章 96: The Southern Water Tribe(3)

After the dinner was over we went back to the fair and continued to explore. I had an amazing time with Nya and for a brief time all the plans I had, all the worries that plagued my mind all the things that occupied my brain dissipated, leaving space only for her laughter in my mind.

In all my reverie I managed to remember something and that was to warn Bolin about Eska, unfortunately, I was too late and that ship had already sailed. All I could do now was pray for him...

After a night of fun and a lot of carnival games won, 'limbo state' sure is versatile, I left with a lot of stuffed animals making Nya very happy. We went to sleep at Korra's place, turns out, even though her father was exiled he had quite a bit of money. This showed in the massive guest accommodations he had prepared for us. Tall, well heated wooden cabins stood ready for us to settle in, from what I read about Water Tribe culture, the wealth of a family was shown from the material of their houses, since most material needed to be imported, the more expensive the material was to procure the better, and wood was at the top of that list. Before all of us went to sleep I went to talk with Korra about what happened today, since she was still unsure of what she should do.

"Korra, may I come in?"

"Of course! What can I help you with Ethan? Do you need anything? I can get dad if you need help to settle in."

"Oh, no thank you! Everything is good, better than I ever imagined, it's been ages since I had this much fun! I digress, what I'm here for is actually you. I might not have special powers as you do, but I can tell when something is eating at you, need any advice? A smart man once said, "Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisers, they succeed." "

"No... Actually,...Yes! I don't understand how you always know when I need help, it's like you have a sixth sense!"

"Hahaha, I was blessed by the Creator to know when my sheep need their shepherd!"

"What?"

"Nothing it's a joke about philosophy, what can I do for you?"

"I've been thinking about what Unalaq said, that the South is unbalanced and that it needs to get back in touch with its spiritual side and it's my job to do it, what's your opinion on this?"

"That he's right, I'll tell you this outright so there are no confusions, I don't like that man, he's a snake and he reminds me of Amon, I stand by my words earlier today about the fact that I'm almost certain that he intentionally let your father destroy that sacred forest which resulted in getting him banished fully knowing the outcome, coupled with the fact that he's probably planning to unify the Water Tribes by force and than there is something he's hiding, that even I can't put my finger on it, but he's hiding something a lot more sinister than the two things mentioned before.

Putting those speculations behind, three facts remain unquestioned, that he is a master at dealing with spirits and that he wants to teach you how to do it as well and as the avatar is your job to learn them. It pains me to say it but Tenzin has no idea about the practical spiritual side, sure he read a lot of books but I never saw him and never heard of him dealing with spirits, while you could learn from him it might take a lot of time and knowing you, quitting halfway and going to Unalaq is a guarantee, face it, patience was never your strong suit.

As I see it, you only have one choice, you let Unalaq teach you how to be a better avatar, and you watch your back while doing so. Not all the bad things I said about him might be true but one thing is for sure, he's not a good person, he will not help anyone if he doesn't get something in return. He's not after the prestige that comes from being the avatar's teacher so what is he after?

Sleep on it, the night is the mother of counsel, after all."

"Do you think he did that to my father?"

"Oh, I know he did it! But it's impossible to prove, I can read people better than anyone I know, but this won't convince anyone that the great Water Tribe hero is a sham. I'm going to tell you this again so you don't forget, that man is a treacherous serpent, the good thing for you is that he is smart so he wouldn't make a move on you unless you are causing a massive inconvenience to him, perks of being the avatar."

"Are you sure this is the best method? I mean, I don't always agree with Tenzin but choosing Unalaq over him under those conditions seems a little..."

"I know what you mean, in the end, it's your decision, I can't make you choose either if you don't want to. I gave you all the advice I could, now it's your turn to decide."

After I said goodbye I went back to my cabin and went to sleep alongside Nya. It was a dream-like scene, the fire crackling in the fireplace, the sound of snow falling outside and the warm embrace of Nya was the best combination I could ever hope for. So in the embrace of the person I loved, I went to sleep, slowly sinking deeper in the land of dreams, at least for a little while.