Winding Legacies: A 'The Legend of Korra' Rewrite

Episode 8: The Terror Within Part 2

"What is your full name?"

"Zhu Li Dae Moon."

Aiwei scribbled something down in the file in front of him, but Zhu Li's eyes never strayed from his face. Suyin noted that she was the only one of the people they had interviewed so far that hadn't worriedly looked to see what he was writing.

"Why is Zhu Li being questioned?" Asami asked. Mako requested that she join him and Bolin to oversee the interrogations. He said that what Lemaya brought up the night before had got him thinking even more about his theory and that he wanted more eyes on it than just Lin, Suyin, and Aiwei. "She helped us save Korra."

Suyin tried to focus on Aiwei's interrogation, but Mako's loud pacing around the separated observation room was not helping. "It could have been a cover."

"I may not know the girl, but you don't really believe that, do you?" Lin crossed her arms and kept her eyes trained on the interrogation happening on the other side of the glass in front of her.

"Aiwei said it could be a possibility."

Mako stopped. "There's no way Zhu Li had the time to let them in. I can account for Zhu Li during the thirty minutes Aiwei approximated the Red Lotus had between entering the city and getting to the estate."

"So can I," Asami said, stepping to Mako's side, "He shouldn't be wasting his time questioning someone who isn't responsible."

Suyin pressed her lips into a thin line. "We shall see."

"Do you have any knowledge of the people who tried to kidnap the Avatar?"

"No."

Aiwei flashed his eyes to Zhu Li. "Where were you last night?"

"I was playing General's Chess outside."

Aiwei cleared his throat and gestured to the door. "Thank you for your input, Zhu Li Dae Moon. You are free to go." Zhu Li promptly stood and left. Clearly, based on her behavior, she wasn't too fond of being investigated. Just like Lemaya.

Mako wondered how that did not strike Suyin as odd in the slightest.

"There are still more soldiers, but I wanted to get the others on Aiwei's list out of the way." Suyin turned away from the glass. "Rirran was just here, so that means it's just Zai left. Do either of you know where she is?" Asami looked around. Mako seemed deep in thought and Bolin was visibly itching to tell him something, so she offered to go look for her.

"I'll send the next guard in on my way out."

Zai wasn't too far away from the interrogation room. She hesitated before she moved her attention to Asami as she approached, but once she did she smiled brightly and turned to face her.

"Hey, Asami. How are you feeling?"

Asami shrugged. "I'm not sure yet." She looked out to where Zai had been facing a minute ago and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to remember if I saw anything off last night. I just want to help as much as I can, you know?" Asami nodded, though her arms instinctively crossing around themselves didn't help her come off as nonchalantly as she wanted to. "What's up?"

"Uh, you're on Aiwei's list for interrogating."

Zai raised her brows. "So you're here to take me in?" Her tone was a lot more playful than Asami anticipated, and it made a smile worm its way onto her face too.

"No, I'm just giving you a heads up."

"Mhm." Mimicking Asami, Zai crossed her arms and stepped forward as she hummed. "What's really up?" Asami didn't dare take her eyes away from Zai's, then she would really know that there was something else eating away at her. But she found it hard to continue to look at her without spilling her guts. She was usually such a confrontational person, that this nagging worry was, well, worrying her.