Letters From Iroh

Allies

I'd felt conflicted before but never to this degree. I couldn't remember at time at which I ever actually hyperventilated, but I was sure about to.

Luckily enough, or perhaps unluckily, I didn't have time.

Asami and Ma-Ling were talking to me, and it took several moments for me to realise what they were saying.

"Bao! Bao! Hey!" Ma Ling punched my arm. I'm sure she'd been wanting to do that for a while, but I guess it was nicer than it'd be before the life-debt thing. I wonder if the effect would last forever.

"Ow!" It got my attention.

"We said we don't have time to land here- not for you, anyway!"

Well, damn. "Why not?" Am I that unimportant?

"Well," Asami broke in. "I can't bend, like I said, and Ma-Ling here is an earthbender." I gulped. Right. I'm the one who can dive back into the raging, torrential sea and gale force winds down there. Still, Iroh was with me last time, and I did save him. I supposed that I actually was the one who looks stronger to them, which was so odd at first, but then it began to help me overcome my fear. I'm the one who saved him, who saved Ma-Ling. I am strong! I've done this three times now. I cant keep doubting myself. I can be heroic. I know how. I took that to heart. I guess I really was getting better at self-validation. "And I know you've done this sort of thing before." Dang. Yeah, I was, but it helped to have a confirmation right away.

"How?" I wasn't stalling, but I was totally stalling. "How do you know that, Asami?" I actually wasn't sure how she did, what she knew about me.

"The papers, silly!" I found it simultaneously cute, infuriating and funny how she'd use a term like that at a time like this, though, she was one of the only people who I'd met that could get away with it. "You saved a whole ship! The same spirit, same thing- we trust you! You may not realise it, how new Republic City is, what it means for peace in our time, but the more people who fight for its protection and those who care about it give it more and more reason to develop, to change for the better- to grow! I know that you were far away from it when you did what you did before, and we're not exactly near it now either, but this world isn't divided, is it? No matter where we go, we meet people like us, and it matters, the good and bad. I mean, look at your boyfriend! You're from where I am, where Korra lives, as most of those men were, too! You brought a lot of people hope. Keep at it! Fight with us!" Her speech was inspiring, but I still didn't want to dive off the wing of her plane. Even so, if she'd seen that article, then her friends must have too. It was weird how connected the world seemed then. So small. Oh...something else she'd said...just hit me: boyfriend. Not now, Bao. Remember what Ma Ling said, about keeping your petty nonsense out of this sort of thing. This is war, or, as close as it can get!

"Are you going to land at all?" I asked, trying to figure out their strategy, get a better idea of their overall game plan.

"Yeah! We just have to make a pit stop first. We need to be sure we have enough fuel, and help, too!" She laughed at her phrasing, like her priorities had been out of order. "I gotta pick up Mako and Bolin. Ma Ling can help him and some other earthbenders once we bring them back with us. They'll need us to land! We're lacking in their arena, now, so we're adapting. We've got more planes and other machinery from my Dad, I just wasn't expecting this." When she mentioned her father, she looked momentarily sad, but she got over it quickly. "We'll be back soon, but this is where you get out. Don't be afraid! You're brave. I know it. It won't take long at all for us to get back. You've got this!"

I inhaled. "Right." I looked over the edge of the aircraft as it circled overhead. I really disliked heights. "So, can you get lower, or closer?"