"It's been so long since we had a family dinner." Team avatar may not be under the same roof anymore, but it was great that the four of them could get together with the local family members and get a break from the madness. Even his mom, who was 'busy'...he thinks that the standing order for roasted gooseduck had something to do with it... had been convinced to come, "And this time, we have uncle Bumi, too."

"Yes, it is good to have everyone here tonight." Tenzin may have agreed, but everyone over the age of ten could tell that he didn't mean everyone. He loved his big brother, but Bumi's wild behavior made it nearly impossible for him to be tolerated for long, "Could you pass me the fruit, please?" The fruit was passed and the conversations went on, ranging from new apartments, to air nation rituals, to a particular missing person.

"Have you heard anything about my father?" Asami asked Lin in a hushed voice, but it was heard by the entire table, nonetheless. And absolute silence ensued...except for one airbender who managed to shallow some seeds. He began to hack and cough, turning everyone's attention to him.

"Are you alright, Sweetie?"

"I am alright." He told his wife, before getting a drink, "It was just a seed."

"You're eating melon, Daddy." Ikki pointed out. Warning sirens should have went off in Tenzin's skull, but they didn't.

"MELON LORD! AHHHHHH!" Meelo ran out of the room, quickly followed by Ikki.

"LIN!" The father got red faced as the woman snickered. Asami, Bumi, Bolin and Mako laughed while Korra and Pema looked on, confused.

"Tenzin. I will pay you a hundred yuans if you go out there and shout 'I am Melon Lord, Mwahahaha'." Bumi offered, wishing that he'd been the one to shallow the seeds so he could scare the living daylights out of little kids.

"Bumi, there is no way I would frighten my children in such a way!"

"I promise not to bug you for a week."

...

"I am Melon Lord! HAHA!" Sure it was the most pathetic 'Melon Lord' anyone had ever seen, so bad in fact, that it just made Meelo convinced that he could 'defeat' this weakling lord. But watching the little boy come up to his father and challenge him to an Agni Kai was pretty funny, and well worth the week of Bumi's best behavior.

"So, Lin." Asami said in a whisper that she could barely hear herself, "Anything?"

"Nothing yet, Girl, but he can't stay hidden forever."

He'd been on the run for weeks, and it hadn't been easy. He couldn't say anywhere for a full day because everywhere he turned there were reward posters for him (with a bounty that would make his fortune look like pocket money), so he would grab some food and get out of the area quickly, and then find a secluded cave or bush to sleep in. Then after he woke up, the process would start over. At the end of the proverbial rope, he made his way Southeast, to a city that an old 'friend' of his called a 'pretty city for lairs, thieves and murders'. It was his last hope for a peaceful life.

And it was beautiful. And it was an engineering marvel, looking like several open lotus flowers during the day. At night they'd close up and the city would be locked down, at least that's what he'd heard. But the best of all is what he saw when he reached the city's borders, not a single reward poster for the guards to cross-check him with. They took his passport, wrote down his information and gave him a list of inns that he could stay at.

"Welcome to Zaofu, Hiroshi Sato."

Hey, a little teaser for this story's sequel, Ties That Bind. I expect to post it next Saturday.