#I believe in you Zuko keep going you’ll find your path babes

[gennianydots]

Iroh: I see. It’s the anniversary isn’t it?

Zuko: Three years ago today, I was banished. I lost it all. I want it back. I want the Avatar, my honor, my throne. I want my father not to think I’m worthless.

[greyfongschemmenti]

In These Arms | Chapter 12: Investigative Palms

Summary:

You and Lin go in search for the Krew.

Waking up to the feeling of a soft pair of lips kissing your shoulder, you feel Lin shift out of bed, “Not even a good morning? I deserve more than a sneak out?” you mumble stifling a yawn, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from your eyes. “I have to go back to my room,” Lin states. She turned to leave but caught sight of your sleepy doe-eyes and stopped, resting her hand on the doorframe as she fixed her left shoe. She made her way back to the bed and leaned in to kiss you goodbye, hopefully that was enough until the next time. You kissed her fully, tongue and all, placing your hands on her hips and tugging her back onto the bed. She laughed against your lips and peeled herself from your hands, “y/n..I have to go.”

“Just a little fun before you go” you whine but smile

“No, it’s late” Lin smiles

“Can’t blame me for trying,” you defended and laughed. “I’ll meet you at the airship. I’m just going to close my eyes for a bit.” you pull the covers up over your face, as Lin walks out towards the door as she calls out, “We’re on a tight schedule so you better not keep us waiting, y/n!”

You make a gruff noise to let Lin know you understand waving her off as you go back to sleep for a couple more minutes.

*

Fixing your sleeves as you roll them up, you make your way up the lift to the docking bay and only see Lin standing around with a confused expression on her face before raising your sleeves a bit to look at your watch, “I’m not that late. Are the kids in the ship?”

“No, I thought they would have come with you.” Lin groans and pinches her nose and you look around the area scratching the back of your head.

“Maybe they’re on their way now. How long have you been waiting?” You turn to her as you lower your hand “Fifteen minutes at most”,

“Okay, let’s wait another fifteen. If they haven’t shown up we’ll go look for them” you offer - “You’ll wait five minutes before heading out and look for them. I’ll stay here in case those nitwits show up”

“Sounds good… well I’ll check on the animals in the meantime” you walk over towards the airship when Lin stops you,

“They’re not here either” Lin grumbles then sighs and your eyes widen then turn around, “Wait what?“

“How many minutes has it been?!” Lin grabs your wrist and looks at the watch “Three minutes”

“I can’t wait anymore. Go look for them” Lin puts her hands on your waist and pushes you away “Okay, how about I go check the guest houses and you check the grounds.”

“Fine.”

After checking all the guest houses, you came up empty. No one inside, not even the animals. You scratched behind your ear, it was weird that you haven’t seen anyone and you start to get a sinking feeling in your gut. You head towards the Beifong estate and see Lin coming in from the grounds then notice Su talking to two guards on the bridge as you and Lin approach her at the pavilion.

“Where is everyone? I've been waiting to leave for half an hour.” Lin asks her sister annoyed to not have seen the teens.

“Good morning, y/n and good morning to you too, Lin. Now, don't get mad. Korra's fine. I'm just waiting to hear if she tracked down Aiwei yet.“

“What?!” You and Lin respond in unison. You’re shocked then groan face palming while Lin furrows her brows “You let Korra go?! I thought we were on the same page about this, and then you go stab me in the back?”

“Oh, don't be so overdramatic. You can't control the Avatar's every move.”

Lin storms off “I can try.”

“I can’t believe you lied to me, Su. I told you not to do it!” you exasperate causing Lin to stop and turn around “Lied to you? You knew about this?!”

Your cheeks blush slightly as you realize you probably fucked up, “Su told me about her plans--” Lin’s eyes start to narrow “--but I told her about not wanting to put the kids in danger. Su assured me that she, herself, was going to search the mountainside with Kuvira and a couple guards.” you tried explaining yourself but Lin is seething.

“And you didn’t tell me about this! When did this plan happen?!” Lin narrows her eyes as you direct her arms towards Su. You try coming up with the words “Last night after everyone left. I was going to but Su said she was going to tell you in the morning!”

Su finally steps up and stops Lin “Don’t put this on y/n. This was all me. y/n helped me under false pretenses and for that I apologize” she looks at you feeling slightly guilty for asking for your help. “y/n told me they weren't going to go behind your back again.” Su looks at Lin and watches her glance between her sister and you. You look down, your hand resting on the back of your neck upset and hurt by this whole situation “Typical Su” Lin spat out

“Wait let me make it up to you two somehow!” Su catches up to you, putting a hand on your shoulder to stop you “I can get a Jeep ready for you and you can catch up to them.”

“May Raava forgive me if any of those kids get hurt, it'll be on you, Su” you point your finger at her as you storm off.

*

Lin drives the jeep along a rocky desert path. Both of you kept quiet for the most part of the ride. “You should have told me about Su’s plan” Lin looks down the road as she passes a pothole and keeps following the other set of tire tracks.

You sigh “Forgive me for trusting your sister’s word, anyways who were those other three people with Zaheer?” you ask, trying to change the subject. Lin turns her head at you for a second pursing her lips then continues on,  “The lavabender is Ghazan, the armless waterbender is Ming-Hua, and the third eye freak is, P'Li, a powerful firebending criminal who we all saw can combustion bend.” lightly tapping on the door of the jeep as you gather the names and bending of each criminal then look up, “--wait where did the tracks go?”

Something catches your attention and you point over to the right “Over there” Lin follows the tire tracks that turn into a small shady clearing between a couple of boulders. She stops the car at the rocks and changes gears, reversing, and then turning her wheel toward the clearing. There are two abandoned vehicles “Well we found Aiwei and Team Avatar’s jeeps”. Lin pulls up, stops the car, and gets out to inspect the team's vehicle while you look over Aiwei’s. She is about to search the back seat when a flash of white jumps out at Lin. Naga snarls at the Chief who yells with surprise. “Lin!” You quickly turn around and run to Lin. You watch Naga growl, then sniff around and quickly recognize Lin,  circling around her and licking the cop's cheek enthusiastically, messing up a bit of her hair. “First you scare the life out of me, now you want to lick me,” Lin says dryly “She likes you babe” you smile as Naga licks Lin again, who wipes her cheek. You pet Naga as she licks your cheek while you look up at her saddle, “Where’s Pabu?”

As if he heard his name, Pabu pops out from the jeep, jumping onto Lin and circling around her body. Lin grabs him by the scruff of the neck and glares at the fire ferret as he whines. Lin places Pabu on Naga and reaches into her pocket. Naga sits and waits. Lin hands out a couple of sticks of dried meat jerky.  “Here, chew on this, and leave me alone.”

“Where’d you get the jerky?”

“There was a shoulder pouch filled with it on my couch” Lin zips the pouch “I forgot I bought that. Look at you going soft of them” you smile and Lin rolls her eyes “Just to get them off my back”

“Sure... I don’t blame them for liking you” you watch Pabu and Naga eat the jerky greedily before heading back to your inspection as she walks over to the radio in the jeep and picks up the receiver.

“Tonraq, you read me?”

Tonraq over the radio “Yes. We copy”

“I found Korra's jeep, but the kids aren't here. Meet me at the Misty Palms Oasis.”

You look in Aiwei’s jeep for any clues, lean down finding a crumpled up map and note seem to have blown onto the floor. You smooth out the note and read the message ‘Xai Bau’s Grove, sundown.’

This must be where and when Aiwei's going to meet Zaheer.

“Tonraq is going to meet up with us with Lord Zuko on Druk” Lin walks over to you “Druk?” you ask weakly “Dragon” she responds and you curtly nod. She notices you focused and exchanges glances between the note and map “What are you looking at?”

You hand Lin the note “This was crumpled up but it seemed to have been folded before. Maybe the kids found it and went after Aiwei.” Lin looks over the note as you smooth the map on the hood of the jeep.

“But it’s weird….”

“What is?” Lin looks up and walks over standing beside you as you scan the map “I’ve been almost all over the Earth Kingdom and I’ve never once heard or seen anything named, Xai Bau’s Grove”

“Could be a secret hideout” Lin suggests as you nod folding the map “maybe...”.

Two blue crow spirits land on the hood and caw at you, “Hi there” you smile softly then look up as five crow spirits have come to join, one landing on your shoulder and another on your head. While the other three fly around Lin landing on her shoulders and the top of her head. You greet the spirits kindly while Lin shakes them off of her, shooing them away “What is it with animals attacking me” she growls.

You roll your eyes and smile as Lin grabs your arm and pulls you towards the jeep “Come on let’s go before any more beasts show up”

You chuckle and get in “Okay, but Naga and Pabu should join. We can’t leave them behind” you call for Naga and wave her over as Lin starts the car and drives towards the town.

“We can meet up with Tonraq and Lord Zuko at the local cantina” Lin drives down the short road as you look out at the small town and gets out the car “You go on ahead. I’ll search around the town for any clues on the kids”.

“What? No.”

“Don’t trust me, Chief? I’m offended.” you raise an eyebrow and smirk, folding your arms.

“No, but it’s best we don’t separate… for safety reasons” Lin stammers and you smile  “I appreciate the sentiment but only one of us is needed for the reunion with Lord Zuko and Chief Tonraq. I’ll be back shortly.” you assure Lin resting your hand on her arm looking at her.  “Plus the animals can protect you” you quip and Lin rolls her eyes as she steps inside the cantina.

*

Walking down the street you notice a Tavern Owner looking particularly depressed as he sweeps the front of his building “Excuse me, sir.” the owner stops sweeping and brightens up a bit “Oh a potential customer”. You awkwardly smile and tug on your collar “Actually, I was hoping to ask you a question...”

“Oh...seems to be a lot of that today…” he sweeps a bit “Questions?” you encourage, and the owner nods “Yeah, two boys were here earlier asking all sorts of questions about some guy”

“Did one of them have a red scarf?” you questioned him and he shook his head “No, they were wearing yellow raincoats and goggles”

“Raincoats and goggles? In the middle of a desert?”

“Not the weirdest thing to see in these parts”

“Well what about that guy they were asking about? Was he by chance sixty, balding, wearing glasses, a long green robe, and has a piercing that goes from his nose to his ear?”

“Yup, that’s the very same description the boys came asking about. Is he some sort of celebrity or wanted criminal?”

“Uh, no….. The boys are my cousins. I was supposed to meet them here after my car broke down. I was hoping to find either one to catch a ride back to Ba Sing Se with them.”

“What about the old man?”

You wave him off “My jerk of an uncle” you try playing into your story as you look around the town “Anyway sorry to take up your time. Here's...a gold piece for your help. Thank you” you dig in your pocket and give him a gold coin before walking away. Looking for any other possible leads.

You catch a couple across the street at a nearby inn. The male nudges his female companion and the woman looks up at him, confused. He then motions his head towards you and the woman turns in the indicated direction. Your green eyes widen as you focus on the poster the lady is holding and see an image of Bolin as Nuktuk. The lady seems to notice you staring at the poster and holds it tight to her chest and she grabs the man’s arm and tugs him down the street. Your eyes follow them and start walking after them “Hey!” they run down the street with you following after them. The couple duck into an alley and you slow down and approach with caution. The female jumps out to attack you and you evade it “Woah woah woah, I’m not here to fight you!” you yell out waving your hands up

“Then why were you chasing us!” the man huffs,

“I saw the Nuktuk poster” you pant, reeling a bit from the scare.

“Oh so you saw the autographed poster and wanted to steal it from us!” The woman steps up to you causing you to put your hands up defensively and take a step back. “Wait, you say an autographed poster?”

“Yeah!” a crazed smile appears on the man’s face

“We met Nuktuk at the Inn over there!” The woman points in the direction of the inn and the man steps beside her “We're his biggest fans.” Both of them have this wild expression as she pets the poster on Bolin err Nuktuk’s face.

“May I see? I promise not to take off running” the lady glares at you and steps back “Or…you could just let me see it? I’ll put my hands behind my back if that helps” you smile, and she eyes you suspiciously “I’m also a big fan. I just want to admire Nuktuk’s autograph. You guys are so lucky!” you try in your best fan voice and the couple exchange a look before agreeing. You look at the poster with your hands behind your back and see the inscription

“Lily and Macao, Nuktuk says to always reach for the stars!”

That is definitely Bolin’s handwriting. Bolin and Mako were definitely around here.

“Oh wow that’s…. incredibly lucky!” you smile

“I know! We’re so happy. We made him a plushie doll and everything. He was so nice to us.”

You look back at the direction where the woman pointed earlier “You said the Inn was in that direction?”

“Yeah! Oh maybe he can sign something for you!” the man smiles as he puts an arm around the woman’s shoulder.

“Oh well I don’t know but I hope so” you force a smile and wave at the couple “Thank you for your help”

You walk until you find a building with a ‘Misty Palms Inn’ sign that seems to be the one the couple had pointed out and walk into the establishment and approach the check-in counter. Smiling and speaking politely “Good Afternoon. I was wondering if you happened to see my cousin, Bolin. He’s known as Nuktuk. Maybe you saw him walk around these parts?” you watch the old lady’s eyes widen

“Oh yes! But he and his friends are gone” she frowns and closes her ledger and sets it under the counter.

“What do you mean gone?” you grab on the counter and look at her,

“The two girls left on their large polar bear dog but Nuktuk and his male friend fought and got captured by some waterbender. They got thrown in a truck. Poor boy had a bruise on his eye. The make up was so realistic...I didn’t know they were filming a mover here!”

“Oh, um yes. It’s a surprise. Filming is top secret.” you quickly add and turn around “Thank you, have a nice day!” you run out before the Innkeeper can ask any questions.

Walking around the streets you find your way back to the cantina stepping inside the establishment hearing jazz music playing in the background. Lin looks up and stands up from her table as Tonraq and Lord Zuko look up following her gaze as you walk over to her at the back of the tavern.

Tonraq greets you “Captain y/n” you nod back with a handshake and squeeze on the arm “Chief Tonraq, sorry to see each other again under these circumstances”.

“That always seems the case with Korra involved” he tries to lighten the mood and you give him a slight smile before turning your attention to Lord Zuko and respectfully bow to him “Lord Zuko, it is an honor to meet you, sir.”

Lord Zuko stands and returns the bow “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Captain y/n.” You turn your attention to Lin who seems ready to question you, sighing and shaking your head motioning for everyone to sit, you take the seat across from Lin. “They were definitely here, but Mako and Bolin got captured by Ming-Hua, most likely taken back to Zaheer.” you look at Lin’s eyes before turning to Tonraq “What about my daughter?” a sense of urgency in his tone.

“--and Asami?” Lin asks you, her eyes slightly softening as she asks about your friend. You shrug, shaking your head once again, not knowing the answer “Korra and Asami seem to have evaded getting captured. A witness recounts seeing Korra and Asami leaving on Naga--”

“But Naga’s here and Korra isn’t!” Tonraq rebutted and you nod “I know, neither is Asami. Our only hope is that they escaped Zaheer.” You look at the three important figures sitting around you.

“Korra wouldn’t leave Naga. She will come back for her. It’s best we stay here in case she returns” Tonraq suggests and you nod “Understood.”

“Well no use worrying until they return. After that long trip we could use a good meal” Lord Zuko speaks calmly and calls for a waitress, ordering food for everyone.

*

After eating, you decided to order something slightly stronger than tea. The four of you are seated at a table at the back of the tavern. Korra and Asami run up to the table “What are you all doing here?” Everyone at the table turns their heads towards the teens Tonraq is the first to stand up “Korra, you're safe.” He shares a hug with his daughter. As you stand up and tackle Asami in a hug “I’m so glad you’re safe too” as Asami returns the gesture.

“Yeah, we made it out of the desert, thanks to Asami.” She looks over at her. Tonraq gives a nod of gratitude at Asami. Tonraq walks Korra over to Zuko as the ex-Fire Lord stands up to greet her.

“Do you remember Lord Zuko?”

“I met you when you were a very young girl. It's good to see you again, Avatar Korra.” Lord Zuko greets the young Avatar “It's good to see you, Lord Zuko.”

Lin gives Korra a little glare of annoyance “Thanks for ditching me back at Zaofu” she says bitterly.

“Yeah, sorry about that. But how did you all find us?”

“I am a detective, you know.” commenting dryly as she raises an eyebrow and you hide a snicker behind your hand.

“Did you find Mako and Bolin?” Korra looks at Lin. Lin looks over at you causing a sigh from you, as you step toward Korra

“Some people at the inn saw them get captured by Zaheer's crew.” Korra and Asami frown with concern when Lin finishes your report “We don't know where they are. “

Tonraq turns to his daughter “Did you hear about the Earth Queen?”

Korra looks up at her father confused by the question “What about her?”

The radio at the bar blares to life and everyone turns their attention to it.

“Once again, the Earth Queen's reign has come to an abrupt and violent end. Ba Sing Se has descended into chaos. Rioters and looters have overrun the palace.” The radio broadcaster announces the events going on in Ba Sing Se. Your face softens growing with worry about the family you have in the city.

“The Red Lotus” Korra looks down in quiet anger

Tonraq scowls “What's that?”

“The name of the group that's been trying to capture me and just took out the Earth Queen. I'm afraid this is only the beginning, Dad.”  she tells her father.

Ba Sing Se has fallen. After Zaheer and the Red Lotus toppled the Earth Queen’s administration, the city descended into chaos. Things just got bad.