere on his itinerary.”

“If we can’t get through by radio, how about smoke signals?” Korra plopped a mouthful of pancake into her mouth and looked at Asami with a somewhat serious expression. 

“Smoke signals? That requires fuel that creates smoke, and it’d have to be massive to be seen from afar. It’s impractical.” Asami shook her head, confused by the suggestion. Korra seemed to take this as a challenge, and began to offer more and more ludicrous suggestions.

Korra suggested birds - Asami approved if the bird was trained well - flying fish - she would have to waterproof the message - cloud shapes - Asami pointed out that was too abstract and would dissolve quickly in the winds - light spirits - the engineer found this to be perhaps the most helpful suggestion - soap suds - Asami couldn’t see a practical way to utilize them long distance.

“Maybe the best way is to send lemur farts!” Korra exclaimed. She thrust her finger into the air dramatically.

Asami looked at her incredulously. “How would that work? They’re too short-range. Maybe if you used them to power a message balloon, which the lemur could sniff out the best way to its colony. Balloons utilize fire to heat the air within the balloon and push it upward, but perhaps the farts could help direct the balloon similar to thrust…” She stopped herself.

Korra was bent over laughing.

Asami smiled, amused. “I can’t believe you got me trying to invent a lemur fart balloon.” 

This only caused Korra to tip over in laughter that shook her whole body. That was too infectious, and Asami found herself laughing with the girl. “That was pretty great solution though,” Korra finally managed between gasps. 

“I am not building you a lemur fart balloon,” Asami said sternly, which only started the laughing all over again. It had been a long time since Asami had laughed this hard. She desperately needed it.

“Seriously though,” Korra said when they’d calmed down again. “Should we try radioing him again?” 

“Yes. And the others. I still have a little time before work.” Asami stood and picked up the dishes. Korra followed her, and they washed it together, content in their silence. Asami felt a lot better about the day.

The radio tower was located on one of the larger bluffs near the north side of the island. Asami planned to walk up the path like a typical person, but Korra seemed to be in a mischievous mood. She swept them up in a tornado and dropped them at the front of the tower. 

“Korra!” Asami swatted her shoulder. “I told you to always warn me!”

“Sorry.” Korra’s smile and shrug made Asami wonder if the girl wasn’t sorry at all. She took the lead up the steps with Asami trailing behind. Most of the steps curled around the tower’s outside, giving her an even better view of the sunrise, bay, and city. The sun had risen further, the sky cast in a glow of orange, scarlet, and navy blue. 

At the tower’s peak, a wooden platform encircled the radio room. The door wasn’t locked nor shut all the way. Asami was surprised to see the radio and its components in fairly good condition, despite the exposure to elements. She switched it on and swept through the channels to find the one that should reach the nearest Air Temple. 

“Air Temple Island Called Northern Air Temple.” Asami glanced at Korra who tapped her foot impatiently. “Thought I’d start there and go south.” 

A crackle of static and then a voice came through the line. “Jain of Northern Air Temple. What do you need?” 

“This is Asami Sato with Avatar Korra. We’ve been trying to reach Tenzin. Your temple was on his itinerary. Do you know where he might be?” 

“Not at this temple. Likely at the Southern or Eastern Temples. Good luck in your search!” The static filled the air again. 

Asami sighed. Why was contacting Tenzin such a headache? “So Eastern next.” She switched channels, adjusted parameters, and repeated the same intro as the last temple. 

Static rippled in the air, and this time a woman’s voice answered. “Ehani of Eastern Air Temple, what do you need?” 

Asami gave the same intro and added, “We already tried the Northern Air Temple. Has Tenzin and his family come to yours yet?” 

“Ah, no. Do you need help locating him?” A thread of concern wove into the woman’s voice. 

Korra grabbed the microphone. “Yes! I need his help, and it’s urgent. We’re on Air Temple Island right now, trying to get aid to my father. There’s a Civil War down south and the dark spirits have gotten worse. Can you help us get through to him? I need his help to reach the spirit world.” 

“Yes.” Ehani paused. “I’ll work on that today. Will you be available this evening for an update?” 

“Yeah! We’ll be here.” Relief swept through Korra’s expression. “Thanks a lot, Ehani. This is the closest we’ve come to finding him.”

“Of course! We’ll do what we can do aid you, Avatar Korra.” The woman closed the connection then, and static filled the air.

Asami switched to the frequency Tonraq had given them. She gestured for Korra to speak.

“Hey, Dad? It’s Korra. Come in?” The worry for her people threaded through her voice and expressions, the levity from earlier gone. 

Static, crackles, and finally a faint voice came through. Korra and Asami looked at each other in relief. This meant Tonraq had succeeded in liberating a radio tower. “Yes. Tonraq here. Korra, are you okay?”

“Yeah, Dad. I wanted to check on you. Are you holding up okay? Any progress? We’re meeting with Raiko today and hopefully members of the Parliament.” Korra looked at Asami. “Asami’s with me right now.” 

“I’m fine. The troops we’ve built up is slowly growing as more join our cause.” A pause punctured by static. “Unalaq’s backlash was as brutal as we feared. No one in Wolf’s Cove can leave their homes without authorization unless it’s during the noon hour.”  

Asami shook her head in disbelief. How would anyone be able to work or get necessary supplies? 

“I can’t believe I trusted this jerk!” Korra said, in frustration.

“Korra, you didn’t know the truth yet. Don’t blame your past self. Forgive that self and move forward."

Korra sighed. "Right. Have you attacked his forces?”

"Right now, we can’t attack directly, our force is too small, but our raids have weakened their strategic holds. The village Asami mentioned sent quite a few skilled waterbenders. Thank you.” Tonraq paused for a long moment, to the point Asami wondered if they’d lost the connection. “The supplies we capture we’ve been dispensing to those in need. This should buy us more time.”

“Okay. We’ll keep working on getting you aid. If Raiko and the parliament refuses, we’ll go to the Fire Nation next.” The fierceness in Korra’s voice was betrayed by the unshed tears in her eyes.

Asami grasped Korra’s shoulder and got a faint smile in return. 

“May they listen and heed our warnings. Thank you both. Please stay safe.”

“You too, Dad.” Korra hung up the microphone against the side of the radio. “Do you think we can pull this off?” Doubt hung heavy in her tone. 

“Yes.” Asami had her own doubts, but they wouldn’t help Korra focus. “Let’s get through today, okay? We’ll focus on next steps tomorrow.” 

Korra nodded. “It’s so frustrating. I keep trying to meditate like the visions say to do. But I can’t seem to summon any more of Wan’s story. The visions were happening all the time in the South, but here? Nothing!” She threw up her hands and scowled. 

Asami turned that over in her head. “The South is closer to that spirit portal. Does being near it amplify this ability?” 

“Oh.” Korra looked surprised. “I guess it could. My uncle did say the South Pole would amplify my abilities, especially during the solstice.”

“Maybe why you were told to enter the spirit world,” Asami thought of Korra’s last vision.

Korra rubbed her face. “Tenzin better come soon. I feel like we’re running out of time.”

Asami didn’t have any words of comfort for that. She only squeezed the Avatar’s shoulders and led the way down the tower. The wooden stairs creaked under their footsteps, and the air was thick with humidity and the smell of brine.

“I got to head to work now.” Asami headed down the path, hoping it would deter Korra from catapulting them down with air bending. 

“Do you mind if I come with you to your work?” Korra asked. “I’ll get ready really quick.” 

Asami looked at her, confused. “It’ll be boring. I’ll start the day reviewing our situation to prepare for some meetings. Depending on how long the meetings go, I may go to the factory to troubleshoot ways to recycle parts for the conversion project.” She rubbed her temple. “Then we have the Raiko meeting with Varrick.” 

Korra shrugged. “I figured I could meditate and work out what to say to Raiko. And I thought I could steal you for lunch. Go to Ruk’s bar. So we can talk to Kara about the parliament stuff. Apparently only parliament can declare war. Maybe we can leverage that over Raiko?” 

Now that Asami thought about it, Korra had mentioned doing that during their Team Avatar meet up last night. She’d been mentally exhausted at the time so had been doodling in her journal rather than participating. She was glad the others had decided to meet up each evening for updates. Asami had been worried she’d have to strong arm the brothers into it, and last night she didn't have the energy.

“Will Naga be okay here alone? If not, I’m sure she can stay in the front lobby.” Asami was certain the elevators would not fit a polar bear dog, and the weight capacity would likely be exceeded. She'd watched Korra wash Naga and brush the polar bear dog's teeth last night after Naga's dinner. It had been quite the sight to behold, and amazing to see how patient the gentle bear dog was.

“She’ll be fine. I’ll go get ready.” Korra swished past her with air bending.

The ride to the office gave Asami a chance to finally drive her satomobile again. It had been sitting, parked, at the docks the entire time she was in the south. She’d nearly forgotten she’d parked it there for the trip. The levity of this morning had faded into a general unease, that not even Korra’s attempts at jokes could penetrate. Asami appreciated how hard the Avatar was trying to calm her own and Asami’s worries. Driving tended to relax her, but today she found her stress steadily increased the closer she got to work.

However, a bonus to Korra accompanying her was everyone they encountered focused on the Avatar and not her for once. No one entering the elevator could accost her with demands with Korra at her side. What a relief. Asami could get used to this.

“If Raiko says no, should we try for the parliament directly after? It’s the same building.” Korra leaned against the elevator wall as it rose to the top floor. “Or do we have to schedule a meeting there too?”

“We need to decide on which Senators are most likely to listen to our case. Focus on them, and they can assist us in getting our plea to the floor for a discussion and/or vote.” The elevator dinged, and Asami led them down the hall and into the workshop. 

Kyung sat at one of the tables near Asami’s office, and she had jumped to her feet at the sight of the Avatar. “Good morning…” she looked at Asami, confused. 

“Good morning, Kyung. Korra asked to hang out here and prepare for our meeting with Raiko this afternoon.” Asami gestured to one of the tables. "Welcome to what's here, Korra."

“Thanks! And good to meet you again, Kyung.” Korra did a old-fashioned bow with one hand in a fist under the other.

“I’ll be in here if you two need me.” Asami left the door of her office open with a door stopper.

The papers from yesterday were still strewn across it. She looked them over and felt despair sink through her. The numbers were dismal. How was she going to make it through these morning meets and instill hope if this was the result each day? 

She dug through her bag and pulled out her blueprints. As much as she preferred working on designs for future products, like that airship she wanted to make, what would be the point if the company had no funds to produce them? They’d only made two Satomobiles and 1 plane sales this entire month. That wasn’t enough to break even. They were nearing bankruptcy, and Asami was out of ideas on how to stop that downward trend. No amount of community projects seemed to entice people to purchase from them, though the public did seem to like the repair stations, but that was due to the low-cost. Not enough to assist.

Her plan had to work. It had to work. If she repeated it silently as a mantra, that would make it come true, right?

***

The three meetings that morning gave Asami a bad taste in her mouth. Marketing had been at their wits end with what else they could devise to try to improve their ads. Factory managers had dropped in for a surprise meet about needing replacement tools. The PR and Communication team was heavily pressuring Asami to write articles about benders and nonbenders working together, the community projects they did, engineering, and really anything at this point to try to convince people Future Industries was not connected with her father anymore. 

All piled yet more tasks onto her increasingly long list. A list that Asami was certain was long enough to reach the South Pole at this point.

She had needed to schedule a meeting with San as well. The bombing complicated their plan, and Asami needed to review options. That call lasted only a few minutes, the meeting set for tomorrow morning. She simply had no time today, despite wishing she could do it sooner rather than later. 

“Knock knock. You good to go?” Korra leaned against the doorframe. 

“Yes.” Asami gathered up her work and stuffed it in her bag. “After Raiko, I’m going to try to corner Varrick for signing the deal. Then I have to go to the mansion.” She couldn’t keep the dread from her voice at the mention of the place. “I’m sure you got better…”

“I’m trying to get help for my Dad, yes, but beyond that, I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried meditating but that hasn’t helped, and the update isn’t till tonight.” Korra threw up her hands. “So sticking with you seems more enjoyable than me wandering around wanting to punch the world.” 

Asami slung her bag over her shoulder. “Too bad punching doesn’t work with fixing my company’s reputation.” Bitterness colored her tone.

As she rounded the desk, she accidentally knocked over the files she had piled on the edge, and they fluttered across the carpet. Most of them were reports of the increasingly terrible financial situation, and in a rare fit of frustration, Asami kicked them. The papers scattered further. 

“I can pick that up…” Korra started to say, but Asami interrupted her. 

“No.” She pushed Korra out of the office and slammed the door behind her. “They’ll stay there.”

The workshop was eerily quiet with Kyung either in a meeting or at the factory.

“You doing okay?” Korra asked. Her eyebrows scrunched together in worry. 

Asami shrugged. “I’d rather not talk about it. Who’s these people like that we’re seeing?” To her relief, Korra accepted the change in subject.

***

Asami did not realize what she’d gotten herself into when she agreed to meet with Korra’s new friends. For one thing, she’d only ever driven through the Water district, not ever stopped in it. Secondly, the bar itself was situated on the river that snaked through the city toward the bay, so part of its decor was underwater. Literally so. The outdoor portion of the bar was a gated area that included a pier and tubes for people to sit on as they drank around floating tables. 

Asami had no idea how to parse this. 

Inside the establishment, the walls were covered in dead things. Asami understood that hunting and gathering was crucial to Southern Water Tribe culture, but the amount of dead things threw her off considerably. Half of them were the bleached bones of possible ocean creatures, and the rest were stuffed animals from either the South Pole areas or from the forests around Republic City. 

The establishment had tables scattered around the floor, most were occupied. On the left side was a line of booths, all of them under a rather long and complex skeleton of what Asami decided was probably the most frightening dead thing she’d seen in her life. It’s jaw had far more teeth than any jaw had a right to have. 

Korra spun in delight and eagerly pointed out which animal was which. “Tenzin had a bestiary in his library,” Korra explained. “I read it twice.” 

Asami wondered if it was the only Tenzin book Korra had bothered to finish. Watching her excitement, Asami decided this was absolutely crucial information. Korra liked ethically sourced dead things. Asami felt pretty confident there’d be a day when she’d want to gift Korra something special.

“Hey, Korra!” A short man with braided hair, sea-green eyes, and deep brown skin waved at them. “Good to see you made it!” He stood along with three other people. “And you must be Asami Sato!” He grinned. “Korra told us all about you!” 

Asami gave Korra a suspicious look. Korra winked in reply. What did that mean? This did not assuage Asami’s feelings. In fact, it made her even more nervous. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. You are…?” 

“Ruk!” He held out his hand in a more casual Republic City greeting.

That Asami could handle. She shook it.

“This is Arnoq, Nu, and Kara.” He pointed to each in turn. Interestingly, Nu and Kara seemed to be twins. The only difference Asami could perceive was the slightly different styles in their blue tunics and arm sleeves, as well as Nu braiding her hair more on the left and Kara more on the right.

“I’m glad this time worked out," Korra smiled at the group. "We meet with Raiko after, but I thought you could help us out with him and parliament.” 

"Sure can!" Arnoq replied. The four organizers shifted in the booth to give Asami and Korra room to sit on the left side together.

Asami chose the outer edge, forcing Korra to scoot in. 

“Hey! What do you want?” the bartender shouted at them. Asami jumped. 

The four organizers shouted their order of sea prune noodles and a beer Asami hadn’t heard of before. Korra shouted out a similar order. Despite never being here before, Korra was ordering as if she’d always gone here. Asami admired her brazen confidence and wished the Avatar would share some with her.

The barkeeper then turned to her. 

“What do I order?” she asked the organizers a little desperately. She didn’t see any menu. 

Ruk laughed. “I guess we could have given you a menu, but usually we just order whatever Southern dish we want. You may just want the regular old udon. Or you could get egg drop. We usually have the ingredients for it.” 

Relief flooded her. “Eggdrop please,” she called. Drinking would not be a good idea, so she just asked for a fruit juice. The barkeeper turned and shouted all their orders at the cooks, which also baffled Asami. “Is this method common in the South?” 

The organizers all looked at each other. “Maybe?” Ruk replied. “My parents own this place. They tried to model it after how they remembered bars in their youth.” 

“There’s a place like this in Wolf Cove,” Korra said. “I went there once. Right before I stole away on a ship to come here to Republic City actually.” 

Asami had forgotten that Korra had to literally run away from the White Lotus compound to come to here. She felt a pang of anger toward the people who had kept this amazing and beautiful person confined for so long.

Arnoq leaned forward, one arm on the table. “Is it true that you beat the Avatar in sparring?”

“Uhh.” Asami glared at Korra. “I currently have the most wins, yes.”

Korra only smiled at her, completely unrepentant.

“Did you really drop your own father?” Nu asked next.

“Yes.” This was a terribly uncomfortable situation. “I did what was right.” In hopes of avoiding further questions, she added, “I’d rather not talk about myself.” Asami waved her hand toward Korra. “Korra tells me, you, Kara, work as an assistant to the ambassador?” 

“Yes.” Kara nodded. The group paused as the bartender came by with their drinks. “Thanks to that bombing, we’re temporarily in an office at City Hall.” She shuddered. “That was some scary shit. I’d heard stories of the Avatar, but to see Korra in action, wow.”

Korra squirmed a bit, and Asami took the moment to get her revenge. “Yes, she is spectacular. Seen her tear down half a mountain, lift up an entire ferris wheel by the earth under it, calm half a dozen spirits, stop a tidal wave, push multiple battleships aside... not to mention the many times she leaped into the fray to save people's lives. Like when she stood up to Tarrlok who was terrorizing nonbenders protesting lack of electricity. She stopped the arrests with a feat of bending.”

Asami chose not to mention how she, Mako, and Bolin had been arrested instead. That had been Tarrlok being petty.

“Asami!” Korra glared at her. 

Asami smiled, sweetly. “Payback.”

Ruk burst into laughter, while the others smirked. “Never thought I’d see a competition on who can talk up the other the most.”

Asami shrugged. “I guess that’s our thing.”

She steered the conversation back to her original question. “Do you have a good eye on who would be the most helpful senator then?” Asami knew of a few of them, but she personally hated politics. Much rather be in the workshop. 

“Senator Caihong has been working with us a lot since news of Unalaq’s troops reached us.” Kara glanced at her sister. “Nu’s been trying to get in contact with our family down there, but we’ve had no luck. Caihong attempted to negotiate with Chief Unalaq, along with Senator Batsal, Qacha, Siqniq, and Hanta. Raiko joined them on the last call. We’ve made no headway. I’ve never heard of a more stubborn person.” 

“Talk about it!” Korra crossed her arms over her chest and slouched. “Stubborn and a manipulative liar. Twisted me all around with his words. If it weren’t for Asami, I’d have ended up a tool in his arsenal.” She sighed heavily. “And I guess I ought to come clean. I chose him as my spiritual mentor, but that was before he brought in troops, terrorized our people, and shut down all communications. Worst mistake of my life trusting him.”

Asami gently touched Korra’s shoulder. “Hey, none of us knew the truth of him at first, okay? We got through that, and we’re here, finding aid for your people.” 

Korra managed a smile for her. “Right. Thanks. And I’m sorry. I still feel part of this war is my fault.”

“Did you bring in troops? Shut down communications? Isolated the South?” Nu challenged. When Korra shook her head, the girl nodded. “So it’s not your fault.”

“Yeah, best thing now is getting that aid.” Arnoq looked at Asami. “We got a lot of nonbenders down there thanks to the last war. Maybe some of your tech would help?” 

Asami shook her head. “I made an agreement with one of the South’s spiritual villages to not ship weapons of war south. It can anger the spirits, and not many know the techniques to stop dark spirits.” 

“I still think those nifty gloves or batons of yours wouldn’t harm that,” Korra said.

Asami shrugged. She hadn’t had time to radio the Hidden Village to ask that yet. 

“Dang. Is it bad then? The dark spirits? We hadn’t heard much,” Arnoq asked. 

Korra nodded. “It’s bad. And I… may have made it worse.” She described her trip to the South Pole and the spirit portal. Asami noticed she’d left out Wan’s visions. The group paused again when the bartender brought them their food. 

“Woah. What a manipulative bastard.” Arnoq scowled. “What does he want with that anyway?”

“We’re still investigating that. Our conclusions, based on our findings so far, is… bleak.” Asami didn’t feel comfortable digging into that with them. “About the Senators though, is it better to speak to all the sympathetic ones in one meeting? Or meet one on one?”

One on one would be very difficult to pull off with Asami’s tight schedule, but she’d make it work somehow. She’d promised to be there for Korra, and she’d honor that no matter what.

Kara paused in her eating, the chopsticks halfway to her mouth. She put them down. “Yes and no. One on one is better for most requests, adds a personal touch, but our people need aid yesterday. I can set up a meeting with all of them and be the mediator for it. And if you want, I can go with you to meet with the President.” 

Korra smiled relieved. “That’d be perfect.”

Asami sipped her soup relieved to have one less task to do. Korra had been right; these were good people.

Chapter Text

City Hall - 2 in afternoon

It had surprisingly been Asami’s idea to ask Kara to join them for the meeting with Raiko. That had elated Korra. Maybe Asami could make a new friend too.

On the way to city hall, Asami had to drive around some construction zones; the fluorescent yellow-green cones divided the road, and earth benders worked side by side with nonbenders welding jackhammers. Once they left that tumult behind, Kara leaned against the back of Korra’s seat and offered ideas on how to phrase things. 

The biggest worry Korra had was her putting her foot in her mouth with an angry outburst. Political leaders tended to push her into that zone far too easily. Having Asami at her side helped. Somehow the engineer was able to calm Korra’s anger with only a hand on her shoulder. Mako had had the exact opposite effect, and this baffled Korra greatly. It made her wish she’d spent more time talking with Asami rather than mooning over Mako during the Amon crisis. 

Asami did a swift parallel parking maneuver and turned off the engine. City hall loomed above them. The central section held a massive dome roof over an entrance with four stone pillars. On either side was the wings, carved with more pillars into the stone walls. A more traditional but elegant style as Asami called it. 

“Korra.” Asami reached out and touched her shoulder to stop her from exiting. “We need to tread carefully. Varrick’ll meet us in the foyer.” 

Korra frowned. “You don’t think he’s going to hijack this?”

Asami released her, that faraway look in her eyes. She was holding back something, probably the part of her plan that was the trap she’d vaguely mentioned. “He seems to want aid for the south. Don’t give away we’re trying parliament next.” She glanced at Kara. “If that’s okay with you?”

Kara looked at the two of them, her eyebrows furrowed. “Why is Varrick coming?” 

“He set up the meeting. Or rather Zhu Li did,” Korra explained. “We escaped on his yacht. But…” She wasn’t sure how much to reveal. Asami seemed pretty adamant about keeping most of their suspicions of him unspoken. “He’s not the most trustworthy.” 

Kara nodded. “He might like to throw his money around, but he’s not particularly well liked here either. So don’t worry. I won’t tell him a thing.” 

Asami smiled, faintly. “Thank you. Let’s go.” 

Although Korra had been inside city hall several times during the Amon crisis, the grand and expansive ceiling of the interior still surprised her every time. Pillars were situated by the walls, the dome high and semi-translucent, and further into the hall, grand doors were held open by doorstops to reveal the chamber where the old bender council used to sit. The benches there had been repaired, and the dais where the council had sit had been dismantled and turned into a court desk. Stairs on either sides of the door lead to the upper halls where most of the meetings and offices were. The hallway to the left was one Korra hadn’t ever visited, but the right side held a lot of the city archives. 

“Up this way.” Kara led the way through the front foyer, around the central fountain, and to the stairwell to the left.

At the top of the stairs, Varrick leaned against a railing. 

“Good to see you made it!” He turned and grinned at their approach. He turned to Kara. “And who is this beauty?” He held out his hand.

Kara smiled politely. “I know who you are. I’m a friend of Korra and Asami, here to help my people.”

Korra found it interesting that Kara didn’t bother shaking Varrick’s hand. She really had meant it when she said folks didn’t like the man. 

“We should compare notes quick,” Asami suggested. “Varrick, what is your goals for this meeting?”

“Why to get troops south for my people! You saw what the Northerners did to our embassy. Blew it right up.” Varrick snapped his fingers. “Like that!” 

Asami’s forehead creased, but her expression had become unreadable again, her voice calm and even. “That investigation is ongoing. No one knows who the terrorists were yet.”

That surprised Korra. She’d been pretty certain it was Northerners too. “Who else would it be though?” 

Asami didn’t look her way, but instead kept her gaze focused on Varrick. “Yes, that is the question. Who else would it be?” The way she phrased it along with her piercing look made Varrick shift his stance with an awkward laugh. 

“I think you’ve been talking too much with Mako. Poor boy. He needs to lighten up.” Varrick turned and lead the way down the corridor. “Raiko prefers punctual, so we shouldn’t keep him waiting!” 

“Was it just me, or did that exchange seem… strange?” Kara whispered to Korra. “Varrick seemed almost uneasy.”

Korra nodded, confused still. She knew that Mako had asked Asami to examine a few things related to his work, but she hadn’t asked them what it was. Maybe she should have. She watched Asami’s back, as she’d fallen into step behind Varrick, and noticed how ramrod straight her back was, her walk more suitable for a fight than a stroll, and her long, gorgeous black hair that flowed with each step. Korra was tempted to run her fingers through it. Was it as soft as she imagined?

Their steps echoed oddly in the confines of the hallway, the tiled floor a mixture of greens and yellows, and the walls wooden with various paintings situated next to doorways. Raiko’s office lay at the far end of the hallway, two double doors blocking the way. Varrick pushed them open and dramatically stepped inside. 

A large desk took up most of the space in front of a big bay window, and bookcases lined the other walls. A sofa with several cushioned chairs were situated off to one side. 

Raiko stood and stepped around his desk. A man with a large and elaborate camera stood as well from a chair in the corner of the room. President Raiko was tall, though not as tall as Asami, and his mustache thin and drooping. He adjusted his glasses and strode up with a puffed out chest.

“Welcome, Avatar Korra, Varrick…” he paused, his eyes widening a bit in surprise, “Asami Sato, and…” 

“This is Kara,” Korra offered. “She’s the assistant for the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador.” 

“Ah.” Raiko held out his hand toward Korra. 

“Thank you for seeing us,” Korra started, as rehearsed. 

But when she shook his hand, he interrupted her and turned toward the camera. “Wait, and smile.” He gave the most fake smile she’d ever seen.

She attempted one, but Varrick chose to poke her, and she flinched, her smile gone. The flash was bright, enough to give her a brief moment of halos. The camera man gave them a thumbs up and exited the room. What had that been about? Korra didn't appreciate getting her picture taken without warning.

He released her and gestured for them to sit in the chairs. “Now, what can I do for the Avatar, her friends, and my most generous supporter?”

Korra gingerly sat on the edge of the sofa, frustrated already. Asami settled down next to her, and Kara on her other side. Varrick took a seat in the chair closest to Raiko. 

“President Raiko,” Korra said. “Myself, Asami, and Kara are here on the behalf of Tonraq of the Southern Water Tribe. War crimes are being perpetuated against my people by Chief Unalaq and his troops.” She looked over at Asami, unsure of what the next few sentences of their introduction had been. Korra hadn’t had enough time to memorize it properly.

Asami caught the look and finished it for her. “It has come to our attention that the news reaching Republic City has been filtered and does not accurately represent the problems the South is facing. I’m here to assist Avatar Korra in advocating for her father’s request.” 

Raiko’s eyebrows rose and he steepled his fingers in front of him. “I see. And what are these problems you mention?” 

Varrick slapped his knee. “The blockade for one! If it weren’t for the Avatar and Asami doing some fancy flying, we never would have sneaked through that! Battleships and ice walls block the entire harbor. Then there’s the curfew for all Southerners. Not to mention Chief Unalaq shut down all communications. No radio. No telephone. Not even telegraph! We can’t get word in or out!”

Korra nodded. “His troops harass Southerners. They’ve been randomly jailing people. He falsely accused my father and imprisoned him. His soldiers even attacked Asami and hurt her badly! All transportation vehicles other than dog sleds were confiscated, some outright destroyed. It’s an occupation, sir.” She hoped that was close enough to what Kara had coached her to say.

“I see.” Raiko glanced at Kara. “What is your assessment, Kara, assistant to the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador?”

Kara met his gaze, calmly. “I have verified their reports with the news the Ambassador has received. Avatar Korra, Asami Sato, Mako, and Bolin all reported war crimes perpetuated by the Northern Water Tribe Troops. We find it pertinent that the blockade be broken and communications restored so that we can properly assess the situation.” 

Now that was good. Korra would never had thought to say that. She was glad they’d brought along their new friend. 

“It does sound dire.” Raiko sighed heavily. “I do not believe we should intervene in private Water Tribe matters. Sending troops to break a blockade would be an act of war. I believe we should seek a diplomatic-“

“Diplomatic?” Korra shot to her feet. “My family and people are being harmed and some outright have died.” 

Varrick nodded. “Mr. President, surely you saw what the Northerners did to our embassy here.” 

Asami stood and grasped Korra’s shoulder. She knew it was her friend warning her to calm down, but Raiko’s dismissal had incensed her.

“Isn’t the city already involved then?” Korra snapped.

“I can assure you that we will bring the terrorists to justice. I also am very concerned about the circumstances down South. However, you are asking me to send troops, are you not?” 

“How else will we break the blockade?” Korra wanted to punch the President’s smug face. 

“What we’re trying to say,” Asami cut in, her voice still that neutral tone. Her hand pushed down and reluctantly Korra allowed Asami to pull her back onto the sofa. “To break a blockade, troops may not necessarily be needed. At the moment, the north has plenty of provisions that go to their troops to the South. It may be prudent for you and other nations to call the Northerners to task and blockade their provisions.” 

Kara leaned forward. “This method is a common tactic that was used during Avatar Aang’s era to stop potential wars. The sanctions put forth by other nations was used to call out international crimes. It’s use here could end a potentially deadly conflict.”

Varrick pointed at Raiko. “See, Mr. President? To not act would be to take the coward’s way out, and that wouldn’t look particularly good on your reelection.” 

That seemed to bother the President as he started to fidget. He smoothed his mustache and adjusted his glasses. “My goal is to protect this city and our people here. All of this requires funds, and the agreement with the other nations to put forth sanctions.”

Asami’s hand was still on Korra’s shoulder, so she felt the twitch in the engineer’s hand. Again, Korra looked at her, but Asami’s neutral expression made it hard to discern what she was thinking. “Even if troops or other potential resources can’t be provided,” Asami said, “wouldn’t it be crucial to provide aid to the South? Especially those having lost homes and family to this conflict?”

“International aid can be crucial for this upheaval.” Kara gestured to the city. “Other Nations provided International Aid for Republic City during and after the Amon crisis. Should we not follow their lead?”

Raiko smoothed his mustache. “I see your points. I will have to discuss it with my committees and advisors. Give me a few days time. My assistant will set up the next meeting.” He stood and shook each of their hands then ushered them out of his office. 

Once they were halfway down the hall, Varrick turned to walk backwards. “Now, I must say that went way better than I anticipated. Good idea bringing your tiger sharks, Korra.” He pointed his fingers at Korra and Asami. Kara walked a pace behind them. “And Asami, you had him be the horns in there. I gotta remember that.” 

Asami’s expression held a touch of irritation. “Perhaps now is a good time to remind you that we need to schedule the signing of our deal? My lawyers are ready when yours are.”

“Right!” Varrick threw an arm around her shoulders and ignored the sudden discomfort on Asami’s face.

Korra stiffened in anger.

“I got that all figured out. Come to my yacht tonight at eight, and we’ll get that signed away. Oh, and did you rethink my request?” He prodded Asami’s shoulder. “Sending your mechs south?”

“Varrick, I have already made my decision, and the answer is no.” Asami’s voice sounded calm, but her brows furrowed. There had been a few times where Korra had accidentally used air bending in a move, and Asami’s response had been to flip her, sometimes knocking the wind out of Korra. That same angry furrow had been on her face then too. 

“Too bad.” Varrick released her. “Then tonight at eight.” He spun and headed down the stairs. 

Asami stopped at the head of the stairs, her fist clenched tightly against her side. 

“Sleazy bastard,” Kara commented behind them. 

“I thought about punching him,” Korra offered.

“Not yet.” Asami’s voice was tight. She turned to Korra and Kara. That furrow hadn’t left her expression. “Should we speak to those senators now, Kara, or wait until tomorrow? Or after Raiko’s decision?”

“Can’t hurt to talk to them before Raiko decides.” Kara shrugged. “Though tomorrow might be a better plan. Gives me time to set up the meeting formally. Will give us a better edge. And I’ll make sure Varrick is not invited.” Kara’s disdain for the man shone through her words and expression. 

“Thank you so much.” Korra smiled at her in relief. “I feel like we’re getting somewhere between Asami and you. And thanks for reigning me in,” she directed that at the engineer. “I almost lost my cool.” 

Asami nodded, her smile tight. “Here to help.” Her rigid behavior worried Korra a bit.

“I’ll work on that meeting. What’s the best way to reach you two?” Kara pulled out a writing pad from her back pocket and flipped it open. She jotted down a few notes and paused to look at them. 

“Uhh… we’re staying at Air Temple Island,” Korra shrugged and gave Tenzin’s number. The study was by the den, so she figured they’d probably hear it. “Not sure when we’ll be there today though.” 

“Future Industries.” Asami rattled off her number. “That line will take you straight to my office. If I don’t answer, it’ll be Kyung my director of design and research. She works in the adjoining workshop. She also knows how to get a hold of me fairly easily.” 

Kara wrote it down with a grin. “Okay, this is way cool. Never thought I’d have the direct number to Ms. Asami Sato, the hidden hero of our time.” 

Asami sighed in exasperation. “Korra really talked me up, didn’t she?”

Kara laughed. “She sure did. Your payback earlier was pretty great too.” 

“Hey, in my defense, you are awesome,” Korra interjected. “And you did awesome things. Is it wrong to want to tell the world?”

Asami tilted her head and raised an eyebrow in response. Korra decided to interpret that as Asami begrudgingly accepting Korra’s iron-tight argument.

Kara parted ways with them on the City Hall’s steps, saying she needed to meet with her boss. The meeting with Raiko had taken most of the hour, and it was late afternoon.

Asami paused at her satomobile, her back once again ramrod straight. Korra was starting to realize that was a sign the engineer was stressed or maybe nervous. 

“Hey, what’s up?” Korra leaned against the door. 

Asami’s voice was tight. “I need to go by the mansion’s dark room for a project.” Her grip on her keys turned her knuckles white. “I haven’t visited it in over six months.”

“Then I’ll come with.” Korra prodded her shoulder.

“You don’t have to…” Asami started to say, but Korra interrupted.

“Asami, stop. You don’t have to shoulder all this alone, okay?  Let. Us. Help.” She punctuated each word with a poke at Asami’s shoulder. 

Asami gave a faint smile and nodded. The drive to the mansion was silent, partly because Korra wasn’t sure what to say, but also because Asami seemed unwilling to speak. Her hands gripped the wheel and gearstick tightly, her usual wild driving more subdued, and her expression a mixture of dread and pain. 

When they reached the gate, Asami shifted into park, leaned her forehead against the wheel, and began to shake violently. Alarmed, Korra reached over and grasped her shoulder. 

“Asami, breathe, okay?” Korra pulled her away from the wheel. The engineer had that wild look in her eyes, just like she had that moment on the cliff two days before her father’s trial, four months ago. Her breaths came fast and tight. Korra put her hands on either side of Asami’s face. “Hey, I’m here. Breathe, okay?” 

For a long moment, Asami looked past Korra, but then she slowly focused on Korra’s face. Her breaths evened out until she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Asami nodded, wordlessly, tears in her eyes. 

Korra hugged her, worried. The engineer pressed her face into Korra’s shoulder and stayed there for a long, shuddering moment. 

“Thank you,” Asami finally whispered. She pulled away, took out a handkerchief, and wiped her face. “I’m sorry for that.”

“Why?” Korra grasped Asami’s shoulder and turned her so she could see the engineer’s face better. “I’ve had panic attacks too. It sucks.” 

Asami looked at her startled. “I’m sorry… it does suck, doesn’t it?” She managed a painfilled, almost bitter laugh. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Look, we don’t have to, okay?” 

Asami shook her head. “No. I made a promise. I have to honor it.” 

Korra leaned back against the soft leather of the vehicle. The engineer’s words reminded Korra of Chief Unalaq telling her that sometimes a promise cannot be kept. It didn’t feel right to quote him now, not after knowing so much of his words had been lies or manipulation.

“I’ll be with you then, each step of the way.”

That gentle, tender smile that Asami so rarely revealed was now directed at Korra, and Korra found herself stunned at how beautiful it made Asami. As much as Korra wanted the moment to last, the smile faded, and Asami turned back to the gate. The engineer steeled herself, took a deep breath, and got out of the satomobile. 

“I couldn’t afford to keep most of the staff,” she told Korra. Flipping through her key ring, she found a small key and unlocked something on the edge of the right side of the gate.

Korra jumped over the side of the vehicle and grabbed the gate to help the engineer push it open. The metal hinges creaked and shook at the movement, and the bottom rung of metal slid across the ground to make a wide arc. 

Asami stepped back once it was wide enough for the satomobile, but then she stood there, looking up at the three tiers of the house. The front one held the racing track off to one side and a garden. The second held more gardens and a few buildings that Korra had no idea what they were used for, and the third held the massive house itself. What staff remained must still upkeep it, otherwise wouldn’t it look more wild after six months?

Stepping up next to her, Korra took Asami’s hand.

Asami smiled that tender smile at her again and squeezed her hand. “So much has happened since that day I took you racecar driving, hasn’t it?” 

“Sure has.” It had only been around eight months ago. Not even a full year, and yet it felt like Korra had known Asami forever. “I still feel bad at how badly I pigeon-holed you. Thinking you prissy, then you showed me up in the most epic way.” 

“I wanted to impress you.” Asami looked back at the house. “Ever since I saw you on the probending arena, when you earthbended that disc, I knew I had to meet you. I needed to be your friend.”

“Really?” That surprised Korra at first, but as she turned it over in her mind, the more Korra realized that Asami had always been supportive and willing to listen.

“Really.” Asami smiled at her again. “I know I say it a lot, but you really are amazing.”

Korra blushed and looked toward the racetrack. “Well, you are too!”

That got a chuckle out of the engineer. 

“Let’s head in then. Then after, maybe… would you…” Asami sounded suddenly, painfully shy, “like to go to dinner?” 

“Sure! I’m always up for food.” Korra grinned. She was starving at the moment, and eating out with Asami sounded lovely.

This time Asami blushed. She released Korra’s hand and headed back to the satomobile.

Korra wandered after her. Now that she thought about it, Asami had blushed like that when they were warming up after Asami rescued her from drowning. Was that a thing two girls did as friends? Blush at each other, hold hands, and go to dinner? Korra realized she didn’t know. She’d never had a close friendship with a girl near her age before.

Asami drove them slowly up the drive. Her hand trembled as she shifted to park right in front of the path that led up to the main house. She leaned her forehead against the steering wheel again and took deep breaths. 

Korra reached over and laid her hand on Asami’s knee. It hit Korra how much the engineer had lost. Her mother had died when Asami was young, her father lost to hatred and in prison, and the loss of home, possibly even her company if the deal with Varrick failed. Life had hit Asami hard, and Korra found it so unfair.

“Thanks.” Asami looked up and smiled at Korra. She slipped her bag over her shoulder and gestured to the house. “The dark room is in the basement.” 

Korra wasn’t sure what she was expecting when Asami unlocked the front doors and pushed them open. Maybe cobwebs? Signs that it was unoccupied? But the interior looked as clean as the last time she’d been in the mansion, the day they discovered Hiroshi’s horrible secret.

When Asami hesitated again, Korra took her hand. That seemed to give Asami strength, and she led Korra deeper into the mansion, past the stairs that led to the upper floor, and toward a different staircase, half hidden by a side door. 

The place was deathly silent. No sounds of people or animals, only the sound of their footsteps against the tiled floor. How had Asami lived here with her father? The silence felt nothing like the silence of the tundra, that had a comforting feel for Korra, but here it was oppressive.

The stairs to the basement turned out to be narrow and steep. Asami flicked a switch and a light came on to illuminate the wooden steps. “Rarely came down here.” Asami took another deep breath then slowly made her way down, her right hand behind her to keep a tight hold of Korra’s hand. 

The basement turned out to be a fairly large room but didn't seem deep or wide enough to encompass the width of the house above. The walls were stone, and there was only one doorway on the other side of the room. A few locked chests hugged the walls, along with some boxes, but beyond that, it was bare. 

“Storage room?” Korra asked. 

Asami glanced at her. “I’m not sure, actually. Like I said, I didn’t come down here much.” She led the way to the door and twisted the doorknob. It was locked.

With a sigh, she released Korra’s hand and dropped to her knees. Pulling out her lockpick, she fiddled with the keyhole until a click sounded. “Weird that it’s locked.” She pulled it open and flipped a switch.

The light was a dim red. The right side of the room had a long counter full of bottles, trays, and tweezers. On the right side, was more supplies. A desk in the center had a strange looking device. A long pole with a rectangle at its top, the rectangle pointed down toward a flat tray portion. Behind it, a few more boxes and supplies took up the center space.

“Uh, what is that?” Korra pointed to the device.

“The enlarger.” Asami ushered her inside and shut the door behind them. She opened a drawer on the desk and shifted through whatever was inside. “Here.” She tossed a bag at Korra, who caught it confused. “We have a high quality ventilation system, but the chemicals in here aren’t safe. Put on those gloves and mask.” Asami pulled out her own bag and slid on the gloves. She adjusted a mask over her nose and mouth and goggles over her eyes.

Korra followed suite, though she didn’t bother with the goggles. Korra had to admit she’d never seen a dark room before, but she was curious to see how this all worked. “Well, tell me what to do, and I’ll be your assistant.”

“Thanks.” Asami dropped her bag on the desk and pulled out the camera. It was large, bulky, and made of several parts. Asami put the bulk of it aside, removed a covered tray, and placed it on the desk. “This is the film. Looks like Mako chose a decent size negative. I think platinum would be best for this.” 

“Platinum?” Korra couldn’t connect how that related to the film.

“There’s a few ways to develop film. My fa-” her voice cut off at the word, “preferred either platinum prints or silver nitrate glass prints. If the negative had been smaller, I’d have used silver nitrate and this enlarger.” She tapped the device. “With a larger negative, I can use platinum. My first goal is to emulsify the paper I'll use. I’ll probably do a fast dry with the dryer. That just prepares the paper for the printing process.” 

“Okay, but how do you turn that…” Korra pointed to the negatives that Asami had in the tray before her. “Into a picture?”

“I got to prepare the paper first. Once it’s dry, I can apply the negative to the paper, seal it in glass, and expose it with the sun lamp.” She paused to tap her bottom lip. “I calculate twelve minutes of exposure. I’ll do a test run first though. After that, I dip it in the developer, and then use the trays there,” she pointed to the side with the most amount of chemical bottles and trays, “to clean it before I put it in the wash. After that it’s drying it again.” 

“Okay.” That explanation gave her some idea but not enough to be useful. Maybe as they worked through the steps together it’d make more sense. Korra had always considered her style of learning more hands-on anyway. “So, is there anything you can’t do?” 

“Bend.” Asami glanced at Korra, and in the red light, Korra could see her smile. “I also suck at cooking and sewing if that helps.” 

“Yeah, it does. I like to be better than you at some things.” Korra kept to one side as Asami worked.

The first portion required a lot of eyedroppers and brushes. Asami worked carefully and gently with the paper. Korra didn’t quite understand the point, as it was blank paper she painted with some sort of transparent layer. 

“Can you wash those glass plates?” Asami asked. She pointed to a sink in the far right corner of the room. “Be thorough.” 

That Korra could do. The White Lotus had been very adamant about cleanliness. Taking one plate at a time, Korra scrubbed them with the soap and water in the sink. She hummed softly as she worked, excited to be helping one of Asami’s projects.

After she dried one, she placed it back where she found it, then went to the next.

Asami had moved on from painting blank paper and drying it with a loud air machine to placing a negative atop the paper and positioning that on the glass Korra had cleaned. Asami placed the sealed glass under a lamp in the far left corner of the room. 

“Avert your eyes, okay?” Asami warned. Korra didn’t and yelped when Asami flicked the switch and the lamp burned brighter than the sun. “I warned you, didn’t I?” 

“Why aren’t you affected?” Korra demanded, her hands over her eyes. 

“Goggles. Should have put yours on.” Laughter bubbled in the engineer’s voice. 

Korra grumbled, turned her back, and dug into the bag to pull out the goggles. She slipped it on and turned around. The room had a red tint to it, and the light was much darker. “Oh, that’s nice.” 

Asami motioned her over to the trays. “Help me mix.”

The instructions were fairly straightforward, but Korra took her time adding the chemicals to a tray, while Asami worked on the others. The work was a bit monotonous yet relaxing. Although Korra didn’t know nearly enough about chemicals to catch what exactly these mixtures did to the print, she found the process pretty straightforward now that Asami had walked her through it once.

For the next two hours, the pair worked quietly. Sometimes Asami spoke to try to explain why they did a step, but she kept lapsing into terms that Korra hadn’t heard before, so then Korra had to translate by asking questions to verify she got the gist of it. By the end of the two hours, Korra felt like she had a better handle on the how the chemicals worked their magic. 

“Never thought it’d be this much work,” Korra admitted. “Just to get a picture.” 

“Used to be more complicated than this.” Asami carefully dried the remaining pictures she’d taken out of the wash. “This is a rather simplified process.”

The idea of a more complicated process than this boggled Korra’s mind a little. The engineer turned off the dryer and flicked a switch near the back of the wall. The red lights turned off and a more yellow toned light came on instead. 

Asami dropped down next to Korra on the ground and held out the finished pictures. “Huh.” She frowned. “This is the embassy?”

“Yeah.” Korra sighed. “I had to go into Avatar state to hold up the floors. People were stuck on fourth and third at first.” 

“To bring down an entire side…” Asami carefully laid the pictures on the ground in order. “They must have placed the bombs on structural supports, yet…” she peered at the last two, her goggles pushed up into her hair. “Did someone catch them? The structural supports on this side seem unaffected.”

“Mako said he saw them running. Told me to not jump to conclusions. That they were firebenders,” Korra leaned forward to look at the debris covered north side. The pictures of that side looked depressing. 

“Northerners are far less likely to be fire benders, so I can see why he said that.” Asami laid down the picture she held and looked at the next. “The blast pattern is strange. I wish I could sample the debris. See if I can pull residue. Using the right chemicals I could treat it to see what material was used in the explosive.” She tapped one of the shattered sides. “That could narrow down who manufactured it.”

“Huh. How would that help?”

Asami shrugged. “I don’t really know what Mako wants. He said he wanted a technical eye. I need specifics though. Not vagueness.” She gathered up the pictures and tucked them into a folder. After dropping it in her bag, she took off her safety equipment and put it away. “We’ll have to ask tonight.” 

Korra followed suite. This time, when they headed up the stairs, Asami walked more confidently. It wasn’t until she was back at the ground floor that she froze, that stricken look on her face again.

Korra took her hand and gently tugged her toward the front doors. As she led Asami outside, resolve strengthened in Korra. Just as Asami was here for her, Korra would do the same for the engineer.

Chapter Text

Outside Sato Mansion - six in the evening

Relief saturated Asami the moment they exited the mansion, and she could lock the door behind them. The electric lock failed to engage, which nearly drove her into a panic, but then her key turned the correct direction to engage the manual portion. Her anxiety was playing tricks on her. Of course nothing was wrong with the locks.

Korra kept hold of her hand the entire way to the satomobile, and it was a much needed comfort. The knowledge of that hidden workshop beneath their feet left a sense of dread and unease. Asami had mentioned to Bolin once how she wanted to fill its entrance with concrete, but that was far too costly. So Asami had ignored it by not going to the mansion at all. 

Except the taxes on this place drained her savings. The thought of selling it also invoked panic, because that meant having to actually go through the stuff there. She didn’t want to lose some of the items from her mother, but she also did not have the fortitude to deal with her father’s things. It was bad enough having to deal with the cleaners and guards, and as much as she tried to automate them getting paid, she had to check-in at times, particularly with the guards. It left her feeling ill each time.

Driving off the grounds and shutting that metal gate left her feeling less shaky. It wasn’t until she was back in the driver’s seat that she remembered, to her mortification, that she had asked Korra on a date.

Despite the coolness in the air, Asami felt herself sweating with nervousness. Oh, she was not ready for this after all. So much could go wrong, and the last thing Asami wanted was to harm what was budding between them. With Mako, she had no prior connection, and she knew that relationship wouldn't last. With Korra, they'd built a friendship, and Asami very much needed that connection. She wanted whatever Korra and her built to last. The difference in stakes felt enormous to her.

“So where should we eat?” Korra asked with a smile. Asami looked at the Avatar. 

Surely Korra understood what Asami had suggested, right? Asami thought back to what Senna had said when she’d guided her to the washroom after she’d nearly froze to death. That Korra did not do this with other people. Was that a sign Korra had similar feelings? Or was this only a friendship hangout? Asami supposed it didn’t have to be romantic, right? Yet she wanted it to be romantic, but that required admitting her feelings. No, that was not a thing she could do. Not yet. What in the spirits had she been thinking?

Korra’s hand touched her shoulder. “Asami?” Concern filtered through her tone. 

Right, Korra needed an answer.

“Uh… what’s that place you like so much?”

Asami didn’t think going to a fancy place like Kwong’s would be a good idea, not after the dark room. She’d need a shower to get rid of the chemical smells and maybe dress up a bit for that. Was she seriously thinking about dressing up for Korra? Asami bit her bottom lip. She really was ridiculous.

“Narooks!” Korra’s whole face and body opened like a ray of sunshine cutting through clouds. “Yeah, let’s go there!”

Asami watched how Korra’s smile creased the skin around her ocean blue eyes. It made her want to trace her fingers along Korra’s cheekbones and jaw.

Of course Korra would want to go to that hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Asami smiled and started up the car. That made it feel less like a date and more like a friendship hang. That was a lot less scary.

Narook’s was located in the Southern edge of the Water district, where the Little Water Tribe neighborhood was located. Here the buildings clustered close together, the alleyways either nonexistent or tiny. Most buildings were one to two stories at most. Being an older part of the city, the streets were thinner, and parking harder to find. A few buildings had water tribe flags, while streamers and colored lanterns were strung over the street. 

Asami parallel parked several blocks from the eatery, mostly because there wasn’t any other place to park. The spots were packed by the place. She grabbed her bag, threw it over her shoulder, and followed Korra up the block. The sidewalks were surprisingly full of people, and they dodged their way through clusters of people walking slowly or chatting by parked cars. 

Inside the restaurant, the atmosphere was chaotic. Nearly every table was full, the back counter held a line, and the loudness was jarring to Asami’s ears. Kwong was peaceful in comparison. Despite being a Southern Water Tribe restaurant, very little dead things decorated these walls. The few that did were mostly local critters. 

Korra snagged her hand and pulled her toward the counter. “Best noodles in town!” She grinned. “And I’m starving. It’s been a day.” 

“It has.” Asami was trying very hard to not blush. With Korra holding her hand, this was definitely beginning to feel like a date. Should she confirm it? Asami wanted to be on more stable footing as to where they stood, but then she wasn’t sure the best way to ask. This had been her own idea after all.

So instead, she watched Korra scan the menu. Korra's eyebrows rose just before she smiled, and she tapped her bottom lip when in thought.

It took only a few minutes for them to reach the counter. The menu behind the cashier had only six noodle soups of varying flavors. Korra eagerly ordered hers, and Asami chose one at random. 

She’d almost gone here once after a probending match, but Mako had suggested they go elsewhere, leaving Korra and Bolin to their own devices. Asami had forgiven him for his past transgressions, and their friendship seemed relatively stable. She wondered if he’d be upset if Asami did date Korra. Would he reject her for it like her father had? 

The man at the counter counted a price, which jarred Asami from her ruminations. She handed over the money without thinking. Korra wrinkled her nose, her hand in her pocket as if she had planned to pay, but she didn’t protest Asami’s action.  Korra still didn’t have much money, any she had was a stipend from Tenzin, and Asami didn’t mind paying. She had more money then she needed, and she enjoyed spending it on Korra.

Once they had their food in their hands, Korra chose a table near the back of the restaurant, mostly out of sight from the door. The noise of the surrounding conversations was less here, thankfully too.

“This is nice.” Korra settled into the chair next to Asami. “Brings back memories from the pro-bending days, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe for you.” Asami stirred her soup with her chopsticks. “Mako seemed to suggest every place but this one, now that I think about it.”

“Weird. Maybe it’s because it’s Bolin’s favorite.” Korra slurped her noodle dish and dived in with her chopsticks. She leaned close to the bowl, her face over it, and scooped the noodles in ferociously. The wildness of it made Asami hot all over.

“You know, it’s pretty funny that we both dated the same guy.” She waved her sticks at Asami. “What does that say about us?”

Asami smiled. “Depends on our intentions I suppose.” 

Korra cocked her head. “What do you mean by that?” 

Asami shrugged, unsure how to explain. “I was under the watchful eye of my father at the time, who was adamant I date men. Dating Mako... I guess it was payback for the cruel things he’d said to me.”

“Wait. I'm not following. Dating Mako was revenge against your father?” Korra looked startled. 

A flush of guilt swept through Asami. “It's more complicated than that... when I first hit Mako with my moped, me asking him out was sort of spur of the moment. I felt bad for hitting him, but I knew who Mako was. I avidly watched your fights, you know. I knew my father would be frustrated that I'd chosen to date a firebender. Mako’s kindness surprised me though.” She tapped her chopsticks against her bowl. “I really did try to make it work, but that was more desperation than anything. I almost broke up with him after I took you racecar driving, except then you accused my father of being an Equalist.”

“Really? How come?” Korra had nearly finished her bowl of noodles, while Asami had only eaten a small bit, distracted by the conversation.

Because I liked you more. Asami didn’t have the courage to say it out loud though. “I knew it wouldn’t last. I care for him, but I wasn’t in love with him, you know? It was more of…” She sighed, unable to think of a diplomatic way to say this. “… I was lonely. Very lonely. I wanted to be seen and wanted by someone I guess. All of you were the first real friends I’ve ever had.” 

“Are you still lonely?” Korra took another swig of her broth. Her eyes met Asami’s over the edge of her bowl. 

Asami took am moment to sip hers, mostly to collect her thoughts. “Sometimes. It’s hard to not feel cut off from everyone. Pema tries hard to include me. Jinora likes to ask me for advice. I’ve never had a kid look up to me before. There’s the brothers - Bolin treating me like a sister is lovely. And then there’s you.”

Korra put down her bowl and tilted her head. “What about me?” The confusion on her face was absolutely precious. 

“Remember the day your uncle tried to take me out? I met with Katara after,” Asami said, quietly, “Before we parted ways, she thanked me for being here for you. Said we worked well together. You know what I said in reply without thinking it through?” 

“What?” Korra put down her chopsticks.

“That I’d do anything for you.” Asami flushed, embarrassed. “And I realized it’s true. I would.” 

Korra reached out and grasped Asami’s hand. For a moment, neither of them spoke or moved. This was the closest Asami could come to trying to express her feelings, and it left her feeling uncertain and scared. She needed more time to process what she wanted, but part of her braced for Korra to reject her like her father had. Yet Korra’s expression held a mixture of curiosity and warmth, her lips turned up in a small smile. Asami could get lost in those eyes.

Just as Korra started to speak, a deafening boom and sweep of pressure pressed against them --

-- fire and plaster exploded inward. Walls caved in, people tossed like dolls, and the ceiling cracked.The flames swept inward, but Korra bended them up and away from people’s heads.With her other hand, Korra swirled up the water from people’s glasses and neutralized the blast’s flames.

Asami scrambled to her feet. She held her arms up over her head.

Glass and splinters of wood and tile rained down on the interior. The ceiling trembled and pieces of it cracked and fell. Korra leaped to the center of the room, thrust her hands upward, and stopped the crumbling with one hand. The other she wove a pathway clear of dust toward the exterior.

Asami thoughts were only on aiding Korra in getting people out.

She urged those around her to move. Dust and bits of plaster filtered down from the growing cracks in walls and ceiling. Smoke curled upward from the area to her left. Asami helped up a nearby couple and gently pushed them into Korra's safe pathway.

Parts of the wall had fallen atop a neighboring table, it tilted into the wall, and a young child cried under it. Asami helped the father dig out the child. They'd made a hole in the debris, and since she was thinner, Asami shimmied on her stomach into the hole.

"Hey, it's okay. Your father is waiting." The child looked at her with wide green eyes but dutifully moved into her grasp. She gently pulled him free. The father, in tears, thanked her as he swooped him up and rushed through Korra's pathway.

People dashed for the shattered entrance. Asami bent and checked the pulses of those lying still near the caved in wall. Two had no pulse. Fear and horror clenched Asami’s stomach. She couldn’t think about it yet. She had to keep moving.

Asami checked the next person, glad to feel a strong pulse. She pulled her bag to the front of her and pulled out some fabric. She ripped a piece and held it against the gash in the woman’s side. She groaned at Asami’s touch. 

“Can you stand?” Asami asked when the woman opened her eyes.

The woman shook her head. Above them the ceiling creaked, bits of stone and tile fell only to be caught up in Korra’s air and earth bending. Asami bent down, gathered the woman in her arms, surprised by how light she was, and staggered to her feet. Too much glass, broken rebar, and splintered wood meant nearly everyone had to be carried. Some people grabbed tablecloths to make slings to carry others. A growing crowd lay to the north, and Asami laid the woman there. Two people dropped down at the women's side.

Rushing back, Asami helped another person with a tablecloth sling. She gritted her teeth at the weight of the person on it, but held on tightly until the person was safely outside. Again and again, she rushed inside to pull out survivors and carry injured in the make-shift slings, while Korra held the roof upright and more and more dust and plaster clung in the air. Sirens echoed in the distance after what felt like a lifetime of helping survivors.

Exhaustion threaded through Asami's arms and legs. Unlike Korra, she was not built for strength but for speed and agility, but here, she needed strength.

"Check the back," Korra said with a grunt of effort.

There was a floor above them. Asami had no idea if anyone was up there or how to reach them.

Asami pushed through fallen tables and chairs, mounds of stone and plaster, and swung herself over the counter. Except her way was blocked by a piece of ceiling. She coughed at the growing dust in the air and pushed against it. It moved only to roll back into place. Asami grabbed a broken stool and leveraged the metal under the piece, using the stool as a makeshift lever. The ceiling piece tumbled out of the way finally.

On the other side, cooks and several workers were clustered against the walls. Part of the wall had caved in near the backdoor, making no way out. A fire had started in the kitchen and smoke threaded its way through the hallway. A stairwell to the left was blocked by shattered remains of walls.

“Come on! We got a clear path!” Asami stepped over the debris and waved at them to follow her. A few struggled to their feet, but of the ones that didn’t, Asami bent down to throw their arm over her shoulder. The ones standing followed suite with the other injured. She led the group through Korra’s air pathway to the safety of the outdoors. 

The Fire Brigade pulled to a stop, their orange-red van lined with ladders and coiled hoses. More sirens wailed. The volunteer crew rushed up to the shattered storefront, threw a ladder against the wall, and climbed up to the second floor.

Asami stumbled back to Korra, and rested for a moment, her hands on her knees. "Fire Brigade checking above. How're you?"

Her mind was reeling from the blast, the rush to act, and the moment of rest threatened to send her spiraling. She needed to keep busy. She couldn't stop and think.

"Ceiling keeps crumbling. Feels like I'm juggling a dozen pieces. Tell me when they're done. ” Korra's muscles twitched.

"Can you just put it down safely?" Asami asked. The street was blocked off by the fire brigade and other vehicles.

Korra shook her head. "Nowhere safe to put it."

Asami nodded. She did a sweep of the destroyed remains of Narooks, then checked the bathroom, the only other room that's door was still upright. She slammed her body against it, and it swung open. Two people huddled in a corner, they hands over their heads.

"Come on," Asami called. "Got a safe path." She gestured for them to follow.

One stood okay, but the other struggled, their one leg a bloodied mess. Piece of a wall lay on the other side, the plaster reddish on one side. Asami looped the man's arm around her own, while his companion took the other. They headed out slowly along Korra's pathway. Once the pair were safe outside, Asami left them with the people doing first aid.

She ran over to a Fire Brigadier. "Korra can't hold forever," she said, breathlessly. "How much longer?"

The woman looked at her. "Last sweep. Thank the Avatar for being here."

Asami nodded. She looked up to see the other volunteers at a gaping hole in the upper story. She moved out of the way as they helped two people down.

"That's all we found!" The volunteer brigadier announced as he descended the ladder.

Turning to Korra, Asami relayed the message. Korra waited until the ladder was pulled away from the building, before she dashed forward and tumbled out of the destruction. She tripped over a piece of rebar and fell into Asami, who steadied her. The ceiling cracked, and it caved in behind her. The smoke and dust blew into the air, but Korra bended it away from the survivors. Bits of wall along the sides still stood, but the majority was a mess of plaster, wood, metal, and glass.

The horror of it hit Asami then. 

Someone had blown up a full eatery.

She stared at the debris field. The explosion had thrust inward, like a fiery punch. All those people by the windows when the explosions hit, most lay half hidden by the rubble or lined up, motionless and lifeless on the pavement. The senseless and needless death.

Korra grabbed Asami’s hand and said something. Asami shook her head. Sirens rent the air, and the police and paramedics pulled up, blocking the street. Shock had settled into her bones, so when Korra tugged her away from the debris, Asami followed wordlessly.

Chief Beifong showed up with two detectives, Mako, and two other officers. Asami and Korra sat on the curb together, both of them covered in dust and plaster. Asami still hadn’t spoken, although Korra had tried several times to entice words from her. There really wasn’t anything to say, so she held Korra’s hand instead. 

“Hey.” Mako stood stiffly in front of them, a worried frown on his face. “You two all right?”

“Yeah.” Korra looked up at him. She looked about to say something else, but then stopped and looked at the ground again. 

“Beifong wants a statement from you two. Sooner is better. It’d be fresher.” Mako’s tone had turned professional again, his back stiff, and his expression neutral. 

“Sure.” Korra glanced at Asami, who only nodded. 

Mako waved for them to follow him. Asami reluctantly stood and walked with Korra to Chief Beifong. She clenched Korra’s hand tight, unwilling to let go of the comfort. The dead lying on the pavement, sheets over their bodies, seared into her mind. 

Chief Beifong nodded at them and sighed. “This is a fucking disaster. Can you recount what happened?”

“Yes,” Asami started, but then found she couldn’t get the words out.

Korra took up the story thankfully and described in detail the horror, starting with when they sat down to eat. A few times Korra glanced at her. Words still wouldn’t come, so Asami only nodded in agreement. 

Mako and another officer took notes. 

“You two saved a lot of lives,” Chief Beifong said when they’d finished. “Avatar Korra, are you open to being present for the press briefing?"

"Yeah, I guess." Korra looked at Asami. "Will you come with me?"

Asami nodded, still not trusting her voice.

"Good. I'll let you know when it is. Go home and rest.” She sighed and scowled at the destroyed building.

Asami followed her gaze. The debris pattern triggered a memory, and the pictures Mako had asked her to develop suddenly felt heavy in her bag. 

The blast pattern. It was the same as those pictures. 

The Chief and detectives said something else, but then moved on to the next set of witnesses. When Mako moved to follow, Asami grabbed his arm. 

“Mako.” She pointed with her free hand at the debris, especially the angle inward. 

He frowned and looked at the debris. “Uhh, what about?”

“Same as pictures.” She hoped he got her meaning.

Words weren’t coming easily, and the sight of the bodies was making her a bit nauseated now. She was no stranger to fighting, but the way they were laid out brought back painful half-memories of her mother’s death, of the dead from the Equalist's rebellion, and of the dead man Korra and her had found on that oil rig. She'd never get used to it.

His eyes widened. “You sure it’s the same as the embassy?” When she nodded, he made a note in his pad. “Thanks for your work.” He gave them a salute and clapped his boot heels together. That baffled Asami, who looked at Korra only to see Korra looking at her just as confused.

Mako spun and rushed after the chief. He did tend to get into work mode, but that was beyond weird.

Korra tugged on her hand, and again Asami let her lead. Reporters had started to show up and shouted from where police kept them behind a line of cones. Paramedics sorted through the survivors, letting some go, and others were rushed to the vehicles.

"Thank you, Avatar Korra!" A few people called. Korra stopped, pulled away, and spoke to some of the survivors.

Asami stood to one side, unwilling to speak yet. Instead, she watched Korra care for their fellow survivors. The way she so easily offered words of comfort, it made Asami ache with sadness and longing.

The father of the child Asami had rescued pushed his way through the crowd, his child close at his side. "Ma'am. Thank you." He held out his hand. "Please, what is your name?"

Asami shook his hand. "Asami Sato," she said quietly. She didn't want to be a hero to people. She wanted to go take a shower and find a place to be alone.

"Oh. Oh! You took over Future Industries?" At her nod, the man shook her hand more vigorously. His child clung to his leg and looked at her with wide eyes. "Ms. Sato, what you did in there was amazing. I saw you run back in again and again. I won't forget this." His kid seemed to gather confidence at his father's words, and he stepped forward to tug at Asami's pants.

"I did what was right." She forced a smile for the father then dropped to one knee. "Hey," she said, softly, to the child.

"Thank you." The child couldn't have been much older than Meelo. He grasped Asami's hand. "I'm Yao. Are you the Avatar's friend?"

"Hi, Yao, and yes, I am."

That seemed to please the child, who smiled and threw his arms around her neck.

She swallowed her tears and patted the child's back. The boy pulled back and lightly touched her cheek. He looked so much like one of the air bender kids, that her heart shattered. She thought of how close that child had come to being crushed. A tipped table at just the right moment had saved his life.

"Be safe," she told him. He nodded and ran back to his father. Asami stood and saw that the father was in tears too. "If... you need anything..." Asami paused, but then seeing Yao looking up at her, she made a decision. She pulled out her Idea Journal, ripped out a page and wrote down her number. "I'll do what I can, okay?" She handed it to the father. 

He took it with shaking hands. "Thank you, Ms. Sato."

She smiled, faintly. Turning, she scanned the crowd, and before she could have second thoughts, she took a deep breath, pushed her way through, until she reached the cooks and other employees, who waited on the curb while Chief Beifong talked to the cashier. This was more Korra's thing than hers, but she had to do something. These people had been hurt, tremendously.

"Hey, I know you don't know me..." She started to say, but one of the cooks interrupted her.

"I know who you are, Ms. Sato. Thank you for what you did. I didn't think we'd get out." His voice shook with either exhaustion or pain, she wasn't sure.

Asami wrote down her number and tore out that page too. "Please let me know what I can do. I'm more than willing to leverage Future Industries to help rebuild Narooks, to help all of you get by until then."

The woman next to him stood. "Truly?" Her eyes filled with tears. "I'm Mia Narook. I... inherited this from my father."

Asami pressed her number into the woman's hand. "I will do everything I can to help."

"And me too!" Korra stepped up next to Asami and grasped Asami's hand. "I loved this place. It means so much to us."

The woman nodded. "Thank you. I'll... give you a call." She sat down abruptly, and the first cook Asami had spoke to put his arm around her.

Before she could start to cry too, she excused herself and walked away, suddenly exhausted. Her heart hurt. Tears stung her eyes, but she clenched her jaw to try to hold them back. She didn't want to cry here, not with the reporters shouting and taking pictures, not when so many had not survived. Her car was beyond the police line, and she dreaded it. She just wanted to go home.

Korra caught up to her. "Asami, what you did back there. That was..."

"Please, don't." Asami turned to Korra, her voice shaking. "Talk about anything else, please."

"Okay." Korra tugged on her hand. This time they walked away from the scene and down the road towards where Asami had parked. They'd barely made it to the edge of the police line before reporters started shouting questions their way. Several cameras flashed.

Asami would not speak to them. If she did, she might break.

Korra hurried them past the reporters. When several tried to step in their path, Korra gently pushed them to one side. "Hey, let us pass."

"Can you explain what happened?" One of the reporters, a man, walked with them.

"Chief Beifong's gonna have a press conference. Ask then. We just want to go home." Korra flicked her fingers at the man, and the air bending gently pushed him out of their path. He took the hint and turned to other survivors, as more slowly made their way home.

Relief filled Asami. She didn't want to talk to more people. She like fragile glass, ready to shatter in a brisk wind. The line of bodies - how some had been old and others young, the tilted table and child's cries, the fire in the kitchen - it all pulsed through her mind.

Korra drew closer, her voice dropping. “So you think it was the same bombs as the embassy?”

Asami’s mind latched onto this new problem, desperately. “Likely built with same materials. I suspect they planted them hours ago. Then remote detonated.” 

“So they planted them hours ago and waited?” Korra said, angrily. "Who does that?"

“Only explanation that makes sense. Otherwise they’d be seen and caught.”

They’d reached Asami’s satomobile. She looked at it, blankly for a moment. “Oh. I still have to meet with Varrick.” Their meeting with Raiko, Varrick, and Kara felt like weeks ago after the harrowing evening.

“I can go with.” Korra still hadn’t released her hand. Asami didn’t really want to let go yet either. “If… you wanna talk later, maybe it’d help us both?” 

“Sure.”

With a deep breath, mostly to steel her nerves, Asami let go and settled back into the driving seat. She pulled out some hand-wipes from her bag and did her best to clean herself up. She offered a few to Korra, who took one. Asami still felt gross, unsettled, and unkempt, but at this point, she just wanted to get this day over with and go home to take a shower.

The docks were built on both sides of the river that cut through the heart of the city; one side was the the industrial district where Asami usually went for work, but the other side was for private individuals and where Varrick kept his yacht. The boat was lit up, almost like a rainbow, garish and overindulgent.

Asami hated it.

To think, a week (or was it two now?) she’d stood in front of it with Bolin, eager to make the deal. Now she stood here with Korra eager to get this farce over with. 

The bouncer at the top of the gangplank raised his eyebrows at the dust still on their clothes, but he led them onto the ship and down a side hallway. Voices came from various doors, but the one the bouncer opened, thankfully held only two voices; Varrick and Bolin. 

Bolin was spending far too much time with this man. 

“Hey!” Bolin stepped forward then froze, his smile fading. “What happened? Are you okay?” 

“Welcome again! I gotta say, you two look like you fell in an ash pit,” Varrick said in greeting. Both had been seated around a coal fire, the rest of the room a mess of what looked like costumes in varying stages of design.

“Close enough,” Korra said, darkly. “We were trying to get dinner. And someone decided to blow up Narook’s when it was a full house. At least nine if not more people died. Asami and I rushed to get folks out before the whole place collapsed.” 

Bolin froze in shock, horror on his face.

Varrick stood with a gasp. “Another attack by Northerners? This is outrageous!” 

Asami glared at him. How typical of him to blame the Northerners right away. “We have no evidence of who did it yet.” 

“That’s a Southern Tribe eatery!” Varrick protested. “Who else would it be? Right, Avatar?” He looked at Korra.

Korra look at Asami, as did Bolin. 

Asami pressed a hand against her temple. She already had a headache. “Look, I’m here to seal the deal not to discuss your cock-brained theories.” She pulled out the adjusted paperwork and slapped it on the table in front of Varrick. “My lawyers looked it over. Found it acceptable. Crossed off one short clause at the end but that’s all. Do we have a deal or not? I’d like to go home and shower.” 

“Of course!” Varrick picked up the papers. “I’ll need to…”

Korra stepped forward, her expression surprisingly murderous. She thrust her fist under his nose. “Shut your trap and follow through, Varrick. You’ve dragged your feet on this long enough. You owe us. We saved you from Unalaq, remember?” 

Varrick, for once, was speechless. He looked at Korra, then Asami, and then down at the papers. Sitting on the pillows, he scanned through the text.

Zhu Li took that moment to enter with tea. She handed one to Bolin, another to Varrick, then offered Korra and her some.

Asami shook her head. She did not plan to stay. 

After a sip of tea, Varrick laughed uneasily. “I suppose I do owe you. And I, Iknik Blackstone Varrick, always honor my debts!” He snapped his fingers at Zhu Li. She produced a pen out of seemingly nowhere. “However,” He looked up at Asami. “Can I entice you about those mechs…”

Asami slammed her hands on the table in front of him. “Ask me again, I dare you.” Her voice went ice cold. She had no more patience for this man. 

Varrick blanched and quickly signed the papers.

Asami took the moment to sign as well. Gathering up her copy, she tucked it into her bag, and smiled, tightly. “It is a pleasure doing business with you, Varrick.” She glanced at Bolin. “Bo, ready to go? We’re meeting tonight.” 

“Oh yeah! I’m ready!” He grabbed his jacket. “I’ll see you tomorrow for our next shooting! Nuktuk ready to save another day!” He flexed his bicep and followed them out.

Thankfully, Varrick said nothing. Instead, Zhu Li wished them a lovely evening. 

The anger kept Asami together as they walked down the quay to the White Lotus’ ferry. Bolin and Korra didn’t speak on the ride over, which Asami was grateful for.

Naga met them at the Air Temple docks, her tail waging, and her tongue out. Not even petting Naga helped ease Asami’s mood. She quietly excused herself from the others and headed for Tenzin’s office. 

Kyung answered on the second ring. “Hello, Kyung here.” 

“Asami Sato.” The anger in her voice mixed with exhaustion. “Varrick signed the deal.” 

“Oh! That’s…” Kyung paused. “Asami, what is it? Did something happen?” 

“Narook’s no longer exists.” The anger had started to fade into a roiling horror. “Nine ... possibly more people died. Korra and I got as many as we could out, but…” Her voice trailed off, and she fought back tears. It was just one thing after another, wasn’t it? No break. Life just hammered them endlessly. 

“Spirits.” Kyung’s voice grew soft. “I’m so sorry. Hey, I can tell the others that you need a personal day. I mean, you got Varrick to sign that contract. That’s huge. I can come personally to pick it up tomorrow.” 

“No.” Asami knew that if she paused to rest, she’d break down, and she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to get back up if so. “I need to stay busy. I’ll come in tomorrow and present it myself. Varrick didn’t notice the clause we added midway through the contract by the way.” 

“So trap set.” Kyung sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Asami.”

“We’ll find out once the leak is published. Thank you, Kyung. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Asami hung up before Kyung could reply.

Dropping the phone in its cradle, Asami looked down at Tenzin’s desk and remembered they needed to check the radio for the Eastern Air Temple’s update. Another task. 

Would all this work be enough? Could they get the aid the South needed? Could she finally bring down Varrick and somehow save her company? And what of the dark spirits? Could they stop whatever Unalaq was doing there? Korra needed to see Tenzin to finish what they’d started with the spirits. And to add to it all, they were dealing with terrorists posing as Northerners.

She wanted to feel the anger again. That was better than the horror coupled with sorrow.

“Asami?”

She turned at Bolin’s voice.

He stood in the doorway of the study. He pushed his index fingers together. “It’s been a day, hasn’t it?” He looked sad. “I’m sorry I haven’t been checking in with you, sis. Today sounded awful. I can't believe Narooks is gone. It was my favorite, you know? Such good people owned it." 

Asami could not deal with this now. She walked over and grasped his shoulder. “I'm sorry. We'll talk later... just... promise me, you’ll be careful with Varrick, okay?”

He nodded, looking confused. “I promise to be careful.”

She squeezed his shoulder and left him in the doorway. 

Asami figured she’d take her shower after the radio calls. Korra had been attending to Naga, so she went alone. Settling in the chair by the radio, she fiddled with the knobs until she had the Hidden Village’s frequency. She toggled the microphone. 

“Asami Sato calling Hidden Village, Nakul or Waaseyaa.” Her voice sounded flat to her ears. 

At first only static responded, then Nakul’s came through with a hiss. “Nakul here, what can I do for you, Asami Sato?”

Asami took a breath to gather her thoughts. Might as well say it all in one go. “Korra and I looked into the land you tried to buy. I was able to search Varrick’s mansion before we escaped Wolf Cove. I found some alarming documents. I had my company’s lawyer review it with me.”

She hadn’t outright admitted to the theft at least. She summarized what San and her had found, then added, "I do not trust Varrick. I’m doing everything in my power to bring him to justice, but I fear he…” she trailed off uncertain how to voice her worries. 

Static met her admission. “I see,” Nakul said. “Do you fear he will seek your technology?”

“He won't stop asking for it. I don’t think he’s going to accept my repeated no’s. But I don’t know exactly what he’ll do.” There. She finally said the words out loud. One of her larger fears.

“You’re afraid he’ll find a way to take it south.” She said it as a statement rather than a question. 

“Yes.” Asami paused. She needed more evidence for the attacks here, technically to make a theory such as this. Yet there was too much correlation, and she needed Nakul to know that if any Future Industries tech ended up south, that it wasn’t by her hand. That she was going down fighting.

“There’s more. Two terrorist attacks happened in Republic City. The bombs were remotely activated using a device remarkably similar to one Varrick had on display in his mansion. He keeps claiming these terrorist attacks were done by Northerners, despite there being little evidence of it. I suspect he’s connected to them somehow.” She took a deep breath. “People died, Nakul. We tried to save as many as we could…” Her voice shook despite her struggle to keep her voice calm. 

Static hissed, then Nakul’s voice said, “Do you believe he may seek to harm you?”

“I don’t know.” Who else wanted her gone because she kept getting in the way? “It’s not like people haven’t tried to kill me before,” Asami said, bitterly. “My own father tried when I chose to side with Korra. Unalaq tried when he discovered I was messing up his manipulation of Korra. Why not add Varrick?” Tears stung her eyes, and she swallowed a sob. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to share my burdens like that.” 

“Asami,” Nakul said, gently.“You are under great stress. Sharing your troubles is important. We all need that. What I have seen and heard is how you are willing to stand up for what is right or die trying. That is not only noble but shows you have a deep and caring heart. Remember, what others do to you is not your fault.” Static trickled through Nakul’s pause. She sounded remarkably like Senna in that moment. “You have earned our trust. If the mechs appear here, I know it will be due to Varrick not you. Do not let that burden you. Do you understand?”

Asami bit back a sob. “Thank you. I promise I will keep doing everything I can to honor our agreement. To expose Varrick and bring him to justice.” 

“I know, and I thank you. Go rest now. We will talk soon.” Static erupted. 

Asami turned off the radio, unable to bring herself to call the Eastern Air Temple. Loneliness hit her hard, and she desperately wished she could just be held by someone. She wondered what would have happened had Korra chosen the empty table by the window. Would they have survived? It was a harrowing thought. Instead, she put her head down on the table. Her headache was even worse now. 

She jolted upright when the door creaked open behind her. “If you want to talk, don’t.” 

“Not here to talk.” Korra’s voice was soft. “I already called the temple. Come and rest.” She gently grasped Asami’s arm. 

Asami looked up to see tears in Korra’s eyes. That was too much to bear. Asami took a deep breath to try to regain her composure, to be strong for her friends, but a sob broke through anyway.

Korra dropped to her knees and wrapped her tight in a hug, crying with her.

Chapter Text

MAKO

Republic City, Narook's - 7 in the evening

Mako watched Lu and Gang do no investigation. They had pictures taken of the debris that used to be Narook's, got the police cones up around the perimeter, but mostly asked questions of the survivors. They needed to gather evidence. 

So if they weren’t doing their job, then Mako would. He pulled out his kit that he’d been slowly creating with various tools - inspired by Asami’s kits - and walked the perimeter of the disaster. Due to the survivors, there was a lot of footprints in the dust, which wouldn’t help the case. He rounded the edges of the collapsed building to look into the alleyway. 

That’s when he sighted it. The trash bin had been blown over, garbage spilling into the alley, and nestled in it was another remote. He pulled on his gloves, took out a bag, and carefully lifted it from the trash. Someone has smashed it, the side of it had split open and the vacuum tube shattered. 

He laid it on the ground and dug out his charcoal and flashlight. He angled the light over the sides of the remote then rubbed it with charcoal. Just as he hoped, several fingerprints came into view. This he could map to their fingerprint database of the traids. He took a piece of paper and pressed it lightly against the charcoal to transfer the print, then slid that into a separate bag. Dropping the remote into its own bag, he put away his supplies and ran his flashlight over the ground. Sure enough there was footprints around the trash bin. 

“And what is supercop up to this time?” Lu wandered into the alley his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

“Finding evidence.” He gestured to the footprints. “You gonna get these photographed?” 

Chief Beifong walked up to them before Lu could respond. “What the fuck are you doing, Mako? I said to take statements not mess in alleys.” 

Mako held up the remote bag and pointed to the footprints. “This was in the trash and these footprints show someone had tossed it there. Shouldn’t we make prints of them?”

Beifong frowned and tapped her fingers against her leg. “Good catch. Lu get your partner over here and make a copy of those prints. I expect good photos too. Mako, get back to taking statements.” She held out her hand, and Mako dropped the remote bag into it. She regarded him with an expression that was less anger and more thoughtful. 

As much as he wanted to keep looking, he did as told. 

By the time they finished statements and aiding paramedics, Mako was exhausted. Him and the other two officers were dismissed, while Beifong worked with Lu and Gang. Mako needed photos of the site, but that would have to wait until there was a less heavy presence. He drove his motorcycle back to the office to write his report and catalog all the witness and survivor testimonies.

It was nearing nine in the evening when he finished. He was late for the Team Avatar meeting, but with the attack, he suspected Asami and Korra had gone to Air Temple Island to rest. They’d been through an harrowing ordeal. The thought that they could have been killed left him feeling angry, scared, and sad. He needed them in his life, but he struggled to adapt to the new role of 'just-a-friend.' Dating both of them left him anxious when he was around the two of them. He still loved both of them. For Asami it was more of a platonic love now, but for Korra, he struggled with his intense feelings.

He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the speckled ceiling. The question Korra had asked him after they official broke up popped back into his mind. 

“Mako, can people of the same gender be together romantically?” 

He’d never thought about it before, and it made him distinctly uncomfortable. He’d seen gay couples before, but he’d only hung out with them because of Bolin, who befriended everyone or tried to do so. Mako had always assumed romance was just for men and women and same gender couples were just overly affectionate friends. 

Maybe that’s how Korra saw it. She’d certainly treated him more like a friend she would kiss sometimes, and despite his patience with her, he’d never gotten her to stay the night at his place overnight or sleep with him. She’d been skittish and always stopped their intimacy the moment he got so hot and bothered that he’d start to push up firmer against her, his hands going to her pants. 

That had killed the moment each time. He still didn’t get why.

But he loved Korra still.

When she had asked that question out of the blue, she’d been very serious, her expression one of longing almost. He’d never seen her that way, not while they were together. He’d also never seen her give him the same delighted and adoring look that she lately had been giving Asami.

Surely Korra didn’t break up with him to be with Asami? How would it even work? The thoughts upset him, and frustrated he pushed away from the desk. He didn’t want to lose Asami’s friendship, especially since they got along pretty well now. He also didn’t want to lose Korra, but he had no idea how to act around the two of them. 

Better to not comment on whatever they had going on and just try to act normally. Unlike today when he’d done that dumb salute. What had he been thinking? He smacked his hand against his forehead. He needed to be better. If he wanted to keep their friendships, he ought to be prepared in case Korra really did pursue Asami. He’d hit the library this week. Do some research and try to understand.

Standing, he headed to the archives to distract himself. He needed to compare that charcoal imprint he’d taken with the files there. Then he’d head home, get some rest, and check in on the others tomorrow.

BOLIN

Republic City - Varrick’s Warehouse — Mid Afternoon - Day after Narook's

Bolin wasn’t entirely sure why Varrick insisted on shorts and a fur vest for Nuktuk’s costume, but he suspected it had more to do with showing off his muscles than it did with being realistic about how achingly cold the South actually was. 

They’d already shot two scenes already - the man acted fast! A few days after their return and so much had happened! The lines Varrick had written made little sense in conjunction with the actual documentary footage, but who was he to critique genius? 

Bolin instead stood off to one side as workers built the next set. He muttered his lines under his breath, only to check the paper to verify if he’d gotten close. Pabu slept around his shoulders like a furry scarf, which Varrick had been enthused to keep in the shoot. 

Today Korra said she’d drop off Naga for a few scenes, which boosted Bolin’s mood.

Thinking of that was better than thinking about the pictures of Narook’s destruction. Grief over its loss coupled with the look on Asami’s face last night, threatened to send him into tears. He wasn’t sure how best to support his sis, especially with how she seemed to be doing twenty million different things all at once. In fact, had she stopped to rest at all since all this chaos started?

Maybe he should invite her to a shoot. Let her sit, eat snacks, and enjoy the chaos of a behind-the-scenes mover. He nodded to himself, resolving to ask her as soon as possible. Turning, he wandered over to the snack bar, where Ginger, the absolutely beautiful red-haired actress, stood with a cup of punch. 

“So, how goes it?” He poured his own punch and tried to sound smooth. 

Ginger rolled her eyes and walked away. 

Maybe next time. Deflated Bolin walked toward Varrick’s makeshift office at the front of the warehouse he’d transformed into a mover set. The sounds of muffled yelling could be heard, and Bolin almost turned back the way he came. Then he remembered his promise to Asami. That he’d be careful with Varrick.

Why had she asked that? What did she know? Bolin trusted her with his life, so she wouldn’t have said it unless she knew something was up. 

He slid closer to the door until he was up against it. A quick glance around showed no one really looking in his direction. He leaned against the door, his ear up against it. 

“…told you to wait, you nincompoop! At least three days I said! Three. Days.” Varrick sounded furious. “You want paid? Paid for what?! You failed to do the thing right.” The sound of a heavy thump, then Varrick’s voice quieted to a point that Bolin could barely hear him. “… third of cut. Do the thing right this time. Don’t…” 

A crash behind him caused Bolin to jump guitily away from the door. Turning, it was only a worker struggling to pull a sack of turnips into the air with a pulley system. Bolin jogged over and wrapped his hands around the rope behind the worker and pulled. The sack went up to the height of the cloud layer, and the worker tied off the rope to a piece of metal. 

“Thanks!” He wiped the sweat from his forehead and grinned at Bolin. 

“Nuktuk is always willing to lend a hand!” That got a grin from the worker, who hurried off to the next task. 

Bolin grabbed a stool and sat down, troubled by what he’d heard. Who had Varrick been talking with? And what did he mean by waiting three days? Whoever it was must have already did the thing. This sounded like something he ought to tell Mako or Asami. They were to meet tonight, this time at an office in Future Industries, so he’d plan on it then. 

In the meantime, he’d honor his promise to Asami by keeping his eyes and ears peeled.

MAKO

Republic City — Day after Narook's  - Morning

Calling Asami at her office shouldn’t be a big deal, but after last night, Mako found himself a bit nervous. He had a few moments before he had to hit the beat, so he readied his nerves and made the call. 

The phone rang twice before it was picked up. “Asami Sato of Future Industries speaking,” Asami’s voice was tight and cold almost.

“Hey, it’s Mako. I wanted to check in on you and Korra. You two holding up okay?” He wasn’t sure if Korra was with her, but considering the pair had become nearly inseparable of late, he suspected so. 

“Oh. Thanks for the concern, Mako. I’d rather not talk about it. Was there anything else you needed?” The coldness had melted from her voice, but now she sounded tired.

He recognized how much she had riding on her shoulders, especially with her failing company. Figuring out ways to support her was hard. He envied how easily his brother could bring a smile to those around him. Mako seemed better at causing scowls.

“Look, I’m here if you need to talk about anything, okay? I care about you.” 

“Thanks.” She paused and a bit of static swept through the line. 

Mako scanned the office, glad to note Lu and Gang weren’t at their desks, and the other officers were either hard at work or readying for their own beats. “Can I ask your help again? I know it might be a bit much after…”

Asami interrupted him. “Yes, I can help. What do you need?” Her tone had changed to that brisk professionalism she used when at work. 

“I got some fingerprints evidence. Planned to get copies of the pictures of the blast. I wondered if you or Korra or both of you were up to some late-night reconnaissance. I think there’s evidence being missed. Lu and Gang have the perception of a meerbat.” Meerbats were blind with limited senses from deep cave living. Bolin had been obsessed with them, bearded cats, and fire ferrets as a kid.

“Yes. I’ll ask Korra. Was there anything else?” 

“Yeah, the prints you made. Is there a way to confirm the same bombs were used at both sites?” He’d only thought of that last night while reading a textbook on analyzing crime scenes that he’d taken from the department’s library. The long studying and exams to be a beat cop didn’t include much theories on detective work, so he’d been gathering as many books as he could to get himself up to speed.

“Yes. I need samples from both sites. We have a chemical lab here for such work. This could also pinpoint ingredients in case you wish to track down manufacturers.” 

“Thanks. That’d be great. I’ll get you those samples then.” He hesitated, but then decided to ask anyway. “Asami, are you sure you’re doing okay? That was pretty harrowing yesterday.” 

A long pause. For a moment, Mako wondered if she’d hung up, but when she finally spoke, her voice was soft and the telephone lines almost didn’t relay it. “I can’t, Mako. If I stop to think, I may break, and I don’t know if I can get up again. It’s just been one thing after another.” 

“I understand.” When Korra had been missing - only for them to discover Tarrlok had kidnapped her — Mako had to keep moving and doing things otherwise he’d break and come apart. So that drive made sense to him. “Just know I’m here, okay?” 

“Thanks. I appreciate it. Go tackle those cases, hotshot.” Asami hung up immediately after.

Mako looked at the phone in his hands and placed it back in its cradle. That was the first time she’d used a nickname for him, and he liked it. Maybe being just friends wasn't so hard after all.

Mid-day

Mako sat at his desk with his lunch, his morning reports set to one side, and the criminal log book open in front of him. His patrol route had been relatively uneventful, since his route this morning was mostly in the industrial sector. It had given him a lot of time to think.

The finding of another remote at Narook’s gave credence to Asami’s assertion that the blast patterns were similar to the embassy. Except, instead of seeing this and the other details as something warranting further investigation, Lu and Gang had decided it was more proof Northerners did it. 

Incompetent goons. 

His search through the archives had found a few possible matches for the fingerprints, and he’d made a copy of the matches for his own set of evidence. All had been either Triple Threat or Agni Kai goons. Now he needed to ID the man he’d seen at the embassy.

He flipped a page and froze. The man with black hair and a goatee stared back from the Agni Kai list. “That’s him!” He pulled out the image.

He dashed over to Lu and Gang’s shared desk near the chief’s office. He slapped the picture down. “This is the guy I saw sneaking out of the building right before the explosions. He's a member of the Agni Kais. Someone must have hired him to make it look like Northerners attacked the Cultural Center.” 

Lu frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. Gang picked up the picture then tossed it over his shoulder. “Take a break, supercop,” Gang said. “We already solved this. The Northerners did it.” 

Mako picked up the picture frustrated. “Northern Water Tribe are water benders not fire benders.” 

“He thinks he can solve this better than us, doesn’t he?” Lu said to Gang. 

“Sure looks it.” Gang laughed. “Go ahead and try, rookie. I’m sure the chief will love to hear how you’re wasting our time.” 

Furious, Mako stalked back to his desk. How did those idiots become detectives? It baffled Mako. He’d yet to see them do any actual work. Most of the time they just schmoozed and did half-hearted examinations of crime scenes. He’d done more than both of them combined. 

So he’d build the case and present it to Beifong himself. He shut the mugshot book and pushed it to one side. The fact that Varrick had a prototype remote and receiver in a glass case in his Southern mansion was suspicious, but without proof that it was there and actually the same model, he couldn’t use that to definitively prove the connection. 

Sighing, he ate his sandwich and considered the problem. Varrick was currently working on a mover with Bolin. Would there be supplies among the set that could show a link between these remotes and Varrick? Knowing how ludicrous Varrick was, he doubted the mover would be an actual documentary. Likely would be full of nonsense. 

His beat route for the afternoon was through Dragonflats and Water district, so he’d have plenty of reason to drop by the crime scene. He’d grab the samples Asami asked for this morning too. Getting a handle on who manufactured the bombs could trace back to the buyer, but that required accessing the documents of whatever companies were involved.

Except, how would he get a warrant to search their offices though? He’d need to know who the supplies were sold to within a specific time frame. He didn’t like the idea of breaking in, but with the way Lu and Gang were acting, he doubted he could get them to sign a warrant for this. 

He glared in their direction. He hated them and their stupid mustaches.

There didn’t seem to be a way around it. He’d have to set up a sting, pretend to buy supplies and distract those there, while someone else sneaked in to search their documents. Asami was pretty agile and light on her feet. Her silent takedowns at the prison had stunned Mako at first, but now he could see her easily sneaking in and getting what they needed. Likely without anyone hearing a thing. The plan solidified in his head, which greatly improved his mood.

Chapter Text

Republic City, Future Industries — Day after Narook's - Late Morning

Asami sat with her board and reviewed the planned shipment. 

3 Construction mech prototypes
32 stun batons
2 Satomobiles - class A
4 Biplane prototypes

Ship to Capital City, Fire Nation. 

The stun batons had been against her wishes, but they did need to get rid of those products. Asami simply didn’t want to sell any weapons of war, but there wasn’t any practical civilian application for stun batons. The paper continued with a list of individuals and companies that had requested each. The phone conversations Asami had had early this morning to confirm the requests had been long and tiring.

Now she sat in a long and tiring meeting, and her head ached. 

She needed another pot of tea. Yet, she couldn’t complain. It kept her busy, and busy is exactly what she needed. If she stopped to think, her thoughts would spiral back to the attack on Narook’s. She couldn’t think of that now, nor could she think about Mako’s second request. The image of the dead was haunting her enough. She needed to stay focused on work.

The newly reformed shipping department finished when Kuza flipped the large presentation pad to a clean sheet and sat down.

Asami thanked them. “Is there anything else?” she asked. The agenda in front of her didn’t show anything, so maybe that meant she could return to her blueprints.

“If I may add to the agenda?” Sezoh said. Asami waved for him to continue. “I want to bring to the council’s attention the attack yesterday on Narook’s.” He pulled a paper out of his folio and laid it on the table. It was a newspaper clipping, the image on the front had Asami helping survivors, while Korra held up the ceiling next to her.

Asami felt herself stiffen. This was the last topic she wanted to address. The screams of pain, the dust that choked, the cries roared in her ears. She clenched her fists against her legs, and focused solely on her breath. Sezoh was still speaking, and she shifted her focus to his baritone voice.

“This is perhaps the first time since Hiroshi's betrayal that Future Industries has had positive exposure.” Sezoh tapped the newspaper clipping.

Lukken, head of the board, nodded. He was a tall, thickly muscled man from the South. “That’s an excellent idea, Sezoh. We need to divorce ourselves from Hiroshi and Amon as much as possible. And as traumatic as yesterday was, that heroic act reflected on us in good ways.”

“Ms. Sato, what an excellent idea that was,” Gaolin started to say, but Asami cut him off, sharply. 

“What I did wasn’t planned. I did it because it was the right thing to do.” A hint of frustration and pain had threaded into her voice against her bitter judgement. “People died that day. Korra and I being there was by chance.”

“Chance that saved lives,” Sezoh pointed out. “Ms. Sato, call it chance, fate, or whatever, but what you did was heroic. And your work with the Avatar, to aid her people, is also selfless. You’ve also forgone income to keep us all paid ‘til the end of the year, and you got Varrick to sign that deal with terms that favor us.”

Asami leaned back in her chair, uncomfortable. “Yes. Where are you going with this, Sezoh? I’d rather not talk about my actions. This -” she waved her hand around the room, “-is a team effort. What I did at Narook’s was a team effort.”

Sezoh leaned forward and stabbed his finger at the paper. “The public prefers to put a name and a face to events. You and Avatar Korra saving those lives put a name and a face to the rescue efforts. Why do you think we’ve struggled with getting Future Industries back up? Hiroshi’s name and face was put with Amon. You are the only person here who has a chance of changing that. Part of that is you being you. Another part is reaching out to the public and sharing your views.” 

Asami did not like where this was going at all. “Are you saying we need a press conference?” 

“Yes and no,” Sezoh hedged. “A press conference could help in detailing your goals for the company and the philanthropic efforts you've done for the city. However, I think it’d be better for you to write articles about your non-discrimination clauses and why you chose that and how you uphold it. That will go far in showing the very different values of Future Industries current leadership.” 

“Sezoh has a point,” Kyung said. “Any of us could write similar articles, but your name is famous. Everyone knows the Sato name.”

That wasn’t a particularly helpful reminder. It made her feel trapped in the spotlight, and that hadn’t been a place she wanted to be. She’d much rather design a new engine, work on a new renewable energy, or really anything else. Even if her actions were heroic, being reminded of that trauma was painful.

“Writing articles for the most prestigious and high quality papers in the city would be an excellent idea,” Gaolin said. “We can also work to have these articles circulate beyond Republic City, such as the Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Water Tribes. Is not our values as a company part of our selling point for new hires and customers alike?”

As much as Asami didn’t like Gaolin, he had a good point, as did Sezoh. “All right. Would you also like me to write an article on how crucial nonbender and bender cooperation is? If I’m to do this, that seems pertinent.”

Lukken nodded. “That’s an excellent idea. Write about the non-discrimination clause and how critical it is to maintaining a safe, respectful, and thriving workplace for our workers. Speak to the importance of nonbender and bender relations, and if you can work in your alliance with the Avatar, that would provide an excellent example to drive your point home.” 

The others on the board voiced their own agreement to the idea. Asami smiled tightly to the mostly men group. “All right. I’ll work on that. Is that all the items on our agenda?” She was relieved when the others nodded. She ended the meeting on that note. 

Exhaustion weighed heavily on her as she gathered her folio and left the board room. More tasks. Always more tasks. It was getting difficult to keep track of them all. She headed down to the cafeteria a few floors down, but instead of getting food, she selected a black tea with a peppermint flavor. It’d help settle her nausea. 

“Ms. Sato!” one of the cafeteria workers stopped her. Asami hadn’t seen the woman before, but she’d also never stepped foot inside here either. “I’m Hansa, and I wanted to ask a question.”

Asami nodded. “Go ahead.” She sipped her tea. 

“The cafeteria workers are working to form a union, and I was selected as a delegate. We’d like to see a raise in pay once you’ve succeeded in turning the company around. We make less than a living wage currently.” Hansa shifted from foot to foot, nervously. She was a slight woman with ruddy brown hair and amber eyes. 

“Less than living wage?” Asami repeated, shocked to hear that. “That… is not good. Go ahead and bring me your asks in paper. All of you ought to be paid a living wage at the bare minimum.” 

Hansa bowed from her waist. “Thank you. I’ll work with the others on the paperwork. When would be best to meet with you?” 

Asami really needed to get a personal assistant. She had no idea what her schedule was off the top of her head. “I don’t have my schedule with me. Please drop by tomorrow morning, and we’ll take a look, okay?” The woman nodded and bowed again. 

The walk back to her office left her unsettled. How many other workers weren’t paid a living wage? She needed to go through the payrolls and verify. That ought to be the bare minimum. She wondered if it was left over from her father’s term. If so, was disappointing considering how much he had claimed to treat workers well. She’d just have to fix it.

With that resolve, she headed to her office, called Gaolin, and told him to send up the payroll list and employee rating surveys. Before he could ask why, she hung up. She didn’t need to give a reason. 

Two hours and three cups of tea later, Asami had the documents spread over her desk. A headache pulsed behind her eyes, and anger broiled through her. All workers that were benders were paid significantly less than nonbenders.

She made a list of all employees that needed wages raised to a living wage and then checked their time at the company. All the ones who had been here more than three years, she added in a bonus to their wage, one they ought to have gotten, but apparently only went to nonbenders.

Hadn’t she asked Gaolin to fix all disparities like this three months ago? Why wasn’t it done? In fact, some of the documents showed that despite excellent employee rating surveys, several benders failed to get their raise that should have been automatic at that point. What was Gaolin doing?

They’d had the board and department heads meeting this morning, but Asami didn’t care. She was too angry. She called them all back into the meeting room. The mostly men council, shareholders, and department heads looked back at her in confusion when she entered and slammed two piles of paperwork onto the table. 

“I presume you all read the non-discrimination clause of our new contracts? If not, I have all of your copies here, signed.” She tapped the second stack. 

“Yes,” Sezoh said.

Gaolin looked at her, annoyed. “What is your point, Asami?”

“Ms. Sato,” Kyung warned him. 

He rolled his eyes. “Ms. Sato then. We just had our weekly meeting.” 

“It came to my attention that discrimination has been happening despite people signing that contract.” Asami crossed her arms and glared at Gaolin. “Gaolin, you are head of human resources and in charge of payroll. Explain why all bender workers are paid significantly less than nonbenders, why none have received bonuses in the past five years, and why - when I specifically asked this of you three months ago - none of their salaries were brought up to living wage.” 

His face paled. “They’re benders! That was a rule…”

“I’m not my father. Did I not show that with the non-discrimination clause, that you signed? This situation is a prime example of what discrimination is, and I think it will be pertinent for the article you all asked of me.” She felt spiteful, and part of her recognized it was her anger at the terrorist attack that was being directed now at Gaolin. She didn’t care at this point; her anger had boiled over.

Gaolin rose, angrily. “That’s slander.” 

“That’s facts. As documented here.” She tapped the payroll pile. “Including your notes, which you are very good at documenting. Gaolin, you broke your contract by continuing discrimination after signing. Per our contracts, you are now fired. Your two weeks severance pay will be sent to the address listed in our files.” Asami looked at the rest of the group. “I’m making this statement so you all know how I feel about this. We are making an equitable and equal workplace for all workers regardless of identity. If you can’t abide by that, then leave with Gaolin please.” 

She waited. No one moved. 

Gaolin spoke first as he glowered at her. “You’ll destroy this company.” 

“Destroy? She’s saving it,” Sezoh snapped. “She got the deal with Varrick. We now have shipments planned. She’s a hero to the city right now. All you’ve done is belittle her.”

“Want me to drag him out by his collar and kick him to the curb?” Hue, the automotive factory director, asked. 

Asami shrugged. “If that’s what it will take. Gaolin, I’ll notify security to kick you off the grounds if you return.”

That got him moving. He stormed out of the room.

Asami looked over the rest of her management team and board. “All discrimination cases will be handled by our contract. Understood?”

To her relief, the others in the room nodded their affirmative. 

“Great.” She dismissed the meeting.

Kyung caught her just outside the meeting door. “That was well played,” she looked impressed. “And considering a lot of companies discriminate, we’ll come out looking better.” 

“Wait, others discriminate with impunity?” That was not something Asami wanted to hear. When Kyung nodded, Asami made a decision. “Then I’ll just meet with parliament and get a bill to stop that.”

Kyung smiled. “I’ll gladly help. But first let’s focus on getting us out of bankruptcy.” 

Asami nodded, though she wasn’t going to do that. She’d ask Kara and friends about who would be best, and get the ball moving anyway. And she’d continue to help Korra, bring Varrick to justice, and pull her company out of the red. As long as she stayed busy, she'd get through it all.

She parted ways with Kyung at the human resources department. 

The staff there was only six people, considering half of it had been Equalist sympathizers of whom she and the undercover officer, Kang, had rooted out several months prior. Asami wasn’t sure how Gaolin had gotten past Kang’s truthseer ability. She headed to the team lead, a scruffy looking man with deep brown skin and green eyes. 

“Binh?” She’d read through his records earlier. According to the payroll records and Gaolin’s notes, he did well at his job, though Gaolin hadn’t liked him. He had been paid less due to being an earthbender. His documentation was impeccable though, and his fellow workers had rated him highly.

“Ms. Sato!” The man shot to his feet and bowed. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m here to congratulate you.” Asami smiled. “You are now the department head of human resources, if you should agree to the promotion.” She dug through her papers and pulled out his new contract for the promotion.

He stared at her in shock. “What of… Gaolin?”

“Fired for violating the nondiscrimination clause. I am also raising your pay to match what his was. And all benders in Future industries will have their pay increased to meet living wage at a minimum. I marked here the ones that have longevity and so qualify for bonuses.” She handed him her notes as well. 

He looked down at the promotion and her notes. Relief showed on his face. “Thank you. I… didn’t expect to ever see this happen.” 

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice it sooner, Bihn. When I said I wanted to remake this company as an equitable and equal workplace for all people, I really did mean it. So will you take the new position?” She hoped so. He had been kind to her and always said hello during her first few months as Chief Executive Officer. 

He smiled and shook her hand. “Yes. Thank you, Ms. Sato.” 

“No, thank you, and congratulations.”

As she left for her upstairs office, she felt a sense of relief. She’d actually fixed something, and it had happened fast without too much fuss. Now if only everything else would work out, though she didn’t have much hope for that.

After Asami had filed away all the payroll and employee rating paperwork in her cabinets, she heard a knock at her door. Confused, she opened it to see Lukken, the head of our company's board. He'd been her father's right hand man until Hiroshi betrayed them all, then he'd left. Kyung had helped her convince him to return, and she felt glad, as she appreciated his steady presence and solid logic.

“A moment of your time, Ms. Sato?” He smiled. 

“Sure.” Asami waved him inside and took a seat by the sofa, mostly to avoid looking too imposing behind the desk. “What do you need?”

Lukken sat down on the sofa. “I came to congratulate you on your work. The past two months has shown how much you’ve grown. I see a vibrant young woman, ready to tackle the world, and fix what her father broke. That’s courageous.” He leaned forward his arms on his knees and his hands clasped. “Now I need you to do something for me, okay?” 

Asami felt on edge from the praise. “What?” 

“Stop being so damn humble,” Lukken’s bluntness startled her. 

“My actions are part of a team effort…” she started, but Lukken held up his hand. 

“Yes, we all see that, but you are the leader of this company, Asami. Those men in there need to see a strong hand, and that second meeting, when you dealt with Gaolin, is exactly how you need to run future meetings. Do you understand?” He gave her a pointed look. 

Asami sighed. “Yes. You make it sound easier than it is, Lukken.” 

“I know. I was once in your shoes. I acted similarly until your father told me to shape up if I wanted to be a respected leader.” Lukken waved his hand for effect.

That admission surprised Asami as she had assumed Lukken was born confident.

“You hold great power here, Asami. Now you need to understand how best to wield it. That may require some hard decisions that will clash with your personal morals and ethics. I’m more than willing to be here to talk through those clashes, but in that board room be confident and firm.” 

“Yes, I understand that. However, sometimes I need the board and teams’ perspectives on a subject,” Asami protested. “I need to be flexible if I am gathering information.”

Lukken smiled and leaned back against the sofa. “Firmness and flexibility aren’t opposites. Your father told me once that his role was to gather information, delegate as needed, and make the final decision once he had the needed information. He said that came first and his engineering designs second. Now you sit in that role.” 

“I understand.” Asami rubbed her temple. “I honestly thought I was getting better at this.” 

“I admit, you’ve gotten a lot better than when I first returned. However, right now you’re stressed,” Lukken pointed out. “But don’t let the stress filter into your voice like it did this morning.” 

That had been an accident on her part. “Fine, Lukken. Advice noted.” Asami did her best to keep her tone even, despite feeling annoyed by the conversation. “Is that all you wished to discuss?” 

Lukken laughed. “Said with firmness. Good job. No, it’s not. I want to go over the projects you’re personally overseeing. We may be able to better delegate to ease the stress you’re under, and…” he tilted his head to one side, thoughtfully, “…to give you more time to aid the Avatar.”

Had Asami been that blatant about her connection with the Avatar? She rolled it over in her mind and realized that she probably had. How frustrating. “That would be ideal,” she said instead. “Avatar Korra’s mission is crucial as it impacts far more than the South.” 

Lukken frowned. “I have heard some of that, but please explain why it will impact Republic City?”

“Part of my time in the South involved investigating dark spirit attacks with Korra. I kept a record to aid her work.” Asami tapped her fingers against her leg and pondered how best to say this. “Chief Unalaq’s ambitions go beyond conquering the South and part of that relates to the dark spirit attacks. We have some evidence of this, and Avatar Korra and I plan to meet with parliament to go over this.”

“So it will affect shipping?” 

“That part of the investigation is ongoing.” Asami sighed. “Lukken, I may need to go South again, this time to aid Avatar Korra. I am hoping it won’t be long, but this is a war we’re discussing. I'll have a radio with me to keep in touch.”

Lukken crossed his arms over his chest. “Forgive me, Asami, but why must you go south again with Avatar Korra?”

“I’m part of Team Avatar, and Korra asked it of me. I aid with the technology aspect to the mission.” That was the best explanation she could give Lukken. She had no intention of sharing any of their plans with a member of her board, even if she tentatively trusted him.

“How did you come to be part of Team Avatar?” Lukken looked at her, thoughtfully. 

Asami was surprised he didn’t know, but then she hadn’t told that many people. She listed her contributions to the fight against Amon, and ended up counting off seven different instances. 

“Wait.” Lukken leaned forward. “You did all that? Why wasn’t that all over the news?”

“Because I asked Avatar Korra to focus on her deeds and list me only if it was necessary to name all people on Team Avatar.” 

“Why?” Lukken shook his head in disbelief. “I had heard that you testified against your father. But, are you telling me the rumors he tried to kill you are true? That it really was you that took out a dozen Equalists to save Tenzin at city hall? That you saved Avatar Korra from your own father?” 

“Yes…” Asami abruptly stood and turned to the window.

Not a dozen, more like half a dozen, but she found her voice had tightened up in a ball of pain. The sun dipped toward the western horizon, and the horizon started to glow in reds and oranges. Boats dotted the bay, some heading into the ports. As much as she tried to focus on the view, the memory of her father smashing the glass of her mech, the fury in his eyes, and his death threat rang through her thoughts. She still had occasional nightmares. 

“Asami, this could impact our image for the better if it was more widely known your contributions.”

“Lukken, that is a really painful time,” she said, finally. “Asking me to revisit it just for the company image? No. I’ll write the articles you asked of me, and perhaps I’ll mention my exploits then, but I don’t want to revisit that. Understood?”

Lukken sighed. “I understand.” He paused. “You know, that firmness there is exactly what I meant earlier. But let’s change the topic. Let’s go over the projects and get that delegated appropriately.” 

Asami reluctantly sat back down. “All right.” She wasn’t going to like this, was she?

Two hours later, Lukken finally left after giving her hand a hearty shake. Being forced to list and review each task related to Future Industries, Asami realized she’d had taken on thirty-two tasks, which two-thirds could be delegated to appropriate departments. It was a humbling lesson in leadership, one that brought home her struggle with trust.

Was her struggle with trust also why she so rarely let her own friends in? What a painful thought. 

Asami checked the time, and although it was late afternoon, she figured there was a chance Kara was still at the Southern Water Tribe’s office. This was a task she couldn’t delegate nor did she wish to do so. She picked up the phone and dialed Kara’s number that Korra had given her. 

“Southern Water Tribe’s Ambassador Office, Kara speaking.” Kara’s voice held a professional and crisp air to it. 

“Hello, Kara, it’s me, Asami Sato, do you have a minute?” Asami turned to her windows, the cord for the phone curling around her arm. She watched birds flutter from building to building. 

“Ms. Sato! Yes. How are you doing? I read what happened…” Concern marked Kara’s voice. 

Asami breathed in sharply. The image of the destroyed eatery, the line of dead, and the crying trapped child swept through her mind. “Kara… I… did what was needed. I just can’t…” She trailed off unable to continue, the pain in her voice unmasked mostly because Asami was exhausted. 

“I’m sorry. Just know if you need to talk, I’m here. So is the others.” Although Kara hadn’t named them, Asami assumed she meant the others Korra and her had met at Ruk’s bar. “How can I help?”

Relief filled Asami at the topic change. “Thanks. I have two questions. One, did you make progress getting Korra and I a meeting for the South’s needs?”

“Yes and no. I spoke with the Ambassador, and he suggested I set up a series of one-on-one meetings. I planned to call you later, but since we’re talking, are you willing to spare an afternoon to that?” 

An entire afternoon of one-on-one meetings? Asami suppressed a shudder. That sounded exhausting. She wanted to head to the factories and assist Hue with some of the fixes to the lines not spend long hours talking to politicians, but she couldn’t let Korra down.

“Sure, that’s fine.” If Korra was there, she’d get through it. “I’ll make sure Korra knows,” she added, trying her best to keep her voice even and calm.

“Great! I’ll get that set up and notify you of the day and starting time.” Kara paused, likely to write something down from the sounds of scraping Asami could faintly hear. “So what was your next question?” 

“I found out that discrimination seems to be common thing in Republic City. That angers me, and I want to change that.” Pissed off would be more accurate, but Asami was trying to sound professional here. “A few months ago I rewrote Future Industries contracts with a non-discrimination clause.” She pulled out the last page of a contract sitting on her desk, and read it out loud to Kara. “So everyone here signed it. I want to turn that clause into a bill for all of the Republic. Do you know who can help?”

A long pause and then Kara said, “Spirits, Asami. You really are something. No wonder Korra likes you so much.” 

Asami was glad she was on the telephone, so Kara couldn’t see her blush. Did Kara mean Korra ‘liked’ her as in romantic ‘like’ or ‘like’ as in platonic friendship ‘like?’ That wasn’t a question Asami could ask though. Maybe for the best. After yesterday, Asami wanted to tread a lot more carefully, to not speak of her feelings - at least not right now - and let whatever blossom, blossom on its own time. Too much pain curdled in her heart, and she still needed to process yesterday. That took time.

“So you will help?” She prompted.

“I’d love to help you with that!” Kara continued. “We desperately need it here. There’s a few senators I think that would be perfect for this. Do you have time later this week to meet with me and a few other interested parties?” 

“I’ll meet with whoever you think can get this pushed through. Team Avatar has our hands full trying to find aid for the South, but I’ll find a way to make it work. Just give me a time and day.” Asami was determined now. She’d do what she could to push this through, because it was the right thing to do.

They ended their conversation not long after. The thunk of the phone in its cradle broke the silence of the office.

Asami leaned forward, her arms on her knees, and looked out over the city and the bay toward Air Temple Island. Was Korra still recovering from yesterday too? Exhaustion and pain flooded her, and she desperately wanted to lay down. Except that meant slowing down. Which meant facing the horror of yesterday. Asami slammed her fist down on her knee to jolt her thoughts away from that.

Jumping to her feet, Asami grabbed her bag. After locking her office, she decided to head to the factory. Hue had mentioned before the first council meeting how one of the auto lines had broken down. Until the sales went through, she’d find a way to scavenge parts to get it up again.

Future Industries Factory - Industrial sector - Early Evening

Asami lay on a rolling cart under the mass production line two. She cranked her ratchet and tightened down the gear set she’d found in their recycling department. It mostly fit the casing for the line, and with her adjustments, it’d get the belt flowing again, at least in theory. She’d know for sure when Hue flicked on the line again. 

Footsteps echoed against the metal floor and a pair of blue boots stopped beside the line. “Asami? Got a moment?” Korra crouched, and her face appeared in the space between the line and the floor. Concern etched her features. 

“Just a minute.” Asami adjusted the lower gear and tightened it to secure it fully. A few other slight adjustments using her screwdriver and wrench helped her feel a little more confident about her makeshift fix. She pushed with her hands to roll herself out from under the line. Oil and grease dotted her jacket and trousers, and a few streaked across her hands and arms since she’d rolled up her sleeves for this. 

Standing, she put her hands on her hips and surveyed her handiwork. The belt no longer had a jagged look from running over broken gears and struts. Smooth and moveable. She turned, held her hands against her mouth, and shouted to Hue. “Ready! Light it up!” She’d always wanted to say that. 

“Lighting it up!” Hue pulled a lever on the controls at the far side of the factory. The line rumbled to life. The belt moved slowly at first then picked up speed, and the fix held. 

Korra stood and watched with wide eyes. “So that’s what you do here?” The girl's expression was absolutely adorable.

“Sometimes. Mostly I do meetings. These lines have broken down more often since we don’t have the funds to properly maintain. Had to scavenge this one from our recycling supplies.” Asami tapped the side of the line with her tool.

“What do you need?” She gathered up her tools and replaced them in her kit.

“I got a message from Kara about the parliament stuff.” Korra frowned. “Also wanted to ask, did you eat today?”

Asami blinked and looked at Korra surprised. “Uhhhh.” She couldn’t recall anything other than tea and the toast for breakfast.

Korra had still been asleep in Asami's bed when she'd woken at sunrise, and considering how exhausted they'd been the night before, Asami hadn't dared to wake her. For one thing, Korra was unbearably cute when sleeping, and two she likely needed the sleep. She still felt surprised at how Korra had asked to not be alone and to share a bed again. Not that she didn't mind, she actually preferred Korra there. It was wonderful to wake up with someone instead of alone.

Korra sighed and crossed her arms across her chest. “Really? Okay, we’re going to those food carts up the street.” 

Asami started to protest, but then stopped at Korra’s frustrated and pointed look. She had to admit, she was tired and lightheaded. “All right,” she said, reluctantly. “Hue! I’m calling it a day. See you tomorrow!” She waved at him when he wished her a good evening. 

Grabbing her bag, she followed Korra out and down the street. She let Korra choose the stand, and ordered a dish that sounded similar to something Pema or Korra might make. They walked further down the road toward the ports. 

Being on a hill, the street gave a good view of the harbor, and it’s plethora of ships, some huge liners, others battleships, and a few cargo ships. Korra chose the edge of the cliff, near the stairs to the ports, and dangled her feet off its edge. Asami settled next to her. 

The breeze carried a chill and smell of brine and oil. Asami ate quietly, glad Korra didn’t push them to talk. She felt raw still, and now that she was sitting down, the memories of the terrorist attack wouldn’t let up. This was exactly why she didn’t want to slow down today. It made her irritable and short-tempered.

“Do you think parliament will agree to help my people?” Korra asked, breaking the silence. 

The rice and tofu dish she’d only half eaten, and she set it on the ground next to her. She sipped the tea carton. No, she was not going to snap at Korra. Asami took a deep breath, counted to five, then released it slowly. “Better to believe it will than allow doubts to grow,” she said, finally. “Something my father used to say. I guess he had some good advice now and again.” 

“Huh. That’s a good point.” Korra set her finished meal down and leaned against the railing. “I can’t get past yesterday. Especially the newspapers. Yeah, sure, we saved folks, but so many died. I guess… why don’t you agree its Northerners? I don’t understand who else could do it.”

This wasn’t a conversation Asami wanted to have, but it sounded like Korra needed it. She’d just have to muddle her way through it. “Korra, there’s no evidence. Just because targets were Southern Water Tribe places, doesn't mean Northerners did it.” Despite her best attempt, irritation had filtered into her voice. She thought back to Mako’s call that morning. “Mako wants us to do reconnaissance with him to gather more clues.”

“Sure.” Korra frowned. “I guess you two are the experts on this sort of thing.” 

Her tone was self-deprecating, and Asami didn’t like that at all. “Don’t sell yourself short…”

Korra glowered at her. “I don’t know anything about investigations, Asami. So how’s that selling myself short? I feel way over my head. White Lotus didn’t teach me much about internal government affairs, or how to navigate any of that.” Anger filtered through her words. She flung a hand outward. “I learned about fighting, bending, Avatars of the past, some world history, and names of military and political leaders. Not on how they governed, and not about the people in those countries. I’m trying to learn now, but I feel like I’m leagues behind you all.” 

Asami looked at Korra, her own irritation roused. “Fine, okay. I get it. This might be more our well-house, but you can do things that we can’t do. We’re a team. We delegate what we can’t do to those that can. I had to have that lesson beaten into me today.”

“Delegate!” Korra jumped to her feet and threw her arms in the air. “Asami, my people are dying. And you are sounding like Mako right now.” 

Asami gathered up the food containers and shoved them back in their bag. “If I sounded like Mako, I’d be giving you fake salutes. But I’m not doing that, am I?” She stood with a scowl. “Besides, you are the one who asked me my thoughts, and I gave them. What did you want me to say? Blindly agree as if I don't have a mind of my own? I don’t know what you want from me!”

Korra stomped her foot. “I want you to help me bring the Northerners to justice!” 

“We don’t know that it’s them!” Asami snapped. “And I am doing that! Why do you think I helped Mako analyze the evidence? Why do you think I agreed to his reconnaissance idea? Why do you think I’ve been going to meetings with you and Raiko and now parliament? I’m doing it because I want to help you find justice, to get the aid you need!” 

The anger in Korra’s stance faded. “Asami…” 

“Don’t.” Asami thrust her finger at Korra’s shoulder. “You keep tearing yourself down. And I watch you do it, and it pisses me off. I don’t know how to get you to see that you are amazing. You have talents and skills most of us could never dream of. So stop being so damn self-deprecating!” 

“Then you should too!” Korra grabbed her hand to stop Asami from poking her again. “You saved my butt several times during the Amon crisis, then again in the South and again on the ride here, and all you want is to just stay in the background? To not let others know your heroics? Even if it’d save your company? That makes me angry! You claim I tear myself down, but you refuse to recognize your own worth!” 

“Oh for spirits sake!” Asami tried to tug her hand free to give Korra another shoulder poke, but Korra held on tighter. “Look, I already got that lecture from my company’s board leader. Don’t you give it too! I just did what was right! And I’m not here to show off my heroics. I don't want that attention, okay? I’m only here for you…” 

Korra cut off her words by a sudden kiss. Asami was so stunned, that instinct kicked in first, and she leaned into it before her brain clicked into gear. Wait, a kiss? Asami blinked, pulled back, and stared at Korra, who looked just as startled.

What just happened?

Had they just kissed? 

Maybe her brain was short-circuiting. But the pressure of Korra’s lips still tingled on her own. It was very much a dream Asami had not ever expected to happen. 

And certainly not during a fight.

Korra’s face burned. She released Asami's hand and took a step backward. “Uhhh. I’m sorry… I just… you were… I didn’t think that through!” she stumbled over her words. 

The cuteness of that response broke through Asami’s brain freeze. She laughed, nervously. “We’re being ridiculous again, aren’t we?”

“Yeah…” Korra kicked at a rock along the edge of the curb, strangely shy. “So, uh, you were okay with that?” 

Asami sat back down to give herself time to consider a reply, and after a brief hesitation, Korra followed suite. The sunset lit the sky in a blaze of red, orange, and violet. Korra radiated nervous energy and kept looking at her. Asami needed to say something. Best to be honest.

“It surprised me. But yes, I am okay with it.” She needed to reassure the Avatar but also sort out what this meant. “Are you?”

Korra laid her arms on the railing and rested her head on them. “I… surprised myself.”

“I noticed. That’s why I’m asking. Are you okay?”

Korra groaned. “I don’t know. I like what we have currently. I don’t want to mess it up. Can we just pretend that didn’t happen?” 

Those words curled like ice around Asami’s heart. “If that’s your wish.” Her voice sounded flat and stiff to her ears. 

“What’s your wish?” Korra leaned toward her and laid a hand on Asami’s arm. 

Asami flinched at her touch. “If that’s your wish, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“Asami…” Korra looked stricken. “I…”

That was too much. Asami got to her feet, picked up their trash, and threw her bag over her shoulder.

“Look, let’s go meet Mako, okay? We’ll talk about this later.”

Asami felt too raw, hurt, and irritated. Korra had no right to look that upset. She had been the one to kiss Asami and then ask Asami to pretend it never happened. She pushed down her urge to cry. Best to do as requested and shoulder on with being whatever she was for Korra. If there was one thing Asami had gotten good at lately, it was compartmentalizing her pain.

Chapter Text

Republic City - Industrial Center - Day after Narook's- Evening

Korra had really messed up this time. She leaned with one foot against the wall by the doors to the police’s main office area. Her mind kept going over what had just happened ten minutes prior, and a cold sweat crept over her.

This might be worse than the screw up with Mako and Bolin during the Fire Ferrets championships. 

Maybe the worst screw up of her life.

Last night she’d felt so close to Asami, and Korra’s feelings had seemed so clear.

The engineer hadn’t spoken much on their way down the radio tower. Korra had heard the latter end of Asami’s conversation with Nakul, the part where Nakul had offered kind words of comfort. Korra felt some guilt at her eavesdropping, but she didn’t feel like she could interrupt. 

The friendship Asami had forged with the people in the Hidden Village warmed Korra’s heart; it showed a more gentle side to Asami, one that was rooted in curiosity and empathy. It had thoroughly changed how Korra viewed the engineer. Asami kept finding more ways to surprise and amaze Korra.

Both of them silently washed up in the communal bath. Asami seemed reluctant to even look at Korra, and it wasn’t until after she’d sat down in the den that she finally spoke. 

“I’m going into work tomorrow.”

“Shouldn’t you rest?” Korra sat down next to her. “We both barely got out of that. I’m going to try to stay here and take a breather. Ride with Naga for a bit. I’ll call Kara and the other organizers in the afternoon. Maybe check in with Beifong.”

Asami shook her head. “I need to stay busy. You are welcome to stop by whenever. Let me know when that press conference is, okay? I’ll make time for it.” She sighed and rubbed her temple. “I’m going to bed.” 

When she stood to leave, Korra reached out and grabbed her arm. “Wait.” The engineer didn’t turn, but she stopped. “I… I don’t want to be alone tonight. Is it… okay…” She felt guilty for even asking. 

“Yes.” Asami turned then and managed a sad smile. She gently tugged on Korra’s hand and led her to her room. They’d already put on their nightclothes, so Asami slid under the covers and opened up an arm. Korra laid down and leaned her head against Asami’s shoulder, glad for the comforting feel of Asami’s’ arm around her. 

This wasn’t something she’d ever felt with Mako - an overwhelming sense of safety and an unnamed other feeling. Korra trusted Mako, but it was a different sort of trust than the one she shared with Asami. Korra turned that thought over in her head. What was the biggest difference? Mako had been overprotective, which had clashed with who she was. It was as if he had this idea in his head, and she couldn’t live up to it. It left her feeling unbalanced, as if they stood on shaky ground. His steady patience is what kept them together for those six months more than anything else, but the clashing had caused a rift too wide to mend.

When she felt Asami lean her own head against Korra’s own, Korra breathed in Asami’s flowery scent. It hit her then. Asami balanced Korra, augmented her skills, and the more she worked with Asami, the more seamless they had gotten. Korra hadn’t needed to explain anything as she bended away the worst of the explosion. Asami had rushed into action, doing everything she could to help. Almost like she’d guessed Korra’s thoughts. That synchronicity was a comfort she’d never known she needed. A rush of intense affection threaded through Korra, and she cuddled closer to Asami, glad to be in her arms.

Asami balanced her, and that balance had become so integral to Korra’s life in such a short time, that she never considered the fact it might disappear. She assumed it would grow, maybe even settle into something more. What that more was, Korra hadn’t thought through fully. 

Now she wasn’t sure she’d get the chance to consider what that more could be. The fight itself had been confusing. It’d gone from Korra being angry at Asami about not trusting her gut about the Northerners, only for Asami to lay out a good case as to why it might not be. Then that lead to a weird argument about each other’s worth that had resulted in a flush of affection so strong, that Korra had kissed Asami.

Korra had kissed Asami.

During a fight no less.

And she’d told Asami to pretend it never happened. Korra had been so mortified and anxious by her impulsivity that she hadn’t thought through what to say. It wasn’t as if she didn’t want to kiss Asami. Now that she had, Korra really wanted to do it again, but it’d been the worry of how that affected what they already had that had scared her. 

But to see the engineer shut down at Korra’s request, how her voice went flat, and how she’d flinched at all touch?

Yeah, Korra had really messed up. She had no idea how to fix it.

Worse, Asami continued to help. She’d driven Korra to the police station, and although she hadn’t spoken a word the entire drive, she still wanted to help with Mako’s plan, whatever that was. Korra had expected her to storm off, but instead, she’d drawn in on herself and still followed through. That made the entire situation all the more painful. Even when the engineer was obviously in pain and hurting, she still kept trying to do the right thing, or what she perceived as the right thing. It made the guilt heavier though, to see how her words had hurt and yet Asami tried to forge forward anyway.

Narook's had shaken both of them. Korra had spent a lot of today with Naga to recover, but Asami hadn't. She didn't seem to be able to stop and rest, always moving with this need to do all the things, which worried Korra more than she could admit. She wished she could ask Tenzin about this, but he and his family weren't here. They were beyond radio range, and Korra was on her own. Messing up like usual.

So here Korra stood, in the police station, and waited for Mako to collect his things. Mako, who she’d broken up with, and Asami, who’d she’d kissed then hurt immediately after. 

Why was relationships so hard? Shouldn’t there be a guidebook somewhere? She certainly couldn’t ask Mako. Maybe Bolin would have ideas? But then, he couldn’t keep a secret to save his life, and Korra wasn’t sure how Mako would handle it. He’d probably think she’d broken up with him to be with Asami. 

Which had she? 

Maybe.

Oh, the layers of screw up. Would Arnoq, Nu, Kara, or Ruk know how to help? They seemed pretty solid folks with good heads on their shoulders. Korra could ask them she supposed.

But first she’d do whatever it is Mako wanted.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Mako pulled his bag over his head and left shoulder, so it fell across his back diagonally. “Where’s Asami?”

“In… the satomobile.” Korra shrugged. “She’s waiting.” 

Mako raised his eyebrows. “Okay.” He led the way through the hallways and out the front lobby.

To Korra’s dismay, Asami hadn’t moved. She still looked off to one side, one hand on the gearshaft, the other on the steering wheel. In fact, she looked like a porcelain statue.

“Hey, Asami!” Mako started to move toward the back seat, but Korra stopped him. 

“Um, you should take the front. This is your mission after all,” Korra attempted a laugh, and it sounded a bit hysterical to her ears. Oh, this wasn’t going well at all. She jumped into the backseat. 

Mako looked at Korra then at Asami. “Are you two okay?” 

“We’re… fine!” Korra forced a smile and tucked her hands under her legs.

Asami offered no response.

From the expression on his face, Mako didn’t believe her. “Right… Asami, I got the samples you asked for.” He sat down in the front, pulled something from his bag, and held out a brown sack. 

Asami looked at him, her expression impassive. “Thanks. I’ll work on it tomorrow morning.” She dropped it in her bag. “Destination?”

Mako crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay, seriously, what is with you two? Are you sure you’re okay?” 

Korra looked down at her boots.

“Don’t.” Asami’s voice was quiet. “Let’s do the mission and pick up Bolin after, okay?” 

Mako looked at Korra then at Asami. “Whatever happened, I think you’d both feel better if you talked…”

“I said, don’t.” Asami’s tone turned frigid. “Destination, please.”

Mako winced and hurriedly rattled off the embassy’s address.

This was going to be a long night.

***

The embassy had crumbled further since the attack. Korra wasn’t sure how she felt looking at it again so soon. A few officers patrolled the edges of the perimeter, but they were on the side facing Sokka’s statue. 

Mako walked the perimeter with a flashlight. “There’s footprints on the North side that we should have made plasters of, but now it’s likely too late.” He sounded frustrated. “However, I’d like to get a look inside, but I need you, Korra, to hold up debris. Asami, keep watch.” He glanced back at her, but she walked quietly, her gaze focused on the ground. “I originally wanted you to head in with Korra, since it’d be a bit strange for Asami Sato of Future Industries to be here at night, but…”

“If that is preferable, I can.” Asami looked up and met his gaze, that same inscrutable look on her face.

“All right, but I need you two to focus. I can easily pose as an officer keeping night watch, but you need to look for fingerprints, signs of residue, or footprints. I need the prints lifted off and a cast of the footprints.” Mako gestured for them to drop down behind a piece of broken wall, just inside the perimeter. 

Korra felt uneasy. Almost like a crawling feeling that something watched them. She scanned the area, but all she could see was broken walls, stones, plaster, and rebar. This crawling feeling was eerily familiar to what she felt around dark spirits, but why would any be in Republic City? She likely was imagining it.

“… and this lifts the print.” Mako was explaining his tricks to Asami, who listened quietly. Korra had missed most of the explanation. “Got it?”

“Easy enough.” Asami took the kit from him and stashed it in her bag. “Is that all?”

Mako looked at the engineer and then at Korra. “This is delicate work. Be careful.” He looked like he wanted to say something more, but he held his tongue instead. “I’ll be right there, in a guard spot. Do not let the flashlight shine toward me or any of the exits. Keep it pointed straight down. If we’re caught, I could lose my job, and we’ll lose all access to the case.” 

“Understood.” Asami finally looked at Korra, and that neutral look faded into an expression Korra couldn’t quite read. It made Asami look young and vulnerable though. “Korra,” she said, quietly, “I will flash the light twice when I’m ready to exit. Please don’t talk. I need to concentrate.” 

Korra nodded, afraid to speak and ruin things again. The fact that Asami had actually talked to her since their fight gave Korra a little hope.

Part of her considered warning them of that feeling of offness, but it seemed more probable that it was guilt messing with her more than anything. Her guilt was definitely overflowing today.

Asami took point, as always, and lead the way through the rubble to the broken doorway and shattered beams and walls.

Korra stepped up next to her and took a deep breath. Best to do this slowly to avoid making too much noise. She shifted into an earthbending stance and lifted the debris out of the way. Asami stepped through, the flashlight pointed downward. Korra followed and bended more debris to one side. The hallway’s floor was cracked and covered in dust and plaster.

The flashlight played over the dust. Asami held up her hand and pointed to footprints off to one side. She dropped down, pulled out Mako’s kit, and carefully poured a white substance over both footprints. 

The remains of the wall creaked in the wind, parts of it went up to the second story, but there was no longer floors that high, most had fallen into massive piles. That disturbing sensation of being watched crept through Korra again. She spun on her heel, raised her hands, and searched the debris field. Nothing still.

Asami tapped her leg.

Startled, Korra turned.

An irritated frown was on the engineer’s face. She gestured to the mound of toppled ceilings and walls next to a structural beam. Korra bended the mass upward, and Asami ducked under to shine the flashlight over the beam. She took out Mako’s kit again and worked to pull off fingerprints. Korra never would have seen them. 

A soft keening rippled through the air. 

Korra grunted and shifted the debris to the right. Asami still worked on the beam, now taking samples of the ground around it. 

The keening noise grew stronger.

Korra turned and searched the skies. They weren’t anywhere near the poles. Surely that wasn’t…

… the attack slammed her backward and into a cluster of tiles and plaster. Dust billowed up around her. Coughing, Korra pushed herself to her feet, only to see the sweep of a long, serpentine tail crash into her again. She tumbled over a snapped metal bar, and it tore a hole in her shirt. Pain laced up her side. 

Sparks lit the air, and the dark spirit screeched as it shot upward. Asami was on her feet, in front of Korra, her bag around her back, and her gloved arm upraised. 

Korra rolled onto her side and got to her feet. The dark spirit dived, but Asami zapped it again. It howled and curled away from her sparks. 

“I need water!” Korra cried. She couldn’t see any in this field of stone, plaster, and metal. 

“Fountain.” Asami pointed toward the front of the building.

The dark spirit swept toward her, but Korra jumped over the debris and sliced it with a burst of air. That pushed the spirit upward and away. They sprinted through the ruins, dodging mounds, while Korra bended away the broken remains before they cracked and fell. The spirit swept over them and slammed through the remains of a wall, which burst into a shower of dust and stone.

Korra bended the shower to the left. The stone and metal clanked and thumped as it hit the broken floor.

A shout echoed just beyond their position. An officer tumbled hard into the ground next to them. He breathed in ragged breaths, his eyes closed.

The dark spirit howled and sliced its tail toward him, but Asami darted forward and electrocuted it. The sparks sizzled the air.

Korra bounded with air bending to the top of a debris pile. The night was dark here, no lights from streetlamps, but the fountain bubbled in gasps. Very little water was left in it. 

The acrid smell of ozone coated the air from Asami’s defense. The dark spirit darted back and forth.

Korra bended up the water and swirled it around the spirit. She breathed in deep, focused on the feel of the water. Wan’s spirit pool entered her thoughts, and she pictured its healing energies. How the pool had eased his burns and restored his health. The spools of water flowed upward with golden light. The spirit thrashed in its cocoon, only to slowly quiet. The navy blue and red faded from it, and a lizard-bird spirit formed in its stead. 

“Why are you here?” Korra asked.

Pressure formed in Korra’s mind.

Darkness surrounded her. Water sloshed. Drips from the ceiling fell onto her body. Oil tumbled around her, encased her.  Waves crashed against the rocks. Oil leaked from a crashed oil tanker, and it clung to its wings, pulling it down into the dark depths. 

The images swept through her mind, and a vision of Wan surged, its edges marked with flickers of grey, the colors muted. 

Wan swirled coils of water. “Water can heal too?” He asked. 

“Yes. All of you humans hold water within. Sense its presence. Sense the flow of energy through chi points.” Raava flew around his work. “Balancing spirits requires more than this.” 

Wan let the coils drop to the forest floor. “What do you mean?”

“A spirit must be balanced within its opposing energies, Wan. As much as I stabilize spirits and stagnant them, Vaatu was to bring change to them. But we are not in balance.” Raava tapped Wan’s shoulder with her long tail. “We must hurry.”

The words echoed in Korra’s mind. Seek the spirit world, Korra.

Korra gasped, the feel of oil still on her skin, and the vision emblazoned in her mind. The spirit faded. She fell to her knees, only to lose her balance and tumbled off the debris pile. Metal ripped against her arm, and she hit the ground hard a few meters from Asami. She groaned in pain. 

Asami tended the fallen officer but darted up at her fall. “Korra!” She dropped down and pulled out cloth from her bag. She tied it off around the bleeding wounds. Worry creased her forehead.

“Hey!” Mako rounded the corner of the building in a sprint. “Are you two okay?”

“Dark spirit,” Asami told him. She tore off another piece of cloth to press it against Korra’s side. “Korra’s hurt.”

“I’m okay.” Korra pushed herself up with a wince at the pain that flared in her side. She'll do water healing later. “That officer okay? He took a beating.” 

Asami nodded. “Passed out. They need medical attention.”

Mako looked at line of blood from Korra’s tumble. “We need to go. I’ll call it in from your satomobile.” Korra followed his line of sight to another officer crumpled against the side of the fountain. Yeah, this looked bad.

Asami grasped Korra’s arm and hauled her to her feet. They rounded the building, and ducked into the shadows when a light beam swept by, except it was only a passing satomobile. Dashing from one debris pile to the next, they made it to Asami’s Satomobile, and this time Mako leaped into the backseat before Korra could say a word. 

Asami started the engine and peeled out. She took a side alley, turned onto a random street, then another side alley, before she finally turned right onto a main road. 

Mako pulled out a radio from his bag. “Mako calling department headquarters.” Static echoed from the radio’s speaker. 

Then a baritone voice came through. “Arnook, department headquarters. What do you need, Mako?”

“Send a squad to the embassy. There was a dark spirit attack and some injured. Sighted it on the way home. Dark spirit handled by the Avatar.” 

“Understood. Relaying your message. Arnook out.” 

Mako tucked the radio back into his bag.

“They didn’t question your cover story?” Korra was surprised. It had sounded a bit lame. 

“Eh, I sight all sorts of stuff on my way home. Not the first time I called in something.” Mako shrugged. “I’m more surprised he didn’t ask me about the dark spirit.”

Asami glanced at Korra, her mouth in a grim line. “Why was that dark spirit there?”

“I don’t know. The vision it gave me made no sense. Everything was dark. I could hear the slosh of water. The drips on my body, and the oil all around. Then I saw a bird floundering in an oil spill from a crashed ship. That’s when I had a vision of Wan again.” Korra shook her head. “I sensed it though. Earlier.” 

“And you said nothing?” Anger curdled through Asami’s voice. 

“I figured it was just my guilt! Because I messed up today, okay?” Korra waved an arm vaguely in Asami’s direction. “And I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t mean to…” 

“Let’s stay focused.” Asami cut her off. “I’m not ready to talk about that.” 

“Fine.” Korra crossed her arms over her chest and slumped in her seat. 

“Uhhh.” Mako leaned forward, his arms on the back of their seats. “What are you two talking about?” 

Startled, Korra looked back, remembering that Mako was indeed still in the backseat. “Sorry. We got attacked by a dark spirit. And when I do that calming trick, they share why they’re upset sometimes.” 

Mako frowned. “Is dark spirits common around here?”

Korra looked at Asami, who glanced at her only to look back at the road. “Not really? At least we didn’t think to see one here.”

“It made a mess of the crime scene.” Mako leaned back frustrated. “Did you two get anything?”

“Yes. Footprint cast and fingerprints.” Asami turned onto a road leading to the docks. “I suggest we grab Bolin and meet somewhere private. I’d like to document what you saw, Korra. See if it fits a pattern with the others.” 

“Right.” Korra felt irritated still. She’d tried to apologize only for Asami to not accept it, but at least the engineer was talking to her again. Even if it was back to how they started. The rest of the ride to the docks was done in silence, none of them daring to look at the other.

Korra headed inside Varrick’s boat, while Asami waited outside with Mako. Asami had been adamant about not wanting to step on that boat again, so Korra had volunteered. The bouncer met her at the door of Varrick’s boat and led her to a large room, where Varrick hung upside down, his face bright red. Bolin looked on in amazement, while Zhu Li scribbled down the nonsense pouring from Varrick’s mouth. 

Korra stared, flabbergasted. 

“Pet radio, toe shoes, oh, go straight to the troops, that’s what I ought to do! They love fighting. Ah, and here’s the Avatar! Brain storm over.” He pulled himself up and dropped to the ground. “Get those other ideas to research and development right away. I want prototypes by next week.” 

Zhu Li bowed her head, “Yes, sir,” and dashed from the room. 

“Welcome!” Varrick spread his arms wide and grinned. “Always good to see a Southerner! How goes the talks with parliament?” 

Korra hadn’t told them they were doing that, so how did he know? “Ongoing. Am here to grab Bolin for a meet. What did you mean go straight to the troops?” 

Varrick thrust a finger into the air. “If Raiko and parliament insist on dragging their feet, then why not go to the troops?” 

That wasn’t a bad idea, was it? Korra wished she knew a bit more about the political aspects of all of this. “General Iroh is my friend…”

“Great! Always have an in I say!” He threw an arm over Korra’s shoulder. “And think, those battleships will easily break the blockade! We’ll finally get aid in faster.”

All good points. Though Korra did not like him touching her shoulder. She slid free and stepped closer to Bolin. “Okay. Can’t hurt to ask at least.” 

“Exactly.” Varrick settled down next to the coal fire in the center of the room. “Now, you’ll have to come to our first screening for Nuktuk: Hero of the South. In two days time, we’ll be ready to reveal it! It’ll be a smash hit for sure.” 

“And I’ll be so famous!” Bolin nearly bouced with excitement. His Nuktuk costume was lain over a rack in the corner of the room. 

Korra wasn’t sure this mover would help their people, but then, anything was better than nothing. “We’ll see. I got to give the Fire Lord or her council a ring and ask for aid…” Korra trailed off. “Wait, Iroh is her son. Maybe he could help connect me?”

“There you go!” Varrick slapped his knee. 

Korra left their conversation at that.

Bolin bubbled with energy at her side as they exited the ship, and that was contagious. She found herself getting excited at the prospective of contacting the Fire Nation. Surely they’d be willing to help, especially to fulfill their reparations duties. 

“Oh, I got some news for you all.” Bolin’s excitement dwindled. They stepped off the gangplank and circled the car to the passenger side. “But I probably should wait to say?” 

“Yeah, Asami wanted somewhere private.” Korra held the passenger side door open. “Here you go, mover star.” 

Bolin grinned and settled into the front seat. “That’s the life!” Korra hopped in the back with Mako. 

“Hello, Bolin.” Asami managed a tense smile. “Day go okay?”

“Oh yeah! Korra brought Naga by for a few hours, and we got to shoot with her. She’s amazing at acting! Will you bring her tomorrow too?” He turned in his seat to look at Korra.

“Sure. I have a slew of meetings in the afternoon with…” Korra trailed off and looked at the back of Asami’s head. Her hair flowed down over the back of her seat. 

As if sensing her thoughts, Asami finished Korra’s sentence. “With me and our contact from the Southern Water Tribe’s Ambassador office.” She parked her satomobile near the ferry dock. “It’s with parliament.”

That made Korra feel a little better. Asami still planned to go with her. So maybe she hadn’t completely ruined everything between them.

***

Team Avatar assembled in the den after Korra made a quick snack, mostly of crackers and some dip she’d scrounged up from random ingredients in the ice box. The tea was a herbal that would soothe nausea. Asami had chosen that. 

“Okay, Korra, please share that vision.” Asami set her tea on the table and pulled out her Idea Journal from inside her jacket. She’d washed off most of the oil and grease from her factory, but it still marked her jacket and trousers. 

“Okay.” Although Korra sat near her, she felt tense still and uncertain about where they stood. “Wan was getting lessons on how to heal with water.” She explained what Raava had said about spirits, and then what Raava had said at the end of the vision. “Except, I’m not entirely sure how to get into the spirit world.” 

“Meditation is one way. Finding a spot that is close to it is another as stated by Katara and Nakul. Hopefully Ehani gets back to us on Tenzin's whereabouts soon.” Asami flipped through her notes. She tapped her pen against the page. “Or you could go through the spirit portal you opened.” 

“Not without you there.” Korra shook her head vigorously. “The wrongness of that place creeped me way out!” 

Asami frowned. “Why would you want me there? I’m not a bender. Nor am I spiritual.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Korra shot back. “And you don’t have to be!” She pointed her finger at Asami. “You are a valuable team member just as you are!” 

“That’s not my point!” Asami said, irritably. “I know nothing about the spirit world. Also, my electroshock glove can’t stop a dark spirit, only delay the inevitable.” 

“That’s why you’re with me though! We work as a team,” Korra thrust her finger at Asami’s shoulder like Asami had done to her earlier. “You said so yourself!”

Asami swatted away her hand. “Don’t you dare throw my words back at me. You are entirely missing the point!” Exasperation threaded through the irritation in Asami’s tone.

“No, you are!” Korra glowered at her, while Asami crossed her arms over her chest and glared back.

Mako cleared his throat. “Um, you two sure you’re okay?” He sat on the pillow across from Korra, an uneasy and worried expression on his face.

“We’re fine!” Asami said at the same time as Korra. Startled, they looked at each other.

Korra had said it desperately, while Asami’s tone had been angry. Korra put her head in her hands, frustrated and upset with herself. She was arguing with Asami like she used to do with Mako, and that wasn’t like them at all. Usually Asami defused arguments between Team Avatar members, so this felt weird and uncharacteristic. That added to Korra's guilt. This was all her fault really.

“Hey, didn’t you tell me once that you’d let us help you?” Bolin sat next to Asami, and he reached out to poke her shoulder. “If something hurts, won’t it help to talk it out? Because that sounded like you both weren’t fine.”

Asami glared at him then at Korra. “I need time to process it, okay? Neither of you are helping. And whoever is making that clicking noise could you stop?" When all of the looked at the engineer confused, Asami rubbed her temples.

Korra did hear a clicking noise, but she assumed it was just the clock.

"Fine. Let's please focus and finish planning? So I can go to bed?” She picked up her tea, and to Korra’s astonishment, she threw it back like a shot. Asami always sipped her tea delicately. Korra wasn’t sure how to interpret that.

Mako cleared his throat again. “Okay, so then, let’s talk the case.”  He sat across from her on a pillow, and laid out the pictures Asami and her had developed for him. “So, uh, when you said the blast pattern was the same, Asami, I checked, and I can see it.” He dug out more pictures, this time of the embassy. “Found copies from our evidence rack. Will have to return them tomorrow.” 

Asami leaned forward. “Look.” She pointed to a picture of the northern side of the embassy. “See how the blast pattern points inward?” She flipped to a blank page in her Idea Journal and drew a bomb with waves of energy moving outward in a cone. “Likely placed on a structural support and blown outward. Some kinetic energy would transfer to the beam itself to destabilize it. This would then cause massive quakes, and collapse.” She drew another picture to show how it’d damage the building. Under it she wrote out several equations, then jotted down notes next to them. “I’d need the parameters of the buildings, map out the blast, could calculate the energy necessary…”

“How does this help?” Korra interrupted. The equations had completely lost her. Math wasn’t a subject the White Lotus had taught her. Though it was a relief to see how it calmed Asami down.

“It narrows down the type of explosive,” Mako replied. “Once you get those lab results to me, I’ll do a search for manufacturers. The biggest problem is I doubt I can get those lousy detectives to agree to get a warrant. I don't have authorization to call a judge and ask for it myself. So we may have to set up a bait and switch. I go in and pretend I’m interested in their stock, and you…” he pointed to Asami. “Will go in quietly and search their files for evidence of who bought supplies from them within the last six months.” 

“Why just Asami?” Bolin asked. “I can be quiet!” 

“Because I saw her take down those guards in the prison. If I hadn’t been watching, I never would have heard her.” Mako leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Remind me to never get on your bad side. Wouldn’t want you to come at me like that.” 

Asami smiled, tightly. “Oh, as long as you’re not a misogynistic douche, then you got no reason to worry.” She wrote something in her journal. “I’ll gladly help. Korra, want to keep watch? Or Bolin, do you wanna do that?” She looked up. “Not both of you. You’ll just distract each other.” 

“What? I can pay attention just fine,” Korra protested. That got Asami raising one eyebrow at her. Korra huffed and turned away from her. 

Bolin laughed. “You got me. I tried being the watch for Mako back when we were on the streets, but I kept getting distracted. Isn’t that right, Pabu?” He fed the fire ferret one of the crackers. 

“Right.” Mako sighed. “So it’s a plan?”

The others nodded. Korra kept her back to Asami, still frustrated. “Yeah, I’ll keep watch.” 

“Is that all our agenda items?” Asami asked, as if they actually had an agenda. Though, Korra suspected that maybe the engineer had written one but failed to share it.

“I got something!” Bolin leaned forward and spoke in a whisper. “Overheard Varrick on the phone yelling at someone for doing the thing three days early. Said he wouldn’t pay them because they failed to do the thing right. Then it got muffled, but I think he said he’d pay half price if they did the thing right this time.” 

Asami frowned. “What is ‘the thing?’”

Bolin leaned back. “Oh, I thought you’d know.” 

Asami face palmed. “Okay.” 

“You know, you should come with me sometime. See what behind the scenes of a mover is like. I bet it’d help you destress, and maybe you’ll see things I miss?” Bolin offered. 

“Thanks. I’ll think on it.” Asami sounded tired. Her shoulders drooped, and her face looked haggard.

That worried Korra, and she thought of how shocked Asami had looked after Narook's, how nothing Korra said seemed to draw her out of it. As much as Korra didn't like meditation much, she could at least fall into that and rest her mind and body. That had helped Korra recenter herself more than anything. But did Asami have anything like that?

“I don’t mind coming again.” Korra had found it amusing to see Naga being filmed along with Pabu. The voices they had assigned to the two animals were ludicrous, but she doubted Naga minded. Her offer got a grin out of Bolin. “Oh yeah, I talked to Varrick briefly,” Korra added. “He suggested Iroh as a possible person who can help. Iroh is the Fire Lord’s son.” 

“An in for the Fire Nation… That would help us seek their aid.” Asami picked up her tea cup, looked at how empty it was, and placed it by the condiment bowl. “I guess he has decent ideas sometimes.” The tension in her voice belayed her anger toward the man. 

“I can see if General Iroh’s open to meeting tomorrow or day after,” Korra said. After she dropped off Naga, she'd give him a call. She wasn't entirely sure if he was in town as she hadn't seen any of the Republic's battleships in the harbor.

“Great. I say meeting adjourned. I’m going to bed.” Asami tucked away her journal and walked out of the room.

Korra watched her go, and wished she could disappear into the floor. If she hadn’t been so stupid earlier, she likely would have asked if Asami was willing to let her stay the night again. 

Korra didn’t want to go to bed alone. Her thoughts, and likely dreams too, would dwell on the terrorist attacks, her parent's safety, and the Civil War, which was why she’d asked the night prior to sleep with Asami. Was that now off the table for good?

Korra felt wetness on her cheeks and realized she was crying. She wiped her face on her sleeve. “Spirits, I’m stupid.” 

“Korra, are you okay?” Mako leaned forward, his elbows on the table. 

“Yeah, is there anything we can do?” Bolin lightly touched her shoulder. 

Korra looked down at her hands. Tenzin had told her that holding in the pain can make it worse. “It’s multiple things. The terrorist attacks… a lot of people died. Narook’s loss was really upsetting. Asami and I tried to save as many as we could, but…” Korra clenched her fists. “Some couldn’t be saved. It hurts to think about. I think maybe Asami was hit harder than I was. She… was in shock for a bit after.” 

“I saw,” Mako said, quietly. “Barely spoke more than two words at a time.”

Korra nodded. She thought of last night, when she’d found Asami in the radio tower, how they’d cried together. Korra had never seen Asami so vulnerable and in pain, and that made Korra's heart ache even more. Asami felt like a rock to her, steady and comforting, but last night she'd been more like a fractured crystal.

When she’d taken Naga back to the island after the mover shooting, Korra realized she’d asked a lot of Asami last night. It was partly why Korra had went by Future Industries to track Asami down. To fix that. “Today she made herself so busy, ran herself ragged. I came by her factory to check on her. She hadn’t eaten all day I don’t think.” 

Bolin sighed. “She does that a lot, doesn’t she? Makes me think we ought to just start sending her with lunches.”

“Maybe.” Korra slumped against the sofa. “I guess the crux of this is I really messed up.” She rubbed her face. “I… started our fight, and it escalated from there. Maybe we would have worked it out if I hadn’t been an idiot. I said something that …” Korra leaned her head back and looked at the ceiling. “I really hurt her.” 

“What’dya say? Maybe we can help you fix it?” Bolin offered. 

“I asked her to pretend the impulsive thing I did didn’t happen. I just… I don’t know, I was afraid I’d messed up how good things are between us.” The words had burst out of her, and Korra was starting to recognize they came from a place of fear. Fear that if she asked for anything more than what they’d had, it would destroy something Korra really did not want to lose. 

Asami's reaction didn’t match up with any of Korra’s expectations of friendships or relationships. Asami had gone pale, her tone wooden, and the pain in her tone before she closed up entirely. Did that mean Asami didn’t want to pretend the kiss hadn't happened? That asking such a thing had hurt more than Korra kissing her without warning?

“But what did you do?” Mako asked, his words cutting through her ruminations. 

Should she really say it? Korra came to the conclusion that if the brothers were going to be angry at her for this, she might as well get it over with. “I kissed her, okay?”

“Woah!” Bolin gasped. “Seriously?”

Korra’s face burned in embarrassment, and she put her face in her hands. Only to part her fingers enough to take a glimpse at the brothers. “Is it bad, that it was kind of like my first kiss with Mako? I jumped forward and just kissed her?”

Bolin guffawed at that.

Mako sighed. “Sounds like you. So… then you broke up with me to be with her?”

“We’re not together yet!” Korra protested. She spread her hands in a placating gesture. “And I wasn’t really thinking about that when I broke up with you, okay? This is all… just… confusing.” 

“Did you like the kiss at least?” Bolin asked. 

“Bo! That’s… you don’t ask that!” Mako put his face in his hands. 

“What? Seems pertinent to check if everyone involved liked it!” 

“I did actually. And Asami said she didn’t mind it.”

Did that mean Asami had romantic feelings? Korra knew she ought to just ask, but the idea of asking sounded scary. That required Korra to better understand her own feelings, unless Asami was okay with talking through that with her? Was that a thing friends could do? Her feelings for Asami didn’t feel the same as what she'd felt for Mako. They felt more balanced and deeply rooted, while what she had felt for Mako had been more like a fire on a boat on a turbulent sea. Could there be different types of romantic feelings? Korra didn’t know. She felt way out of depth here.

“Then what’s the deal? Go back there apologize and give her another one!” Bolin lightly swatted Korra’s shoulder. “That’ll fix it.” 

“Really?” Korra hadn’t thought of that. 

“No, don’t listen to my idiot brother.” Mako shook his head. “Look, do not kiss her without fixing this first. Asami is… pretty big with boundaries. I know, okay?” He looked up at the ceiling. “I can’t believe I’m giving relationship advice to my ex’s. This is weird.” He stood up. “Just apologize to her and be honest about how you feel. Asami sort of beat that into my head that that was what I should have done with you two during the Amon crisis.” He rubbed the back of his head. 

“Thanks, Mako, I appreciate it.” Korra was honestly impressed he’d taken it so well. 

He smiled, faintly. “But… in the future, can you warn me before you talk about you two like that? It’s… a lot to work through.” 

Korra nodded. She felt guilty. The break-up hadn’t been that long ago, and here she was kissing someone else. Made sense that it’d be a lot to take in. “Yeah, and I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you, Mako. Nor make things worse…”

He shook his head. “It’s okay. I did ask. I just need time to process this, that’s all. Goodnight.”

When the den door shut behind him, Korra admitted, “I honestly thought you two wouldn’t want to be my friends anymore.” 

“What?” Bolin tackled her in a hug. “That’s nonsense! We’ll always be friends!”

Korra smiled and hugged him back, relieved. Maybe things would be okay. She’d give Asami some space, then try to do as Mako suggested. 

Chapter Text

Air Temple Island - Two days after Narook's - Early Spring of 171 AG

Asami woke in the early morning hours, unable to fall back asleep. She cleaned herself up, dressed, and made some peppermint tea to ease the nausea she still had. Holding the cup in her hands, she walked the path up to the pagoda and looked out over Yue Bay. 

Last night had exhausted her. Korra seemed to want to apologize, but did she realize the pain caused? Could Asami even articulate it? Maybe Korra had a point. Asami had liked things the way they were, before that kiss, but at the same time, it left her wondering what Korra’s intentions and feelings were.

And why had Korra chosen that moment? They had been fighting no less. A pointless fight, one where Asami had once again let her pain from the past few weeks get the best of her. Korra didn’t deserve that.

Asami sipped her tea. Thinking about it wasn’t helping. She needed to consider her plans for today. Get the samples tested. Go to a work meeting. Then meet with Kara and Korra for the parliament meetings.

A thump sounded behind her. Startled, she turned to see Naga wander into the pagoda. She bumped her head against Asami’s side and sat on her rump, her tongue out. 

“Hey, Naga.” Asami managed a sad smile. She ruffled the fur behind Naga’s ears. “What are you doing here? Came to comfort me?”

Naga nuzzled her with her snout. Being huge, that pushed Asami against the railing. She chuckled and gave her the command to lay down. With a groan, Naga laid down dutifully. Asami settled down next to Naga and leaned into her fur, one hand scratching the fur behind her ears. 

Asami had never been much of an animal person, but Naga was special. She’d grown on Asami, partly from being so cute, but also because of how loyal she was. How she’d be so willing to help them in tough situations, but also provide gentle comfort in others. If Korra and her failed to work out, Asami would miss Naga.

She really hoped Korra and her somehow worked out, but trying a relationship now, with all the stressors of war and dark spirit attacks, didn’t feel right to her. She needed more time to process everything, especially her own feelings. In a way, she was the polar opposite of Korra who dived forward often without thinking. 

She also didn’t want to talk about it in front of the brothers. Part of that was fear of rejection. She remembered all too keenly how her father had rejected her and belittled her for her liking girls more than boys. She couldn’t bear it if Bolin and Mako did the same.

But another part was letting them in. That level of trust was hard to give, and so easily broken. She’d started to do that with Korra. Letting her in more and more, only for it to shatter yesterday. Asami wasn’t sure how to pick up those pieces to set it right, but at the same time, she needed something from Korra to start that process. The apology wasn’t enough. 

It didn’t explain the why or the what of it.

“Naga, that’s what I need,” she told the polar bear dog. “I need to know why Korra did it. What it meant to her.” Naga made a pleased groaning sound from Asami’s scratches. Naga’s fur was so wonderfully soft. Asami took another sip of her tea and closed her eyes.

She woke to the sound of retreating footsteps. The sunrise glowed on the waters of the bay, and Naga still slept behind her. Asami looked around, but she didn’t see anyone. Stretching, her foot nudged a solid object. Startled, she looked to her left to see a tray with a bowl of rice and eggs and a steaming pot of tea. A folded note was tucked under the bowl. Asami pulled it out and opened it: 

As the sun rises today
May this food showcase
Words I failed to say.
May this tea nourish
So healing can flourish
For it’s you I cherish.

-Korra

Asami put a hand to her lips, tears in her eyes. “Oh, Korra…”

This must have been the footsteps she’d heard. For Korra to get up early - despite hating mornings - just to make her breakfast and write this sappy poem?

“Dammit.” Asami turned and cried into Naga’s soft fur. She wept for not only the fight between her and Korra, but for all the pain bottled up in her heart. For the dead from those terrorist attacks, from the all those animals harmed by human deeds that turned the spirits dark, for all those harmed by the North’s aggression. She cried until there were no more tears.

Naga patiently laid there and allowed it. “Thanks, Naga,” Asami said, shakily. She wiped her face with her handkerchief and looked down at the food again. The tea still held a wisp of steam, so not fully cold at least. 

The note she carefully folded and tucked into her idea journal. Eating breakfast and drinking the jasmine black tea helped her feel a little better. Naga’s steady breathing and occasional grumble helped as well. Had Korra sent Naga to check on her then? Usually Naga slept in Korra’s room. 

Asami sighed and looked down at the light brown liquid in her tea cup. She recognized how badly she’d acted last night, and she felt terrible for it. Her hurt and irritation had gotten the best of her. “I need to apologize too, don’t I, Naga?”

The polar bear dog made a rumbling noise and yawned. Asami decided to take that as a yes.

Naga followed her down the path. Asami left the tray in the kitchen, and since it was still fairly early, she led Naga to the sparring court, grabbed a ball, and played fetch. She couldn’t throw as far as Korra since she had only muscles to utilize, but Naga didn’t seem to mind. 

The simple game gave Asami a moment to breathe and focus only on the present moment. The feel of rubber in her hands, the swish of air as the ball left her hand, the thumps of Naga’s run, the sweet scent of the flowering trees and brine from the ocean, and the wetness of Naga’s saliva from her dropping the ball at Asami’s feet.

Maybe working herself to the bone hadn’t been a good idea. “I need to stop and smell the flowers, sometimes, Naga.” She picked up the ball, shifted her stance, and threw all of her weight into the throw. The ball hurtled through the air, and this time she managed to get it further than her last throw. Naga barked and chased after it. She leaped and caught it mid-air. 

Asami smiled at the sight. 

Yes, terrible things had happened. The pain of that was still acute, but taking this moment to breathe and play with Naga eased some of it. Almost like she was allowing the wound on her soul to scab over. Wasn’t that the first part of the body’s way of healing?

As long as she didn’t pick at the scabs though. 

Naga bounded back, dropped the ball, and rolled onto her back. She gave an encouraging bark. Asami laughed and rubbed the polar bear dog’s tummy. Maybe this could be part of her routine. Playing with Naga. Korra had always returned happier and calmer after tending to her polar bear dog, and Naga seemed to like Asami well enough. She figured Korra wouldn’t mind her playing a game of fetch with her Naga. But she should probably ask just in case.

What else could help? Maybe sparring again with Korra. That had helped Asami survive the months after her father tried to kill her and his trial. It also could help Asami rebuild trust with Korra. Maybe it’d help Korra too? Her beautiful and very sappy poem suggested Korra wanted to repair their friendship. Or relationship? Maybe it was too early for labels. 

“Thank you, Naga. I needed this.” She kissed the polar bear dog on the snout. “I have to head to work now. Be good.” Naga rolled back onto her paws and nuzzled Asami in response.

Armed with a plan, Asami headed back inside to wash up, grab her work supplies, and head down to the ferry the White Lotus guards ran.

Future Industries

Asami had forgotten what she’d said to the cafeteria workers the day before, so she’d been surprised when they showed up at her office with documentation for a union and an agreement about living wages. Unions wasn’t something her father had given her cryptic advice on during their dinners, but as she read through the terms, she realized it would be pretty useful tool for her employees. The terms were also straightforward and very much within the goals she had for an equitable and equal company. She couldn’t see any reason to not sign it.

“You’re all getting a living wage,” she said. She tapped her pen against the paperwork. The three that had came were all women, likely earth-benders from the color of their eyes and their stances. “I’ve fixed that disparity. Fired Gaolin, and Binh will take his place. Do you still wish to go through with this?” She gestured to the paperwork. 

“Yes, ma’am. As a precaution.” The woman, Hansa, who had spoken to her yesterday, spoke for the group. The other two women, Faoli and Zao, looked at her nervously. The lack of trust in that tone hurt a bit, but it made sense to Asami. Her father had broken that trust, and now she had to find a way to regrow it with her employees.

Just like she needed to regrow it with Korra. Maybe even with herself. She’d been pushing herself so hard and not giving her body the care it needed. Did most relations require that layer of trust? Asami was beginning to see all the ways that different types of trust factored into so many arenas of life.

“Okay.” Asami signed the document and turned it around for the others. “I want to rebuild trust with all of you. I’m not my father. And I will do things differently. If you believe this will help you advocate for your needs, then I won’t stop you.”

The three employees looked shocked. “Ms. Sato… thank you.”

Asami smiled. “I want to be different from other companies too. Please let me know in what ways I can help support your work. The Cafeteria is pretty crucial for all workers here. Especially when we’re caught up in rush projects. All of you deserve that recognition and living wage. Is there anything else you need?” 

Zao picked up the papers and smiled tearfully. “No, Ms. Sato. Thank you for your time.”

Their meeting ended not long after, and Asami saw them to her office door to shake their hands. 

The phone took that moment to ring, so Asami shut the door and picked it up. “Asami Sato of Future Industries speaking.” 

The voice was the woman from Narook’s. “Ms. Sato, ah, you said that I could call and you would help?” She sounded nervous. 

“Yes.” Asami breathed in sharply. The ruins of Narook’s hit her hard, and she sat down roughly in her chair. “What do you need?”

“Some of our cooks… they need to pay for food for their children. Until Narook’s is rebuilt, I have no way to offer any compensation. The rebuilding will take a year or more I was told. That’s too long.”

A year? That was absurd. Asami had seen buildings go up in half that time. “Who are you working with?”

The construction company she named wasn’t one Asami had ever heard of. Who had recommended that one? She didn’t feel right in asking. 

“Hold on a moment. I’m going to check our list of reputable companies. I think I can get you a better deal.”

She laid the phone on the desk and looked through her cabinets until she found the list of construction companies that had been used in the past. The list had her father’s handwriting on it. A few were marked with the words ‘nonbender owner’ and others with ‘bender owner, no longer use.’  When had he done this? 

Anger simmered in her. She took out the paper and laid it on her desk. She needed to review these. And she’d make sure to do it equitably. Not like her father. 

“Are you still there, Ms. Narook?” Asami asked as she picked up the phone. 

“Yes.”

“I have a proposition for you. What if Future Industries rebuilt your restaurant? I believe we can make a better deal on the construction. You would retain ownership rights, and we would only serve as the consultant. I can waive all consultant fees for our service.” Construction wasn’t something her company technically did, but why not?

“Ms. Sato… I… don’t know what to say.” The shock in her voice caused a tremble to her tone. “How much will this cost?” 

“Nothing for you. We’d pay for the construction, and I am waiving the consultant fees you’d normally pay.” 

“And you said I’d retain full ownership?” Suspicion had entered the woman’s tone. 

“Yes. Would you like to drop by and my company’s lawyer can help us iron out a plan that works for you? And please, I don’t want to take your business from you. I want to see Narook’s restored. For people to have their jobs back and for your legacy to live on. It’s the least I can do for all the good memories and food you’ve given our city.” The other reasons Asami found she couldn’t voice. Her throat closed up with the threat of tears.

Memories surged of the dust and plaster that had coated all the survivors, of the line of bodies, of the child trapped under that table, and how he’d hugged her once he was safe. Rebuilding Narook’s was the least she could do in their honor. 

“Thank you, Ms. Sato.” The shaking in Ms. Narook’s voice betrayed the tears. “Thank you for this kindness. Will tomorrow at 9 in the morning work?” 

“Yes. And you’re welcome.” Asami glanced at her planner and decided she’d move the meeting with Hue to make room.

The call ended not long after, and Asami felt tears surge through her. She dotted her eyes with her handkerchief. The idea of doing anything at all felt enormous suddenly.

She stood and opened her door. Only Kyung was in the workshop. The woman worked on the blueprints for a new satomobile design, one oriented toward efficiency and aesthetics.

“Kyung?” Asami didn’t really know what she wanted. This morning felt heavy. 

The woman looked up. Something must have shown in Asami’s expression, as Kyung jumped to her feet and walked over to her. “Here.” Kyung held out her arms. 

Asami allowed the hug and struggled against tears. She pulled back and wiped her face with her handkerchief. “My apologies. I’m… not… I mean…” Except there wasn’t any words to explain it properly. Asami sat down on a stool and leaned forward, her forearms on her knees and her hands clasped.

Kyung pulled a stool up to her.

Asami gathered her thoughts, and the silence stretched for a long moment. 

“The owner of Narook’s called,” she said, finally. “I promised we’d rebuild it for her, and make sure she retains full ownership. It’s the least I can do for all who died…”

“We’ll make it happen,” Kyung reassured her. 

Asami nodded. It helped to hear that.

“Is something else bothering you?” Kyung’s tone was gentle.

“I guess so.” Asami sighed. “Is it all right to share something personal? Not work related? That stays between us?” She looked at Kyung, who she’d developed a tentative friendship during the struggle to keep the company going. 

“Asami,” Kyung said. “You’ve listened to me share all sorts of random thoughts. The least I can do is return the favor. I’m honored that you trust me, so go ahead.”

How best to word it? Asami found words to be difficult since Narook’s, an annoying frustration. She studied the metal tiles of the workshop floor, the thin lines between each tile, the scuff marks from the tables and stools.

“I pushed myself hard yesterday to run from what happened,” she said, slowly. “I failed to eat until Korra pulled me out of the factory to get food in me. I held in the pain. I didn’t let her in, despite her trying to reach out to me. We fought for the first time, and she did an action that… ended up hurting me. I drew in on myself, and despite working with her on a mission, I kept... snapping at her. And that was wrong of me.” Asami took out her idea journal that she kept in the inner pockets of her jacket and pulled out the poem. “She wrote me a poem and left me breakfast this morning. She wants to repair things, but trust is not easy for me.”

“What do you want from this?” Kyung asked. 

Asami ran her fingers over Korra’s neat and crisp handwriting. “I want to trust her fully. To apologize for my part. And…” What else did she want? Asami’s fingers lingered over the script for ‘cherish.’ “Rebuild what we had. But… with better boundaries? And maybe leaving open that hope for something more at some future date?” 

“Then share that with her. You’re a good person, Asami. Avatar Korra should consider herself lucky to have you.” Kyung laid a hand briefly on Asami’s knee. “And take your time. There’s no rush.” 

“That’s just it. It feels like there is? Korra grapples with… unrest from the spirits, a looming menace that could impact the world, and a civil war.” Tears threatened yet again, and Asami took a deep breath to try to hold them at bay. She tucked the poem away, her fingers clutching the journal tightly. “I don’t want to lose her, but I know that this is her duty. I want to help her survive I guess.”

“And you are, aren’t you?” Kyung tilted her head, a slight smile on her face. “You told me about what you did for her during the Amon rebellion. And all you’ve done so far with the current crises. Each action and word of support aids that goal, you know.”

“Thanks I guess.” Asami didn’t know what to think about the words of praise Kyung offered, or the reminders of her heroics. It reminded her of how Lukken had bluntly told her to stop being so humble. 

“What I want to know,” Kyung continued. “How are you being supported? You’re not limitless, Asami. You also need that same support you offer so freely to others. How can you do your best if you don’t give yourself space to recharge and recuperate?”

That hit hard. Asami did not like that, but Kyung spoke truth. Hadn’t she felt better after spending time playing fetch with Naga? Or eating a proper breakfast? And Lukken had given her a very humbling lesson with delegation. She’d spent her time in the South trying to hold Team Avatar together, to keep each member feeling that they had value, but what of herself? 

Why was she holding them all at arm’s length still?

“When my father tried to kill me,” Asami said, “I was scared and angry, but at the same time, his words mirrored a deep fear I'd had for years. I think… maybe I struggle with trust because I’m afraid people will leave or die on me. That maybe I'm not worth the risk. Letting people in? Risks them being disappointed by what they see. And then my heart being broken when they leave or...” She took a shuddering breath. “Except, I’ve held people at bay so long, I don’t know how to stop. I worry I'm defining myself by what I’m not. Yet that’s what I’ve been doing, hasn’t it?”

Kyung nodded. “Yes, you say it often, that you’re not your father.” She leaned back on the stool, one arm on the nearby table. “I know I’m only a few years older, but your age is where we start figuring ourselves out. Who we are, what we want. My grandmother likes to remind me it’s a lifelong journey of discovery. To share her wisdom, ‘We start with defining what we are not. Then comes the difficult moment of defining who we are. That is when we start living.’” 

How humbling. “Your grandmother is wise.” Asami smiled, sadly. “Thank you, Kyung. I… needed this.” She stood and held out her hand, but then changed her mind and hugged her design and research department head instead. 

Kyung patted her back before she stepped away. “I’m glad to know you, Asami. Now how about you take some time to care for yourself before your afternoon meetings? The company won’t collapse while you’re gone. I can assure you of that.” 

Asami smiled, ruefully. “All right. If something does come up…”

“I’ll let you know. Or one of the other department heads will.” Kyung waved her hand at her, while she headed back to her work table. 

Asami stepped into her office to collect her bag of kits and settled it around her body like a bandolier. She looked out the window of her office. The city spread before her, an urban jungle, full of the movement of people, each with their own dreams, loves, and fears. Each life a flicker in the dark. The oil and cogs that kept the city’s engine running. 

This was her home, and it was threatened by what Team Avatar uncovered in the South. With dark spirits starting to appear here, it served as a reminder that their actions here could do more than influence a war in the South. Asami wanted to see her home thrive, but she also wanted to see Korra’s home thrive too. A connection that spanned a globe. She watched the streaks of cars and the dots of people for a long moment.

Asami turned and left her office. 

Varrick’s Warehouse - Midday

Asami took a deep breath and pushed past her misgivings. Korra had mentioned coming here with Naga for Bolin’s sake. It had taken a troublesome visit to Varrick’s yacht to sort out where she had to go to find this place. Being deep in the Industrial district, not far from the ports, the warehouse looked relatively similar to the dozens of others. Two stories and half a block long, its sides painted blue - the only signal that it was likely Varrick’s. 

She pushed through the door and walked into a huge, expansive room. Lights focused on an elaborate set in the center of the room. Massive mover cameras tracked Bolin’s movements. Naga and Pabu followed him across the stage, and he was saying his lines with gravity. He looked in his element. 

Varrick stood off to one side with a megaphone, an elaborate folding chair behind him. Other people hung around in a halo, some elaborately dressed, while others hurried back and forth behind the stage to do set effects. 

“Asami?” Korra said in surprise. 

She turned to see Korra leaning against the wall not far from her. 

“Hi.” She felt suddenly shy. “Um, I hoped to find you here.” She walked over and stood next to the Avatar. “Bolin’s really in his element, isn’t he?” 

“Yeah… he’s pretty good. Don’t now how he memorized those lines so fast.” Korra glanced at her again. “So, um, how are you?”

She thought of her talk with Kyung. Best to be honest. “I’m not really okay, but I’m working on it. Can I talk to you? Outside?” 

“Sure…” Korra followed her outside.

Asami found she didn’t particularly want to have this conversation next to Varrick’s warehouse, so she led Korra through the pathways until she reached her satomobile, where she’d parked it not far from her company's only warehouse. 

She leaned against her vehicle and motioned to it. Korra gingerly leaned against it next to her. Now that she’d gotten them alone, Asami found it hard to gather her thoughts into a coherent train. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Korra, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. And for me to do it several times last night? That wasn’t fair to you. You don’t deserve that.” 

“Wait…” Korra turned to face her fully. “Asami, I totally deserved it. I hurt you! And I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t mean to…” 

Asami shook her head. “Korra, you don’t deserve to be treated badly for messing up, okay? Yes, what you said hurt a lot. But that’s no excuse for my behavior.” 

Korra regarded her somberly. “Then… are we okay?”

Asami sighed and looked down the alleyway, where someone had piled some crates and tubs between the warehouses. “I need to know why you kissed me and what it meant to you, Korra.” 

“Oh.” Korra leaned against the car again and looked at her boots. “I… I didn’t plan that, you know. I just… the way we were arguing about how the other failed to see each other’s worth? I had this intense feeling hit me, and I acted on it. This will sound dumb. I kissed you just like that first time I kissed Mako. Ugh, that’s embarrassing!” 

Asami glanced at her. “I see. How do you feel then?” She wasn’t entirely sure how to process that information, though it helped to add context.

“Did you get the poem?” Korra seemed determined to look only at her boots. 

“Yes. Thank you for that. It was sweet.” Asami tapped her jacket. “I’m keeping it in my journal.” 

Korra flushed. She laid her hand near Asami’s own against the satomobile, Korra’s brown against Asami’s ivory. “I really like you, ‘Sami. I got scared when I saw how you froze. So I thought it’d be better to just pretend it didn’t happen. But then that hurt you too. And I’m sorry for that. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Okay.” As much as it thrilled Asami to hear Korra liked her back, she felt her caution kick into gear. Though the nickname surprised her, she found she liked that too. No one had ever bothered to give her a nickname before. “I froze because I didn’t expect it. My brain short-circuited I guess.” She considered how to word her next question. 

“But what of you? How did you feel?” Korra blurted out the words in a rush.

“I told you how I feel before, Korra.” Asami smiled, gently. “I like you a lot. And I didn’t mind the kiss. I think, perhaps, we need to sort out expectations? And what we want going forward?”

Korra nodded. “So… how do we do that?”

Asami looked at the Avatar. The hesitancy in Korra’s stance, the flush on her brown skin, and the worried crease of her eyebrows all showed Korra was really trying.

“We talk. Honestly. Directly.” Maybe she could ease Korra’s tension by starting with her truth? “I… struggle with trust. It’s hard for me to let people in. I’ve been trying to let you in. Yesterday shattered some of that. But I want to pick up those pieces. To forge that trust anew, okay? I think if we take small steps. Establish some boundaries and expectations, we’ll both feel better.”

"Okay." Korra met her gaze and relaxed her stance a bit. Asami reached out and brushed a lock of Korra’s hair from her face.

“What I want right now is… to build up that trust." Asami dropped her hand to her side. “I’ve spent too long defining myself by what I’m not. Kyung, one of my department heads, offered me a salient quote.” 

She paused to recall how Kyung phrased it. “’We start with defining what we are not. Then comes the difficult moment of defining who we are. That is when we start living.’ She called it a lifelong journey of discovery. I’m entering that stage of defining who I am. It’s hard. It also makes me reluctant to enter a romantic relationship, and that's because I don’t want what we share to be defined by what we are not.” 

“What do you mean by that?” Korra tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowed. 

“I want what we share to be our own unique relationship. I don’t want us to be ‘not Mako.’”

Korra’s eyes widened. “Oh! Oh, that’s a good point.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t want that either. I like the idea of defining us as our own unique thing.” 

That was a relief to hear. Asami’s tension slowly began to ease. “I guess my expectations for us, if you agree, is to take it slow. We need to learn how to define who we are and who we are to each other in a unique way. That’s built on a foundation of trust and consent. Where we honor each other’s boundaries, support each other equitably, and be open to maybe something more in the future?” She held her breath as she looked at Korra. 

The Avatar studied her, that tilt to her head typical of her moments of thought. “You know… that’s a really good way to put it. I can agree to that. So, is this a thing we keep doing? Talking like this?"

Asami let out her breath. “Yes. We'll likely need to talk about this often. But is it really what you want?”

“Yes.” Korra reached out and grasped Asami’s hand. “Is this okay?” When Asami nodded, Korra squeezed her hand. “That night in the radio tower? When when we shared tears? I realized I’ve assumed you’re this solid rock, always there, but you aren’t. You’re a crystal, one that can fracture too. The way you care for others, often to your detriment, shines through that crystal. It’s like a rainbow, you know? And this metaphor is getting away from me,” Korra smiled with a shake of her head. “I guess I’m saying, I realized that you balance me. And yesterday, when I found I’d hurt you, I was afraid I’d lost that. And I don’t want to lose that. I want to balance you too.”

“Oh, Korra.” Tears stung Asami’s eyes at how Korra had actually seen her. “You won’t lose that.” She slid her hand free and wrapped her arms around Korra. “I’ll be here as long as you’ll have me, okay?” 

Korra hugged her tightly back, her face pressed into Asami’s shoulder. “And I’ll be here for you too, okay?” Tears thickened Korra’s voice. “So don’t go thinking you’re alone.” 

Asami closed her eyes and pressed her face into Korra’s hair. She breathed in the Avatar’s earthy scent, and felt some of her pain start to ease. They were going to be okay. They’d get through this, and they’d do it together. That was an expectation that Asami could tentatively allow herself to trust.

Chapter Text

Future Industries - Mid-Afternoon- Two Days after Narook's

Korra felt elated and relieved. Her talk with Asami had settled her fears and given her strength. It helped so much to know that even when they fought or accidentally hurt each other, they could still work through it. Korra had never experienced this before, certainly never with Mako, and it amazed her still. 

So when Asami had to head back to Future Industries to test Mako’s samples, Korra found herself tagging along mostly because she didn’t want to leave Asami’s side yet. She’d had to run back to let Bolin know on his acting break that he needed to take Naga back to the island after his shooting, and he’d given her a high five when she shared that Asami had reconciled with her. 

That helped too. Knowing her friends had her back. Today still felt heavy to her. Especially after her talk with her father on the radio this morning. Since she couldn’t do anything about his struggles to evacuate wounded and hold the North at bay, she’d had to resort to distractions.

Once they reached her company’s lab, Asami wouldn’t let Korra enter until Korra donned this ridiculous yellow suit, gloves, boots, and face mask. Asami’s own gear seemed loose on her frame.

“Is this really necessary?” Korra found the suit a trifle tight, mostly because it didn’t seem made for someone with muscles. She supposed chemists probably didn’t need to benchpress. Her mind spun that thought into her benchpressing Asami. Korra decided she totally could do it, though she wondered if Asami would allow it. 

“Yes.” Asami raised her eyebrows. “I don’t want any chemical burning you. You’re too cute.” A hint of playfulness entered her tone. 

“You’re cuter!” Korra shot back, which got a laugh out of the engineer.

More relief at seeing Asami relaxed almost. Korra had spent a lot of time with Naga yesterday to try to recover from the attack on Narook’s, but Asami had ran herself ragged. It was why Korra got up to make her breakfast and write sappy poetry - well, Korra also couldn’t sleep, not with the fight and the nightmares of the terrorist attacks and worries about her people, so making food had been a welcome distraction for her too.

Asami led her into the lab, a grey sterile room with long counters, stools, and a lot of shelves full of bottles, vials, and other glassware. Locked drawers under the counter tops were covered in various labels, the characters ones Korra didn’t recognize. Asami unlocked a few and pulled out syringes and trays. 

“So, how does this work?” Korra leaned against the counter and watched the engineer work. Asami approached her task with efficiency, each movement conserved and calculated.

“I test the compounds to verify their elemental components.” Asami adjusted goggles over her eyes and tossed a pair at Korra. “Wear them.”

When Asami leveled her stern gaze at her, Korra hurriedly put them on.

“It looks like Mako correctly sampled the sites.” Asami laid out several bottles from the brown bag Mako had given her. The bag itself had been lined with a lot of packs of now mostly melted ice. “If he’d failed to pretreat, these would have been useless. Some of the chemicals for bombs can degrade to unusual proportions in these types of containers. Storage for them also has to keep them cool. Excessive heat could cause runaway decomposition for some chemicals, which would be deadly for us.” She flicked a finger at the glass bottles.

“Oh.” Korra assumed that was fancy talk for describing an explosion. “How do you pretreat?”

“Solvent treated glass. For other chemicals, it’d be acid treated.” Asami carefully unscrewed a lid and used the syringe to measure out several mounds onto her tray. “The calculations for this is always tricky. I won’t bore you with the math.” Asami’s smile was hidden by her mask, but Korra could see the tell-tale crinkles around her eyes. 

“Yeah, that was not taught to me.” Korra wished the White Lotus had been more wide-ranging in their subjects. She was learning more from Asami and Mako than she’d learned from her teachers down South. 

Asami pulled a tray filled with colors and laid it next to the one with the samples. “Did they even offer it to you as a possibility?”  When Korra shook her head, Asami’s eyebrows furrowed. “Seems a glaring oversight.” She set up a closed container with a liquid solution and one of the samples, the lid had a tube sticking out of it with numbers marked on it.

Korra watched fascinated. “What are you doing now?”

“Setting up multiple assays.” She pointed to the trays. “I treated the samples with a solvent, and I’ll use that mixture here to see what colors develop. That’ll tell us what chemicals were used.” She tapped the closed container. “I’m using selective precipitation…”

“Err… what?”

Asami laughed. “Sorry. The point here is I’m trying to filter down components and then test reactions to verify findings. I’ll have to run these tests a few times to make sure of the results. If you want to help, I’ll walk you through one of these.” 

“Sure.” Korra eagerly stepped forward and listened carefully to Asami’s instructions. Some of the methods seemed pretty simple, but as soon as Korra started the process, she discovered how easy it’d be to mess up. She used too much solvent at one point and had to start over at Asami’s direction. 

The entire process grew more intricate as the hour wore on. Asami took notes after each assay finished. The color tray one was perhaps Korra’s favorite method as it resulted in some very interesting color changes. Then when Asami flipped off the lights and turned on an a lamp, the colors seemed to glow, which was fascinating.

Asami filled up two pages of her writing pad with equations, various numbers, and notes. Korra found she rather liked this set up. Trying to stay focused was difficult, but because of the different styles of assays Asami used, Korra could just switch tasks with a bit of direction. The process also had a bit of a relaxing feel to it as each step was the same regardless of how many times they did it.

“I never thought much about how chemicals got detected,” Korra admitted at one point. “Process seems pretty cool, honestly.” 

The engineer nodded. “It’s fun to experiment with these things. This lab was only recently added, as in four years ago, I think? I dropped in a lot. It was a nice distraction from…” she trailed off with a sigh. She pushed up her goggles to her hairline and turned away from the counter.

“From what?” Korra pushed up her own goggles.

Asami shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest. “My father returned to drinking a lot more, like he had the few years after Mom’s death. He never physically hurt me, just to be clear,” she added when Korra’s eyebrows furrowed and her fist clenched. “But he was less gentle. More critical, especially with my designs, outright belittling and dismissing ideas. We got into yelling matches more often. Would come here or to the factory to distract myself.” Asami's gaze unfocused. “I wonder sometimes if the drinking started up again because of me.”

“Why would you think that?” Korra said, incredulously.

“I look like my mother.” 

That made no sense to Korra. “Why would that matter? If he loved her, wouldn’t that be a good thing?”

She looked at Korra for a long moment. Then she seemed to make a decision and took a deep breath. “One night when I was fourteen, Dad came home from work enraged by something… not sure if it was work or not? I was in the library working on some engineering texts when he charged in…” Asami shook her head. 

“What happened?” 

Asami shut her eyes, her eyebrows furrowed. “I remember how he’d gotten out his whiskey decanter. Took several swigs of it, then at one point, he turned to me, and said, ‘Why do you have to look like her? Get out of my face!’” She breathed in sharply. 

He’d said what? Korra had no idea what to say. She reached out instead and grasped Asami’s hand, and the engineer squeezed it tightly.

“He crumpled after he said it and drank more. But I didn’t want to be anywhere near him. That hurt. I quickly packed a satchel and left. Wandered around in my satomobile. Ended up at the factory. Talked with Hue. He’s our automobile manager.” Asami opened her eyes and averted her gaze from Korra’s. “I slept in the factory that first night, because I didn’t want to admit to Hue that I was afraid and ashamed to go home. He figured it out the next day, and I slept on his sofa for a few days. I kept telling myself I’d return the next day to confront Dad, but then I’d panic over it.” She rubbed her boot along the edge of a tile on the floor. “His partner, Ruzo, makes the best sweetcakes.” 

“You ran away?” Korra was startled. She never would have guessed Asami would do that. 

“I suppose that’s one way to put it.” Asami looked startled at the term. “It wasn’t for very long. Dad got worried after the first night, but it took him a few days to track down where I was. Hue helped me stand up to him. Dad apologized, I went home, and we never spoke of it again.” 

Asami sighed. “Things were tense between us after that. He got more critical of who I hung with and demanded I play the part of the obedient daughter at his galas.”  Asami tapped her fingers against her trousers. “You know, that’s probably why I started getting more rebellious. Lockpicked his things more often. Or when I invited Mako and Bolin to stay at the mansion? I had stopped asking permission for stuff like that because it was the only way I could get away with doing what I wanted. Though in private, he’d yell at me for it.” She shrugged off her own words as if it was no big deal. 

It seemed a big deal to Korra. Made her even more angry at Hiroshi. “Then why blame yourself for any of that?” Korra demanded. “You’re not the reason he drank or was mean to you. So you look like your mother, I think that’s lovely you do. But that’s no reason to treat you badly.” 

“Maybe… maybe not.” Asami looked down at their work and got out another tray of those colored liquids. “You know, I... haven't shared that story in a long time.”

Korra wished she could give Asami a hug. It looked like she needed one, but they were still in the silly lab get-up, and Korra didn’t want to accidentally knock stuff over. “Thank you for trusting me with it.” 

“Sure. Thanks for listening. So, let’s get back to it?” Asami gestured to the next testing batch and pulled her goggles back down.

They finished fifteen minutes later. Korra helped wash up and put everything away. “So did you figure out what caused that blast?” Talking about the attacks was still painful at times. 

“Yes. Writing up my results for Mako now.” Asami tapped the writing pad. “We still have a little time before our meeting, so I’ll drop it off if he’s at the station.” 

“Let’s eat something first.” Korra was relieved when Asami nodded with little protest.

City Hall 

Kara met them at the front of City Hall. “Hey you two!” she said. “I have good news.” She motioned for them to follow. “Senators Caihong and Siqniq wished to meet as soon as possible. They’d like to go over what aid the South needs, but also how to present it to parliament for a vote.” 

“A vote?” Korra repeated, surprised. Why was getting aid so complicated?

Asami answered for Kara. “To send aid, a vote needs to happen. It’s typical to have a hearing before the vote for people like us to present our evidence.” 

Kara nodded. “Yup. The vote is in three days time however, which gives us little time to prepare. I’m going to be the notetaker for this meeting, by the way, so it’s all you two.” She led them through the right wing down a hallway of doorways, some closed but others open to reveal either another hallway or a large meeting room. The end of the hall had more elaborate doors with name plates next to them. Kara knocked at the one that listed Caihong’s name. 

The man that answered was taller than even Asami and about as thin as her. Glasses perched on his hawk nose, his skin was a deep amber and his eyes an emerald green. “Hello Kara of Southern Water Tribe.” He bowed his head to her. The smile on his face was genuine and kind when he turned to her and Asami. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Avatar Korra and Asami Sato. I’ve heard quite a few good things.” He held the door open wider and gestured them inside. 

The room was spacious with two curtained windows, one side a wall of bookcases and the other his desk piled with paperwork. A low lying table with pillows were in the center of the room. A thickset man with dark brown skin and blue eyes, his suit a purple-black, sat crosslegged at the table already. 

“This is Senator Siqniq,” Senator Caihong introduced.  Siqniq stood and held out his hand.

Once the formalities of shaking hands was over, Korra settled onto a blue pillow, while Asami chose the black one next to her. Kara sat closer to the door, a writing pad in her lap. 

“Would you like tea?” Caihong laid out three more cups.

“Sure! What kind is it?” Korra loved a good cup of tea, and she was always up for trying new blends. 

“Yes, thank you,” Asami responded in her diplomatic voice. 

“Jasmine Oolong.” Caihong poured the tea. “Now Kara briefed us on your discussion with President Raiko.” He sighed and set down the teapot. “It’s unlikely Raiko will agree to send troops. Not unless parliament pressures him.” 

“What? Why?” Korra laid her hand on the table and leaned forward. “He seemed willing to think…”

“It’s his ploy.” Siqniq scowled. “He does that to give the illusion that he’s properly considered a request. It’s how he saves face.” He took a swig of his tea. “The problem with Raiko is he’s biased. Elected to appease nonbenders, so situations that involve mostly benders or a mixture of both often gets placed in a bureaucratic nightmare.” 

Asami’s eyebrows furrowed, a sure sign of irritation. “Southern Water Tribe, per Master Katara’s own words, is mostly nonbenders. If Raiko is biased toward nonbenders, wouldn’t that be pertinent?” She sipped her tea, her grip on the cup tight enough to whiten her knuckles.

“Not to his supporters. People think of the Water Tribes and they think of water bending,” Caihong said. 

Korra huffed. “Do these people think everyone in Fire nation is a firebender? Or everyone in Earth nation is earth benders? That’s absurd.” 

Caihong shrugged. “Bigots often justify their views by denying reality. I think our goal should shift to convincing parliament to vote on if we should declare war on the North, seek sanctions on the North, or only send aid to the South.” 

“We have little incentive to declare war,” Siqniq said with a sigh. “Chief Unalaq has not threatened Republic City.”

“What of the terrorist attacks? I was there. Both were Southern Water Tribe places,” Korra asked, frustrated. 

Caihong sighed. “Not enough evidence to make it permissible.” 

“A dark spirit attacked officers at the embassy site yesterday night,” Asami said. “Officer Mako called it in on his way home.”

“Dark spirits? Here?” Siqniq leaned forward, his hands tight around his tea cup. “I’ve heard they have started attacking ships north of the Southern Sea. But this far north?”

“Yes. I was there,” Korra sighed. “I came to calm the spirit and find out why it went dark. And I think it was an oil tanker crash polluting a bay nearby.”

Asami nodded. “Korra and I investigated them in the South. We have some proof that the dark spirits in the South was incited by a Northern partnership with a Southern company.”

“That’s quite the accusation,” Caihong frowned. “Evidence?”

“Yes.” Asami glanced at Korra.  “I… I’ve obtained information by an anonymous leaker.” She pulled out her Idea Journal and tugged out several documents. They were handwritten mostly, though the handwriting didn’t look like Asami’s tight and nearly incomprehensible writing script.

Korra recalled Asami’s plan that she’d laid a trap for Varrick. Was this part of it?

“Bear with me. This is a convoluted tale.” Asami tapped the first page. “First, Varrick Industries was approached by a rich Northerner. Based on dates, money trails, and records of wealth, the Northerner has direct ties to North Water Tribe’s Royalty. Likely an advisor.” She flipped it over. “Next, a contract is signed for the use of a shell company that was routed through Republic City.”

She set that document aside to reveal a second page. “Third, a contract stipulating that Varrick prevent the construction of Southern Water Tribe’s Spiritual Archives. This contract also includes very specific locations for mines and oil rigs. These locations later were determined to be spirit and animal habitats during Korra and my investigation. The mines and oil rigs incited the dark spirits and the attacks grew in strength until the oil rigs and one of the mines had to be evacuated due to the damage and loss of life from the spirits.” 

“I had to purify them,” Korra added. “And I was able to ask the spirits why they turned dark. They showed me what the mining and oil technology had destroyed.”

Siqniq picked up the two pages Asami had laid down.

Asami laid down a third page. “Chief Unalaq has the ability to both purify and corrupt spirits. This exacerbated the spirit unrest in the South. This spirit unrest was his justification for the invasion and war crimes. Myself, Bolin, Mako, and Korra are all witnesses to these war crimes. As is Varrick to some extent.” 

Pushing that page toward Siqniq, she laid down a series of pictures, similar to the ones that Korra and her had made in that darkroom. “These are the pictures taken of the leaked documents that was given to us. It seems that Varrick was offered huge sums in order to build these places, and the dark spirit unrest grew the longer his constructions were in operation. The North masterminded that crisis.”

Korra leaned forward and sure enough the pictures were of the contracts Asami had stolen. This felt dangerous if Asami wanted to avoid being seen as the leaker, since why would the leaker give her this? Korra considered ways she could back up Asami’s story. 

Caihong and Siqniq looked at each other. They pulled the documents closer. “And you’re certain it was an advisor on Chief Unalaq’s court?” 

“Based on the data we found, yes, if not Unalaq, it was an advisor on his court.” Asami laid down a fourth paper with two lines marked in red pen.

“Is this public knowledge?” Caihong frowned as he flipped through the documents. 

“It will be. The anonymous leaker shared that the article should come out in three days time.” Asami’s voice and expression was neutral, but Korra could see one of her fists clenched tightly against her thigh. 

“Why did the leaker reach out to you?” Siqniq asked. 

“Because of me,” Korra interjected. That seemed safest route. Why wouldn’t a leaker reach out to the Avatar? “I didn’t know what to do with it, so I gave it all to Asami, and we figured it out from there.” Korra noticed how Asami’s clenched fist slowly uncurled.

“I see.” Caihong tapped the pictures. “Varrick has quite a few investments in the city. Would such a scheme happen here?” 

“Possible,” Asami replied. “When we escaped the South, we had to use Varrick’s yacht, but to get there, we were in his mansion. I… found items there on display that match…” She took a shuddering breath and her hand went to her temple as if nursing a headache.

“Narook’s,” Korra guessed. When Asami nodded, Korra took over the narrative. “The blast punched inward. I bended it out of the way best I could, but those by the windows…” Korra took a deep breath and rubbed tears from her eyes. “Asami and I saved as many as we could, but the blast… it was done with a remote control. The bombs were planted hours before.” 

Caihong and Siqniq looked at each other. “Varrick’s equipment at Narook’s?” Siqniq said in disbelief. 

“I don’t get it either,” Korra frowned and looked at Asami. “Like, he wants help for the South, so why be involved?”

“We have three days before the parliament vote, correct?” Asami clenched her fists against her legs and looked up at the Senators, her mouth in a grim line. “That is when we present our evidence?”

“Yes, in the morning. We’ll break at one in the afternoon and vote will be at three.” 

“We’ll have the evidence by then.” Asami’s tone had turned icy. “As I suspect Varrick is heavily involved in the terrorist attacks.” 

“Would that shell company be involved too?” Korra asked. 

“Don’t know, but we’ll find out.” 

“And you’ll do this legally? I have to ask.” Caihong relaxed at Asami’s nod.

Korra knew for a fact Asami was lying, but she had no intention of admitting that. They were already on a knife’s edge here with how they got this evidence. Asami had been adamant that Korra never speak of her theft.

“Asami, is it worth bringing up my visions?” Korra tapped the pictures of the contracts. “They connect with the spirit portal Unalaq tricked me into opening and the dark spirits.” 

Asami shook her head. “We need to talk to Tenzin first, then we’ll add it to the evidence.” 

“Avatar visions?” Caihong looked startled. “Those sound pertinent. Avatar Aang’s visions were often life-saving.” 

Korra nodded. “We’re still unraveling mine. My teacher, Tenzin, was on vacation with his family, but he left before Unalaq occupied the south, and he’s been out of radio contact for a bit.” 

“Will he be here in time for the session?” Siqniq asked. 

“Yes.” Asami said it with such confidence that Korra almost believed her. Except Korra had contacted the Air Temples that morning, and the radio had been unmanned in the Southern and other temples for past day. 

Caihong gestured to the documents. “May we keep these?” 

Asami nodded. “Copies made for you.” 

“Do you think we have a chance to win this vote?” Korra finished her tea to calm her frustration with the process.

The senators sighed. “It’s unlikely,” Siqniq admitted, “But this evidence could push the vote more our way.”

“Okay, but the longer we drag this out, the worse conditions are down there,” Korra said. “My father is holding his own - he said so this morning, but Northern troops tried to take the hospital. A fire broke out he said. Master Katara, my mother, and other benders managed to hold them off, but some of the wounded didn’t survive.” Korra was still angry over that news. Asami shot her a troubled look. Korra hadn’t thought to share those news with Asami. “Dad was evacuating them, but the pass he’s holding is tenuous he said. They may have to fall back to the Village of the Sea and give up Wolf’s Cove.” 

“Northerners set fire to a hospital?” Siqniq scowled. “Northern barbarians. And how are you staying in contact with your father? Those updates could get us more votes.”

“Dad liberated a radio tower, and we got a frequency we use. Have to get creative with talking strategy, but Dad and I used to make up codes to chat by radio when I was kid.” Korra had gotten less radio time when she’d been found out by her White Lotus teachers, which had ruined some of those games.

“That’s incredibly helpful. Direct line to status of the South. We can leverage that.” Caihong stood with Siqniq following suite. “Thank you both for meeting us today on short notice. Will you be available again to discuss strategy tomorrow afternoon? We need to sort through any other possible witnesses we can leverage to speak.” 

“Sure! I’m good with that. Asami?” Korra pushed herself to her feet.

Asami stood with a nod.

After they shook hands, Kara ushered them out of the office. “That went well.” Kara tapped her notes. “I can make copies of these notes for you if you’d like.” 

“Yes.” Asami said. “Thank you, Kara, for all your help.” 

“Oh, do you think General Iroh will be at the vote? I’m thinking we can ask him for help talking his mother into helping the South. The Fire Nation still owes us reparations.” Korra wished she’d remembered that for the meeting. 

Kara nodded. “I’ll schedule a meeting with him.” She pointed her pen at Korra. “And that’s genius to leverage the reparations for the Fire Nation. Fire Lord Izumi is reluctant to involve her nation in war, but she is very adamant about engaging in reparations.” 

“Great.” Korra breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t found any sign of General Iroh’s battleships in the harbor, so she’d worried that she’d have to go search the seas or figure out his radio frequency. “Thanks.” 

They parted ways at the doors. 

“Three days.” Korra felt frustrated. “I hope my Dad can hold out that long.” 

“He will.” Asami sat in the driver’s seat and looked down the road. “Kyung told me to go rest today, and I think she’s right. I ought to rest.” Her shoulders drooped, and she pressed a hand against her temple. “It’s been rough.” 

“I know.” Korra hopped into the passenger seat and grasped Asami’s hand. “I get it. It’s hard, and I saw both attacks. The dreams suck majorly.” 

Asami nodded and leaned her head on Korra’s shoulder. Korra curled an arm around her and rested her head against Asami’s soft black hair. Asami’s flowery smell felt comforting but also sparked thoughts of her kissing Asami again, which got Korra blushing. For a long moment, they sat there like that.

When Asami finally spoke, her words were quiet. “Working myself to the bone wasn’t a good idea. Would you be okay with… maybe sparring again off and on? And is it okay if I play fetch with Naga sometimes?”

“Of course!” Korra loved both ideas. “Naga’s really taken to you. She’d love a game of fetch. A good sparring routine would really help me too. Did you wanna start today…?”

“Sure.” Asami straightened and started her Satomobile. 

Air Temple Island - Four Days after Narook's - Six in the Evening

Mako called the island, spent only a minute on the phone, to give Korra an address for her and Asami to meet him. Korra checked the den first, the kitchen next, then Asami’s room. When she still failed to find the engineer, Korra headed outside and pondered where she could have gone. 

The last few days had been quiet and followed a similar pattern. Asami had gone to work for her meetings and projects. Korra played with Naga and visited Bolin.

At Midday, Korra collected lunch and visited Asami in the office, which Korra was convinced if she didn't, Asami would forget to eat again. Asami hadn't spoken much during lunch; instead, she'd shut the door to her office and cuddled with Korra on her office's couch for half an hour. That had been lovely.

After lunch, Korra meditated, got frustrated, and took Naga for a run.

After that, she met up with Asami again. Their meeting with the senators had been in the afternoon, and that had gone much the same as before. Review of evidence, laying out a speaker plan - the senators had found four other speakers and Asami had come up with two, while Korra invited the march organizers - and an overview of the vote itself in three days. The fact this entire process took so long was infuriating.

After the meeting, they headed back to the island to spar, which had helped center Korra. Then they’d eaten an early dinner, played a game, and Asami would work on her designs or read in the den, while Korra laid on the sofa with her head in Asami's lap.

Today though, Asami had headed outside for a walk instead and had been relatively quiet most of the day. Korra had been too focused on the laundry to notice if she’d returned or not.

Korra headed up the path to the pagoda. That was generally where Asami went to think, which now that Korra thought about it, she also went to that same location to think.

Asami stood at the railing and faced the sea, one foot behind the other, and the side of her head leaned against one of the pagoda’s pillars. The sunset framed her willowy form, and the wind brushed her hair in waves. Her Idea Journal lay behind her, open to a vivid drawing of Korra. It startled Korra to see herself on those pages. She’d only ever seen Asami write calculations, lists, or draw blueprints in it. 

“Hey you.” Korra flicked air at the journal to shut it, but as the cover tipped up from her bending, more drawings flashed by - some intricate designs of various transportation vehicles but others were of Korra and Naga. The journal shut, and Korra felt like she’d just accidentally glimpsed something she shouldn’t have.

“Hey.” Asami didn’t turn.

“You okay?” That question felt ridiculous to Korra. It was obvious Asami wasn’t okay. 

“Eh. I don’t know.” Asami sighed. “What do you need?”

“Mako called. Gave me an address and a time for us to meet him for that bait and switch plan.” 

“All right.” 

Korra picked up the journal and tapped Asami’s shoulder with it. “What do you need?” 

Asami shrugged, but she turned. Her eyes were red as if she’d been crying. Surprise colored her features, and she took the journal back. “So you saw.” 

“It was a really good drawing.” Korra tugged on her wolf tail and felt shy. “I didn’t mean to look.” 

Asami tucked the journal into a pocket inside her jacket. “It’s okay.” 

“Can I give you a hug?” Korra offered. “You look like you need it. And… I wouldn’t mind one.” 

A faint smile ghosted Asami’s lips. “Thank you for asking…” She trailed off and shook her head.

The wind had blown some of her black hair across her face, and Korra tentatively reached out to brush it aside. Asami caught her hand and held it tightly for a moment. Her fingers trembled within Korra’s own.

“We should go,” Korra said, quietly.

The air felt heavy here, the radio tower nearby, and the knowledge that the North was relentless in its attacks against her people hung across Korra’s shoulders. At least the others all had jobs to distract them, but Korra had only herself and time. Time that ticked by, and the meeting with the Senators today brought home how frustratingly long it took to do anything here.

“Let me grab my toolkit, and I’ll be ready.” Asami squeezed then released Korra’s hand.

Chapter Text

Northern Market District - Early Evening - Four Days Since Narook's

Of all the days for Asami to leave her Idea Journal open to a drawing of Korra, it had to be today. She needed to focus to sneak into a building unnoticed, but instead, she felt vulnerable and a trifle raw from nightmares and the journal incident. Since Mako was with them, she couldn’t discuss it with Korra, so instead, she drove and did her best to smile and nod at all the right moments in Korra’s chatting with them. A thread of worry colored Asami at how stiff Mako was in his replies. He still had no idea how to act around the two of them.

Actually, now that she considered the issue, this was the second time Asami had left her Idea Journal out for anyone to witness. This was turning into a mortifying habit. What if Bolin or Mako had found her there? Asami had no idea how she’d navigate such a conversation. Maybe she would have dived off the pagoda in embarrassment, except she promised to not jump off cliffs. She'd rather the brothers did not find out about her romantic feelings for Korra accidentally; she needed a plan for coming out.

No, she’d need a better solution. Best one would be to stop leaving her Idea Journal in easy to access places. Or maybe install a lock on it? It’d have to be a small lock, which could serve as an interesting engineering problem. Something to consider later.

Korra hadn’t seemed bothered by that drawing, only praised it. Asami thought through the timing of Korra’s footsteps and the moment when Korra handed the journal back. No, not enough time to flip through more pages, so unlikely Korra would have seen the more… embarrassing drawings of them in bed with bare shoulders or them kissing.

Asami hated drawing herself, so she’d always positioned herself so that Korra was in the majority of the frame, and Asami’s presence implied by hands, back of head, or silhouette. Maybe she ought to tear those out and hide them for the next time she stupidly left her Idea Journal out for all to see.

Best to put this out of her mind, otherwise she'd be too distracted to pull off tonight. All those times sneaking into her father's workshop would come into use.

Asami sighed and turned down a side street. The buildings here were older, many still in the style of the original Cranefish town that had predated Republic City. The architecture was simple, most one to two stories. Murals were painted on the sides of the buildings, a flurry of color and design, some intricate logos and others paintings of people trading goods.

Asami parked her satomobile in the shadows between streetlights about a block from the location Mako had given them. For this mission, she'd made sure there was nothing on her clothes that had her company’s logo. She also wore all black, which considering most of her clothes were black and red, that wasn’t much of a change in attire. The hood and mask Mako promised to procure for her.

“You sure about this?” She looked back at Mako. 

“Best bet to get the evidence.” Mako handed her a black jacket with a deep hood and a face mask. “Too bad Lu and Gang can’t do their job.” Irritation colored his voice. “Would be nice to have the authority to ask a judge for an actual warrant to do this legally.” 

Korra waved her hand dismissively. “This is more fun! Besides, no one will even know.” She smirked at Asami. “You’re quieter than an owl-cat.” 

Asami’s brain decided this would be a great moment to irritatingly distract with the idea of kissing that smirk off Korra’s face. But with Mako in the backseat? That would be a disaster. Likely loss of friendship too. Plus, she had no intention of kissing Korra without asking first. No, these thoughts would not do.

Instead, she donned the jacket, slipped up the hood, and adjusted the facemask to fit securely around her face and hood. She slid on her gloves for the final touch. “What do you think?” She turned to Korra with a dramatic fighting pose.

“Ready for crime.” Korra gave her a thumbs up.

Mako looked at the two of them. “So… you… reconciled, I take it?” 

“Yes,” Asami said at the same time Korra replied with “Yup.”

They looked at each other, in surprise. Asami wondered if maybe they’d gotten a little… too in sync. Except, the in syncness was a lovely feeling, almost like wearing a comfortable glove. No, she decided, there was no such thing as being too in sync.

Mako sighed in relief. “Great. Because that was majorly weird the other day.”

He dug into a bag and swapped his police jacket for a dark green tonbi jacket that hung down to his knees, with a cape that swept over his left shoulder. Stylish and expensive. He tied it shut and settled a cap on his head, then pressed a surprisingly realistic fake mustache and goatee to his face. He finished the disguise with metal framed sunglasses.

“I’ll be Faolin of a small mining company in need of specialized explosives.” 

“You look good in that,” Korra said, impressed. “Right, Asami?”

“Hmmm.” She exited the car and had him stand up. He knocked his boots together, his hands tight at his sides, his back ramrod straight. “Relax.” Asami prodded his shoulders. He rolled his shoulders down, but his stiffness was still way too obvious. A slightly looser fit of the tonbi would mask it however. She adjusted the asymmetric closed front and retied his belt slightly lower then nodded. “It’ll do. How long do I have?”

“Meeting is slated to be half an hour, but I can try to extend it to forty five minutes. Might be pushing it.” Mako refused to look at her, his gaze off to the right.

Asami glanced at Korra, who smirked as if highly amused by Mako’s awkwardness.

“I’ll make it in half.” Asami held out her hand. “Floorplan?”

He pulled a folded paper out of his lower side pocket and dropped it in her palm. “The hallway to the records room will take you past where I’m meeting the owner, Bao San. I’m unsure of any interior guards. I staked this out earlier today, but the only ones I saw seemed to patrol the alleyways and the back of the shop.” 

Asami opened the map and studied it. Simple square floor plan with a hallway down the middle, rooms off to either side, the records in the back left. Only two floors with the upper story in a similar layout and a staircase fairly close to the back of the building.

“Easy enough.” She patted her side pocket where her electroshot glove was. “Any takedowns will be dragged into a side room. They’ll wake with a headache.” She tossed the keys at Korra, who caught them reflexively. “Stay here and prepare for our getaway.” 

“Uhhhh… I can’t drive….” Korra looked down at the keys. 

Asami had forgotten. One of these days she ought to to teach Korra, because this simply could not continue. If Korra and her were to become something more - Asami sure hoped so - then Korra needed to learn to drive. It was a right of passage here. “Fine. When you see us coming, put keys in ignition, start her up, and I’ll get us away.”

Korra breathed in relief. “That I can do.” She pulled out a book and slunk down in her seat. Asami raised an eyebrow. It was one of Tenzin’s books about meditation.

While Mako took the front entrance, Asami scouted the two alleyways. One held a guard who smoked against the side of the building near the back of the alley. The other was clear of people. She slipped into that one, grabbed a drainage pipe, and climbed to a second story window. She pulled a rod from her belt pouch and jimmied the window open. Pushing it up, she scanned the dark interior but saw only cabinets and an desk. No one in sight. She slid through and dropped low to the ground. 

This was absolutely thrilling. Asami had always wanted to try her hand at sneaking and entering, not to steal anything, but mostly to show she could do it. Maybe leave an inscrutable folded origami to prove she’d done it. Too bad she hadn’t thought of this before they’d left the island.

Was it too late to become the Blue Spirit? Take down terrorists and triads alike, rescuing the innocent, and leaving cryptic origami at the scene? She'd loved reading those tales as a kid.

Probably.

Asami sidled up to the door, pressed her ear against it, and listened. No footsteps or sounds. Easing it open, she glanced down the narrow hallway. A banister lined the side of it, which meant the central hallway for this building covered two stories. Interesting. Easy for a drop takedown. She sidled out and shut the door behind her. Sticking close to the wall, she kept to the shadows. 

Voices could be heard faintly from below as well as footsteps from someone in the central hallway. She dropped to the ground to peer between the wooden poles of the banister. Ah, one guard. She considered if it was worth a drop takedown. No, the person’s path was from front door to the stairs. It’d make less noise to take them down on the same floor.

Plan in place, Asami pushed upright. Several large pots with tea trees were situated between the doors at this level, which made perfect hiding spots for each time the guard walked by below her. 

The staircase wound down in a spiral, another bonus. She took the steps slowly, testing for creaks. Once a few steps from the bottom, she pressed her back against the wall and slid out her hand mirror. She held it up and angled it to see around the bend in the wall.

The guard heading her way was a muscular woman dressed in slacks, white starched shirt, and a jacket similar to the police style but with no badges. Odd that a stun baton hung at her side. Asami had only seen Equalists use them, and the only other ones that existed were either in her warehouse, on a boat to the Fire Nation, or confiscated by the police. 

Asami decided to not take any chances. She slid on her electroshot glove and tucked away her mirror. As the footsteps came closer, she waited with held breath. Right when the guard almost reached the stairs, she grabbed the guard’s arm, flipped her into the stairwell, and zapped her. The guard tumbled onto the steps, unconscious. 

Thankfully not too much noise. Just a lone thump. Asami still waited, but no footsteps in any direction. Good.

Asami couldn’t lift the guard, so she slowly dragged her up the stairs until the guard was well out of sight. She mouthed sorry to the unconscious guard, unhooked the stun baton, and tied up and gagged her. Asami headed back downstairs.

The records room was easy enough to find. Two doors down and to the left. Except Asami heard faint voices when she pressed her ear against it. How irritating. She toggled the stun baton, nudged open the door, and tossed the baton right into the back of an employee. Sparks sizzled the air, and the person jerked. Before the other could react, Asami dived forward, knocked out the man’s feet, and zapped him as he went down. Both hit the ground, unconscious before Asami had even finished her dive-roll.

Employees from the looks of it. They both wore wrap-around jackets and trousers of matching colors and emblems. She dragged both up against the wall and tied their hands and mouths just in case. Guilt at the fact this rose her tally to three. 

This job was proving to be a pain. She’ll have to untie them before she left, if they were still unconscious, which another zap of the glove would keep them there. Asami didn’t like the idea of doing that twice in a short span of time to innocent people. Next time Mako needs to stake out the interior too, or maybe she ought to have. 

This better be worth it. 

No windows in the room and the walls held tall four-drawer file cabinets. She checked and, unsurprisingly, all except one was locked. Easy to bypass. It took only a few seconds to unlock with her lockpicks. 

Mako had given her a timeframe to search, so she sorted through the files for those dates. She also scanned the paperwork for the names of each of the explosive residue she’d detected. Narook’s had been ammonia nitrate, but the ones from the embassy had been mostly nitrocellulose. Both had unusual mixtures of nitrates, enough for Mako to trace it here.

By the third cabinet, Asami found herself getting annoyed. Why did this company keep paperwork over twenty years old? She locked up that cabinet and tried the next. This was fifteen years ago. Heavens, did Future Industries have paperwork that far back? At least there hadn’t been any in her office when she first took over the business. 

Five cabinets later, she finally found recent files. Her pocket watch showed twenty-five minutes had passed. Giving her five left to find the information and get out if she wanted to keep her time window.

Flipping through the files, she paused at the sight of ‘Varrick Industries’ written on an recent contract from the past week. She pulled it out and sure enough nitrocellulose had been bought here by Varrick, and the timing of it would have placed it right after they got into port. At least an hour or two after. 

So she had been right. Varrick was behind this, and likely planned it before they’d even set foot in port. A mixture of anger and smugness sizzled in her.

Asami folded up the file and tucked it in her coat pocket. She flipped through more recent entries and found the one that listed ammonia nitrate. It matched the time window Mako had given, but the name of the buyer wasn’t anyone she recognized. She checked other files, but this document was the only listed sale of this particular compound in the past two months. She tucked that in her pocket and locked up the cabinet.

She checked on her captives. Both were still unconscious. It’d only been five to seven minutes for them, but it meant Asami had used a stronger setting they she should have. They were going to have massive headaches. Guilt flushed her again. There had to be a better way to do this in the future.

An idea came to her that was part mischief and part practical. The guard was still where she left the woman, so Asami slipped her arms under the guard’s. Dragging her down, she carefully pulled her through the hallway and into the records room. She positioned the guard on her side, untied and ungagged her, and placed the baton in her hand, leaving it on. The sparks it emitted added a nice touch. Hopefully the company would be focused on that and not the missing documents.

Asami quickly returned the route she’d came. By the time she dropped into the alleyway to sneak back to her satomobile, she had only a minute to spare. 

Korra jumped when Asami hopped over the side of her satomobile. 

“Warning next time?” she whispered. Her book was on the floor, and it looked like she’d been asleep. Her hair was all askew.

“Payback for your airbending antics.” Asami slid off the gloves, hood, and face mask, and tossed her hair free of its restraints.

The way bits of Korra’s hair poked up was distracting. Asami reached over and smoothed down the hair that had pulled free from Korra’s wolf tails. “Thought you were keeping watch.” 

“Uhh… totally was.” Korra smiled, sheepishly.

Asami raised an eyebrow. She realized she still had her hand in Korra’s hair, which was not as soft as she had imagined. Maybe she could ask about brushing it for Korra. Get these tangles out. She slid her hand out of Korra’s hair, and on a whim poked Korra’s nose.

Korra caught Asami’s hand and kissed her knuckles. 

So this was a thing they did now. Asami found herself smiling like an fool. 

She saw Mako exit the front of the building. He had his hands in the front pockets of the tonbi jacket, but he hadn’t yet looked their way. She pulled her hand free and gripped the steering wheel instead, embarrassed at almost being caught. 

He slid into the backseat and nodded at her. 

She started up the satomobile and headed for the docks. None of them talked until they were halfway across town.

“Okay, I’m dying to know. How did it go?” Korra looked at Mako then at Asami. “Come on, out with it!” 

Asami glanced at her rear view mirror. Mako had thankfully taken off his disguise. He had looked ridiculous in a mustache and goatee. “I got the evidence.” She considered describing the adventure, but guilt held her tongue. That guard was likely going to lose her job because of Asami’s mischief. At least it’d make it harder for them to realize a theft had happened. 

“My part was boring. I talked business then got out by saying I was going to a cheaper place in town. Bao San didn’t like that.” He sighed. “At least he believed my ruse. Asami, what did the evidence say?”

Asami hit the clutch and shifted to a lower gear. Anger threaded in her tone. “Varrick Industries was a buyer. I… didn’t recognize the second buyer though. You’ll have to check on that, Mako.”

“Wait, Varrick really did buy explosives?” Korra’s eyes widened. “But I don’t get it. Why?” 

“He’s been blaming the North for each attack,” Mako pointed out. “It’s all over the newspapers. That man doesn’t know when to shut up.” 

Korra slouched in her seat. “Spirits. Which one was him though?” 

“Embassy. But I don’t know if the second buyer was part of his company or someone he hired or…” Asami trailed off, frustrated. “I also didn’t have time to dig. Had to get out before the guard and - woke up.” No need to admit there was three she’d shocked unconscious. Being a vigilante held far more grey morality than Asami had originally considered.

“Can I add Varrick to the list of people I can punch?” Korra said, tightly.

Asami smiled, faintly. “Sure.” 

“Please don’t,” Mako said with a groan. “The paperwork alone isn’t worth it.” 

“I don’t know. That punch would feel very satisfying…” Korra punched her hand. “Especially considering all who died by his explosives.” 

“Hmmm. Yes. Would you like me to me to hang him up by his toes before or after?” Asami rather liked this plan. It’s what he deserved. 

“This is exactly what I was telling you about, Asami,” Mako said, exasperated. “You two just… enable each other.” 

Korra turned to glare at him. “Hey, I think we are just perfect for each other…” She blushed and looked at Asami. “Wait, I didn’t mean… well, actually, I do mean that…”

Asami looked away, horrified that Korra had just blatantly implied they were together in front of Mako. They had agreed to the taking things slow. Asami distinctly did not recall any conversation about telling people. How was Mako going to take this? Was he going to stomp away as soon as she stopped the vehicle and call them names? Jump dramatically from the satomobile in horror?

She braced herself, her hands tight on the wheel and gearshift.

To her shock, Mako gave a long-suffering sigh. “Korra, I told you to not mention that around me? Like, give a man time to process it. It’s only been a few days. I need more time.”

“Oh, come on,” Korra crossed her arms across her chest. “I didn’t plan to say it. And in my defense, I was correcting your rude assertion about the two of us.” 

What was even happening?

Asami pulled over to the side of the road, not even caring that they weren’t yet to the docks, and shifted to park. She carefully turned to look at Mako. 

His head leaned against the back of his seat, his gaze toward the heavens. He didn’t look angry. Just tired. 

“Explain, please?” Asami managed, her voice tinny to her ears. Her hands trembled. 

“Explain what?” Korra asked. She reached out as if to take Asami’s hand, but Asami pulled back. Korra dropped her hand back into her lap. “Asami, what’s wrong?”

“You… you…told…” Words were not working right now. She needed to breathe.

Mako looked at her. He didn’t seem angry or upset. “Asami, you okay? You’re super pale.” 

Okay. 

This was beyond her ability to process in the moment.

“I’m going for a walk.” She got out, not caring that she was in some random neighborhood, and left the two in the car with her keys. 

Time ceased to hold meaning the moment panic flooded her. Nor did her brain function in an acceptable way. That was why Asami found herself in a random alleyway that stunk like rotted vegetables thanks to some overflowing trashcans. A stream of brown water trickled down the side of the building. 

She backed out of the alleyway, horrified. That had smelled too much like the sewers. Not a time she particularly wanted to remember.

Where was she? And what direction was her vehicle?

Of all the times to wander off in a panic, she had to do it in a part of town that she rarely frequented on foot. In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d ever stood on this street. The buildings loomed around her with long shadows, and the streetlamps were dim. Murals were painted on the side of some of the two to five story buildings, but other symbols had been painted over them -- obvious triad marks. 

Oh, great. At least triads she could deal with. She leaned against the building behind her and looked up at the sky. The city lights made the stars hard to make out.

Mako knew. 

That means Korra must have said something. But when? And what did she say? 

Asami slid to the ground and put her face in her hands. This was too much all at once. She was not prepared to come out to the brothers. She needed time to properly plan it. To consider alternate plans in case the worse happened. 

Someone dropped to the ground next to her. Asami didn’t take the chance. She rolled forward, kicked herself to her feet, swept out their legs, and flipped them into a puddle. Only then did Asami realize the person wore Southern Water Tribe clothes. 

“Korra?” Asami released her and took a few steps backward, abashed.

“Okay, I deserved that,” Korra’s air glider had cluttered to the ground next to them. Asami held out her hand. Korra took it and gingerly stood. She waterbended the water off of her and back into the puddle. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Asami picked up the glider and held it out. “Sorry about that…”

Korra took back the glider and sighed. “It’s okay. I really should have warned you.” She tapped it against the ground and studied Asami for a long moment. “Asami, what happened back there?”

Direct and to the point. That had been an expectation they’d agreed on, now that Asami’s brain had calmed down enough to warrant useful thoughts. She leaned against the building and looked down at her boots. “I panicked.”

“But why?”

There was real hurt in Korra’s voice. That made Asami feel even worse. “Korra, what does Mako know about… us?”

“Oh.” Korra leaned against the wall next to her. “Um, well, I sort of blurted out that I kissed you to him and Bolin. I mean, it was after you went to bed, and we’d had our fight that day. I was upset and needed advice, but wasn’t sure who to ask…”

“You told both of them.” Asami felt as if Korra had dumped ice water over her. “What… did they do?”

“Bolin asked me if you and I liked the kiss. Mako called him out on that, but I think Bolin had a point, that is pertinent to know.” 

“Wait, did you tell him what I said?” When Korra nodded, Asami turned to her upset. “And they were just okay with it?” None of this made any sense to her. 

Korra nodded. “Yeah. Bolin told me we’d be friends no matter what. Mako actually gave me really good advice. Then he said he needed time to process it.”

Asami crossed her arms over her chest. “Korra, you should have told me this. Please don’t dump big things like that on me in casual conversations.”

“Is telling them that big of a deal though?” Korra looked perplexed.

“It is to me.” Now Asami was angry. “I haven’t told anyone about my sexuality.” Which was true, since she hadn’t technically told Korra her actual sexual identity. Only admitted her romantic feelings. “And you’ve just outed me to both Bolin and Mako without my permission. How is this not a big deal to you?” 

Korra looked at her glider and bounced it back and forth between her hands. “Okay, please don’t judge me on this, but are you saying ‘out’ means ‘tell someone?’” 

That was not at all what Asami expected the Avatar to say. “Yes. As in coming out. Telling people your sexuality. How… did you not know that term?”

Korra shrugged. “Sexuality wasn’t a topic of discussion with the White Lotus. In fact, they didn’t even tell me about sex.” She grimaced. “Tenzin gave me that speech.” 

Asami came to the conclusion that she really did not like the White Lotus and their treatment of Korra. “How do you view sexuality then?”

“I guess… for me, people are people, you know?” Korra looked at Asami, that worried crease still between her eyebrows. “When I had that crush on Mako? I wasn’t thinking about him as being a guy. I was thinking about him as a person. It’s the same with you. I’m thinking about you as… well, you. That connection we share transcends everything else. The only thing that’s big for me is the strength of my feelings for you and if you accept my feelings or not.”

That blew the anger right out of Asami. She’d never had anyone ever say such words to her. And sure, Korra had made it clear she liked Asami when they’d reconciled earlier, but Asami had struggled to fully accept it. When she had hid in the Pagoda earlier, she’d been in a maelstrom of doubt over whether she’d done the right thing. That maybe she’d messed up.

Yet here was Korra once again proving her doubts wrong. Tears stung Asami’s eyes.

Korra’s perspective was dramatically different from any she’d heard from others in her life. Her father’s rejection of her sexuality had left crippling pain and fear in her, fear that was hard to shake. “You… weren’t worried that Mako or Bolin would stop being your friend?” The words came out slow, the pain in her voice unmasked. She felt exposed and vulnerable.

“Sort of? Though, I wasn’t worried about Bolin, because he’s, well, Bolin.” Korra reached out her hand, and this time, Asami reached back. Her fingers curled around Korra’s. “Asami, why are you so worried about telling other people?”

Asami held Korra’s hand tightly. Korra had shared her truth with her. That was a sign of trust. Asami should do the same if she wanted what they shared to be equitable. “It’s… hard to explain.” Asami couldn’t meet Korra’s gaze. “But I’ll try.” 

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “There was this girl I tried to befriend at the dojo a year or so ago. Her name was Sana. She came out to me, and that’s when I confessed liking girls more than guys. She gave me some lesbian novels to read and told me that gay marriage was legal here. That people accepted it.” 

Asami paused and scanned the streets. The streetlamps flickered and moths dived in and out of the light cones each made on the cement. Sharing this story hurt, so she took her time to gather her thoughts before speaking further.

“Dad rarely entered my room, but he did one day, and found the book. He was furious. Called it ‘idle fantasy’ and ‘nonsense.’ My father was pretty adamant that one day I’d ‘need a man.’ I made the mistake of saying that I didn’t, which escalated the fight.” 

Asami sighed heavily. “He went so far as to rearrange my entire schedule. I guess he was trying to block me from seeing Sana, though I’d never mentioned her to him. It didn’t help that the people he surrounded himself with at that time were… as bigoted as he was. I guess it reinforced the idea that my sexuality was bad, that I shouldn’t acknowledge or act on it. It’s why I was dating guys and trying so hard with Mako. I was… trying to be normal I guess?” 

“I’m sorry.” Korra reached out and gently brushed hair from Asami’s face. “He’s wrong. How you feel isn’t nonsense. It matters. You matter.” A fierceness had entered Korra’s tone. “Tenzin told me once that the love we have for others is critical to our wellbeing and our self. That it is good and true. So both of us are normal just as we are, okay?”

“If you keep this up, I’m going to start crying, you know,” Asami said, her voice shaking. She managed a faint smile. 

“Well, I’ll just offer you a hug and you can weep into my shoulder.” Korra met her gaze, not smiling, but her tone was gentle. “And I really am sorry. Is it better to act like we're best friends around other people?”

“For now, please.” Asami felt relieved that Korra understood without her even having to ask. “I need to sort out who I can trust with this. Plus, I need a better idea on how coming out publicly is going to impact my life and my company.”

Korra looked dismayed. “Would people really harm your company because of your sexuality?”

“It’s possible. Right now everything is fragile. We’re hanging on by a thread, and my board wants me to write a bunch of articles about my non-discrimination clauses, how benders an nonbenders can work together, and so forth.” Asami needed time to think through how best to word those as well. “Being told that my words and image will literally break or make the company is… a lot.” 

“They said that?” When Asami nodded, Korra grunted in frustration. “That’s a heavy burden. Guess we’re similar there.” 

Asami considered pointing out again that Korra’s weight of the world versus her company’s survival wasn’t in any way similar but then decided against it. Korra was trying to relate.

“Thanks for understanding. And I guess we should head back before Mako has a panic attack or worse.” 

“Oh yeah.” Korra smiled. “He was pretty worried.”

Korra tugged on Asami’s hand, and she let the Avatar lead her down the street. Korra took a shortcut through a stench-filled alley. To Asami’s relief, she recognized the road at the other end. From there, it was easy to locate her Satomobile.

Mako paced next to it. “Oh, good, you’re okay…” At the sight of Korra still holding Asami’s hand, Mako gave them a salute, turned, and got into the backseat. “Right. Time to go do Team Avatar’s meet!” 

Asami decided Mako’s awkward salutes was better than outright rejection, and it did feel better to know she didn’t have to hide her feelings for Korra from her friends. Except a mischievous part of her was tempted to turn and kiss Korra right there in front of him. Would he die on the spot?

Better to get them all home and not give Mako anymore heart attacks. Besides, Asami would very much prefer any future kisses between her and Korra to be more thoughtful and far more private. She’d had her own fill of panic attacks for this week.

Six in the morning, Six Days Since Narook's - Air Temple Island

Asami held a steaming cup of tea and leaned against the door frame to the house. The sun barely graced the horizon, and the sky still dotted with stars. Clouds hugged the horizon, and mist lay over the bay. A chill in the air, but Asami had on her thicker Future Industries jacket.

The past few days had been eerily quiet, like the calm before the storm. The last time Asami had felt like this was right before the war started with Unalaq's troops marching in to occupy the South. Not a good coincidence, especially with the mounting evidence they had concerning the terrorist attacks, Varrick, and Varrick's ties with the Northerners that orchestrated riling up dark spirits.

The other day she'd stood off stage while Korra joined Chief Beifong for the press conference for the terrorist attacks. That had been painful to endure, but she did it because Korra needed it, and maybe she did too.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing this past week was how Raiko failed to follow through with his 'meeting with advisors' about their ask. At least the parliament vote was tomorrow, that gave them a better chance at getting Korra's people aid anyway.

She sipped her tea and considered how they could use the evidence with parliament. Would it be permissible? She could say it was due to ‘the leaker.’

Mako had the problem of how to get it to the chief without giving away their illicit activities. Bolin had suggested sneaking into the Chief’s office to lay the evidence on her desk with a note, where the note consisted of cut out characters from newspapers taped into sentences to explain why. Korra found that a great idea. 

Asami thought it was a terrible idea. What were they, twelve now?

A phone rang. Startled, Asami headed back inside and entered the study. She picked it up on the second ring. “This is Asami Sato…”

It was Sezoh. “Asami, we have a problem. Our ship was attacked before it reached Fire Nation waters. Our entire shipment was stolen.” 

The words sunk like boulders in her mind. They needed those sales badly. “Do they know who did it?”

“No, but Chief Beifong called to alert us. Requested you come in to confirm what was stolen.” 

“I’ll be right there.” Anger burned through her. She had a pretty good idea of who might be behind this.

Chapter Text

NOTE FROM AUTHOR

I updated the last two chapters to correct my error with the timing of the scenes. Whoops. I'd forgotten entirely that I had planned to change that before I uploaded them.

The Sneak Mission with Mako was meant for Day Four of their Return.  So that's been fixed!

Day Five of their Return is the next chapter. Also, I've been counting their days based on full days -- so the half day they had when they first returned isn't being counted. Mostly so I don't confuse myself.

I updated the dates to give them more time between major scenes for smaller details like going through evidence and planning. I also wanted Asami's shipments to be further at sea before they are attacked and everything on them taken. I was originally trying to keep with the show's timeline, but that doesn't make sense to me. So I adjusted to be more realistic on the timing of events.

Chapter Text

Seven in the morning, Six Days after Narook's - Yue Bay

The sun had barely begun to rise when Asami left the Air Temple Island’s on their ferry. Her goal was to head to the police station and meet up with Chief Beifong. Except, she had gravely miscalculated. 

The ferry wasn’t heading to the docks.

“Where are you going?” Asami asked the White Lotus waterbender.

The man didn’t respond. He instead sent the ferry away from the island and the port. Their heading was oriented toward open water.

A touch of fear curdled through her. The ferry was wide with enough seating for ten people, so it gave her plenty of room to stand, rush forward, dodge his water whip, and flip the waterbender over her back. 

He hit the floor of the ferry hard. She grappled him, careful to pin his hands to avoid any unwanted water attacks. “I asked, where are we going?”

“Just following orders…” the man gasped out. His hat had fallen off to reveal short-cropped and greasy blonde hair.

Asami wrinkled her nose in disgust at the man’s musty scent. 

“And whose orders are those?” Her anger sharpened her words.

“Viper!”

That was unhelpful. Asami had no idea who that was, but she didn’t want to reveal that. So different tactic. “Who’s paying you?” 

“Don’t know. Some fancy guy in a water tribe suit!” The man struggled in her hold. Water tribe suit? Varrick. Her anger sky-rocketed. The bastard.

“What were your orders?” Her grip on the man tightened when the man tried to kick himself free.

“Keep you busy….” 

Busy? Asami felt like she was hearing only half the story here. “Why?” The man struggled more violently against her hold, his face reddening. 

“Just following orders!” No matter what questions she asked after that, he kept repeating that phrase. 

Disgust and fury curled in her, and she gave up the questioning. Whoever planned this obviously told this lackey next to nothing.

Asami considered her options. If she let him go, he likely would retaliate, and she was at a distinct disadvantage being surrounded by water. Using her electroshock glove here could harm her as water conducted electricity quite well. There was also the troublesome fact that this boat had no motor or oars that she could see, and they were far out in the bay, the heavy current pushing them further toward the ocean. 

The biggest problem of all was no one knew she was out here. Those at work would assume she was at the police station talking to the Chief, so she doubted anyone would notice her missing. Maybe Korra, but she had planned to meet with the march organizers for planning a possible march the day of the vote. Bolin had been determined last night to finish the last of his Nuktuk commitments, even though he now was worried about Varrick’s intentions thanks to what they’d uncovered. And Mako would be at work.

All of them likely wouldn't discover her disappearance until late in the day.

"Okay, here's what we'll do," she told the man. "You're going to waterbend me back to shore."

The man pushed hard against her grapple, this time focusing on one of his arms. "Can't! Told to leave you here."

Before Asami could reply, an explosion boomed across the bay, the origin in the warehouses in the port sector. Smoke billowed upward, and several police airships turned in the sky to head toward the rising plume. Stunned, Asami stared at the dark cloud forming. Her grip loosened, her mind raced with scenarios, all of them bad.

Was keeping her busy meant time for them to attack her warehouse? Or was this Varrick’s way of eliminating her before she could expose him?

A slap of water slammed into the side of her head, and she lost her grip. Another crashed her through two wooden seats. Pain shot up her arm and side. The man staggered to his feet and formed ice daggers in her hand. Stupid. She’d lost her focus and his hand had gotten free somehow. 

Rolling to the side, she dodged one of the ice daggers only for the other to slice through her left sleeve. Any pain was immediately deadened by cold. 

She flipped to her feet, dodged another set of ice daggers, and spun kicked him. Her foot collided, and he flipped over the side and into the water. A wave hit the boat hard, and she was thrown backward.

Asami splashed into the water, the sudden cold a shock. She swam toward the surface, only for another wave to hit her. She spun, her lungs ached from holding her breath, and for a short moment lost her bearings. The water was cold and dark. The rising sun had yet to penetrate. She had to get back on the boat.

Pushing herself hard, she burst out of the water and gasped in air. 

Asami was several hundred meters from the ferry. The current was strong. Her only advantage was it also pulled the ferry out to sea as well. Asami breast stroked forward as hard as she could, but the current fought her and her muscles ached from the cold. She could do this.

Each breaststroke brought her closer, each kick of her legs against the current worsened the fatigue. Her fingers brushed wood. She gripped the side of the boat and pulled herself back onto it. 

Rolling onto her back, she looked up at the lightening sky, her breaths hard and fast. The cold seeped through her clothes, and she shivered violently. She couldn’t stay here. She had to get back to land. Pushing to her feet, she searched the ferry in desperation.

Five minutes later, Asami realized the ferry had no oars, no sail material, nor any motors. All she had broken wood from her crash into the chairs earlier. The waterbender she’d fought was nowhere to be seen. 

“Spirits,” she cursed. She wiped the salt water from her face and looked toward Air Temple Island. The current took her further from it, and further from any chance of help. 

Fine. Asami would find her own way out of this mess. She grabbed a broken board and positioned herself on the far back of the boat. Dipping it deep, she paddled hard, but only succeeded in spinning the boat. Frustration crept through her. For this to work, she needed to be able to paddle one side and then the other, but the ferry was too wide for her to do that efficiently. 

The only other option she could think of was to scream as loud as she could, but the wind blew her shouts toward the ocean, not land. 

This was why Asami disliked services that relied entirely on bending. If a motor had existed on this damn ferry, she wouldn’t be in this mess. She leaned her board against her seat and put her face in her hands. How long would it take someone to notice she was gone? 

***

Asami sat at the back of the ferry, her legs pulled up to her chest, and her chin rested on them. Her mind was in a dark cloud of non-thought. She’d ran through every possible solution to her predicament, and all her efforts to try to paddle her way to freedom resulted in spinning the boat in a circular motion. Her estimates of possible swim time against a strong current made that possibility more dangerous than her current situation. 

Sure, she knew how to swim, but that didn’t mean she was good at it. She’d have to admit that to Korra, that swimming, sewing, and cooking were her worst skills. If she saw Korra again.

Despair and anger surged through her. This was not how she wanted to die. She needed to stay alive to make sure Korra survived this crisis, to see where life would take them. 

Again she tried to paddle, but moving from the left to right side took too much time. She couldn’t fight the current like this. 

Frustrated, she slammed the board into other seats. Tore apart others, and ripped off cloth from her jacket’s right sleeve. She tied the boards together to make them longer. Settling in the center of the boat, she tried to dip one end to the left and the other to the right. 

For a long moment, she thought it was going to work, but then she realized it was an illusion. The boards were too narrow. She needed an actual paddle at the ends of them. Searching through her toolkit bag, she realized that during her dunk in the ocean, some of her tools must have fallen out. She no longer had her engineering kit. Only a handful of lockpicks, soggy papers in her folio, and a very water logged book. Utterly useless.

So she sat on this wretched boat as it drifted further from any chance of help. Would she ever see Korra or her friends again? To share with them how she felt? She missed them, Korra most of all.

Now would be a great time for a miracle. 

Except, Asami didn’t believe in those. 

***

Her Idea journal lay in the sun, mostly dry now, but some of the drawings were ruined, the ink bled through or had smeared. She supposed it wouldn’t matter if she couldn’t find a way off this damn ferry.  

Asami lay on her back and watched the clouds drift across the sky. How long could she last without food or water? A day or two perhaps. The thirst would get to her first. 

What a way to die. 

Even if someone noticed her missing, the likelihood of them investigating the bay or nearby sea was next to nil. Contemplating this further would not help her situation. She considered searching the boat again, but instead, she let her mind drift. 

Asami stood at the edge of a cliff and looked down at the waves crashing into the cliff face. The spray shot upward and crashed down across the boulders and rocks that jutted out of the waters. The air tinged with energy and despair. Asami shuddered. The memory of her father’s attempt on her life pulled her over the edge. 

She fell. 

Air slammed into her and threw her up. She crashed into ground. Dirt billowed up around her. Desperately she fought off her attacker, but they were stronger than her. 

“Asami! ASAMI!” Korra’s voice broke through her panicked haze.

Asami quieted. Korra’s frightened and worried face coalesced in her vision, and she realized Korra had her pushed against the ground while sitting on her legs. 

Asami jolted into awareness, her breaths fast and unsteady. That had been the months ago. Korra had saved her, and all of Team Avatar and the airbending family had spent the next few weeks making sure she wasn’t alone. She’d learned how much people did care about her and wanted to help her survive.

That's when she’d promised Korra and Pema that she’d do her best to keep going. To stay alive. Trusting that they'd be there for her was still something she struggled with, part of her always on edge, waiting for the moment of abandonment or loss. She'd done her best to honor her promise, despite her struggle to trust.

Except it was hard to stay alive trapped on a boat with no mode of propulsion. Asami promised herself that if she survived this, she was demanding some sort of propulsion for this ferry in case this happened again. 

She rolled onto her side, her legs curled up against her chest, and tears wet her face. She closed her eyes to try to stop the tears. Hopelessness filtered through her. Would anyone even look for her? Part of her doubted anyone would, but then the memory of her conversation with Korra, how the Avatar admitted her feelings, surfaced. Surely, Korra would notice her missing? Part of Asami hoped so but another part of her struggled to trust in that.

A hazy memory of her mother filtered through her mind, her mother's face blurry.

Her mother danced with her father to a jazz song on the radio. They swirled across the ballroom in the mansion. Asami danced alone by the window, laughing in delight. Her father spun his wife, dipped her, and led her toward Asami's position. The song ended, and all three of them laughed. 

"How about a dance, Asami?" Her mother held out her hand and bent over closer to Asami's height.

She felt timid suddenly. The steps her parents had done seemed a lot. "Not sure how?"

Her father sat down in a chair and smiled. "Don't worry. With practice you can learn anything."

Emboldened, Asami grasped her mother's hands. Gently, she led Asami in a simple three step pattern. Asami focused on each step with a fierce determination to memorize this. Forward, to the side, then back, forward, to the side, then back. Easy enough. The song had changed to a more rock beat, and her mother added in two more steps. Asami stumbled at first, but her mother's hands held her own firmly. She tried again. Each step a calculation, each movement part of the equation of dance.

"See?" Her mother said as her father clapped. "You can do whatever you put your mind to, Asami."

Asami bit back a sob. "No, I can't, Mom. I can't make propulsion from wood or thin air!"

This was that moment when she needed a bender, but there was no one but her, the boat, and the ocean. She closed her eyes tighter. If she ever made it back to land, she'd do more than just hang Varrick by his toes. She'd make sure he never lived free again to harm others in his greed and selfishness. As satisfying the thoughts of revenge were at first, the more she imagined painful ways to hold Varrick accountable, the more hopelessness strangled her.

Her mind fell into a dark hole of despair, and that memory of the cliff seemed more salient than anything else today.

"Please," she whispered. Asami wasn't sure who she was pleading to. For a long while, she lay there. The sunlight faded as clouds passed over it only for it to brighten as the cloud moved further in its path. How long had she lain here in this daze?

A memory she'd nearly forgotten popped into her mind.

“Hey Asami.” Jinora found her in the pagoda one evening. Asami put down her pen and closed her Idea Journal. She’d been drawing Korra, her, and Naga, and Asami didn’t feel ready for anyone to witness such a drawing.

“Hey. What do you need?”

Jinora sat down next to her. “Can I share something with you? I haven’t told anyone this.” 

Asami leaned against one of the pagoda railings. “Sure. I won’t tell anyone unless you ask it of me.”

Jinora smiled. “Thank you.”

She held out her hand and took a deep breath. A small being coalesced in the air, surprising Asami. It was a hummingbird spirit, its wings buzzed, and it hovered above Jinora’s hand. It’s coloration was a yellow-white. “This is Sani. They’ve been hanging out with me lately.” 

Asami gingerly reached out her hand. The spirit darted into her hand, and a brief warmth touched her palm when the spirit touched their beak to it. It darted back to Jinora to hover over her shoulder. “Wow, I’ve… never met a spirit before. Thank you, Jinora.”

The pre-teen reached out and grasped Asami’s hand. “I wanted you to see how even spirits care. I see them a lot. And I’ve gotten better at entering the spirit world in meditation. I wish I could show you it. It’s a beautiful place, but a somewhat dangerous one. Landscapes shift a lot, but the spirits there are so cool.”

The spirit world wasn’t a topic Asami had ever thought about. “Can anyone meditate and go there? Or is that just a bender thing?” 

Jinora tapped her fingers against her leg. “I think anyone could in theory. At least, Dad’s books say that. Would you like to try sometime?” 

Asami smiled and shook her head. “I don’t really meditate.”

“Are you sure? You get really focused sometimes when you draw or sit and think. That’s a type of meditation,” Jinora challenged.

Asami considered that perspective and saw validity in it. Drawing often did leave her in a zone of concentration where the rest of the world bled away. As if to emphasize Jinora’s words, the hummingbird spirit buzzed around Asami and briefly landed on her shoulder. That warmth and sense of safety flowed into her body from its small form.

That memory had been three months ago. Not long after her father’s trial. The crisis with her company and helping Korra had taken up all her time, so much so that the memory felt like a dream now of some other world.

Why had she suddenly remembered it now? Was it a sign she needed to meditate? To try to reach the spirit world and ask for help there? The idea felt ludicrous to Asami. She wasn’t a spiritual person. She’d always assumed these sorts of things were exclusive to benders, even if Jinora claimed nonbenders could do it too.

But what did she have to lose?

Asami settled into a half-lotus position like she’d seen Tenzin, Korra, and the airbenders do. Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing.

Her thoughts refused to let up at first, and she kept falling back into despair over her situation, the overwhelming loss of her family and of all those who died in this wretched war, and the worry for her friends and her company. Each thought popped in like bubbles that burst out from geothermal vents. 

So Asami considered each thought. Pictured herself turning them over in her hands and tucking them into a chest. Again and again she did it, but it was never-ending. Too many concerns, too many ideas about inventions, too many memories. This wasn’t going to work.

Maybe focus on her surroundings? She clenched her fists. The lap of the waves against the boat mingled with the splashes of creatures jumping in and out of the water. The wind brushed her hair away from her body, its caress almost tender. Her clothes were mostly dry, the wet areas cold still and the garments stiff with salt. Her lips felt chapped. 

Asami had no sense of the time, but after trying for what felt like hours, she opened her eyes in frustration. The sun was high in the sky. It was likely midday or just after it. Meditation wasn’t going to work for her. 

Disappointment multiplied the reality of her situation and weighted the equation of her survival heavily toward unlikely.

No, she had to keep trying.

Pushing to her feet, Asami carefully scoured through every nook and cranny of the ferry in hope of anything to solve her plight. Broken wood, felt seats, and there under a seat near the back, she found a hidden compartment. 

Elated, she dug into the small crates, but the supplies inside weren’t helpful — most of them were empty or held a bag or two of dehydrated fruits and tubers. Those would worsen her dehydration. 

She leaned back on her heels. Nothing was here to help her fight the current.

“Hey!” She shouted at the sky. “If there’s anyone out there, please send help!” 

Only the waves and the murmur of the wind answered her call.

***

Asami had to be hallucinating. 

A spirit sat on the edge of the boat next to her. With its yellow-white coloration, it looked like Jinora’s hummingbird spirit. The sun hung low in the sky, and darkening clouds to the north-east threatened her with a possible storm. Yet, here this spirit rested, like a beacon in the coming darkness.

Sitting upright, Asami held out her hand. Her voice was raspy, her mouth dry and her throat ached. “Hey there.” The fatigue from not eating, the cold, and the dehydration made her dizzy. “Who are you?”

The spirit hopped into it. Warmth seeped into her hand at the touch. “I am Sani.”

Wait, that name. Asami’s mind felt sluggish from her dizziness and growing thirst. That memory of Jinora fluttered into her mind. Was this that spirit Jinora had showed her? Asami found it hard to recall. The sun and salt water had baked her, and she was tired.

“I’m Asami,” she rasped. Might as well talk to what might be a hallucination. “A friend of Jinora and Avatar Korra.” This seemed to delight the spirit who flew around her only to land on her hand again. The warmth they exuded eased Asami’s fears.

“Are you lost?”

“Yes.” The current had taken her far from the bay. Land seemed beyond reach. “I need to go home.” 

“Where’s home?”

“Republic City. Or actually, Air Temple Island.” Asami pictured the dormitories, the rock garden, and Korra and her sparring in one of the training grounds. She missed Korra with a painful ache. To die here without ever telling Korra her truth hurt.

“Why are you here then?” The spirit’s curiosity bubbled through their words. They buzzed up Asami’s arm, around her face, and landed back on her hand.

“I got attacked,” Asami admitted. “But this boat has no propulsion. And I’m not a bender.” Tears would dehydrate her more, so Asami bit back the urge to cry.

They flew around Asami again. “Why do you sit here in the boat? Can you not swim to shore?”

Hopelessness had settled into Asami, and if the spirit was a hallucination, she supposed it couldn’t hurt to ask them for help. She had nothing to lose at this point.  

“I don’t have the strength to fight the current. It’s too strong. Can you help? Maybe find Avatar Korra for me?” 

The spirit buzzed upward, and they turned semi-translucent. “Okay. Be well.” The spirit faded from her hand.

Asami was left with silence and the beat of the waves against the hull of the boat. 

In exhaustion, she laid down, spread-eagled. Bits of broken wood poked into her back, but she didn’t have the energy to shift her position. The sunlight had begun to fade toward evening, the horizon a blaze of red-gold and violet, and the sky above studded with the growing clouds.

What a surreal moment. Her thirst and exhaustion must be messing with her mind.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. The air felt almost charged, and the waves grew taller and thicker. Oh spirits, that was not what she wanted to witness. If a storm hit, Asami wasn’t sure she’d survive it.

But then what did it matter? She had no method of propulsion. She felt the inadequacy of being a nonbender. Her gadgets, toolkits, and smarts was useless here. Despair wrapped her up, and she closed her eyes and waited for the storm.

Chapter Text

 Republic City - Air Temple Island - Six Days After Narook's - 11 in the morning

Korra woke to Bolin pounding on her door. Confused and groggy, she stumbled out of bed and pulled open her door. “What?”

“The ferry is gone.” Bolin wrung his hands. “And the White Lotus guard is unconscious. I didn’t know what to do.” 

That was bad. “Give me a minute.” Korra shut her door and quickly dressed.

Her first destination was Asami’s room, except it was empty. For a long moment, Korra stood in the doorway, confused. Had Asami already left for work? But how if the ferry was missing? A sense of dread curled through her. She stepped inside and walked to the bedside table. Several blueprint pads lay on the table and paperwork files lay scattered on the ground. 

Korra thought through yesterday night’s Team Avatar meeting. 

“Isn’t a bit late to plan a march?” Asami raised her eyebrows. “The vote is a day away.” 

Korra pounded her fist into her hand. “And that’s why I got to get started! Can you help?”

Asami tapped her pen against her Idea Journal. “I need to do some company meetings first. Since our sales is slowly rising, we may be able to go for that airship design afterall. I wanna get our teams started on testing my design. I also need to go through the shipments. Contact the Fire Nation for confirmation on some deals…” She frowned and looked at her writings. “Got a meeting with Kara and Senator Caihong over some legislation I wanted to work on… oh, prepare for the vote tomorrow…” 

“Do you ever sleep?” Bolin asked. He leaned forward, concerned. “Because, like, you always have a million things happening, and I’m worried, sis.” 

She waved her hand at him. “It’s not that much. Just sixteen tasks for four - no five projects including ours. I’ve handled worse.” 

Korra caught her hand. “Asami, I thought you said you’d delegate more and slow down.” 

Her cheeks tinged pink. “I guess… maybe some of that I can delegate…” 

Mako cleared his throat. “I’m going to put together our evidence and present to Beifong tomorrow. Did we cover everything?” He kept his gaze averted, his stance stiff again. 

Just to make him more uncomfortable, Korra lifted Asami’s hand and kissed her knuckles.

Mako turned his back with a sigh.

That got a smile out of Asami, though she pulled her hand away. 

“All right, I’d say meeting adjourned.” Amusement colored Asami’s voice.

At her words, Mako jumped to his feet, gave them an awkward salute, and marched out of the room. Bolin stood as well and did an exaggerated version of Mako’s salute. Korra and Asami both laughed.

Had Asami delegated her airship stuff? Korra didn’t think so, not with a design this personal. So if Asami was going to present her airship blueprints, why would she leave them on her side table? Korra flipped through the pad and there was a lot of drawings of the airship - interior, exterior, side, front, back. Korra picked up the files, only to realize this was half of what Asami said she’d be working on - contracts and shipping manifests.

Why would Asami leave it here? Something was wrong; Korra felt it deep within her bones.

Korra met Bolin outside. The sky held heavy clouds, and the air smelled like a storm. “Bo, where’s Asami?”

He looked startled. “She’s not in her room?” 

Korra shook her head. “Remember her million tasks? She left half the stuff she needed in her room. Part of it was on the floor.” 

“This is weird.” Bolin led her through the rock garden, but then the phone rang. Both stopped and looked at the other. “It’s been ringing off and on,” Bolin admitted. Pabu held onto his left ear, his nose sniffing the air. “Someone keeps asking after Asami.” 

“Wait, what?” Korra pivoted and raced back into the house. She sprinted down the hallway and skidded into Tenzin’s study. She grabbed his phone. “Avatar Korra here.” 

It was Kyung’s voice. “Avatar Korra! Is Asami with you? The Chief is here wanting to talk to her, but she hasn’t come into the office.”

A chill swept down Korra’s spine. “No, I haven’t seen her yet today. Why does the Chief want Asami? What happened?” If Asami wasn’t at the office, then where was she?

“Chief Beifong needed her to confirm lost shipment details.” Kyung’s voice was threaded with worry. “The last we heard, she was on her way to the police department, but so far, she hasn’t shown there or here at the office.” 

Korra breathed in sharply. “Our ferry is missing and the White Lotus guard who mans it is unconscious. I was just about to check on them. Kyung, when was Asami planning to meet the chief?” 

“That’s… not good. Sezoh from communications called her around six this morning. She said she’d be over as soon as possible. We alerted the Chief. It’s been four and a half hours and no word. There’s another issue.” Kyung hesitated. “Someone blew up our warehouse. A satomobile had been parked by it, but it’s destroyed beyond repair.”

“No, no, no. Please tell me you don’t think that was her, was it?” Fear sliced through Korra.

“We don’t know. Police are investigating. That’s all the information I have.” 

“Thanks.” Korra felt a rising tide of anger and helplessness. Where would she even start with the search? “I’m going to do a search. Please let me know if you see her.” 

“Will do. Good luck.” 

Korra replaced the phone on its cradle. Asami had to be alive. There’s no way Asami would have been in that vehicle at the warehouse. Not if Asami was going to the police department. No, she had to be somewhere else. Korra refused to believe anything else.

The guard had been stripped of his clothes, a massive welt on his forehead, and blood along his head and neck. He was in a daze and unhelpful. He claimed the attacker had gotten the best of him late in the night, long after Mako had left for his apartment. The guard never saw it coming. 

Korra healed him the best she could, but he needed a doctor for that concussion. 

She walked to the pier and studied the wooden beams. Except, she wasn’t Mako or Asami. Korra couldn’t tell if there was footprints or fingerprints to give clues on who had traversed the pier. The only boat left was a narrow canoe tucked under the side of a pier. She could waterbend her and the injured guard. Maybe Bolin could fit in it too. 

Bolin raced down the path and skidded on its gravel. “I talked with the other guards. They didn’t see anything either!” 

That made no sense. “She can’t just vanish into thin air.” Korra looked at Bolin. Asami and her had only just started their going slow explorations; the thought of Asami not being there for the future, left Korra cold and nearly paralyzed with worry. “She’s got to be somewhere!” 

He nodded. “What do we do?”

There was only one thing to do. Get in the canoe and get to the mainland. Korra would tear apart this whole city to find Asami if she had to. She told Bolin to hold onto the guard and canoe side, and she waterbended them as fast as the boat could handle. 

***

After dropping the guard off at the port’s medical clinic, Korra and Bolin found Chief Beifong by the destroyed warehouse. Korra figured it was a good place to start as she had no other clues. The entire building was a smoldering heap of debris and twisted metal.

Korra confronted the chief about the ruined satomobile and if she knew anything about Asami.

"If that was her satomobile, then she was unlikely to survive. I'm sorry, kid." Beifong said, heavily.

“There’s no way she would be here!” Korra turned to Chief Beifong in anger. “She was heading to you!” 

The Chief sighed. “I said if, kid. Look, unless you have information about her whereabouts, I suggest you get the hell out of here. This is police business now.” 

“And what are you doing to find her?” Korra shot back. “Because standing around here and kicking debris isn’t it!” 

Beifong frowned. “Get the hell out of my hair, Avatar.” She turned and stomped back to the cluster of officers that had been investigating the perimeters of the blast. 

Bolin rubbed the back of his head. “That went well.” 

Korra glared at him. “Oh, go back to your mover shoots.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s where you wanna be right?” 

“Ouch. Okay, maybe I deserve that.” Bolin sighed. “Besides, that’s over now. It’s debuting…” he paused, “Oh. Today. But we don’t have time for that. We got to find Asami!”

“We don’t even have one lead.” Korra stomped her foot. She needed to punch or tear apart something. Standing here with no plan was maddening. This is where Asami or Mako would devise a plan, give her a target, and off she’d go. “And since when did you start caring about her again? We’ve barely seen you outside of the Team meets!”

Bolin winced at Korra’s glare. He sighed heavily and dropped his hands to his side. “I guess I have been really caught up in that, haven’t I? Been neglecting you all. I’m sorry, Korra. I just wanted to be doing something, and Varrick seemed insistent that the mover would convince people to support the South. But it sounds like you all did a good job getting evidence without me, so did you really need me?” 

Korra wanted to kick herself. If Asami was here, she'd be putting her hand on Korra's shoulder. A vivid reminder to step back and think before acting.

“I'm sorry, Bo. I shouldn’t be taking this out on you. You know what Asami would say right now, right? She'd take your shoulder and say, 'yes, we do need you.'" That got a faint smile from Bolin. "Asami has been worried about you too. Just,” Korra sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Do what makes you happy, okay? Just don’t trust Varrick. That weasel is up to no good…” The idea hit her hard. “Oh, spirits, Varrick! He bought explosives recently. Could he have done this?” 

Bolin looked startled. “But he wanted Asami’s stuff? Why blow up what he wants?”

That deflated Korra. Why indeed? She turned back to the wreckage. Running forward, she flicked open her glider and took to the sky. She circled it and did her best to put on her ‘Asami hat.’ How did the blast happen? The way the building collapsed looked like it was punched from all sides. So maybe the explosives were put on each wall? What about the contents? The debris seemed strangely… less than what Korra would have expected from a full warehouse. Asami had said she had quite a few planes, mechs, and crates inside, so where were they?

Korra landed lightly near the middle of the rubble and shifted the stone away with earthbending. The metal siding she tossed aside with a flick of air bending.

Except she didn’t find twisted up planes and mechs. Korra found only building remains. Beifong was cursing her out, her officers digging their way toward Korra now, but Korra kept up her search. By the time Beifong reached her, Korra had dug out a square in the center of the debris. 

“What the hell are you doing, Avatar? You’re destroying evidence!” Beifong scowled. 

“Look! This warehouse had Asami’s stock. Planes, mechs, and stuff. But where are they? Shouldn’t there be planes here?” Korra gestured to the square she’d made. “An explosion couldn’t have ripped them all into tiny metal fragments, right?”

Beifong crossed her arms. “Huh. Fine. Good point. I’ll have my men verify with Future Industries what this warehouse contained. Now can you please get the hell out of my sight?”

How nice of her to add the word please. Korra nodded and took to the skies. She landed near Bolin and motioned for him to follow. She had an unscheduled appointment with a specific water tribe member.

Varrick wasn’t at his warehouse mover set, so at Bolin’s suggestion, they sought out his yacht. The bouncer planted his feet in the gangplank, his arms crossed, and a scowl on his face. 

“Orders for no disturbances.” 

Korra didn’t have time for this nonsense. She tore stone from a nearby pathway and slammed it into the bouncer. It knocked him off the gangplank and into the water. Several more guards rushed toward them. Korra swept up a watersprout and shot them into the water. 

“Oh.” Bolin followed, wide eyed. “That’s one way to do it.”

Kicking in the center door, Korra stormed down the hallways and blasted each door off its hinges with air bending. A few people were in some rooms, and they dived out of the way of the door. Korra didn't bother apologizing. She was after Varrick.

By this point, Bolin had gotten nervous. “Uhhhh, Korra, isn’t this… overdoing it?”

“Varrick wanted Asami’s stuff! And it wasn’t in the warehouse when it blew. So where do you think it went? Plus, he’s the bastard connected with those attacks!” Korra remembered painfully the line of dead at Narook’s, the dead at the embassy. Or all the people hurt by dark spirits from his constructions. No, Varrick was not going to get it easy this time. “I bet he has Asami.”

When a guard sprinted out of a side hallway, he crashed into her and tried to grapple her against the wall, but Korra flowed with his momentum and flipped him, just like Asami had been trying to teach her in their sparring.

A flash of fire from another guard flew her way, but Korra bended the fire back into a whip that slapped him to the side. With a blast of air, she sent both hurtling down the hallway and into two more guards. They crashed through a wall and landed on the floor of a ballroom.

The next door she kicked in held Varrick, who dived behind Zhu Li. Two guards stood in front of them. 

“Where is Asami?” Korra shouted. She blew the two guards to the side. “Bolin, keep them busy!” 

“All right!” Bolin sounded uneasy, but he earth bended some of the rocks around the coal fire and stood in front of the door. 

“Hey there, Avatar,” Varrick said, uneasily. “Nice of you to drop by…” 

“Shut it! You stole Asami’s stock!” Korra pointed at him. “And now she’s missing. So where is she?”

Zhu Li stepped to one side. “Sir, it is possible we are at a disadvantage.”

 Varrick gulped and took a step backward, now exposed to Korra’s wrath. “Way to state the obvious, Zhu Li!” Varrick tripped over a bench and grabbed a curtain. He threw it at Korra. 

Korra blew a gust of air to send the curtain back into Varrick's face. He shouted and fell onto his butt. She swept her arms back and then forward to blow the curtain and Varrick up against the ceiling and then back against the flooring. “Better start talking, Varrick. I could do this all day.”

When he only shouted incoherently, she flipped him up against the ceiling and back down again. Korra didn't wait for an answer, she did it twice more just for emphasis.

“Sir, it seems the Avatar is quite insistent.” Zhu Li had her back against the wall now.

Behind them, one of the guards had managed to get to his feet only to be knocked out with Bolin’s rock to his head. 

“I don’t know where she is!” Varrick threw off the curtain and tried to back away only to hit the wall. “Don’t you know anything, Avatar? You don’t ask how with traids! You tell them what you want and offer hefty incentive. It’s business!” 

“What. Did. You. Do?” Each word came out as a burning, hot fury. Korra’s hands clenched into fists. 

“Asked the triple threats to take care of her. Needed her out of the way awhile!” Varrick held up his hands, desperately. “Look, it was for a short while, okay? Meant to give her some perspective!” He took a deep breath, then seemed to gather what remained of his courage. “You’re from the South, Korra. Think of it, those mechs of her could take out our enemy faster than an otter penguin can juggle! To sit on them? It’s selfish!” 

“Selfish? You dare to call her selfish?” Korra roared at him. “You’re the one bombing civilians and blaming it on the North! Asami risked her life to save as many people as possible from your misdeeds! And those mechs? She and I made an promise to not incite the dark spirits. Which those mechs will do. Which, that ask was from our people. Dark spirits hurt our people, okay? And you are the reason the dark spirits are there!” She stomped closer, her fist shaking in front of his face. He looked at it, his eyes wide. “Don’t think we don’t know what you’re up to, Varrick! You worked with the North. You stopped the Southern spiritual archives from being built!” 

Varrick reddened. “Look, please, I didn’t know it was Northerners funding those contracts! They used me…”

Korra was fed up. She punched him hard enough for his head to hit the wall, his nose to bleed. He slumped, unconscious. “And that’s for all the people you killed,” she snapped. Pivoting, she turned to Zhu Li, her fists clenched.

“I will cooperate. The records are in the captain’s room,” she said, calmly, as if people punching Varrick happened daily.

“Thank you.” Korra stormed past her, grabbed Bolin’s sleeve, and dragged him and Pabu down the corridor to the captain’s room. Inside was not only a ton of cabinets and a desk, but also a radio. Convenient. She’d call for help and tear this room apart for anything on where the Triple Threats could be.

She radioed the police department. When someone answered, Korra didn’t mince words. “I need the Chief or Mako or someone to get to Varrick’s yacht. I got him cornered here. He's behind the terrorist attacks and Asami’s kidnapping!” 

“Understood. Sending a team your way.” The radio crackled and went silent. 

Korra turned to Bolin. “Time to tear this room apart. You take that side.” She pointed to the cabinets to her left. 

“Got it.” Bolin darted forward and dug into a drawer. “Except, what are we looking for?” He turned, a handful of files in his hand. 

“Anything related to explosives, the North, mines, embassy, Narook’s, Triple Threat, that stuff.” Korra wasn’t entirely sure what she hoped to find, but she was going to tear this room apart to find it. Each drawer she opened, she dumped on the floor. Sifting through it, she found a ton of incomprehensible contracts, but a few had that fake company from the North on them. Those she piled on the desk. 

Bolin dumped on her evidence pile several paystubs of supplies, most of which held explosives in the list, and another had vacuum tubes and fuses. Korra found a schematic for a remote control similar to ones Mako had found. 

Shouts and footsteps echoed in the hallway. Mako rushed into the room, breathless. “Korra, are you serious?” He looked over the mess in dismay. “This is property damage and destruction of a crime scene…”

Korra shoved the paperwork into his hands. “Asami is missing because Varrick called the Triple Threats on her!” Tears stung her eyes. “I don’t know where to find them, okay? I figured it had to be somewhere in this mess!” 

Mako looked down at the papers. “Shit. I… know where they might be, but I need to secure the yacht. This is now a crime scene, Korra.” 

“Oh, haha, about that,” Bolin said, uneasily. “We were just trying to get Varrick to talk.” 

“No, it’s not just that. He’s under arrest for the terrorist attacks. I'd been searching where he was when I got the radio alert he'd been found. I gave all our findings to Beifong this morning after I heard Asami’s shipment was stolen. She wasn’t happy about how I sat on it all last night.”

“If you’d turned it in yesterday, could we have stopped this?” Korra clenched her fists. 

Mako shook his head. “We can’t know that. And I had to track down who the second buyer was. Turned out it was the same Agni Kai guy who was Varrick’s man for the embassy bombing.”

Mako turned to his brother. “Look, Bolin, remember that street in Dragonflats that had the shitty noodle place on the corner? Always smelled like paint varnish?” 

“Oh yeah! That place!” Bolin frowned. “That was the worst noodle soup.” 

“Take Korra there. Triple Threats headquarters are in the backroom and basement. I’m going to …” he looked around the room, somberly, “clean up this mess.” 

“Thanks, Mako,” Korra briefly touched his shoulder. 

***

They needed a fast way to travel, and nothing was faster than Naga. Korra commandeered a larger boat to get her off the Island and back to mainland. That took nearly thirty minutes, no matter how fast she waterbended them. 

Naga was more than ready for a long, fast run. Bolin clung to the saddle behind her, and they raced through the streets and dodged vehicles. He pointed in a direction, and Korra turned Naga down that road. Then he’d do it again, and once more, Korra turned Naga. 

Just as Mako had described, a sleazy, rundown noodle shop sat on the corner of two weirdly named streets - Pow and Chow. It’s sign was faded, and its windows full of taped pictures and flyers. Korra jumped to the ground. 

“Naga, guard.” She pointed to the ground by the door. Whining, Naga positioned herself where Korra commanded and growled. Korra gave her a rub behind the ear, then kicked open the door. 

The interior was dark. The only sign of an attack was the flames that lit up to her left. Korra dodged just in time, but Bolin yelped. His sleeve caught on fire. Korra bended water from cups on the counter and splashed him.

A blast of fire sliced her way. She dodged rolled, just as Asami had taught her, to get her closer to the firebender. Korra pushed up off the floor, spun to the side to dodge another fire blast, grabbed his arm, and flung him into a table. 

Asami would be proud of Korra's moves today. If Korra could find her. 

Another blast of fire, but Korra blocked it and sent a flurry of fire daggers at the attackers in the back of the room.

“Where are the Triple Threats?” She shouted. “I got beef with them!” 

“Get lost!” shouted a man to her left. Korra spun and blasted him with air. It sent him flying up and over the counter. Pans and bowls crashed down around him. 

While she flipped tables and chairs aside, Korra marched to the backroom and blasted the door with air with a kick of her foot. It tore free of its hinges and collided with several people in the room behind it. 

Stone and earth hurtled in the air behind her as Bolin defended against the firebender, who bounced back to his feet. Korra didn’t have time to help. She raced into the backroom, also dimly lit, and blocked a clod of dirt hurled from a nearby planter. The dirt hit the floor, and she retaliated with a blast of air. Two men were blown into a sofa; one flipped over its back. 

“Where is Asami Sato?” Korra shouted. “Varrick told me you had her!” 

“Oh, you won’t find her here.” A man said from behind a pillar in the center of the room. That’s when Korra noticed the decor was a weird, twisted version of a temple made of mostly wood and carpet. It was absolutely ugly.

“And you are?” Korra demanded. 

The man poked his head around the corner. Recognition flashed through her. It was one of those idiots she’d fought when she first came to Republic City. 

“Oh, it’s you, chump.” She sliced fire at his face. “Tell me where she is!” 

The man ducked behind the pillar again. “We’re not stupid, Avatar! No way we’re taking a high profile woman like her here. Varrick wanted her out of the way! What’s better than on a boat to nowhere?”

A chill spread through Korra. 

The missing ferry. 

Asami was at sea.

***

Korra and Bolin raced through the city. By the time they returned to the docks, both of them were tired, frustrated, and out of ideas.

Korra had suggested she waterbend, which Bolin pointed out that would be a lot of water to cover. Then he suggested planes, but all of Asami’s stock was stolen so that wouldn’t work. He’d shouted a few more ideas that became more and more ludicrous, until Korra shouted, “I wish I’d convinced Asami to actually make a lemur fart balloon!” That ended that idea generation session.

Korra dropped to the ground. While she rubbed Naga’s fur, she scanned the port and the bustle of workers and ships. The larger ones were clustered further down the quay, but smaller ones were mostly occupied by workers or whoever owned them. Beyond them, Yue Bay glistened ominously in the fading sunlight. Dark clouds had started to gather, as if brought up by Korra’s growing despair. 

This wasn’t fair. Asami and her hadn’t even had a chance to do anything together that wasn’t mission related. Korra wanted to go on a date with her. Eat at that fancy restaurant Asami liked so much. Tears stung her eyes, and angrily, Korra wiped them away. 

“We need a Sky Bison…” Bolin complained but then trailed off when a Sky Bison took off from Air Temple Island and flew across the bay. “Oh. Oh, that’s good timing.”

Relief flooded Korra. Tenzin had finally made it back! Good timing indeed! She’d never been so relieved to see his Bison. Korra jumped and waved furiously. That’s exactly what they needed to find a small boat on the ocean. 

Oogi circled above them and landed in the middle of the port’s pathways. “Korra!” Tenzin air bended to the ground. “We got your message…” His words got cut off when Korra collided with him and hugged him tightly. 

“Tenzin, I’m so sorry! Everything’s gone wrong since you left.”

“What happened?” He managed to extract himself.

Behind him, Jinora leaned over the edge of Oogi’s saddle along with Kya and Bumi. 

“Asami is missing!” The words tumbled out of her. “Chief Unalaq tricked me into opening a spirit portal, Unalaq attacked Asami, we found out what caused the dark spirits! Oh, my uncle tried to get rid of my Dad, but we rescued him and started a Civil War, and I had visions of the First Avatar, who is warning me about the spirit of Chaos that Chief Unalaq… But then Varrick blew up some buildings here to blame it on the North, and…” There were too many things, Korra realized out of breath. 

Tenzin gently grasped her shoulder. “Korra, breathe. I need the story from the top.” 

“No time!” Korra stomped her foot. “Asami is missing, and I just found out she was kidnapped at sea! On a boat with people hellbent on who knows what!” 

Tenzin looked even more confused. He released Korra and adjusted his robes. “At sea?”

“Asami’s gone?” Jinora jumped down in horror.

“What are you waiting for, slowpoke!” Bumi shouted from the saddle. “Time for a search and rescue mission!” 

“Bumi, we need a direction first,” Kya interjected. She leaned against the side of the saddle, her eyebrows furrowed together in worry.

That brought Korra up short. “Oh shit.” She looked at Bolin.

“We didn’t think to ask…” Bolin put his head in his hands. “This is bad.” 

“About to get worse.” Kya pointed to the storm clouds on the horizon. “Korra, do you know what kind of boat Asami would be on?” 

“The ferry I think - it was missing this morning.” Now that Korra had slowed enough to consider it, the full picture began to take form. “Oh! Varrick must have hired Triple Threat, and they took out the White Lotus guard…” 

“And dressed as him! So then Asami would never guess it wasn’t the ferry waterbender!” Bolin finished for her. “Oh, that’s diabolical. Maybe Varrick is the evil Unalaq that Nuktuk defeats…” 

Tenzin looked between them, the confusion on his face even more pronounced. “I believe we need a plan…”

“No, what we need is to start the search now. Unless she has a waterbender with her, she’s a sitting turtle duck.” Kya gestured to the harbor. “That storm is coming up fast, Tenzin. Now is not the time to hesitate.” 

“It’s time for action!” Bumi thrust his fist into the air, his white hair even more wild than usual from the growing humidity.

Korra felt her anger start to fade into a growing dread and horror. Kya was right. “Oh no.” She could feel the storm brewing as well in her water sense. The strength of the waves and the humidity rising in the air. Thunder rumbled and the sky had darkened considerably. 

“Hey!” Bolin pointed to some of the smaller but more agile boats at the piers. “What if we commandeered those and searched in all directions? Korra goes with Jinora and Tenzin on Oogi? Bumi and Kya with me in the other? I guess we could take Naga too? Do like zigzags or something?” He gestured in the air to emphasize his point. “Whoever finds Asami first… uh… radio the other? We got radios somewhere right?”

“Actually,” Tenzin said, slowly. “That’s not a bad idea.”

Bumi jumped dramatically from the saddle. Jinora caught him on an air bubble before he face planted. He bounced and landed on his back. “Meant to do that!” He pushed himself to his feet and saluted Bolin and Korra. “Bumi reporting for duty!” 

Kya lowered herself down more carefully. “Let’s go. You can tell us the entire story after, Korra.” She smiled thinly at the Avatar. “Tenzin, use frequency 245.5.”

Relief flooded Korra. “Thanks everyone!” Korra airbended up onto Oogi’s saddle with Jinora and Tenzin close behind.

While Bumi led Kya and Bolin to a water tribe boat, Oogi took to the sky in whoosh of air.