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She was trying so hard “Oh come on Asami. When was the last time you took a vacation?” Mako agreed with her “Korra’s right. You need a break.” I protested “I don’t need a break. I need to finish the plans for the new exoskeletons.” Korra’s big blue eyes were narrowed “Since when are you all work and no play?” I narrowed my eyes right back “Since I have a deadline to make with my company.” Korra sighed “Fine. But don’t come crying to me when you want to go somewhere and I can’t come.” The two of them walked out of my office. I sat back in my chair with a sigh. I absolutely hated arguing with Korra and Mako. Korra was always so available and I wasn’t. While she was off saving the world as the avatar I was in my lab worried sick of how I could help her.
Korra’s work was different than mine. I’m an engineer and she’s the avatar. She has to keep the world in balance. Korra was born in the Southern Water Tribe located in the South Pole. Her skin was tanned, her hair was cut to her shoulder and dark brown, her eyes were a brilliant blue, and she is stocky. She is shorter than me by an inch or two. I bet she brought Mako as back up. Mako is one of my ex boyfriends and we remained friends after the break up. He was a fire bender. He was a detective and incredibly cunning. His hair was black and his eyes were light brown.
I thought out loud “Doesn’t she get that I’m trying to run an entire company.” I looked down at the plans before me. I was trying to make these exoskeletons that help increase a man’s strength. I spoke out loud “I’ve tried metal wires but those are too fragile. What if?” I quickly erased on the plans and drew in a new concept. I talked out loud “If we could power them by steel pullies driven by steam. By using weights on these pullies it could make lifting things easier.” I put down my pencil and rolled up the blue prints. I quickly walked down to my workshop. Bolin was already there “Hey Asami. Korra and Mako came by to see you.” I spoke sullen “I know.” He looked at me strangely “Are you okay?” I looked down “Me and Korra had a fight.” Bolin walked up to me “Really? Korra was really excited to talk to you about something.”
As we talked further he asked “When was the last time you had a vacation?” I sighed “Not since Kuvera was thrown in prison.” He put down his wrench “You should go.” I looked up to see him smiling. Bolin was an earth bender and Mako’s brother. He was shorter with dark hair and bright green eyes. I asked “Are you sure?” He was a bit cocky “I can handle it.” I stood with a smile “Sure. Thanks Bolin.” I quickly walked out of my company and to the shore line. I looked out to Air Temple Island and smiled. That’s where Korra would be. I caught a ferry to the island. As I walked up the steps I could hear Korra taking out her frustrations. I heard her muttering “Why won’t she listen?” With her words came rage and powerful air currents.
I watched for a while as she annihilated clay plates and vases. I caught a plate as it came flying towards me “Hey I’m trying to apologize here.” She looked up at me. She was embarrassed “Sorry. I didn’t know you were there.” I shook my head “I should be the one apologizing. I didn’t listen to you.” I smiled “Let’s do it.” She looked at me confused “Do what?” I put my arm around her shoulders “Let’s go on vacation.” She smiled “Spirit world?” I nodded “Sure.”
I happily put supplies in my back pack. Korra was doing the same with hers. We were still on Air Temple Island and raiding Master Tenzin’s pantry. I could tell Korra was excited “I can’t believe we’re actually going on vacation.” I smiled “So are we just going to wander the spirit world or do we have a destination?” She looked over at me “A destination.” I asked “Are you going to tell me what it is?” Korra grinned “You’re not getting it out of me.” I smiled. I could never get Korra to do something she didn’t want to do. As soon as we finished packing we headed to the spirit portal. I held her hand as we walked through. The spirit world was full of lush grass and tall trees of vibrant colors. Korra led me through the hills “Come on. It’s this way.”
As we walked spirits hummed around Korra. I was expecting this. The spirts drifted toward the avatar or anyone with a strong connection to the spirits. We walked for hours talking. It has been a while since we were able to catch up like this. The scenery often changed. From hills to forests to the sand and mountains. It baffled me how often it did change. During the first night we looked up at the sky. Spirits flew and the stars were forever moving. I felt Korra’s hand in mine. She spoke “Asami.” I looked over to her to see her blue eyes looking back. I smiled “Yeah?” She smiled right back “Thank you for coming.”
It was the next day that Korra was trying to help some spirits. I waited on a hill watching her work. I looked around. I spotted a person lying on a hill, but I couldn’t make it out if it was a man or a woman. I wondered who the person could be. Was it a person’s spirit? Was the person alive like me and Korra? I didn’t even notice Korra waving her hand in my face “Earth to Asami.” My attention snapped back to her. She asked “Are you okay?” I stood “There’s a person on that hill.” Korra was excited “Really?” I spoke “We should go talk to them.” Korra stopped me “Let me go. We don’t know if they are a threat.” I watched as Korra walked off to the person.
I watched carefully as Korra introduced herself. I saw them hug and then Korra waved at me. I walked towards her. If anything Korra knew the person. As I got closer I could make out the person’s features. It was a woman about as tall as me with her dark brown hair cut short. She had a long face with filled in cheeks. She wore black pants, a loose dark red shirt, boots, and a sword at her waist. What set me off the most was that her eyes were bright green. Korra spoke “Molly this is Asami.” She smiled “Nice to finally meet you. Korra here has told me a lot about you.” I shook her hand “It’s nice to meet you too. How do you know Korra?” I saw a confused look on her face “You mean she hasn’t told you?” Now I was confused “Told me what?” She held out her arms “I’m an avatar.”
I spoke “You’re an avatar too?” She scratched her ear “Not in this world obviously. I’m from the world that sits on top of yours.” Korra spoke “She’s been helping me protect the new Air Nation. She does a better job than me.” Molly spoke “You only think that because you’re inexperienced. I’ve had practice, a lot of practice.” Korra asked “Do you mind walking with us? We’re on our way to see a friend.” I saw Molly smile “Sure. I’ve just been wandering around out here enjoying all the natural beauty.” As we started to walk I asked “So you’re an avatar? How is that even possible?”
Molly held up her hands “You see, your world isn’t the only world. There are several others connected to it. There’s an avatar in each world. Many of them are open in their worlds. Others, aren’t so keen. In mine we fight in the shadows.” Korra spoke “Like the Magics Master.” I saw Molly nod “Something like that. I am only open to a couple thousand versus to the billions. I am Greek by birth and battle comes naturally. I fight to protect the other Greeks whenever they need me. Lately my daughter has had the task of protecting everyone. And since the air nomads are in no immediate danger I decided to take a vacation. Does that answer your question?”
I spoke “Kind of. It raised some more questions.” I saw Molly smile “Ask away.” I spoke “How do you know Korra again?” Molly chuckled “I’m married to Lin’s son Dustin. She’s my mother in law.” My jaw dropped “You are married to Bei Fong’s son?” Molly nodded “Yep. My full name is Molly Bei Fong.” As we walked both me and Korra continued to ask questions. Molly was happy to talk with us. It was incredible that she found humor in everything. She talked with Korra happily about the differences of bending. Molly spoke “Metal bending has its perks, but you have to be more expert at bending the elements together for tougher metals.” Korra asked “Even Platinum?” I saw Molly nod “Yeah. Combine the water, rock, and fire to create a drill hot enough to break through it. Took me a couple of years to figure it out.”
I asked “So how long have you known you were an avatar?” The question caught her off guard. She spoke with a sadness in her voice “Ever since I brought my twin Sarah to Olympus. I was twenty two I think.” Korra was a little confused “Why isn’t Sarah here now?” Molly stopped walking and looked to the grass beneath her feet. I saw the tears flowing down Molly’s cheeks. After a moment she spoke softly “She’s dead.” The sudden hurt filled me. I felt her same pain. I lost my father years ago and it was just when we were starting to reconnect. I saw Korra walk up to her “Do you want to sit down?” I only saw Molly nod. We sat with her on that hill. I saw the stream of tears staining her cheeks. I dared to ask “What happened to her?”
Korra glared at me “I don’t think she wants to talk about it.” Molly looked up “It’s okay.” Molly looked at me with her eyes shining. She wiped the tears “We were both immortal. She was convinced that there was nothing left for her. She lost her purpose. Her lovers were gone. Her two kids were always off working. Mark with me and Marcus with the Kryptos. She couldn’t take it being immortal and the only way one of us can die is if the life is taken by another immortal.”
I spoke “She asked someone to do it.” Molly nodded “It was one of the Damned. She’s buried in Velos Greece, the original home of our father.” Korra tried to change the subject “How about your kids?” I saw Molly smile “They’re doing great. Every single one of them. Dusty took Zeke to master his Chakra. Rebecca is leading The Protection. I could go on and on about my kids.” I asked “How many kids do you have?” Korra spoke “Yeah. The last time we spoke you were thinking of having another.” I saw Molly pull a picture from her pocket. I saw many smiling faces. At the center I saw Molly holding a little girl. Molly spoke “This is all of them.” She pointed to them “There’s Hunter, he’s my oldest son. Then there’s Leo, Rebecca, Ezekiel, the twins Hazel and Lisa, Simon, Eli, Avery, Mark, Marcus, Becker, Zoey, and my youngest Emilia.”
I was astonished “Wow.” Molly chuckled “Eli, Mark, Marcus, Simon, and Avery are Sarah’s kids. When she died I took them in.” Korra spoke “Emilia is so cute. How old is she?” Molly held the picture fondly “She’s about ten now. Quite the difference between her and Hunter.” I asked “How old is Hunter?” Molly smiled “He’s four hundred and twenty seven.” My jaw dropped. Korra laughed at me. Molly joined in “That look is priceless. Don’t worry we’re immortal so our ages are staggering.” I asked “Then how old are you?” Molly spoke calmly “Four hundred and fifty two.”
After me and Korra cheered her up some more we continued walking. Korra got more excited as we walked. She claimed that we were getting closer. As we got to the top of a hill I saw a small house down below. We walked forward to see an old man. He spoke with a smile “Ah Korra. What a wonderful surprise.” Korra bowed to him “Iroh. It’s good to see you.” Korra spoke “I want you to meet a few people. This is Asami and Molly.” I saw Molly bow “It’s an honor Iroh.” I saw Iroh smile “Please, don’t be so formal.” Iroh turned to me “So this is the beautiful Asami. I have heard a lot about you.” He spoke “I am getting ready for a dinner party. Care to join us?” Molly spoke for all three of us “We would love to. Thank you.”
We followed Iroh around the house and saw a table. We saw many people. There was an air nomad with a short beard. A man with a pony tail dressed in water tribe clothes. A man who wore dark clothes similar to Molly and a black hood. The other two were different. Their clothes were different. The woman was short with reddish brown hair, freckles, dark pants, a loose shirt, and blue eyes. The man was taller with his hair cut short. He wore green shorts with pockets on them, a blue tee shirt, and weird shoes that showed his toes. The pair looked our way. I followed their gaze to see Molly standing five feet behind us. She was frozen where she stood. The look of longing and disbelief covered her face. I saw tears start to stream down her cheeks. Korra asked “Molly? What’s wrong?” Molly’s voice trembled as she spoke “It’s my parents.”
She made herself walk forward. Silence surrounded us. Molly stood a few feet from the people before she hugged the woman. The woman started to cry. It was only a moment before the man joined them. I asked “Who are they?” Iroh stood next to me “They are the people who raised her. It is her mother and father.” I looked back at the pair. Korra spoke “It’s probably been so long since she’s seen them.” We didn’t notice that Molly walked over to us “Four hundred and two years to be exact.” I saw that the man rested his hand on her shoulder. Molly smiled “Korra, Asami, these are my parents Brenda and Patrick Kaufman.” Korra shook their hands “It’s nice to finally meet you. Molly has told me so much about you.” Iroh introduced us to all of them. Korra introduced us to the Air Nomad. He was the avatar before her named Aang. The man in the water trible clothes was Sokka. The man in all black was named Randall.
I could over hear the conversation Randall and Molly were having. Randall was speaking “So you married my grandson. Doesn’t he hate dark colors.” Molly folded her arms “Says the guy wearing all black.” I saw Randall’s face and it wasn’t a pretty sight. A scar covered most of the left side of his face and a part of it was still purple. He still smiled though. I could hear Molly “Randall I would like you to meet my parents.” The two men shook hands. Molly’s dad spoke “So you’re the famous Greek Commander Molly talks so much about. I’m Pat.” We all soon sat at the table. Korra and Molly sat side by side. I was on Korra’s other side. An interesting question caused everyone to be silent. It was from Sokka “So Molly. What has your life been like? Did you find happiness?”
Molly sighed “I guess there’s no escaping it. My life was never the same from the time I was seventeen. I was recruited as a spy. When Lin, Dusty, and Vixen brought me to Olympus at nineteen my whole world was turned upside down. Me and Dusty started to date. I discovered I was an avatar and I trained under Toph until I learned from Randall’s ghost. I had my two sons Hunter and Leo. I saved friends and buried friends. I built an organization from the ground up. I saved the world a handful of times. I spent seven years in Hell. I traveled to amazing places and met incredible people. I had more children and took in Sarah’s when she committed suicide.”
Molly looked down at the table. She drew a breath before continuing “I watched my children grow up. I taught them everything I know. From regular family cooking to strategy to win a battle. They are all on their own paths and I couldn’t be prouder. Dusty and I work closely when we can. He’s off training now, improving his mental abilities. I check in on my children every once in a while. Rebecca and Hazel are excelling. Ezekiel is making his own path. Becker has found a home and a wife. Then there’s my youngest Emilia. She’s defiantly brought a different life to the house. She has a way of making people laugh like no other. She tries to ride Mevah like a horse.”
I saw Molly smile “I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs, but I don’t look at it like that.” Sokka was intrigued “And what is that?” Molly pulled out her family picture “I hold onto the little things. The way Dusty and I dance at home. The way Becker looks at his friends. Even the way the other demigods look up to our family. It’s not about being strong all the time. It’s about leaning on others who accept you. Having fun in the little things. So yes I have found happiness and it lies in my children, my husband, and my friends.” Iroh spoke “That is a very interesting perspective Molly.” As the chatter started to pick up again I stayed silent. I was thinking about what Molly just said.
I had only just met her but I have heard a lot about her from Korra. I even met Molly’s sons Hunter and Leo before, but never her. I saw the fun in Hunter and Leo’s eyes and I saw that same sparkle in Molly’s eyes. Korra always told me she was strong, but I thought that was just because she was so good at being the avatar of her world. I never thought this woman was so strong as a person. Once it was time to say goodbye to our spirit friends I saw Molly cry as she hugged her parents. I saw their lips move but I couldn’t hear what they said. Their spirits rose to the sky like stars. Molly then went over to Randall. They did some weird hand shake and hug combination. Again I saw Randall’s lips move, but I couldn’t hear what was said.
I saw Korra say goodbye to Aang and Sokka. Korra beckoned me over. She grabbed my hand. Sokka nudged Aang “Look here Aang. Young love.” I blushed and smiled. Sokka was more serious now “I want you two to listen. Take care of Molly. She looks strong, but on the inside she’s always scared for what lies ahead. You are friends who have become family to her.” I spoke “I’m not so sure about that.” Aang spoke “Nonsense. She sees something in you. If she didn’t she wouldn’t have told us all her life story.” Korra spoke “Will we ever see you again?” Sokka spoke “You can’t get rid of us that easily. We’ll always be around.” Their spirits flew off in the sky like stars.