Chapter Text
As the days went by, things didn't calm down. On one side we had the southern citizens, who were confined to their own land and monitored by soldiers from the North as if they were prisoners; on the other side we had Unalaq, who claimed to do what he did for the good of the tribes.
Wanting to reassure the population but also not wanting to doubt Unalaq's intentions, Korra went to talk to her uncle, but he said she needed to stay neutral... which is not very useful considering that the invasion had already begun.
Apparently, a civil war will start sooner or later and Korra didn't know what to do. Because she was distant from Tenzin and her own father, Korra vented to Mako, who had no idea how to help his girlfriend. Seeking a second opinion, Mako went to ask Miri for suggestions, who only recently started dating!
“I'll be honest with you: I can't think of anything.” Miri admitted after hearing all the recapitulation that Mako did while he accompanied her to another date she would have with Desna. “It's easier for me to imitate all waterbending forms using mud and all airbending forms using sand!”
“Come on, anything will do!” Mako motivated. “You've given me advice about relationships before. When you didn’t even had a boyfriend before!”
“That's because I use situations that have already happened in my neighbourhood as a reference.” She justified herself. “‘Being in a relationship but feeling attracted to someone else’ is much more common than you think. Now, ‘My girlfriend has a mega important political job and needs to prevent a civil war from happening’ isn't it at all”
Despite being the youngest and having been more sheltered - Korra took the “most sheltered” title when she entered the Fire Ferrets -, Mako and Bolin had the habit of going to Miri when they wanted to talk about a problem without the other knowing. Secretly, Miri liked this because this was a moment when they didn't treat her as a little girl. Because of that, she always tried to give advice to look mature in front of them... but if they would follow the advice or not was another story.
For example, during last year's Pro Bending season, Mako had vented to Miri and confessed that he liked Korra despite going out with Asami. To help his friend, Miri gave him some advice: either he broke up with Asami to be with Korra or he rejected Korra and let her get over him. Mako had chosen the second option, but the problem was that he didn't let Korra move on and got jealous when Bolin asked her out on a date.
As for Bolin, at that same period he had told Miri that he would try to win Korra’s heart, but Mako was afraid that he would lose focus in the matches. Miri's advice was "Wait until the end of the season to ask her out and use this waiting time as proof that you know how to balance work and relationships". Bolin followed the part asking Korra out... but he didn't follow the part of waiting until the end of the season!
And, to make matters worse, Korra had received advice that was not "Forget this man because he is already taken"! The result was a conflict between the Fire Ferrets and they were almost disqualified because of that!
Despite the intense frustration that Miri felt from the boys during that period, she did not give up trying to help them. However, now that their problems are becoming more and more unusual, Miri was having difficulty thinking of useful advice.
“Okay,” Mako took a deep breath. “so let me change my question to ‘My girlfriend is suffering a lot of pressure at her job. What can I do to help her as a boyfriend?'. Does it look more common now?”
“Let's see...” Miri could think better now that the situation seemed more common. “When she finally has free time, you can take her on a date to de-stress. Thus, she will remember that she doesn't need to be the Avatar with you, she can just be Korra... Does this help?”
“Yeah, I can do something like that.” Mako replied. “Thank you, Miri!”
“No need to thank me! Ah!” she had an idea. “Tell me how it goes later so we can save this information for posterity. Now that I’m thinking about it, is there any kind of journal made by the Avatars' romantic partners reporting their experiences so the partners of the next reincarnation have some reference? If not, you could start one!” She elbowed Mako's arm.
“Do you really want me to write a book about what it's like to date the Avatar?”. Mako thought the idea was weird.
“Of course!” Miri, however, did not share the same opinion. “Not everyone becomes Avatar's partner and these people are separated by decades, so the best way to transmit their knowledge is through writing!”
“If you're say so...” Mako shrugged.
While they were talking, Northern guards patrolled the streets, looking more imposing than ever. Whenever a group of southerners looked at them with disgust, the guards would stop walking to do the same, without saying a word. After a few seconds, the guards would continue their patrol. Basically one group was waiting for the other to attack because they didn't want to be the ones who started the fight.
“Are you sure you still want to date the son of the Water Tribes’ Chief?” Mako whispered to Miri after seeing this scene.
“Are you sure you still want to date the Avatar?” Miri asked back.
“…Good point.”
A few meters later, Miri and Mako saw Eska and Desna entering an establishment and Bolin on the side of a rickshaw.
“Bolin!” Miri accelerated her pace towards him while waving, but Bolin passed right by her, running in Mako's direction.
Miri stood in the middle of the road confused. She turned around and saw Bolin hugging his brother desperately. Due to the distance, Miri couldn't hear clearly what they were talking about. ‘What happened?’ She wondered. She looked at the rickshaw and noticed a detail: the vehicle that Eska, Desna and Bolin used had room for only two passengers! Judging by Bolin's despair, Miri can deduce who had to pull the rickshaw. ‘I don't think that's what boyfriends are for…’ she shook her head in disapproval.
Miri walked to where Mako and Bolin were, listening to the latter say something about breaking hearts.
“Someone will break someone else’s heart?” Miri asked.
“It’s me… I'm going to break Eska's heart.” Bolin replied hesitantly.
“The relationship isn't working out, eh?” Miri said the obvious, but she wanted Bolin to know that she understood him.
“Yeah. I know I said I wasn't going to give up, but I just couldn’t make it work.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Look, Miri, I'll need your help!”
Mako raised his eyebrow, suspecting that Bolin would want Miri to announce the breakup for him. However, instead of starting a scold, he waited to hear the kind of help his brother wanted.
“And how can I help?” Miri got curious.
“We're going to have a double date: You with Desna and me with Eska. Then, if Eska doesn't accept the breakup well, you'll be there to help me!” Bolin explained his plan.
Mako relaxed. He was happy to know that Bolin would take the lead and was just trying to create an emergency measure.
“Like, create a stone wall in case she tries to attack you?” Miri suggested.
“Yes!” Bolin smiled. “But for this to work, you need to be close to us, like in the same room as us, so no taking Desna to a ‘secluded place’ to have some ‘alone time’!”
“That's obvious...” Miri took a long time to process the last part he said” Wait,” her face turned red. “what do you mean by ‘secluded place’ and ‘alone time’?!!!”
“Let's get moving before Eska suspects that we are plotting something against her!” Bolin did not answer the question. “Or rather, you go first.” he held Miri's shoulders, turned her around and patted her back so that she would walk. “If we enter at the same time, she may get jealous.”
Bolin waited for Miri to enter the establishment and then followed her. He looked at Mako, who nodded in response, and took a deep breath to finally start walking.
“Good luck.” Mako wished, seeing that his brother was afraid despite the determination.
As soon as Miri entered the establishment, the first person her eyes saw was Desna. As if it were something innate, she went closer to him.
“Good afternoon, Desna!” she greeted him as soon as she stood by his side.
“Good afternoon, Miri.” he replied. “How are you today?”
“I'm fine! And you?”
“I'm in good condition, but there's something I need to tell you.”
Miri gulped. Whenever someone said they needed to talk about something was always to give bad news.
“All right. Say it, Desna.” She tried not to look anxious.
“In a few days, my sister and I, together with my father and cousin Korra, will return to the North so that its respective spiritual portal is also opened.”
“Oh!” Miri agreed that this news was obvious, after all their stay in the South was temporary. However, she had forgotten that eventually they both would have to go back to their respective homes. “So I'll need a lot of paper and ink to write to you.” Miri gave the best answer she could think of at the moment.
Desna frowned a little.
“Why did you automatically exclude yourself from the trip?” he asked.
“Because you only mentioned Eska, your father, Korra and yourself.” Miri was confused by the question.
Upon hearing Miri's answer, the frown in Desna’s face disappeared.
“Yes, but my father gave me and Eska permission to invite people of our preference to go with us and I would like invite you.” He clarified.
“You want me to go with you?” Miri's eyes widened.
“It's obvious that I want to, after all, I'm courting you. What about you? Would you like to go to the Northern Water Tribe with me?”
“I'd love to!” Miri smiled. “Although I didn't bring a lot of winter clothes to travel for a longer period...” She played a little with one of her braids when she remembered this problem.
“Don't worry.” Desna reassured. “You're my guest, so I'll take care of it. I believe that, as soon as we arrive in the North, we will find clothes to your liking.”
‘Wait, when he said he'll take care of it, did he mean he'll pay for my clothes?! But wouldn't that be too much for him?... I mean, considering his status, it's not... Heavens, he's very serious about courting me!’ Miri thought. ‘By the way, I have to call my parents and grandma to let them know that I'm going to the Northern Water Tribe. The good side is that this time I won't forget to mention Desna! The bad side is that my parents and grandma will think I'm trying to elope with him... I'll think about it later, let's focus on the present!‘
“Thank you very much, Desna!”
“There's no reason to thank me. That's the least I can do for having extended your trip beyond your plans.”
The way Desna had spoken implied that what he was doing was too banal in his eyes to receive a thank you, but Miri did not agree with that.
“That doesn't change the fact that I'm grateful.” She approached him until their shoulders were touching and held his hand. “Thank you.” Miri gently squeezed Desna's hand.
“Since that's the case...” Desna intertwined her fingers with Miri's. “I'm happy.”
Since they started dating, Desna noticed an evolution at the physical proximity between them:
At first, Miri kept a space between the two, unsure of how close to him she could be. Desna knew that couples usually didn't keep so much distance when they walked together, but he never told Miri that she should get closer, because he considered some sort of intimidation;
As time went by, this space between the two decreased. Miri was more comfortable getting physically closer to Desna. Another detail that Desna noticed was that Miri tilted her head and torso slightly in his direction whenever he spoke.
Currently, both Miri and Desna were more comfortable with physical contact. Holding hands and getting so close to the point that their shoulders touched when they were side by side was now something common for them.
Desna couldn't deny that he had liked this evolution. He found that simple but constant physical contact something strangely comforting.
Not far from Miri and Desna, Bolin was with Eska, preparing to break up with her. Considering her personality and skills, Bolin thought that going straight to the point would be too risky, so he chose to subtly introduce the idea of a breakup first.
In theory, it was a great strategy, because Eska would be mentally prepared to accept the end of the relationship, but what really happened was extremely different. Before Bolin could say "We're through", Eska said that, if he tried to leave her, she would throw him to the dolphin-piranhas!
Bolin wanted to run away after hearing this threat, but then he remembered Mako saying that he would feel better once he breaks up with Eska, so he decided to keep trying!
Throughout the double date, Bolin presented the possibility of Eska and him breaking up multiple times and in all of them Eska used the threat of the dolphin-piranhas. At a certain moment, Eska demanded that he stop thinking about the end of their relationship, using the same threat.
As the last part of the date, the quartet went to a restaurant. The atmosphere between them was a mess: Bolin was uncomfortable, Miri was worried about Bolin at the same time that she was enjoying being with her boyfriend and the twins were the only ones calm in the situation - although, in Eska's case, it was because she saw nothing wrong with her attitude.
As soon as the waiter left the meals on the quartet table, Mako and Korra entered the restaurant. Bolin didn't think twice and pulled the two to the table he was at, turning the double date into a triple date.
Unfortunately, that wasn't what Mako and Korra wanted. The goal of their date was to forget the problems for a moment, not to get a different problem.
“Isn't this fun, huh? We never get to spend enough time together, just the… six of us. So fun.” Bolin smiled forcibly, pretending he had no ulterior motives when he called Mako and Korra to the table.
Eska and Desna looked at the table. With the addition of more two people, the food had become insufficient.
“Excuse us while we retrieve more sustenance.” Eska looked at Korra and Mako and left the table with Desna.
As soon as the twins moved away, Bolin stopped acting.
“You guys gotta save me!” He begged, whispering.
“I though you were breaking up with her. What happened to ‘ripping off the leech’?” Mako asked.
“I tried!” Bolin defended himself. “But anytime I bring up the subject, she threatens to freeze me in a block of ice and feed me to dolphin-piranhas!” He shuddered when he remembered the threats.
“I'm a witness.” Miri spoke in defence of her friend.
“So it was more like you tugged at the leech.” Mako said.
“Yes, over and over and over, but it won't come off.” Bolin exclaimed and then looked at Korra. “Why didn't you warn me your cousin had the power to reach into my heart and crush my soul with her bare hands.”
“Uh, 'cause I thought it was pretty obvious?” Korra replied, unsure of what she should say.
“No, no, not to me it wasn't. I'm very bad at reading people. You should know that by now.” Bolin countered “Oh, man. Oh!” he lamented. “Do something, Avatar!”
Korra shook her head negatively and raised her shoulders, signalling that she didn't know what to do. Since she lived in the White Lotus fortress, Eska was the only girl she had contact with who was close in age and she always saw people letting Eska act as she wanted because they were afraid of possible consequences if they scolded her. Because of this, Korra learned to simply not care about Eska's conduct.
Bolin sighed and looked at Miri.
“Miri, I'm counting on you now. What do I do?” Bolin asked in a pleading tone.
“Errrrr...” Miri started thinking. That was another situation unusual for her. “How about you go to a place with more rocks the next time you break up with her? Then you will have a way to defend yourself.”
“The problem is that the place that has the most rocks are the mountains and there is snow there too. She'll be able to fight back!” Bolin remembered, desperate.
“You're right. I can't think of anything else.” Miri admitted. “And there's also the fact that she's a princess, so there must be politics involved as well...”
“You're not helping...” Bolin laid his head on the table.
“I know...” Miri sighed.
“Think on the… least worst side, you won't be completely alone with her. I'll be there and, when I'm busy, Miri will be there too.” Korra tried to console him.
“Yeah, at least there's that...” Bolin murmured. Korra's suggestion only alleviated his problem in the short term, because Eska wanted them to stay together in the North forever! In other words, if Miri and Desna didn't get married, Bolin would be alone with Eska forever.
Speaking of the twins, they were looking for more food for the group, but there was a second reason for Eska to have offered herself and her brother for such a task...
“How are the preparations going?” Eska asked her brother.
“I'm currently finishing the last details. As soon as we return to the palace, I will finish them.” Desna replied. “What about you?”
“Tonight or tomorrow morning I will have completed my work. Thank you for your support, Desna. Before we have to return to the North, the plan will have already been completed.”
Although Desna agreed to help Eska when she explained her plan, he had his own reservations about his sister's motivations.
“I wonder if this urgency is really necessary.” he questioned indirectly.
“I had questioned the same thing myself, but as soon as I saw our soldiers arriving in the Harbour, I realised that I needed to act while I'm still here in the South.” Eska justified herself. “The priority is to make it legitimate. In this way, they will have to accept regardless of their opinion.”
Desna listened to every word carefully. Eska was ready for the controversies that would arise and, even so, she did not hesitate even for a moment.
“I understand your point of view.” he nodded, but he still had another minor concern in his head and his sister managed to notice.
“You seem frustrated with something, Desna.” She said as a way of saying that he could share what was bothering him.
“I wish I could prepare something for Miri to use at the event, but the deadline os too short for that.”
“It will be a modest event. As long as she is minimally presentable, she will be able to act as a witness without any problems. Instead, do something she can use in the North.” Eska offered an alternative to reassure her brother.
Desna nodded and was silent. Eska knew he was thinking about inspirations for the clothing he would create. Seeing her brother's dedication, Eska had a suggestion.
“Since you mentioned her, Desna, why don't you do the same as me? The longer you wait to act, the greater the probability of barriers arising for you two.” she presented her idea, in good faith.
Desna looked at the table where the group was, more specifically at Miri, and reflected. In a few seconds, he turned to Eska.
“Thank you for your concern, but I believe this plan will not be necessary for my situation.” he refused the idea.
“I understand.” Although she thought her idea would help Desna, Eska didn't hold any grudges.
Before their delay caused suspicions, Eska and Desna returned to the table with more food. The meal continued without Bolin, Miri, Mako and Korra being aware of the conversation the twins had and vice versa.
………
When the date ended, Eska and Desna returned to the Palace. As soon as they arrived, a servant warned them that Unalaq wanted to talk to them.
The twins went to the throne room and bowed to their father. Unalaq went straight to the point and gave his children an order: In the next nights, regardless of the noises Eska and Desna hear, they should not leave their rooms.
Eska and Desna were confused by their father's order. They didn't want to doubt Unalaq's wisdom, but he was basically telling his children not to come to his aid if he is in danger! As much as they had the guards who protected the palace at night, the twins were skilled waterbenders and had trained precisely to support their father, so why couldn't they do that in the next nights?
However, for Unalaq, the understanding of his children was not necessary, only obedience. Therefore, Eska and Desna had to accept the order without even knowing fully what their father's plan consisted of. After saying goodbye to their father, Eska and Desna returned to their respective rooms.
In his room, Desna continued working on the robe. As he had told his sister earlier, he was finishing the last details, so it didn't took long for him to finish. After checking that everything was in order with the robe, he was satisfied. With his part of the preparations completed, Desna sat in front of his desk to draw a draft of the clothes he would make for Miri when they arrived at the Northern Water Tribe. As much as there were competent tailors there, Desna trusted more in his own skills.
While he was drawing his draft, he heard knocks on the door. It was Eska who came to see him. Desna already knew the reason for the visit.
After she entered the room and Desna closed the door behind her, Eska took a wooden box out of her long sleeve and handed it to her brother, who opened it. The box was just a barrier to block nosy looks, what really mattered was inside it.
“ You have an excellent skill for carving, Eska.” Desna praised, analysing the item. “And the design is singular.”
“Thank you. Since I'm ‘going against a tradition’, I opted for a ‘less traditional’ style.” Eska explained, feeling proud of herself. “I can see that you also completed your preparations.” she said, looking at the mannequin who was wearing the robe that Desna had finished.
Eska approached the mannequin to appreciate the work her brother did. The robe was identical to what she and her brother wore but it was longer and larger, ideal for people with more defined muscles.
“Excellent attention to detail.” Eska praised. “It will definitely serve him without any trouble. Are you certain the measurements you used were really estimates?” Eska asked, surprised by the accuracy that the size of the robe had.
“Absolute certain.” Desna confirmed. “As much as the results were to your liking, I would have preferred to have access to collected measures. It would have been safer.”
“Well, if we weren't twins, I would have said that you were swapped at birth and that, in fact, you were the son of a tailor.”
“I'm glad to know that my work was satisfying enough to be part of a legacy.”
Eska noticed something in her peripheral vision that caught her attention. Next to the mannequin, there was another smaller one who was also dressed in a robe identical to the ones the twins wore. The size of the clothing was ideal for small animals and Eska knew for whom he had made that small robe.
“I didn't want to waste the materials that were left over when I finished his robe.” Desna quickly created a justification, but the truth is that he had bought extra materials on purpose to make the second robe. Eska already knew the truth, but it didn't bother her. She thought it was adorable that Desna had grown affectionate towards that little creature.
Speaking of affection, Eska saw on Desna's desk the draft for the clothes he planned to make for Miri.
“Do you mind if I look?” She asked her brother.
“Be my guest.”
Eska took the paper and looked it carefully. It was the design a parka with a waistband and fur trim on the edges of the hood, sleeves and hem. From Desna's draft, Eska could notice that the design made by her brother preserved mobility while maintaining elegance. They could judge Miri's status, but they couldn't judge the way she would be dressed.
“So far, I can say that she will be presentable with what you will do.” Eska gave her opinion to Desna.
“I also hope it's of her liking.”
“If she appreciates hard work, then it will be.” That was the way Eska reassured her brother.
With all the preparations ready, all that was left for the twins was to put Eska's plan into action the next day. Considering that Unalaq indirectly deprived them of fighting in case of emergency in the coming nights, they should take advantage of their free time to rest.
………
In the middle of the night, Eska and Desna heard noises similar to those of a fight outside. As much as their instinct asked them to go investigate the situation, the twins didn’t want to disobey their father, so they remained in their rooms. However, neither of the two returned to sleep immediately. They waited until the noises were over.
A few minutes after the end of the fight sounds, guards appeared in Eska and Desna's rooms to check if they were safe. It was thanks to these guards that they knew what happened: rebels from the South invaded the Palace to kidnap Unalaq, but Korra managed to stop them.
This was Unalaq's plan: to be captured by the rebels, now traitors, to make Korra question the revolt of the southerners... So why didn't he explain this to his children? Eska and Desna believed that their father had good intentions for the Water Tribes, so there were no plausible reasons for Unalaq to have to hide his motives. Even though they didn't feel well because of their father's lack of transparency, Eska and Desna went back to sleep.
A few hours after dawn, Unalaq gave a new order to his children: to go after Varrick and other possible conspirators together with the guards. It seems that the twins' day would be longer than they expected...