Chapter Text
Prologue
Hana sat cross legged at the bow of the sloop as it skimmed through the clear blue waters and occasionally kicked up a splash of spray. The dark speck of a fishing village on the coastline bobbed closer into view, but the boat took its time navigating the waves. Hana removed the leather glove from her hand to wipe the sweat from the back of her neck. She wondered if she should crop her shoulder length hair short. She resisted the urge to lick her sun chapped lips.
For distinguished service in two tours of duty with the White Lotus, Hana had earned a spot in the expedition Avatar Aang had commissioned to uncover Troi's origins. She applied for the makeshift fleet that was sailing between the islands off the coast of the southern Earth Kingdom. Between the endless sunshine and white sand beaches, she would spontaneously burst into a grin during the first few months of the tour. She hadn't resented her time in the mainland Earth Kingdom; she had specifically volunteered to serve in the rural areas where the White Lotus presence was most needed, but even saints would need a break from four years of muddy villages and rice gruel.
Now she had long run out of conversation topics with the other three people on the boat and tired of all the salted fish. The once welcome sun turned blinding. On cloudless days her eyes saw a flat block of blue skies stacked atop a block of blue ocean with a horizon that never moved closer. The scene was oppressive in its expansiveness. The full length White Lotus robes were not designed for the sticky tropical humidity, so Hana wiped off the sweat again as the boat docked at the fishing village's tiny pier.
The squad fell into routine as they split up to search for villagers who might possess the dusty memories that could shed light on Troi. Hana spotted a man with white hair and tanned, wrinkled skin reclining on an open air porch. He watched her silently and puffed on a pipe as she trudged across the sandy beach toward his home situated between a pair of palm trees.
"Hello, my name is Hana. I'm with the White Lotus. Might you have some time to help me by answering some questions? We're interviewing people to learn more about the early days of Troi."
The man set aside his pipe in an ashtray and grunted, "I have nothing but time." He stood up, and Hana tilted her head in confusion as the man walked back into his home. Her mood cleared when he returned with a carafe of water from which he poured out two glasses. He sat back down on the weather beaten floorboards and took a sip. "I'm Thanh. Hana, what would you like to know?"
Hana finished gulping down the water to wash the salt air from her throat. "When do you first remember hearing about Troi?"
Thanh scratched at his stubbly beard. "Let me think, it was quite a long time ago when the traveling merchants started carrying the news about what they called Vanishing Sickness. It was a few seasons after that before the disease visited us. The first victims were those who visited the other villages hawking their excess catch. They complained of cold hands and then numbness in the arms and legs. We thought it was the work of an angry sea spirit."
Thanh paused to take a long pull on his pipe and exhale a smoke ring. "Soon the sick were bedridden with their crippled bodies only able to sweat through the burning fevers. Another village figured out the disease spread through physical contact, so we wrapped up all the sick from head to toe in gauze." Hana nodded along as she made hurried annotations of the conversation in a log. She had heard the same story during her current travels and back on the mainland. The White Lotus uniform had originated from the first basic precautions instituted against Troi's spread from person to person.
Thanh continued his tale. "I remember once peeking through the curtains of the healing house and seeing all the rows of bandaged bodies. I caught sight of someone in the final stage. The man's body came alive in a spell of convulsions as if trying to wrench out his soul. Then he simply disappeared." His voice kept an even tone as he stared out at the ocean. "His bandages hung in the air for half a second before fluttering down to the empty sick bed. My mother became sick and passed away not long after. I became the village leader after that. I was fourteen. I'm seventy now, so you can do the math."
Hana's hand jerked in surprise and splattered the scroll in black ink as she ran through the calculations. That was years and years before the first known Troi incident!
Hana and the squad reconvened on the beach. The ocean winds rattled the palm trees and their bones, so the fire bender started up a driftwood bonfire. Over the length of a long sunset, they conjectured that for some decades Troi slumbered in these remote island chains until the Hundred Year War's conclusion. The old trading routes re-opened, but where favorable trade winds once separated communities, a more interconnected system of iron and steam carried the disease across sea and sky until it hit the mainland population centers.
Everyone knew the rest of the story. Avatar Aang handed down a mandate to the White Lotus to preserve the age of peace against Troi. They recruited water bending healers from the North and South. They scoured foggy mountain valleys for shamans who devoted their lives to the secrets of herbal remedies. They established medical colleges to train legions of new healers. The Earth Kingdom teetered towards collapse, so they raised peacekeeping troops and an engineering corps. In time, White Lotus found ways to halt the symptoms, but they could only delay the inevitable.
This story continues two generations later with a White Lotus engineer from Republic City currently in Harbor City for treatment in her own battle with Troi.
Chapter 1 Troi
Asami floated in the shining pool of healing water. Even indoors, the arctic air felt chill on her exposed face, though the water exuded a comforting warmth against the rest of her body. Small splashes occasionally lapped at her as Kya stroked the water's surface without ever touching Asami.
Asami heard the splash and drip of Kya pulling her hands out. The warmth of the surrounding water drifted away starting with her fingers, so Asami planted her feet onto the pool's stone bottom and stepped out. Kya cascaded the water off of Asami's body with a swish of her arms as a courtesy. Asami had expected the gesture, but she still shivered in surprise as the water appeared to move of its own accord off of her skin. Kya moved into the kitchen to attend to a kettle. With a flick of her wrist, the water boiled over into which she threw a handful of herbs to steep.
As Asami dressed, she asked, "What's the outlook? Should I ask for a refund on my return ticket to Republic City?" Kya responded from the kitchen with a stern look. Asami grinned. "I'm trying to keep the mood light and tell you there's no need to hold back."
Kya poured out a mug of the medicinal tea and placed it down on the table for Asami. The healer folded her hands as she took her seat. "The treatment was successful, but there's still significant clouding in your chi paths that I couldn't remove. I would prefer to keep you under my supervision at least for the next few days. Late stage Troi can be unpredictable." Asami nodded slowly without revealing any emotion. "That doesn't mean there isn't hope. If things look well by the end of the week, I'll be seeing you off to Republic City. You'll have to come back every several weeks to continue treatment, but let's focus on the now. The healing today went well, and you should be feeling better. I'll see you again tomorrow after which you'll feel even better after that."
Asami forced a smile. Kya could have told her that she had ten seconds to live, so the actual prognosis could have been worse. It opened up a window of hope, but after Asami had exhausted her Republic City options and came seeking probably the best healer within and without the White Lotus, she had clung onto the hope Kya had a miracle cure. That fantasy died in this moment even as Kya had given Asami a few more months of life. She finished the medicine in silence and bowed to Kya before leaving.
The iced over sidewalk crunched beneath her boots threatening to slip her up, and the cold seeped through her layers of clothes. Pins and needles pricked at her thighs. Her ears stung. Her nose began running. After a short walk, Asami decided she's had enough of the arctic weather and entered the nearest diner. The warmth inside triggered a different type of burning sensation as blood rushed back to her extremities, but that was preferable to the outdoors.
Asami randomly pointed at something on the menu. It wouldn't have taken much time to look over the few listed items, but the waiter had hovered around waiting to take her order, and she had wanted to be left alone as soon as possible. He returned with a pot of house tea, and she dismissed him with a curt nod. Asami knew she was raised better than to exorcise her frustrations on the service industry, but a selfish part of her felt entitled to fifteen minutes of anger at the world at large after a healer had outlined the end of the line for her. She resolved to leave a bigger tip even if that didn't excuse her surliness.
She downed a cup of the tea. It tasted like it had been harvested on a third rate Earth Kingdom tea plantation and then spent weeks staling in a cargo hold before arriving in Harbor City. It at least warmed her insides, so Asami poured another cup. This time she let the aroma linger in her nostrils. After she reached the bottom of the chipped mug, she savored the slight bitterness of the tea dregs. She gazed outside where street lamps cast off a yellow glow that illuminated the bundled up figures braving the darkness. Tendrils of winter leaked in through the windowsill, but her foul mood ebbed in strength.
The waiter brought out a bowl of seaweed noodles. Asami managed a 'Thank you' this time. She dipped her spoon into the broth and grabbed a clump of noodles with her chopsticks. The first bite revealed the Water Tribe restaurants back in Republic City as pale imitations. The broth was filling in a comforting way without being heavy. It also possessed a thread of citrus that encouraged her appetite the more she ate. The noodles had a firmness that flaunted the freshness of the ingredients. The world looked like a better place after a good meal, so Asami decided against returning straight to the hotel to mope until the next session with Kya.
Stepping back outside, she drew in a deep breath and exhaled. As the fog of her breath drifted away into the air, so did some of her worries. The annual Glacier Spirits Festival was a few days away, so Asami made her way in the general direction of the fairgrounds to check out the preparations. She skirted the harbor with its crowds of Northern Tribesmen disembarking as dock workers rushed in the opposite direction to unload cargo. She instead detoured through the residential neighborhoods and kept walking until she found herself at the perimeter of the midway. Children sat on stacks of lumber and bundles of tarps watching workers drive tent poles into the frozen ground. Merchants argued with festival representatives for more central locations. Asami smiled to herself at the liveliness.
Away from the thud of hammers and the splintering crack of crates being pried open, Asami wandered into an ice sculpture gallery busy with water benders drafting their pieces by lamplight. On the nearly completed pieces the artists worked only a few inches from the ice. From behind, only firm stances and the slightest of shoulder twitches indicated any bending motions. Asami chanced taking a few steps closer to the nearest artist, who had carved a sea dragon lunging out from the waves at the viewer. The water bender stood crouched below the serpent's head as he focused on the torso. Under the direction of his fingers, smooth cracks snaked below the crystal clear surface to simulate the pattern of scales. As the zigzagging of the ice drew Asami's attention in, a cloud of snow smacked her in the side of the face. After she shook the powder from her hair and wiped her face dry, she glared over at the direction of the assailant.
Across the way, a Water Tribe teenager about Asami's age with her hair in traditional wolf tails melted the surrounding snow with circling motions of her arms. Lunging forward, she surged the water up onto a pedestal where she froze it into a block with a chop. The young woman paced around the ice with a critical eye and her right hand upon her chin. Apparently satisfied with the material, she began roughly slashing off chunks of the ice and sending showers of grain sized hail into the surroundings. As abruptly as she began, she paused. She shook her head in apparent disapproval and dismantled the sculpture in an explosion of steam and snow, which Asami dodged this time around.
The other water benders continued working without breaking rhythm. As they didn't seem to mind the antics of their neighbor, neither did Asami. She laughed aloud which brought the attention of the young water bender, who arched an eyebrow back at her. Asami brought a gloved hand to her mouth to try to pass the laughter off as a coughing fit. When the woman continued staring, Asami gave a wave and called out, "I like your work. Very energetic. Very avante garde!" before running away down the nearest alley towards another part of the festival grounds.
Asami chewed her lips as she stewed over her choice of words. Sure, I've been more of a recluse these past few months, but I haven't forgotten how to interact with people, right? Avante garde. That was stupid. As the flush faded from her cheeks, only then did she notice the numbness in her hands. They didn't have the sharp pains of numbness from the wind and cold; it was almost as if they weren't there. She stopped in the middle of the alley and held her gloved hands out in front of her. In a fit of paranoia, she started thinking back to the tea at the cafe and wondering whether the cup felt as hot as it should have in her hands. The boom of a distant explosion caused her to jump in the air. She looked back toward the pavilion where they were testing fireworks in the night sky. She returned her attention to her hands and yanked off a glove.
Asami could see the icy puddles through her near transparent palm. With her ghostly hand, she pulled the other glove off. The uncovered hand had the same see through complexion. Her heart froze in place before a chest spasm like an iron grip sent her to the ground in pain. She knew her arms were wrapped around her torso trying to contain the fire that seemed to burn within, but she just couldn't feel them at all. Once Troi entered this final stage, there was no stepping back from the brink. She had watched it at bedsides and from doorways many times before. Through ragged breathes and clenched eyes, she still cried out for help. The fireworks boomed over her voice.
Then relief. The seizure melted away like morning dew under the summer sun. Asami opened her eyes and saw a pair of blue eyes staring back at her. "Hey! Are you okay?!" said the avante garde sculptor from before. She knelt beside Asami with one hand holding onto Asami's wrist and the other supporting her neck.
Asami shoved herself back away from the grasp. "You touched me! You shouldn't have touched me!" Asami inhaled, but the gasp of air died in her throat as the spasms returned. The Water Tribe woman reached out to grab hold of Asami's hands. The pain receded. Asami looked down and there her hands were, solid and whole against her savior's grip.
Asami said, "Excuse me, but can you please come with me?! I think you could be the key to everything!"
"What?" the young woman responded. She leaned back as Asami leaned forward into her personal space.
"I don't know how, but you're doing something to treat my Troi right now. This could be groundbreaking for the world, so can you please come with me?"
"Okay, alright, sure?" she stammered.
"Great!" Asami stood up and began dashing through the streets while continuing to hold on tight to her new companion. Asami slipped on the ice here and there, but her new friend was on hand to help her up before they continued running. They didn't exchange another word until they barged in through Kya's doors in a breathless state.
After Kya sat them down, Asami launched into a rambling retelling of the situation. "This could be the first step in the creation of a cure. We need to get her back to White Lotus headquarters to figure out how the healing process is working." Asami looked over. "I'm sorry, this is a lot to take in. I didn't even get your name. I'm Asami."
"Korra," she said.
The name set off the gears in Asami's mind. Nah, couldn't be. It's probably a common enough name, like Yuki or Mei back home.
Kya supplied the key with a smirk. "Yes, that Korra."
The nugget of information sank in. Asami buried her face into her free hand. "So I've been dragging the Avatar across Harbor City into who knows what? I also made fun of your ice sculpture too. Let's not forget that."
Korra shrugged. "I guess you could put it like that. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm still trying to process everything."
Kya ran a globe of healing water over their joined hands. "Your chi paths have miraculously cleared up, though, I can still detect large traces of Troi. I've never seen that before." Kya's eyebrows knitted together. "I can't prove Korra is the cause, though it's highly likely given the circumstances. I can say Korra has not contracted Troi despite the physical contact, which indicates an unheard of immunity."
Kya dismissed the water into a bowl and settled back in her chair. "Either way, this discovery is far beyond my skills to keep to myself. We need to take this to the White Lotus. Korra, it's a few months ahead of schedule, but I think they'll be sending you to headquarters in Republic City for further investigation. What do you say?"
"Are you kidding? That would be amazing!" Korra stood up from the table and pumped her fists, shaking Asami's right arm along with them.
Asami said, "Thank you so much for your help. I'll pass the news on to my superiors."
"Until then..." Kya's voice trailed off, but another knowing smile curved onto her lips. Asami followed Kya's line of sight to their still clasped hands. The mental gears began turning again. She felt uneasy about Kya's look and could sense the catastrophe waiting to drop. "Speaking as a medical professional, until the cure for Troi is found, I don't care what the circumstance are, you two need to keep in physical contact at all times. If you don't do it, Asami will die."
"What?!" they both cried out in tandem as their hands slammed onto the table. Kya seemed unfazed by the outburst aside from a twitch at the corner of her mouth.
"You mean, even when we're sleeping and in the bathroom?" asked Korra.
Kya nodded solemnly. "Especially in the bathroom."
Asami said, "I do not want to be hearing about this right now. I think I liked your medical advice better when I was closer to dying."
Kya continued, "You shouldn't look a miraculous gift ostrich horse in the mouth. Also, my expectation is that the White Lotus will want to move quickly, so I suggest you tell Korra's parents every little detail as soon as possible. Please feel free to bring me along if you need any emotional support or corroborating testimony."
As Troi couldn't take her at that moment, Asami wondered if suffering under an iceberg's weight in pure embarrassment was enough to trigger instantaneous death on the spot. Asami waited a beat. Nope. Embarrassment is apparently not a viable method of death as recognized by the grim reaper. Korra and Asami indignation at Kya's amusement hung in the air, but Kya kept up her grin.
In an admission of defeat, Korra turned to Asami to say, "Do you want to meet my parents?"
Asami sighed. "I guess there's no avoiding it."
Korra led Asami to a large shed attached to the back of Kya's home where Naga dozed on the ground. Upon hearing the door open, Naga bounded towards Korra and sent the strings of herbs hanging from the rafters swaying in her wake. Naga licked Korra's face, and Korra rubbed the polar bear dog's neck with her hand. Korra said, "Asami, meet Naga. Naga, meet Asami. Long story, but she'll be sticking around with us for a bit so be nice to her."
Korra had given Asami advance warning about the polar bear dog, but mentally expecting the animal and physically seeing the shifting muscles below its fur as it charged towards her were two separate things. Asami tentatively placed her hand out, and Naga huffed into Asami's face in greeting. "Hey, Naga already likes you," Korra said.
She grabbed Naga's saddle and looked at the straps dangling from the seat. "I need both hands to saddle Naga, but we only need to keep touching some part of each other right? We don't need to hold hands, so can you hold onto..." Korra paused as she thought of where Asami could put her hands.
Ever the logic problem solver, Asami suggested, "You were holding onto my neck when you found me. How about I reach into your collar from behind and grab onto your shoulder?" Asami said this without looking to see Kya's reaction.
Without prompting, however, Kya offered, "I would help Korra, but you two will need to figure out these types of things out eventually. Who knows how long the research for the cure could take?"
When Naga was prepped, Korra reached for Asami's hand to help Asami into the spot behind her. Korra cleared her throat. "It's pretty cold outside. Too cold to go without gloves. I was using fire bending earlier to keep our hands warm, but for the amount of time we'll be riding it'll takes a decent amount of concentration and energy. If you don't mind, could you reach beneath my parka?" Korra stared straight ahead as she rushed out the last sentence, but winced as Kya broke out into open laughter which sent Asami's eyes boring right into the back of Korra's neck.
Asami relented, and her hand found Korra's bare stomach. They set off and when they were safely out of Kya's earshot, Asami asked, "You're not ticklish, are you? I can feel you squirming a little."
Korra shook her head. "No. I'm just not used to someone holding onto me. Don't worry about me, I'm more worried about you falling off Naga." Asami had at first lightly placed her fingers over Korra's abs. As Naga navigated through the mounds of snow that blurred the lines between the sidewalk and the road, Asami pressed her palm flat onto Korra's skin for a tighter hold. Asami lost herself in the moment at the almost alien heat of another person.
The ride continued on through the streets of Harbor City, which were silent except for the crush of snow beneath Naga's paws and the bite of the wind. The nighttime fog confined the efforts of the streetlamps into amorphous orbs of hazy yellow light with long stretches of shadow in between. From their perspective, the few other travelers on the road would appear out of the darkness and were soon be swallowed up by the same again. With each step bringing her closer to the destination, an unease began sprouting in the pit of Asami's stomach. Kya's jokes were easy enough to brush off even if they were mortifying, but Asami communicating the same general message to Korra's parents would give this dreamlike absurdity the weight of reality.
Naga slowed to a trot, and they arrived at the threshold to Korra's home. Despite the lure of bright warmth inside, Asami stayed standing by Naga after dismounting. She said, "Let's plan this out. What do we even say to your parents? I don't even know their names."
Korra replied, "We tell them the truth, like how we explained it to Kya. I can start off. And my dad's name is Tonraq. My mom is Senna. I'm sure they'll like you."
"Tonraq. Senna. I know that. I should have known that. And the truth. I don't know where to even begin. The past few hours have been a blur." Asami hugged her shivering body, but didn't take any steps closer towards the door. "How are you taking this so well?"
Korra shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea. I guess I'm always in a better mood when I'm riding Naga, so on the way over I told myself that this is what the Avatar is supposed to do, to help people and bring balance to the world after Troi has thrown it off balance. I'm trying to hold on tight to that idea while improvising the rest."
"The fight against Troi was something Avatar Aang handed over to White Lotus. Won't this whole mess interrupt your bending training? And what about the Glacier Spirit Festival? You're going to miss that if we leave for Republic City, and I kept you from finishing your ice sculpture!"
Korra paused at Asami's words and then laughed. "The festival happens every year. I'm willing to skip it for a chance to visit Republic City. And you're coming back to the ice sculpture, really? I was only goofing around with that."
Asami interjected, "What if we're in Republic City for longer than a year? The research could take years. And you need to tell your parents that I'm whisking you away from here towards that unknown future."
"Then we'll get to spend even more time in Republic City. If you're worried about me, I can handle it. My parents can handle it. All a part of the job of being the Avatar and being the Avatar's parents," Korra said. "How are you holding up?"
Asami shook her head. "I don't even know. They tell us in White Lotus orientation that we're all working towards the complete eradication of Troi, but I always thought I would be building bridges and fixing Satomobiles. Now I'm just along for the ride and hoping I don't screw anything up. You're the important one."
"Hey..." Korra looked around the empty streets for who or what she didn't know as no lifeline was forthcoming. She stepped closer to Asami. She brought her hand up to Asami's face where tears were welling in her eyes.
Another person hadn't been this physically close to Asami since she had contracted Troi. Her body wanted to recoil back. She resisted the ingrained reaction. She said, "I'm a terrible future roommate aren't I, breaking down in front of you like this? I should also let you know that I take forever in the bathroom in the mornings. And if you hang around me long enough, oil stains will start appearing everywhere, just everywhere. You should run away while you still can." Asami half sniffled, half chuckled.
"Roommates, is that what we're calling ourselves? I've never had a roommate before. I hope you like the tsungi horn because I heard I was terrible at it in a past life, but I've been thinking about picking it up for some late night jam sessions."
The front door creaked open. Senna stumbled upon Korra and Asami laughing and leaning into each other as Korra's hand rested upon Asami's cheek. Senna said, "Korra, I thought I heard you outside. And you brought a friend."
"We can handle this," Asami muttered underneath her breath.
Korra dropped her hand from Asami's cheek and replied, "Mom, this is Asami. She's with the White Lotus. We have a long, complicated story to tell you and Dad, so why don't we come in?"
Senna ushered the pair into the living room. Asami heard Korra speaking, but the pounding of Asami's heart kept her from processing any of the words. She kept her eyes trained on Senna and Tonraq to capture all of their reactions. They seemed to be taking things well, but her fight or flight response kept blaring out an alarm. She shifted closer to the edge of the couch as if jumping up and running out of the house with Korra in tow would be the correct move when the conversation turned sour. Asami forced all the excess tension into her grip on Korra's hand. The smile on Korra's grew a little bit more strained, but everyone except Asami kept talking. Asami caught some of Senna's words about her helping Korra to pack for the trip and bringing out an extra set of pillows so they could spend the night. With no fallout in sight, the ball of stress in Asami's chest dissolved away not with a bang, but with a whimper.
That night, Korra and Asami lay together in bed with their hands bound together by cloth. Asami wrapped herself under the covers and wiggled her toes. The warmth that Troi had previous stolen from her had been returned. It would be there the next day and the day after, but for now the thought of a long, snug slumber was too new not to savor. Asami said, "Are you asleep yet? I'm sorry for freaking out earlier. I came to Republic City with no idea of how much more time I had, and I went from staring at the end to solving the world's biggest problem to ruining the Avatar in a really short amount of time. I'm more...collected now. I don't think I ever said it, but thank you for saving my life."
Korra looked over and grinned. "All in a day's work for the Avatar. Just watch how hard you're squeezing onto me next time. I think my hand is still crippled." Asami gave her a light bop with a pillow for her cheekiness before turning in. Korra listened to Asami breathing pattern drift slower into sleep. Korra stayed awake staring at the ceiling. Won't this whole mess interrupt your bending training? Asami's words from earlier were the last thought to echo through her mind as she fell asleep.