Bloom of the Red Lotus (Legend of Korra)

Part 1: Seeding

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A/N: This idea struck me, let me know what you think. I hope I got the characterizations at least close. Disaster awaits.

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Korra panted as she ran through the caves. The green light of the crystals cast everything in an almost sickly light and made everything almost monochromatic. She didn't see or hear anyone, but that didn't mean she was alone. She was, after all, being hunted.

Her clothes were sweaty and slightly scorched, signs of what she'd already been through. Korra wasn't the type to just give up, but she knew that she was reaching the end of her limits. All she needed was a moment to think, to find a solution.

She didn't get that chance. The cave ceiling above her started to glow red and magma started to leak through crevices. Korra leapt forward, using earthbending to launch herself even farther, just barely avoiding the wave of magma as it collapsed into the tunnel. She rolled to a stop and thrust towards the tide of magma rolling towards her, stopping its advance.

In the center of the magma, a small island solidified and a long-haired figure landed upon it. It was a man in what looked like Earth Kingdom style clothing, the red light of the magma making his clothing's green and white coloring apparent. The man smirked at Korra. "You're not getting away, Korra."

Korra huffed and retorted, "Funny, I was just about to say to same thing, Ghazan."

"Big words girl, but this is it," Ghazan said before launching a large blast of magma at Korra.

Diving to the side, Korra swept her right hand to the side and knocked the blast of magma into the wall before thrusting her left hand towards Ghazan, sending a stream of fire towards him. He smirked and sent a flick of magma to interrupt her attack.

"Is that all –" he said before he heard a series of pops. He turned his head to the side and saw a spark arcing around the cloud of fire and the stream of magma he'd used to block the fire. He was surprised, but as an expert bender and veteran combatant he reacted on instinct, blocking the spark before it could slip completely past his bending guard. Unfortunately for him it was too close and the resulting explosion sent him tumbling from his small island and towards the magma.

In the short flight towards the molten rock, he worked to solidify a landing, but Korra was also bending there as well. The magma did solidify, but into a boulder which hit him hard due to its suddenness and sent him flying into the path of another explosion.

Ghazan went tumbling through the air and landed hard on the far side of the molten rock from Korra, who quickly made a path for herself so she could pursue.

Ghazan landed in a crouch and snapped rocks and crystals at Korra, but she rushed through them, forming waterbending tentacles anchored at her shoulders and using them to knock away Ghazan's attacks. He decided to switch tack and send the floor underneath Korra flying upwards, but she managed to use the tentacles to anchor heself upon the tunnel's ceiling and pull herself out of the way and directly above Ghazan.

He immediately set to pulling a large boulder out of the floor and hurling it at her, but using her waterbending and earthbending she managed to flow around Ghazan's attack and slam into him with her water tentacles leading, knocking him to the floor. Before he could bend himself out of the situation, Korra then used her water to lift him up and freeze him in place, effectively cutting off his ability to bend.

Korra smirked and folded her arms as her water tentacles held Ghazan upside down in front of her. "You were saying?"

Ghazan laughed, "Fair enough, Korra. You've definitely learned a lot." He started shivering. "Now, if you wouldn't mind letting me out?"

"Sure thing," Korra told him. She shattered the ice, transforming it back into water and sending into the water pouches on her back and belt.

Ghazan hit the cavern floor head first and cried out in pain as he collapsed in a pile. He sat up and rubbed his head. "You could have set me down."

Korra nodded and grinned as she reach out a hand towards him. "Yeah, I could have. Come on, I want to tell the others how badly I beat you."

Ghazan scoffed as he took Korra's hand and let her pull him to his feet. "Please, you only got lucky."

"You can tell yourself that if it makes you feel better," Korra replied loftily as they started walking back to the Commons.

The Red Lotus base was set within a winding cave system in the mountains relatively near the Northern Air Temple. It was close enough that had there been any air benders at the temple, they could have reached the base in less than a day. However, it was well hidden in a remote area, so it was extremely unlikely to be found, especially with the current dearth of air benders around the world.

The Commons was a large cave and several connected rooms where couches, tables, bookshelves and more were set up for recreation and relaxation for the members of the Red Lotus. There was even a speaker system connected to the base's radio receiver so that people in the Commons could listen to what was being played, though there were the occasional fights over what to listen to. Though the secret society was small with less than a hundred members across the world, those stationed at this, the most important base of the Red Lotus, were all capable and well treated as they had taken the past twenty years to properly furbish the place.

As Korra and Ghazan entered the Commons they saw the clash of styles from across the world resulting from the various members of the anarchist society bringing their own furniture and decorations over the years. The reds of Fire Nation met the greens, yellows and browns of the Earth Kingdom as well as the blues and whites of traditional Water Tribe decorations while the black and red symbol of the Red Lotus presided over all from its position at top of the northern wall of the main hall of the Commons. Eight members clustered around a Pai Sho game and seemed to be casually watching the match as they chatted. Other members were scattered about the Commons doing a variety of things as playful jazz came from the speakers.

Korra looked towards the far end of the main hall and saw P'Li sitting on a couch near the doors to the kitchen. While Korra couldn't see what P'Li was doing from her current angle, she did have a pretty good idea. Korra looked to Ghazan and nodded towards P'Li. "Come on, P'Li is over there."

They made their way across the main hall, but stopped when one of the Red Lotus watching the game of Pai Sho called out a greeting. "Korra, Ghazan ,are you finished demolishing the caves already?"

Korra ginned and waved back at the man. "That's right Jian, I just got through thrashing Ghazan here."

"She got lucky," Ghazan elaborated.

Jian laughed. "Well, 'getting lucking' against one of you five is no mean feat. Korra has a right to be proud, Avatar or not."

Korra's smiled even more. "Thanks Jian!"

Jian waved her off with a smile of his own. "It's nothing, now why don't you go tell P'Li like I know you're dying to."

"Alright, see you later," Korra said sheepishly before going as some of the Red Lotus sitting with Jian chuckled and said their own congratulations.

Korra and Ghazan made their way across the Commons and towards P'Li, occasionally exchanging greetings with other members of the Red Lotus as they passed. Korra had spent most her life here and in wilderness of the surrounding mountains, and recognized all of the Red Lotus members stationed there by name. So when she told them about how she had defeated one of the Five, they shared her excitement and congratulated her on her increasing mastery of bending. Whenever she told another member of her victory, Ghazan bore it with bemused good humor while adding in his own commentary on how she 'only got lucky.'

Eventually the two reached where P'Li was sitting on a Fire Nation couch, cradling something in her arms. Korra slipped over the couch and sat next to P'Li. "Hi Aunt P'Li," Korra said before turning to the bundle in P'Li's arms and saying, "Hi, Iruka." The infant Iruka sleepily looked back at Korra for a moment before closing his eyes again.

P'Li looked up at Korra and raised an eyebrow. "You look like you're in a good mood."

Korra grinned. "Yeah, I just beat Ghazan. He tried to ambush me but I turned it around and destroyed him."

P'Li glanced at Ghazan who had walked around the couch to sit on a stool in front of them. He shrugged and said, "She's improved enough to make it fun."

P'Li smiled. "I'm glad you've finally beaten him. Someone needed to teach him a lesson in humility."

Ghazan cried out "Hey!"

Korra laughed. "Don't worry Aunt P'Li, I'll make sure that he thoroughly learns that lesson."

"I'm the teacher, so I think it'll be you who learns the lesson," Ghazan replied.

"You mean like today?" Korra asked.

"Well, to beat him you had to learn something," P'Li rationalized.

"I suppose I could stand more of those kinds of lessons," Korra replied.

Ghazan bared his teeth in a predatory grin, "I'm afraid the next one won't been like that. It'll be the kind where you lose."

Korra returned his smile. "We'll see about that, Ghazan."

P'Li sighed. "Don't fight in the Commons."

Korra looked down at the floor before looking back at P'Li. "I wasn't going to start a fight here," she protested.

"Uh huh," P'Li replied skeptically, "Why don't you both get something to eat? Its lunch time anyways."

Ghazan and Korra nodded and stood to head to the kitchen. "Alright, I can always thrash Ghazan later," Korra agreed, causing Ghazan to scoff.

Ghazan turned to P'Li while Korra started walking towards the nearby kitchen door. "I'll make sure she eats some proper food instead of getting into the sweets again."

Korra stopped and turned back to them. "[i]I'm[/i] the one who got into the sweets? I seem to recall it was a certain lavabender."

Ghazan shrugged. "Well, you are one."

P'Li smiled and shook her head at Korra's exasperation. "Behave you two, or neither of you get into the sweets. You know we don't get shipments of those often." P'li paused for a moment, musing. "Though I suppose Korra could have one for winning today, after her meal that is."

Korra pumped her fist and exclaimed, "Yes!"

Ghazan turned to P'Li, dismayed. "What, she gets one and I don't?"

"She accomplished something today, you didn't," P'Li explained.

Ghazan huffed and stalked after Korra as she went off to get something to eat from the kitchen.

Watching them go, P'Li shook her head. Korra was already starting to match one of them at just fifteen years old. Even if she hadn't yet mastered airbending, how much more would the Avatar improve in the three years left until Harmonic Convergence?

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Zaheer walked along the forested mountain path. Up ahead he saw Korra in the level clearing and practicing with her sky bison. While none of the Red Lotus were air benders, Zaheer did have many copies of the writings of the ancient airbending master Laghima, and he had suggested to Korra that she try to learn airbending the way many of the most ancient airbenders had, from the sky bison. She tried, and had learned a great deal of Laghima's philosophy, but she ended up sending most of her time playing with the sky bison Xia.

He approached the two as Korra focused and sent some pine needles as twigs swirling though the air on a gust of wind. Zaheer clapped, startling Korra. "Good job Korra, I see you've finally figured out how to airbend while I was away."

Korra turned and ran up to him, moving faster than before as her awakened airbending assisted her movements. "Uncle Zaheer!" She wrapped him in a hug and began interrogating him, "It's been months! What took you so long!?"

Zaheer returned her embrace and answered her question. "I had to convince the Equalists I was not a spy for the Republic, the Queen or the White Lotus and that I could be trusted. That wasn't easy without revealing my connections. It was worth it, especially since I managed to liberate some of the Queen's political prisoners and helped arm the people against her agents."

"You could have contacted us," Korra said, pouting.

Zaheer shook his head. "Amon is paranoid, especially about benders. I couldn't take the chance that he would find out about my connections and draw the wrong, or right, conclusion. The Equalists are too useful as potential allies to make an enemy out of Amon at this stage."

Korra sighed and stepped back. "I suppose that makes sense, but why do we need to work with him at all if he's like that?"

"He has organized the Equalists into an influential and powerful group that will soon be capable of overthrowing the Republic. He is a madman dedicated to throwing the world further out of balance by eliminating bending, but he is charismatic organizer. Eliminating him would throw the movement into chaos and they would have no chance of overthrowing the Republic."

Korra frowned. "Couldn't we replace him with someone who understands that bending is an important part of the world and is willing to fight for the people?"

Zaheer nodded. "It would take someone both charismatic and skilled to depose Amon and then convince the more fanatical members that not all benders are bad."

Korra tilted her head to the side and asked, "Like the nonbender good enough to take on any bender alive?"

"I'm not that good," Zaheer replied. "But yes, that's the plan."

"It's a good plan, but I still think only a master would have chance against you," Korra said, leaving out the fact that secretly believed that there were only four such 'masters,' and all of them were in Red Lotus.

"I've been at this a long time," Zaheer agreed. "However, he has allegedly defeated benders himself. I don't like taking unnecessary chances if I can avoid it and with an operation this delicate I need to be slow and careful with how I handle this."

Korra nodded in understanding. "That makes sense, even though you'd beat him in a fight, you need to be able to make sure the Equalists listen to you afterwards."

Zaheer nodded, a slight smile crossing is face. "I see you've been paying attention to your lessons, good."

Korra scoffed. "Of course I have." She paused for a moment before asking, "What is it like…out there?"

Zaheer sighed. "It's a dangerous place full of people who want power over others for its own sake, who don't care about freedom or about the people they chain to their wills, but it is also full of wonders old and new." He silently looked at her for a brief moment. "You want to go out there, don't you?"

Korra looked sheepish for a moment before gathering her resolve. "Yes, I know it's dangerous out there, but I can fight any of you and I can use all of the elements, plus the techniques everyone has taught me. I can take care of myself and I want to help, to see the world now. I don't want to wait here until Harmonic Convergence."

"Violence is not the only threat you will have to worry about Korra, there are also lies and deceit, poison in the night. The worst threats of the ones you never see coming and as the Avatar they will fear your power and either seek to bend you to their will or end your threat."

Korra looked uncertain for a moment before her face took on a resolute cast. "I know, but you and others have taught me everything I know and I can handle it. I promise."

"They will do everything in their power to control the Avatar, and even with everything you've learned it would be dangerous for you to act so openly." Zaheer sighed again and shook his head. "But we are doing all of this for the sake of personal freedom. If you must go, then at least let Ming-Hua and Ghazan guide you as I will be undercover and P'Li cannot leave right now."

Korra grinned and pulled Zaheer into a hug tight enough to make it hard for him to breathe. "Thank you, Uncle Zee! This will be awesome!"

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Korra stood at the main entrance to the Red Lotus base that she had called home for almost all of the life she could remember. She had already said good bye to Jian and the others, and now only the sentries, the Five, little Iruka, and Korra's visiting metalbending teacher Aiwei were present. P'Li led Iruka closer to Korra and the toddler wrapped his arms around Korra's leg. She ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Good bye Korra, and good luck in Republic City. Make sure to have fun and stay safe," P'Li told her.

"As if those last two aren't mutually exclusive," Ghazan remarked.

"I will," Korra promised, ignoring Ghazan's comment.

"Good," P'Li said before hugging Korra for a moment. Then she released Korra and stepped back, taking Iruka with her.

"I wanna go with Big Sis!" Iruka protested.

"I'll take you with me when you're older, Iruka," Korra assured him.

As P'Li quieted Iruka, Aiwei spoke up, "I know that Zaheer will be taking a separate route to avoid suspicion, but are we taking Xia with us to Republic City? That will be hard to hide no matter what we do."

Korra shook her head. "I want too, but don't you think it would be a bit conspicuous?"

"They aren't exactly discreet," Ming-Hua agreed.

"It would make our traveling arrangements simpler," Ghazan commented.

"In exchange for unwanted attention," Zaheer replied, "They are endangered after all. And where would you keep him anyway?"

Ghazan shrugged. "With the other sky bison?"

Everyone except Iruka looked at him incredulously.

Unalaq spoke up then. "I could convince Tarrlok to keep it in the Northern Water Tribe compound, but that doesn't eliminate the attention factor, it would actually increase it. I think it is best if Korra here leaves her bison behind, even if he is her animal companion."

"That's why I already said good bye to him," Korra said. "If I'm going to hide my bending as much as possible, then bringing Xia with us will just make that harder."

"A wise choice," Aiwei said. "And you should consider hiding your third eye tattoo, at least for the time being."

Korra touched her hand to the tattoo focus for her explosion bending. "Aunt P'Li already mentioned that. It sounds like a good idea, though I think it's likely I'll end up pretending to be a firebender because of the tattoo."

"Either way, a bandanna covering the tattoo would make you less conspicuous," Ming-Hua noted, "not that I've had much chance to be inconspicuous."

P'Li stepped forward again, holding out a piece of light red-orange cloth. "I nearly forgot, you can use this to cover up your third eye."

Korra took the bandanna with a smile and tied around the top of her head to cover her tattoo. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Korra," P'Li reassured her. "Now take care."

"I will," Korra said reassuringly before she turned and left for Republic City.

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Korra was taken aback by how crowded the city was. She'd never seen so many people in one place before, especially strangers, not even in the few times when everyone in the base had gathered in the Commons for an announcement or an important meeting.

The streets of Republic City were packed with people. She was certain that she would have bumped into someone by now if it wasn't for the small bubble that had formed around Ghazan and Ming-Hua. Korra wasn't really sure why, perhaps they somehow sensed how powerful the two were. Regardless, they moved through the port and deeper into the city as Aiwei separated to continue back to Zaofu.

Korra took pleasure in examining every shop window that caught her interest, looking at shop windows and then entering some to look around. Their progress was slow, but Korra thoroughly enjoyed the experience of exploring the city and stopping for lunch at a small hole in the wall noodle restaurant.

In the midafternoon, the three were walking along a relatively less crowded side street when there was a snap and a scream from above. Korra looked up and saw a metal scaffold which was hanging dangerously from one side as something had caused the ropes on the other side to break. The window washer that had been in the scaffold was now hanging onto the railing by one hand over what Korra estimated was a ten story drop. The man was screaming for help in his panic and already the crowd was murmuring.

Reacting on instinct, Korra launched herself at the wall of the building using airbending and began to race of the wall, using the wind to propel her. Even with the speed granted by airbending, it was painfully slow to reach the scaffold, but Korra wasn't sure what else to do. She didn't have her metalbending cables with her, they were actually in Ghazan's pack, water tentacles wouldn't appreciably speed her up, and as far as she could tell an explosion wouldn't help. Maybe she could –

The window washer's hand slipped and the crowd gasped.

Korra crouched against the wall and launched herself off of it with a fierce gale wind, and pushed the window washer towards her with another gust of air.

Korra managed to grab ahold of the window washer's shirt with one hand as they began to arc downward towards the street.

"Hold on!" she ordered the man and pushed herself further over the street with another blast of air. As they began arcing down again, Korra aimed the two of them for a window on instinct, and then smashing it with another blast of gale wind before hitting it so that the two flew through the open space and landed with a crash in an office building.

Korra groaned and picked herself up. The man was on the ground, holding his left hand where it had been cut by the shattered glass.

"Sorry about that," she said.

He looked up at her in momentary confusion. "What? Oh, no it's nothing. Thank you for saving my life!"

"Alright, let's get you to a doctor then," Korra said.

"Thanks," the man said again as Korra helped him to his feet. As they walked to the stairs, the people filling the office they had crashed into all looked on with surprise and confusion, but no one stopped them. Eventually the two found a stairwell headed down to the ground level.

As they walked down the stairs and reached a landing, the window washer looked at her. "Hey, um, I don't think I got your name, mine's Bolin," he said, holding out a hand for her to shake.

Korra smiled and shifted how she held him so she could take his hand. "Right, sorry for forgetting to introduce myself," she said. "You can call me Kya," she continued, using the alias that Ming-Hua had suggested.

"No problem, it's nice to meet you – given the circumstances that is," Bolin replied.

"I don't think I'd like to meet people like this either," Korra replied as they continued down.

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In the lobby Ming-Hua, Ghazan and several people in dark uniforms with metal armor awaited the two, with a curious crowd watching from behind.

One of the metal armored people stepped forward; he was of medium height with a stern face. "Are you the airbender?" he asked Korra.

Korra nervously nodded, uncertain about the revelation for a moment before relaxing. She was a hero who had just saved a person's after all. Even if airbenders were incredibly rare now and they suspected her of being the Avatar, it wasn't likely that they'd do anything, right?

Becoming more confident, she walked Bolin forward. "Yes, I saved Bolin here from the broken scaffold."

The officer nodded. "Good job, but I'll need official statements, and I believe that Master Tenzin would like to meet you."

Korra glanced at where Ghazan and Ming-Hua casually stood. She looked back at the man and nodded. "Sure, I'll come with you."

After all, she was the Avatar so what could they do to her? No matter what kind of oppressive tyrants ruled Republic City, she couldn't lose, especially with Ghazan and Ming-Hua to help her.

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The White Lotus Captain Long rushed into the courtyard of Air Temple Island. He spotted who he was looking for and called out, "Sir! We just received a message from the RCPD, they've found an ethnically Water Tribe girl of about seventeen who saved a man's life with airbending!"

Tenzin looked up from his conversation with his young daughter Jinora and asked in shock, "What? Is it Avatar Korra?"

Captain Long shook his head. "She claims her name is Kya and she can only airbend, but one of Chief Beifong's people claims to have seen a long-haired and tattooed man in Earth colors and an armless woman in blues on the scene."

Tenzin frowned. It had been over a decade, but he still remembered the testimony from when the Avatar had been kidnapped from her own home. An armless woman, a long-haired earthbender, a woman with a third eye tattoo, and a darkly clothed man had all been reported in varying degrees of detail to have been seen nearby on the day that Korra had disappeared. They had found no sign of the poor girl, but had eventually traced the kidnappers to a ransacked cave where they found traces of the liquid metal mercury, which Fire Lord Zuko had later said was apparently a key component in a poison which could apparently induce the Avatar State. Needless to say, after all these years Tenzin had come to fear the worst for Korra but he had not given up hope that they might be able to find her someday.

Though, he had to ask himself, if this woman was the Avatar, why was she claiming just to be an airbender and giving a false name. Surely she would be aware of her abilities and who she was.

An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach and he focused on the present. "Send word to the Fire Lord and Tonraq immediately, but remind them to act with caution. Something is wrong here, and by that I mean more than just a missing Avatar."

Captain Long bowed in acknowledgement. "Yes, sir. I'll send word immediately."

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A/N: This will probably only be updated sporadically, but I hope you enjoyed it.

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Part 2: Budding

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Chief of Police Lin Beifong walked into the room where the airbender girl sat. The room was not one of the metal boxes typically employed for interrogations, but a conference room with wood paneling and a large oaken table in the center with chairs arranged around it. Large windows displayed the cityscape surrounding the police station and let in afternoon sunlight. It wasn't friendly by any stretch of the imagination, but its formality was much less imposing than the interrogation rooms and Lin understood that getting a statement from someone who was one of the handful of remaining airbnenders was better done with a soft touch. She just knew that if she antagonized the mysterious airbender, that she would get her ear talked off by Tenzin and the rest of the council. Additionally, it wasn't like the girl had done anything wrong, and in fact rescuing that young man's life had been heroic and she hadn't done anything worth criticizing, broken window included.

Then there were her two companions, who bore unsettling similarities to some of the descriptions of the Avatar's suspected kidnappers from over a decade ago. They both held themselves with calm confidence and coiled danger, like a snake ready to strike. Those two were dangerous, it was well hidden but Lin could tell that they were ready to strike a moment's notice. She couldn't gauge their true capabilities, but her gut told her that the two of them would be able to fight their way out of the police station regardless of her presence if it came down to that. She knew they were trouble waiting to happen, and that was a good enough reason to reason to avoid antagonizing the girl they were shadowing, on top of the other reasons.

The girl herself, called Kya, sat before the windows and across from her interviewer with her two guards casually leaning against the frames of the window behind her. She sat with nervous energy, she was worried about something. Her face was that of a Water Tribe girl, the ethnicity of the Avatar. Kya wore a light blue bandana around her head to go with her icy blue eyes, was there a reason for the bandana or was it just a stylistic choice? Her hair fell in waves of cascading chestnut brown from where it was tied into a ponytail at the back of her head, which allowed her to keep her long hair relatively out of the way in a fight. She wore a loosely fitted tunic of pale green with pale orange trim and arm bracers of some kind underneath, which made Lin Beifong's honed police instincts insist that these clothes were designed to help conceal anything worn or hidden underneath. Kya's close fitting pants were attached to her wait with a dark brown belt with a variety of pouches, each of which could keep a variety of tools or small devices. Her pants themselves were an earthy brown with dark red cuffs at the base and along the sides of the legs, and were somewhere between loose and formfitting, allowing a full range of motion without significantly increasing the risk of the leggings getting caught and causing Kya to trip. Overall, Lin could tell that Kya, whoever she really was, was trained but inexperienced and had likely been equipped by those responsible for her training. It was suspicious, but far from damning.

Lin Beifong walked up next to the interviewer and watched the almost imperceptible tensing of Kya's two companions before they near instantly went back to appearing casually relaxed. Kya herself was uncertain and her nervousness increase, though she did an admirable job for an amateur. Not anywhere near as good as her companions, but respectable none the less. Lin reached across the table towards Kya. "Chief Lin Beifong, a pleasure to meet you."

Kya stood up quickly and returned the gesture with a firm grip. "Kya, and it's good to meet you too."

When the handshake ended Lin could tell that Kya wanted to ask a question so she let the girl compose herself for a moment. Finally she said, "I didn't think the Chief of Police would come and visit me herself."

Lin gave her a small attempt at a smile and rested her fingers on the wooden tabletop. "It's not every day I get to meet a new airbender, let alone one who happens to be a civic-minded hero."

Kya shrugged uncomfortably. "He was in danger. I couldn't just stand there and watch…. Anyone would have done the same."

Lin gave a real, if still subdued, smile. "I didn't hear about anyone else running up the side of building and jumping across a street to save him."

Kya blushed and looked down for a moment before meeting Lin's eyes again. "Maybe they didn't get a chance?"

Lin grunted. "Someone else might have, but you actually did it." Lin took a seat next to the interviewer, Lieutenant Wan. "So," she asked once she was seated, "what brings you to Republic City?"

Kya paused shortly before replying. "I've always wanted to see the world, and I heard that there was so much to see here in Republic City."

"There is a lot to see and do here in Republic City," Lin agreed, "such as visit the Pro-Bending Arena, the central Republic City Park, Avatar Island," at that her metalbending senses and her keen eyes detected a minute twitch from Kya, "and many other places such as the City Zoo." Lin paused. "However, I'm afraid I'll have to warn you to be careful." At this she noticed Kya's nervousness, which had been almost gone by then, increase and her two companions' wariness subtly grow as well. "The Equalists are a relatively small threat within Republic City itself due to the unfortunate influence of the Triads, but they've already successfully attacked multiple Earth Kingdom compounds, and with their vehement stance against benders there is the chance that they could target you due to your relatively unique status."

Kya frowned. "Unique status? I'm not the only airbender."

Lin nodded in agreement. "No, you're not, but you are the first and only known airbender from outside of Avatar Aang's family." Another subconscious reation. "It's not very likely, but given how notably your entry into the public consciousness was I wouldn't count it out. However," at this Lin nodded to Kya's companions, "they look like they can handle most trouble, so I don't imagine you're likely to run into anything too serious too handle."

Kya smiled and glanced back at her companions. "Yeah, they're pretty cool."

"Yes, though I don't believe we've been introduced," Lin replied.

The man nodded slightly. "Ghazan, good to meet you."

The armless woman expressionlessly said, "Ming-Hua. A pleasure."

It was clear to her expert skills in reading people that they both knew she had picked up something from Kya's conversation.

"I'm glad to have had the chance to meet you both and your friend here," Lin told them before looking back. "I hope we have the chance to meet again outside of the police station, though as I'm sure Master Tenzin will be eager to meet you, perhaps we will have a chance later on Air Temple Island or another official occasion during your stay."

"Master Tenzin is coming here?" Kya asked, unable to suppress her surprise and worry.

"Like I said, you are a special case," Lin replied, slightly amused. It was clear that Kya didn't have much experience with these things. "I imagine he'll want to show you around Air Temple Island and speak with you about your airbending training. Things like that. Don't worry; aside from liking the sound of his own voice a little too much, he's not a bad man."

Kya consciously relaxed and nodded. "Well, I did want to see Air Temple Island."

"Like I said, I'm sure he'll be eager to show you around," Lin assured her. She pushed off from the table and stood. "Well, I should get back to work. I'll let you finish up, and then you can either wait for Master Tenzin here or in the lobby." Lin held out her hand and shook Kya's again. "Good day."

"Good bye," Kya replied.

Lin nodded to Ghazan and Ming-Hua before turning and walking out of the room. Like she had told 'Kya,' she had work to do.

+BotRL+

Korra stood up from the chair she had taken for her statement about the rescue earlier today. She thought it was a bit ridiculous that she had to come to the police station to do the interview, but she could tell that it had likely been a ploy to bring her in because of her airbending, though the Police Chief, Lin Beifong, had been surprisingly nice given what Uncle Zaheer had told her about the woman and so-called 'law enforcement.' It made her worried. Was it some sort of trap? Was she trying to manipulate Korra into thinking she could trust her?

Korra's head was awhirl as she tried to figure out what Lin Beifong had been up too, but as she made her way to the door of the conference room Ming-Hua slipped up beside her and whispered so that only Korra would hear it, "She suspects, we should slip out while we have the chance."

Korra could feel the thrill of fear and rush of adrenalin, but, as Ming-Hua would say, she kept her cool. "Let's see if Bolin is still around," Korra said both to Ghazan and Ming-Hua, and to anyone who could be listening, such as the interviewer, Lieutenant Wan.

"Sounds like a good idea," Ghazan agreed. "He seemed friendly enough." Korra saw out of the corner of her eye him turn his head to her before continuing, "Though, not too friendly…."

Korra was confused for a moment before she heard Ghazan grunt when Ming-Hua kicked him in the shin and say, "He's not her type."

Korra flushed in embarrassment at their antics. "I-no!" she stammered and hurried out the door, followed by Ghazan's low chuckling.

As they made their way through the offices of the police station and back towards the lobby, Korra felt the Ming-Hua and Ghazan's wariness. She knew that they needed to be careful, but there was a vague uneasiness that she couldn't dismiss and couldn't place. She wasn't sure what it was, but she wanted to get out of there before she found out the cause. Despite how much she now wanted to leave, Ghazan and Ming-Hua were maintaining a quick but casual pace and so she couldn't afford to rush.

As she went, she felt the weight of the gazes of the police and assorted other people inside the station. Out in the street she had been able to largely ignore the crowds of strangers, but in the police station with her uneasiness it was much harder. She was still certain that the three of them could fight their way out if they had too, but that didn't make her any less uncomfortable.

Eventually they made it too the lobby, where Bolin stood with another young man who was taller and slimmer to Bolin's blockier build. On Bolin's shoulder was perched a fire ferret which animatedly chattering.

Korra walked over and waved when Bolin looked in her direction. "Hey, Bolin! Thanks for waiting for me."

Bolin smiled shrugged. "Well, you saved my life and you're new to the city so I thought I'd stick around and give the official Bolin brand tour of Republic City." He then swept his arms to the young man standing beside him. "This fine specimen is none other than my renowned firebending brother, Mako!"

Mako waved and said "Hi," before being interrupted by Bolin.

"And of course, the most important member of our group," continued Bolin, picking up the fire ferret and holding the furry animal aloft above his head, "our mascot, Pabu!" Pabu chittered at Korra and she waved back. "And together, we are…the Fire Ferrets!"

"Plus Hasook, our waterbender," added Mako as he pointedly ignored his brother's antics and stepped forward. "A pleasure to meet you," he said, holding out his hand and smiling encouragingly, "and thank you for saving my brother."

Korra noted that he was quite handsome, before realizing that she hadn't said anything and taking his hand. "K-Kya, it was no problem. Happy to help."

She was already embarrassed, but that only got worse when she heard Ghazan chuckle and mutter, "I guess we know her type, huh?" He grunted when Ming-Hua kicked him in the shin again.

Ming-Hua stepped forward and smoothly interjected herself into the conversation while Korra resisted the urge to either bury her face in her hands or strangle Ghazan. "Hi, I'm Ming-Hua, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Mako told her, almost reaching out his hand before stopping. "You're a relative?"

"Yes, we're all from the same village, so you could say I helped raise her," Ming-Hua replied with an icy smile.

"Same here," Ghazan said, stepping up to Korra's other side. "Someone had to be a role model for her after all." Korra and Ming-Hua turned to give him a look and he merely smiled before turning to Mako and taking his hand for a firm enough handshake to leaving Mako wincing.

Shaking feeling back into his hand, Mako said, "It must have been difficult raising an airbender."

"She was quite the handful," Ghazan agreed, grinning. "There are quite a few stories I could tell you about her when she was little, always trying to run off somewhere; but I think the one I should tell first is the one time when she was six after a bath where she ran through town with nothing but a towel and bath suds."

"Ghazan!" Korra exclaimed, embarrassed. Just the memory of running around, splashing people with her beginner's waterbending when she was in such a state still humiliated her.

Ming-Hua kicked him the shin again, but he just grunted, "Worth it."

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask, but were there any other airbenders in you village?" Bolin asked. "Like a secret community of airbenders hiding out in the mountains or something," he posed dramatically, clawing his hands, "only coming out at night to hunt down the guilty!?"

Ming-hua chuckled and shook her head. "No, Kya here's the only airbender the village, though she only really developed her talent for it in her teens. Before that she was just an ordinary girl."

Mako nodded. "Well, it's clear that she's more than just an ordinary girl now." Korra felt her face heat up at that. "But, I'm afraid people are going to be asking if she's the Avatar, so you should be ready for that." That made Korra slightly worried.

Ghazan nodded. "Yes, we discussed that before setting out for Republic City, how showing off her airbending might make people think that she's the Avatar when she isn't, but Kya here thought that seeing the big city lights was worth a little attention."

"And it is!" Bolin agreed. "I don't know much about the countryside, admittedly, but Republic City is awesome! Sure there are some bad parts, but there's always something going on, people to see and places to go."

Mako said, "Well, on that note, it was nice meeting you all, but Bolin and I need to go prepare for the match tomorrow. You know how it is."

Bolin turned to Mako, "Oh come on, we just met, she saved my life, and she's an awesome airbender. How many of those do you meet? And she's new to the city. We should at least show her around."

Mako sighed. "You're right," he said before turning back to Korra. "We owe you, so how about we show you a good place to eat, and give you some of the best seats in the house for the match tomorrow?"

Korra smiled, "I don't want to impose, but that sounds great, thank you."

"Great! I know this awesome noodle place, you're gonna love it!" Bolin told Korra excitedly, taking her hand and leading her towards the main entrance to the police station.

Korra let Bolin lead her, buoyed by his energy. However, before they could leave the building, a bald man with a goatee and blue arrow tattoos visible on his head and hands, wearing red and yellow robes strode inside and his gaze swept the room before settling on Korra. As their eyes met, Korra felt a sense of familiarity and recognition; this was Master Tenzin, son of Avatar Aang and leader of the only family of airbenders in the world.

Seeing her, he immediately made his towards her. For a moment she was unsure what to do, but in her indecision and Bolin's surprise at Master Tenzin's appearance the airbender councilor was able to approach. He came to a stop a short distance from Korra, giving Ghazan and Ming-Hua a quick glance before bowing to Korra as he introduced himself. "Hello, I am Master Tenzin, leader of the Air Nation such as it is, and I must say that it is both a surprise and a pleasure to meet a new airbender. I didn't think there was anyone else with the ability left."

Korra smiled at his earnestness, an image of what he must have looked like as child trying for that same earnest solemnity flickering through her mind. "It's a pleasure to meet you Master Tenzin, I'm Kya and I didn't really expect you to show up so quickly."

"How could I not?" Master Tenzin replied. "Your appearance is something no one expected. I'm sure you're already aware, but no one expected another airbender to appear. Please, we have so much to talk about. Do you know if there are there other airbenders?"

Korra shook her head, relying on the story that Zaheer had helped her develop before they parted ways. "No, not that I know of. I grew up in a small village with Ming-Hua and Ghazan here and I spent time playing with some sky bison, and one day I realized that I could airbend."

"Fascinating," Master Tenzin said, "do you know if any of your family was related to any survivors?"

"No, I don't think so," Korra told him, "but we had a few copies of old airbender texts, so it's possible."

"Old airbender texts?" Master Tenzin asked, more excited than before, somehow. "Most of our older texts have surviving copies somewhere, but not all of them survived the War and abandonment, normally I wouldn't dare hope, but given how incredible today has already been…what texts are they, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh, well, they're Laghima's discourses on the philosophy of airbending and the nature of Air itself," Korra told him.

"Ah, I believe we already have copies of those," Master Tenzin replied. "However, it's not a very commonly read text, due to the fact that most people don't find it very applicable. You've read his works?"

"Yes, I've read all nine of his treatises. I think it's what helped me learn airbending."

"Really? What were your thoughts on his second treatise, 'Leaves on the Winding Winds?'"

Korra smiled, as much as she liked sparing and practicing bending, she rarely had a chance to actually show off how much she knew. Almost everyone back at the base had already read everything available at some point or other, and in fact there were arranged waiting lists for any new books that people brought back. Aunt P'Li loved her, but Korra could tell that most of the time she was just humoring her, and while Zaheer approved of her reading and meditating on the philosophical texts and their meanings, she couldn't come up with any thought provoking arguments or ideas that were new or that didn't make her embarrassed and ashamed to have made them when Zaheer explained what was wrong with them. Tenzin may be an airbending master and a reader of philosophy, but Zaheer was always right and Korra had learned his arguments and points by heart. Korra started to speak, "Well, I –"

"Hey," Bolin interrupted, still holding Korra's hand, "not that I'm sure this isn't interesting, but it's almost sunset and I haven't eaten since lunch." His words were punctuated with a stomach growl. "So I was wondering if we could go get something to eat and continue our conversation there."

"Oh, sure, sorry for forgetting about my promise, Bolin," Korra told him before looking back at Master Tenzin. "Sorry, but it is getting late and I did agree to going to dinner with him and Mako." She gestured back at Mako, who was standing a short distance from Ghazan and Ming-Hua, who were acting deliberately casual.

"Don't worry about it," Mater Tenzin assured her, "in fact, why don't you come have dinner with me on Air Temple Island, it'd be an opportunity to show you so genuine airbending cuisine, and it'd give you a chance to meet my children. They'd love to meet you, and it would be an honor to host you and your friends."

"Thank you," Korra said uncertainly, caught between her entirely justified suspicion of Master Tenzin's motives as a part of the establishment and thus an enemy of freedom, and an instinctive feeling that she could trust him. It was strange, she knew what Uncle Zaheer had told her about the people of this city, how the leadership couldn't be trusted and how they would try to use her, but at the same time a small part of her felt at ease with Tenzin's presence, accepted and trusted him even after only knowing him for a short time. Korra wasn't sure what the cause was, or if she could trust the feeling, so she looked back to Ming-Hua and Ghazan. Seeing, Ghazan's subtle hand signal, she quickly turned back to Master Tenzin and said, "I don't think we have time for that, the three of us still need to find rooms for our stay here in Republic City."

"Nonsense," Master Tenzin replied, "you don't need to look for rooms. I'd be happy to help out a fellow airbender, and the Air Temple has plenty of spare rooms. It's no problem."

Korra was nonplussed, but Bolin jumped in to fill the void in the conversation. "I've never had airbender food before, or visited Air Temple Island really." His stomach growled. "But about that food…"

Bolin's hunger and lack of concern broke Korra out of her uncertainty. After all, like she'd told herself before, she was the Avatar and she had Ghazan and Ming-Hua with her. There was no way they could keep her from leaving if she didn't want too.

+BotRL+

When Korra stepped out of the building, it was to see a small crowd of reporters at the bottom of the steps eagerly awaiting the mysterious new airbender. The sight of so many strangers shouting questions at her and Master Tenzin was intimidating to her, but she squared her shoulders as Master Tenzin, Ming-Hua and Ghazan stepped forwards. Master Tenzin raised his arms in the air to draw the reporters' attention as metalbender police moved forward to clear a way through the crowd.

"Please calm down, we will not be answering any questions at this time," Tenzin said in a loud, carrying voice. "If you want information about the incident, please consult the official record. This may be noteworthy, but please respect the privacy of those involved." He gestured to Korra and the others as he moved through an opening in the crowds that led to an adult sky bison with a howdah, who was standing next to the curb and taking up several spaces where cars would have otherwise been parked. "I knew I should have landed on the roof," Korra heard Tenzin mutter.

The many of the reporters, rapacious lot that they were, continued to shout out questions, trying to provoke a response. It was intense, but Korra bore up under the interrogative deluge. Then one question cut through the others in her consciousness: "Are you the Avatar?"

She knew she couldn't afford to answer that question, it would cause too many problems, but there was something about the question, and the person asking. Korra though the question almost sounded pleading. She ignored it anyway, it wasn't time yet.

Then she heard another voice, Mako's. "Don't be ridiculous. The Avatar's dead, we've all heard the stories. She's an airbender, and she's a hero for saving my brother, but she's nothing more than that so don't get your readers' hopes up for nothing."

That threw her. What did he mean, 'the Avatar's dead?' Sure she had been taken in by the Red Lotus and trained away from the world, but how did that equate to her being dead? Was it a lie spread by the White Lotus to hide the fact that they didn't control her? Immediately Korra knew that sounded wrong, after all they would have to know that the Avatar would show up at some point and reveal their lies. Then again, Uncle Zaheer had told her that the White Lotus were still hunting for any trace of the Avatar, so perhaps they had intended to find her before she had the chance. But that also didn't fit with what Uncle Zaheer had told her. After all, if they wanted to control her, why try such an attempt at killing her? It just didn't make sense.

She hadn't realized that she'd stopped until Ghazan gently nudged her forward, snapping her back into the present. Clearing her head of another problem that could be considered later, she looked forward to see a concerned expression on Tenzin's face. She force a small smile at him and continued walking, doing her best to look normal so as to deflect attention away from her like Uncle Zaheer had taught her. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as well as she would have hoped when she was already the center of attention. As she walked towards the sky bison, the deluge of questions rose to a ceaseless torrent.

However, the questions that stuck most clearly in her mind were one angrily shouted in what she identified as a Northern Water Tribe accent at Tenzin: "Why did you and the White Lotus let the Avatar die? Do you think finding some airbender can make up for your failure?"

She saw how Tenzin tensed and winced before recovering and turning to the crowd and loudly replied with a tinge of anger, "There is no evidence at all that the Avatar is dead, there is no cover up for her death, and there is no plan to replace her. No matter how much you or anyone else would like it to be, this good news has nothing to do with the Avatar. It is a joyous day when a new airbender is found, and I will not have it sullied by your scurrilous accusations. Good day." With that he swept himself up into the air and onto his sky bison's back and waited for the others, air swirling in a sphere around him.

A weight settled in Korra's gut as she continued walking towards the sky bison. Where did that story come from, and why did Tenzin have such a strong reaction to it? From the anger on both sides, Korra could tell that it wasn't something that Tenzin had started or supported, though that didn't rule out the rest of the White Lotus's leadership. But, the sheer anger towards the White Lotus made it unlikely in Korra's mind that they would want it spread. The unease that she had started feeling since the end of the interview which had abated during her conversations with Bolin, Mako and Tenzin was back and stronger than before. Something was wrong, and she had a feeling she wouldn't like the answer to what it was.

She had to carefully control her breathing in order to avoid running and leaping into the sky bison's howdah like she had something to hide, a reason to run away. She held firm against the storm of questions within and without, unbending against them. Letting them flow around her. It's what Zaheer would want her to do.

After all too long for her, Korra eventually reached the sky bison. She then leapt onto the howdah with her airbending, letting the others climb aboard behind her. She sat down a short distance from Tenzin and looked at the air swirling around him. Korra wasn't sure, but some part of her suggested that it was a way to block out surrounding sound with the rushing of moving air. She decided to try and mimic the ability, using her hands to set the air around her swirling. However, she didn't end up with a sphere of air and instead got a small twister. Before she could try again, Bolin climbed over the edge, so she let the air disperse but continued to avoid and ignore the questions all around.

Bolin looked at her uncertainly, before settling into a sitting position as the other three joined them on the sky bison. Once they were aboard, seeing that Tenzin hadn't noticed yet, Korra leaned over and patted the sky bison's furry side, calling out, "Yip, yip."

The sky bison leapt into the air, startling Tenzin, but he recovered quickly and they flew off towards Air Temple Island. It gave Korra a chance to concentrate on the image of the Red Lotus and their organization's main tenets. It wasn't particularly relaxing, but it was all she could think of to help clear her mind and focus it on what was important.

Perhaps fortunately, Bolin chose that moment to interrupt her thoughts. "Hey, Kya, are you alright?" he asked. "I know that must have been hard for you since this is your first time in a city like this."

Letting out a sigh, she turned her head to look at him. "Yes, it was." She paused. "I suppose you're used to that sort of thing though, being a professional competitive bender."

Bolin shrugged. "Well, we aren't the biggest team out there, but we've had to deal with our share of pushy crowds. Right, Mako?"

"Mostly they were pushy waiting for the other teams," Mako remarked, leaning back against the side of the howdah. "But when we won against the bigger named teams we started getting some people trying to get our attention, but mostly when they couldn't find a better story." He focused on Korra. "You shouldn't worry about it too much, Kya. They'll get used to you and start looking for something newer, just don't take it personally."

"He's right," Ghazan agreed. "Don't pay them any mind and they'll drift off to something else eventually."

Korra nodded silently, her gaze drifting to the floor of the howdah.

"It's because of the Avatar, isn't it?" she heard Tenzin ask. She looked up questioningly at him, wary. He sighed. "I had wished it wouldn't happen, but it has…"

"What?" Korra asked, concerned.

"After the Avatar was kidnapped as a child, we did our best to rescue her, but there was no sign of what happened to her," Tenzin explained. "We found mercury in the cave, which can be used to induce the Avatar state, and killing the Avatar when they are like that is the only way to break the Avatar's cycle. I don't know how it happened, but when news of that got out…" He shook his head. "Unfortunately, some people have taken to jumping at anything that looks like the rediscovery of the Avatar, while others believe that she was killed by her kidnappers and without any evidence either way…."

Korra let her gaze slide out to the passing city as she thought. She knew that when the Five had taken her into the Red Lotus, they had made sure to keep it secret, but she'd never really thought that it would be like this. She had expected people to be looking for the Avatar because they wanted to control her power, like Zaheer said, but the anger she had heard was different. They were blaming each other and lashing out over her 'kidnapping.'

She had thought that she could have fun and experience life outside of the base like she'd always dreamed, before getting ready for Harmonic Convergence when she would reveal herself as the Avatar and set the world right. She hadn't expected the reaction to her disappearance to be so strong. After all, the Avatar usually remained relatively secluded until adulthood anyway. But with her, it was different. When the Red Lotus took her it was viewed as a kidnapping or a murder. It was wrong of course, but how pervasive the idea was made her uncomfortable.

She looked out at the office and apartment buildings that gradually began to decrease in height as they neared the docks. No matter how much she had wanted to see the world, it wasn't what she had hoped for or wanted. Well, at the beginning it was when she was wandering through the city, but after she drew attention to herself by saving Bolin things had started getting worse and her sense of unease had only continued to grow. She wouldn't regret saving his life, but she did regret not immediately disappearing or using something other than airbending to do it.

The question what she would do now. A part of her wanted to jump off of the sky bison and escape into the city, to get away from the drama. She'd be able to see the city without worrying about what people thought about the Avatar or the attempts of the White Lotus to manipulate her. Sure they would be looking for her, but she could escape them, especially with Ghazan and Ming-Hua to help her. It might be inconvenient at times, but surely it would be easier than staying under the watch and guard of the White Lotus. It was what Uncle Zaheer would want her to do in this situation.

On the other hand, the part of her that had always craved the outside world, which had always wanted to see what it was like for herself, wanted to see Air Temple Island and wanted to understand what was going on. It was a part of her that always whispered that there was something more out there to see, something more to know, that she could be out there using her power as the Avatar to fix the world that they had always told her was out of balance. If she went with Tenzin to the island, maybe she could learn more about what was happening, what the White Lotus and their allies were doing and how they could be stopped and defeated. Master Tenzin was letting her into an important White Lotus base and that in and of itself held the promise of valuable information she could gather on their operations. Despite her unease, she didn't think that Master Tenzin at least thought she was the Avatar, and even if he did, he hadn't tried to capture her. In fact, she could probably convince them that she was on their side.

Zaheer probably wouldn't like her putting herself in that kind of danger, but she still had Ghazan and Ming-Hua, and if the White Lotus or anyone else made a move on any of them, there was no way they could be stopped. No matter how dangerous the White Lotus's people were, there was no way they could stop her from leaving if she wanted to. She was the Avatar, and they couldn't stop her if they tried.

Nodding to herself, Korra looked out over the bay, her eyes drifting across the ships as the others chatted around her. As Tenzin's sky bison started a slopping descent, Korra's eyes locked on those of the statue of Avatar Aang that towered over the bay.

She was the Avatar, and no matter what happened, she wouldn't let the White Lotus or anyone else use her for their own ends.

+BotRL+

Tonraq trudged through the snow with purpose. After speaking with Captain Long over the radio, he knew that he needed to speak with Senna, and he knew what she would say.

He reached their home and stomped in and called out to his wife, "Senna! I have word from Republic City!"

He heard her moving around in the next room before coming out meet him. "What is it, Tonraq?" she asked with a frown.

"Captain Long told me that they've found a young woman, an ethnically Water Tribe girl who can airbend." He paused for a breath to let her appreciate that statement. "Apparently Tenzin and Unalaq are skeptical, but I'm going to meet her. I have to know."

Senna was frozen like a glacier for a moment as she processed what he said, before she nodded. "I'm coming with you."

+BotRL+

Zaheer stood at attention with the other Chi Blocker Elite of the Equalists as Amon paced before them with sinister grace, his expression hidden behind his mask. He spoke with absolute confidence. "This airbender girl is a potential problem. People think she could be the Avatar, when it is clear to all who see the truth that the time of the Avatar is past. Those who sought her out all those years ago may have hidden themselves and the Avatar with them, but this has allowed people to see the truth, that the Avatar can be stopped."

He stopped and Zaheer could tell that Amon was looking intently at each of the Chi Blockers before him. "So long as people hold out hope that the Avatar can help them, will help them, they reject the necessity of what it takes to truly set this world right. That bending itself must be eliminated. Already many see the truth in part because of the visible absence of the icon of this vile world order, but we must make sure that the Avatar remains gone. Our triumph is inevitable, but if they remain without her, or someone they claim to be her, then they will break much more easily. In doing so, we will spare the lives and suffering of so many who believe in the cause by ensuring that the corrupt do not have themselves an Avatar to inspire hope that their evil can withstand us."

Amon's eyes settled on Zaheer. "You will bring me this airbender girl in time for my grand reveal, and she will be yet another false hope for the benders that seek to preserve their precious status quo. I do not want her to gain the legitimacy of a public defeat, so that they can have themselves a martyr. Do I make myself clear?"

Zaheer bowed. "Of course, sir. The airbender won't even know what hit her."

+BotRL+

A/N: If you're wondering what's up with Korra, keep in mind that in LoK season 1 Aang was giving Korra visions. This is just the same, so if it helps you can picture what Aang's doing as the past life equivalent of shouting in Korra's ear.

+BotRL+