The sharp pain of the stone wall against her back and head were the last sensations Kya felt before falling to the ground, her eyes unwillingly closing before she lost consciousness.

Kya gasped, jerking into a sitting position as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.

"Aunt Kya, you're awake!" Ikki's shrill voice exclaimed from the waterbender's bedside. Kya's eyes adjusted to the natural light flowing into what she realized was the room she had claimed ever since arriving to Air Temple Island.

"Oh Ikki, stop pestering your aunt, go outside please." Pema ordered as she carefully maneuvered into the room holding a tray of food. She held the door open as a grumbling Ikki did as she was told, stomping out of the bedroom. Pema closed the door with her foot before walking over to Kya's side. The waterbender was still half conscious, pain emanating her back as she slowly leaned back against the headboard.

"How long was I asleep for?" She asked as Pema handed her a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks.

"Ten hours." Pema replied as she neatly folded a discarded sheet that had fallen from the bed during the night. "The White Lotus guards carried you to your room. Unfortunately, aside from as much as the Air Acolytes could do to relieve your injuries, the back pain is likely to persist for a few days."

"Dang, too bad the healer got hurt then." Kya snorted around a mouthful of food. Pema just shook her head slightly before responding. "Yes, well she is known to slack off and crack bad jokes." Kya rolled her eyes at that statement, but before she could rattle her brain for a witty comeback, Meelo burst into the room.

"Aunt Kya, Chief Beifong is calling for you." He shouted loudly, holding out the telephone out towards her, the long cord dragging after it from the next room. Her nephew's loud voice made Kya cringe slightly, a hand raised to her temple to rub her aching head.

"Meelo! Inside voices." Pema scolded. "I'll leave you to some privacy." She said to Kya, passing the telephone to the older woman before shooing Meelo out along with her, shutting the door as gently as possible to minimize further discomfort for Kya.

"Hello? Lin?" Kya spoke into the mouthpiece, her bowl of rice abandoned on the nightstand.

"Kya! I heard you faced off with Zaheer, are you alright?" Lin's voice, usually blunt and emotionally distant, had an underlying tone of worry. Kya smiled, resting her head on the wall.

"Lin I'm fine, it's not a big deal." Her blue eyes twinkled softly, touched that the hard-headed metalbender had worried at all.

"But I'd heard you were knocked unconscious!" Lin said, her voice harsh with concern. Kya closed her eyes, her back and head only slightly throbbing.

"Honestly, it's okay, I'm okay. Stop worrying." She murmured gently into the mouthpiece. She was met with silence thereafter, which Kya assumed was Lin attempting to digest what she was told. "I'm touched that you bothered to call though." Kya said, absently playing with a strand of her silver locks. A few heartbeats of silence persisted, before Lin spoke.

"Of course I would." Lin said, her voice somewhat insecure and wavering. Kya noticed the subtle change in the strength of her friend's voice, and said cautiously.

"Lin, are YOU alright? You seem a little, out of sorts." She heard Lin sigh on the other side of the conversation, before answering.

"No." Kya waited for her to elaborate, but instead was treated to dead silence. She settled herself into a more comfortable position in her bed before trying to reach over that iron wall that was around Lin's entire being, closing off others from ever getting close.

"You don't have to tell me why. But I'll always be here to talk, you know that. With or without your armor." Kya said, making an attempt to prove that she would always be there for her. Even more silence, and Kya was about to say more when she finally heard Lin's voice once more.

"Thank you. I l-appreciate your support." Kya smiled at Lin's shy and abrupt change of words midsentence.

"I know,and I'll always support you." I love you too. Just say it, Kya thought to herself. But they always would be like this, both too afraid to truly express their feelings.

"Well, I should leave you to get some rest." Lin stated, jolting Kya from her momentary lapse into her thoughts.

"Yes, I should get going. See you soon then." Kya responded.

"See you." Lin said before disconnecting the call. The waterbender heard the click signaling an end to their conversation, and she sighed. She was getting too old for this dancing around.