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•

Ｉｔ  ｈａｄ been a long day after Amon's dangerous revelation. This only supported Korra to train more and harder. She almost couldn't believe how relaxed her firebender trainer was under all of this, but then she remembered that it was Daiyin and that nothing really seems to faze her. Some days the Avatar hoped to have that same lack of interest to everything around her. Especially if it meant not having nightmares anymore..

But then, without her emotions on display as she always did she wouldn't be who she was.

Korra was maneuvering around and trying to focus on airbending with Daiyin sitting a few metres away and meditating when she heard the voice over the radio. "Good evening, my fellow Equalists-" The Avatar freezes in her spot, terrified of the voice that haunts her dreams. Even Daiyin peeps an eye open.

"-This is you leader, Amon. As you've heard, the Republic Council has voted to make me public enemy number one, proving once again that the bending opressers of this city'll stop at nothing to quash our revolution. But we can not be stopped. Our numbers grow stronger by the day. You no longer have to live in fear. The time has come for benders to experience fear."

But then, the radio caught on fire. Korra's head snaps towards the woman sitting on her left. Her finger was still smoking from the elektricity she shot at the device. She blows it away and resumes to her meditation position. "Stupid things anyway, and the music can never be as good as live," she says as she tries to change the subject for Korra's sake. The Avatar shouldn't fear for Amon. Amon should fear for Amon when they were done with him.

And Daiyin loves to take down a bad guy.

•

Ｄｉｎｎｅｒｔｉｍｅ  ａｒｒｉｖｅｄ at Airtemple Island and Tenzin's family, Korra and Daiyin sit around the table and listen to the airbender's prayers silently when a voice interrupts him. It was Tarrlok, a councilman from the Northern Water Tribe. Tenzin was about to throw him out of his house, especially after their argument at the council that same day, when Tarrlok reminds him of his culture's hospitality.

Seeing no other choice, Tenzin stays silent and sits back in his seat. Tarrlok was looking around for a suitable place to sit and squirms himself between the Avatar and the, unbeknown to him, Crown Princess of an entire Nation. They greet each other, though Tarrlok was not interested in the tight leather wearing girl.

When he sat down, Ikki starts to bombard him with questions as she usually does with guests. He ships her off and looks at Korra. Tarrlok was showering her with compliments on her part in the infiltration of Amon's rally. Tenzin asks him to get to the point of his flattery, which the man does quickly enough. He asks Korra to join his task force that would bring Amon to justice.

Tarrlok notices how the Avatar looks for guidance in the eyes of her tutor Tenzin.. and the strange girl seated right next to her. He should look into that mysterious girl and find out who she is..

After looking at her tutors, the Avatar stares Tarrlok straight into his eyes and says no. It was quite the shock to everyone, but Korra says that she came to the city to finish her training and that she needs to focus on that and that only. Tarrlok tries to coax her into it once more, but his presence was dismissed by Tenzin. He retreats this time, but he won't give up just yet. And on his way outside, he accidentally locks eyes with the amber eyes of the dark haired girl next to Korra, which somehow look fiery and cold at the same time.

He has the dark feeling that he will see that girl around too.

In the meantime Mako had met a gorgeous girl who almost crashed into him with her scooter. She introduced herself as Asami and invited him on a date at Kwong's Cuisine. He was heading into the building when he bumps into a man.

"Oh, excuse me," he mumbles to the tall, dark haired male. He looks at the red uniform he was wearing and the many medallions and pins he had. He was a soldier at the United Forces, probably a high ranking general as well. He smiles back at Mako. "I am deeply apologetic for bumping into you, but I'm in a hurry. Duty calls," he responds back. Duty was one thing Mako could definitely understand. "No worry, bro." Before he could talk some more to the man before him, he was pulled into the restaurant by the host.

He helped him dress appropriately and did his hair. When he attempted to remove his fiery red scarf, his hand was caught and was told passive agressively that the scarf would stay. The host bows and leads him to his booth with Asami. His probending carreer, and so their problems with money for the tournament, came to the conversation.

"Tell me, what's the problem," Asami asks with her hand laying on his when he said they wouldn't join the tournament. Mako releases a frustrated sigh. "We don't have the cash to add in the championship pot. A friend of one of our teamplayers offered some money, but it's not even half of it- so.. it looks like we're out of the running." Asami gives him a gentle and saddened look. "That's not fair.."

Well, life isn't fair and Mako had experienced that many times. But maybe this time he would get a fair chance..

•

Ｏｎｅ  ｄａｙlater Korra was sitting in the shadow of the building and petting Naga while Daiyin was trying to meditate. Her peace was disrupted when Bolin walks in their direction, mumbling a tune that could take even the most spiritual being out of their zen. The girl growls in irritation. "Can't a girl find a peaceful place to meditate just once?"

Bolin walks up to them and hands Korra a rose and a plastic sack with a cupcake in it. Korra was flustered, but she thanks him while Daiyin snickers behind her hand. They didn't notice an airnomad walking up to them, holding a parchment envelope. "Miss Daiyin, it's another letter from your grandfather, Lord-" She quickly cuts him off before he could reveal her tiny secret to Bolin. She didn't want everyone knowing yet who she truly was. Telling Bolin would not help her case as, honestly, he can not keep secrets.

"Thank you, Matshu." She takes the letter from him and walks away from the Avatar and her little friend. When she was around the corner she rips the letter open and begins to read.

" Dearest granddaughter,

I've heard from Iroh that you two met in Republic City and that Avatar Korra was present at an Equalist rally. I was wondering how you two are now.

My dear, a few days from now would be the anniversary of your grandmother's death of three years ago. It still pains me to see a day pass by without her, my son and his wife or my son-in-law by my side, but it is what fate wants. As you know, no one can escape fire and fate.

Back to the reason I wrote to you. I would like it if you could come back for her anniversary. It would mean a lot to our nation and me if you would.

I will hear from you with a honest response.

Your grandfather, Zuko. "

Daiyin takes a deep breath when a stab of pain hits right through her heart. She has been so numb for all these years, but the reminder that half her family is dead before she could even reach her teenage years was too painful to hide away. She had loved her grandmother, her uncle, her parents, but they were all taken from her sooner or later. She could not allow her heart to open up to loving more people than her family. The pain of losing other people would crash her.

She was barely able to handle the loss she had experienced now.

•

Ｔｈｅ  ｅｖｅｎｉｎｇ arrived and it was time for the guests to Korra's gala to dress up. The Avatar was dressed in a way native to the Southern Water Tribe, while Daiyin was looking elegantly in her Fire Nation gown.

They all strut into the giant hall under a polite applause. Korra felt honoured by all this that was done for her, but Daiyin and Tenzin don't trust it. After all, it was all Tarrlok's planning and that could not mean good news. But then the councilman walks up to them and swoops Korra away with flattering words, but the princess stays at the side of her student. That clearly irritated Tarrlok, but he didn't dare to say anything.

He introduces them to Hiroshi Sato, his daughter Asami and her.. date and his brother? Korra couldn't stop a feeling of jealousy and was about to explode when Daiyin puts her hand on the shoulder of her friend. When the girl looks sideways, she sees her teacher shake her head no. So, she takes a calmer approach and asks with witheld frustration how they even met.

Bolin told her shortly how Asami crashed into Mako. Korra asks if he was okay. Mako tells her about how this encounter ensured that they would be able to play in the tournament, as Sato agreed to sponsor them. Korra wasn't too excited and neither was Daiyin. She knows when someone is shady and this whole Hiroshi is.

"Now, who is the lovely lady who stands beside the Avatar," Sato asks. He gets scolded by Asami for sounding strange when asking that, but her eyes reveal the same curiosity. The princess shrugs her shoulders. "A simple girl from the Fire Nation who stands beside Korra.. always." The threat lingers in the room, causing Tarrlok to break their conversation up by introducing Lin Beifong.

While the councilman continues to introduce the Avatar to his political friends, Daiyin was left behind with Mako, Bolin and Asami. The firebender takes a spicy cocktail from one of the trays and sips on it moodily, ignoring the three. They watched Daiyin drink and snarl at men who want to dance with her.

"So.. how.. are you," Bolin asks, almost scared to start a conversation with this woman. Daiyin looks at him with mischief in her eyes. "Well, you three are still here so I suggest 'not that good' is the right answer." She looks past them and sees Korra and Tarrlok going down the stairs. The press were on her case, asking her why she wouldn't join the task force if she wanted to defeat Amon.

"-And with seeing that, it's even worse." She pushes past them rudely and joins the airnomad family. They all see how Korra was pushed into a corner, almost forced to join the task force. And of course, she fell into the trap the moment she screamed that she isn't afraid of anything and that she would join Tarrlok and his team.

Daiyin releases a deep sigh. "This is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen her do."

And from that day forward Korra was in almost every paper each day for arresting chi-blockers and stopping rallies. It left her no time to rest, no time to train airbending or spirituality, no time to even probend. And after even all her effort, the public was still not satisfied. They want Amon to be caught and expect their Avatar to do it.

So, of course, she let her emotions reign her judgement and she challenges Amon to a duel on Avatar Aang Memorial Island. When she was readying herself they tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't listen. After waiting for hours on the island, she was ambushed. Amon told her that he wouldn't make her a martyr, but that he had a plan. A plan that would ultimately lead to the demise of every bender with her as last to watch the world crumble down and see how her mission failed. Then she was punched knock-out.

Before she sank into the black void of unconsciousness, she saw visions of Avatar Aang, Toph and a strange man in a building which seems like the City Hall. When she wakes up and sees two figures run towards her, she thought it was Aang and Toph. As they came closer and she woke up a little more, she sees that it was Tenzin and Daiyin.

They question what happened and fear for the worst, but Korra was physically safe. Still, she was only a human. A human who just faced the lead role of her darkest nightmares. She starts to cry and buries her head into their chests, her arms like vines around their waists.

"I was so terrified. I felt so helpless," she admits. Daiyin brushes her hair and whispers. "It's all right. The nightmare is over." The crying girl sits up and sniffs. "You.. You were right. I've been scared this wole time. I-I've never felt like this before and.. Tenzin, Daiyin, I don't know what to do." She hugs them again and Daiyin looks at the airnomad over Korra's head.

Tenzin realises that even this princess, who's been through hell and back much too often, was scared too. She didn't know what to do or how to console Korra as she's never dared to let anyone in and show them how she truly feels, except for her family. He directs his words to both the girls who have wormed their way into his heart. "Admitting your fears is the first and most difficult step in overcoming them."

They both couldn't agree more.