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randomwritingguy · 1 year

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The Myth of Y/N (Korra x Reader) Part 23

LIBERATION

Y/N'S POV

I trace back and forth in silent anger in the garden behind the Swanky, trying in desperation to resist the temptation of marching to the palace and unleashing my rage.

FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!

In just a short amount of time, so much went wrong.

First, before even Korra got back from the Earth Queen, we realised that Kai was missing. The little thief ran off to do spirits know what. Mako and Bolin went off to find him and they haven't come back yet, much to the worry of all of us.

Then, if that wasn't enough, Korra returned and told us that she has to something for the Earth Queen before she even considers helping us. She said it was something about collecting tax money from the South and bring it to the highness. Basically, being a poster girl for her like some little servant. Despite her dismay, she and Asami went to collect it.

However, when Korra finally obtained the money and brought it to her, the Earth Queen has the absolute nerve to tell her that our report of airbenders in Ba Sing Se was incorrect and that there were none of them present. Bullshit! I wasn't even there, and I can already tell that she's hiding something. Then, when my best friend gives her a piece of her mind for giving her nothing after helping her, she demanded for her to leave!

FUCK!

Korra isn't happy about this either, obviously. Actually, she's fuming just like I am.

As I pace around the area, I notice Korra sparring with Asami presumably to blow off some steam. They've seen to gotten much closer. The thought makes me smile.

That slight trace of happiness is quickly diminished by my anger once more at the situation. At the Queen. DAMMIT!

I march toward the pair, both women lost in their own world. "You guys all right?"

Korra turns me to me, eyes blazing with a fiery rage. "No! The Earth Queen is nothing but a no-good liar! I know it with her stupid little queenly smirk! I should have known she was using me!"

"Don't blame yourself." Asami assures her gently. "There's nothing you could have done."

I let out a deep, frustrated breathe. "Agreed. Don't give the bitch another victory. We just have to wait for Mako and Bolin to retur-"

Before I can finish my sentence, I hear the all-too familiar chitter of our friendly fire ferret, Pabu. Then, immediately afterwards, we see the two brothers rushing towards us in a state of panic.

Speak of the devil.

"You guys all right?" I ask them with concern.

The two brothers, Bolin especially, are catching their breathe. The earthbender tries to give out a simple explanation. "We chased Kai. Train. Slipped away. Lower Ring. Slept in trash pile. Met our family. Grandma tears. Mako scarf. Earth Queen. Lying."

The last three words catch my attention.

Earth Queen lying?!

Asami turns to Mako. "Can you interpret that?"

"The Earth Queen's been secretly taking away airbenders and forcing them into her army." The firebender elaborates with utmost seriousness.

WHAT?!

She's been forcing airbenders to be her slaves?! Like they're not human?!

My fists clench tightly, teeth grating.

First Tarrlok, then Unalaq, now this?!

Nothing has changed! Why are these people so fucking vile?!

"She was lying. I knew it!" Korra angrily responds. "I swear, the next time I see her-"

"-It's the Queen." Asami urgently whispers.

What?!

Snapping out of my thoughts, I finally come face to face with...

Her.

The Earth Queen, carried in a sedan like she's the most special butterfly in the world. Then she approaches us with Guan by her side.

"Good. You're here." She speaks up. Despite her words, she doesn't sound pleased to see us at all. The feeling is mutual. "Gun, tell them the news."

The Grand Secretariat responds without hesitation. "We've received word from the Yang Province. There have been reports of airbenders there."

"Wonderful, isn't it?" the Queen oh so sarcastically and rhetorically asks us. "It's the very thing you've been looking for."

My eye twitches in response to the comments.

What I'm looking for right now is her abdication.

Korra responds with the same level sarcasm as the highness. "Thank you! That is just the most wonderful news. Ever. Yay."

Yay indeed. Fucking yay indeed.

"So, I assume you and your friends here will be leaving immediately." The Queen continues with her usual arrogance. She's probably jumping with joy on the inside of the idea that we will be departing or, at least, that's what she thinks we are going to do. However, before she can continue, she begins sneezing in repetition much to utter dismay and panic of Gun. "Is there an animal in my presence?"

Oh...so that's why she doesn't like animals. Makes sense. I glance to Bolin who covered Pabu behind his shirt. I guess the ferret's the reason for this allergic reaction.

Sweat falls rapidly from the man's face, so fast that one can mistake him to be crying from a distance, as he stutters out a response. "N-no, Your Majesty. I would never allow an animal near you."

The Queen sneezes once more followed by the utmost of rage in her glare. "If I find one within fifty feet of me, it's your head."

The man recoils from her threat. That fucking bitch.

"You should be nicer to him." I blurt out.

Everyone goes silent and immediately darts their head towards me, including the queen. She is sending me daggers of death with her own emerald irises.

"You have no say in this." She growls out and then turns to Korra. "Avatar, control your servant."

SERVANT?!

"I'm not anyone's servant!" I snarl with venom. "I'm a person! Just like those who live in your kingdom, your highness!"

"How dare you!" she exclaims. Before the situation can escalate, Korra steps in between us to act as an emotional negotiator.

"Your highness, I apologise for my friend's behaviour." She replies with professionalism. "We would leave but, uh-"

"-Our airship is having engine trouble." Asami cleverly fabricates. "It'll take me until tomorrow to finish the repairs."

Good thinking, Miss Sato. Good thinking.

After a hurricane of sneezes (much to my pleasure), the Queen sighs heavily. "Very well. Avatar, make sure any of your servants, especially that Water Tribe one of yours, is kept in line."

She glares daggers at me one more time and then walks away along with Gun, sneezing as she does so.

When she's finally away from earshot, Korra turns to me with frustration painted across her features. "Y/N! What was that?!"

"What was that?!" I ask rhetorically. "What was that?! I was giving her a piece of my mind! Of all of our minds! She deserved it!"

"And you nearly blew our cover!" She counters. Her face softens then slightly. "I completely get why you're angry, but we need to stay focused. All of us."

A hand is pressed on my shoulder. I glance to my right and see Mako.

"Korra's right, Y/N." the firebender tells me. "Let's tell the others and focus on freeing the airbenders."

I look at my friends who all have concern washed in their shining eyes.

Breathing out heavily, I nod slowly.

"You're right." I mutter. "Let's go."

When we finally go back to our accommodation and tell the others, nearly all of them are left in shock especially Tenzin. Everyone but Eshah.

"I can't believe the Earth Queen is conscripting airbenders." The airbending master states, completely stunned. That's all he can say.

"I'm not." Esha mutters. "From what I've read of the kingdom's history, I'm not really surprised. There appears to be a trend of morally bankrupt kept secrets in Ba Sing Se."

She isn't wrong.

"I can't believe I thought the secrets were over! Those people should not be forced to join an army!" Korra barks out, her anger from earlier resurfaced. I'm just standing to the side, my once fiery rage now cooled down and replaced with shame and embarrassment from my outburst.

Bumi's shock seemed to have diminished and is replaced with nonchalant once more. "Well, technically, the Earth Queen has a right to conscript her citizens."

WHAT?!

"Bumi!" I let out in surprise.

"What?!" The retired commander replies, hands in the air. "It's true!"

Okay, fine, technically, she has the authority to do so. Still doesn't make it right!

"Guys, what if Kai was spotted airbending?" Jinora worriedly asks, fear spread all across her face. "He might have been taken too."

I gaze at her with sympathy. I know all too well what she's feeling. That's what I felt when I saw Korra breaking down before Tenzin and I, when she was bloodbent by Amon, and her lifeless face when her bending of all but air was robbed from her. The feeling of the one you care about more than anyone being hurt. She might not feel as strongly, it seems to be an innocent little crush so far, but its familiar.

"Jinora, we're going to find him." I reassure her in attempt to calm her nerves. It doesn't seem to be working.

"But-"

"-Y/N is right, we will find Kai." Korra interrupts, kneeling before her and placing her hands on the young Air Nomad's shoulders like a comforting older sibling. "We just need to figure out where to look."

"I bet they're under Lake Laogai." Mako simply states.

...what?

We all stare at him and the firebender notices. "What? I've been reading some of Jinora's books. The old Dai Li agents used to have a secret fortress beneath the lake."

That's true. Avatar Aang and his friends travelled there in an attempt to rescue his Air Bison. Maybe they still use the base?

It appears Jinora recognises this too. "Mako's right! It's the perfect spot to hide airbenders, and I know how to check it out without being caught. I can project my spirit into it!"

Wait, what?!

Project her spirit?!

She can still do that?!

It seems her claim caught everyone else off guard too, even Bumi. "You mean that out-of-body thing you and Y/N did to help giant, spirity Korra?"

"You can still do that!?!" Tenzin asks with bewilderment.

"It's not as powerful as it was during Harmonic Convergence, but if I can get close enough, I think I can do it." Jinora explains carefully. She then looks at me. "You could probably still do it too, Y/N."

What?!

"I...I don't know..."

"Jinora's got a point." Asami notes. "If she can do it, why can't you?"

I open my mouth for a retort but I fail to the find the words.

She's...she's right.

The words of Korra, Tenzin, and Jinora become nothing but buzz in my mind and from my peripheral vision I see them leaving the accommodation. I assume they're going to Lake Laogai.

Me? Spiritual projection?

"Y/N!"

The feeling of a rough hand on my shoulder shaking me snaps me out of my little trance. I turn slightly to see Bumi with a raised eyebrow.

"You okay, kid?"

"Yeah, yeah!" I reply earnestly. "Just stunned at the possibility that I could project my spirit. I mean, that's crazy!"

"You can say that again!" Bumi agrees. "Speaking of crazy, this reminds me of the time I had to fight an entire tribe of spirit worshippers and I bested them with all with a feather and a string!"

I roll my eyes with amusement. Classic Bumi.

We all discuss and chatter on the current situation on what we could do once we learn of the location of Kai and the airbenders. Despite this, I can't help but continue thinking of this recent revelation that I can potentially project my spirit. That ability can be really helpful for communication and spying. If I properly start my airbending training, I can use this ability to my advantage in a lot of difficult circumstances.

After chatting for a considerable amount of time, Korra, Tenizn, and Jinora return.

"Well?" I ask them, stepping slightly toward them. "Are the airbenders underneath Laogai?"

Jinora shakes her head frantically. "No. With my spirit projection I was able to discover that Kai and the others are underneath the Earth Queen's temple!"

I hear a collective gasp from this, including me! The temple?! That was so close to us!

A irritated groan emits from Korra, clearly frustrated. "I can't believe Miss Queeny Smug Face had them right under our noses the whole time!"

You can say that again. I can't believe we were so close to them! The absolute arrogance!

"We have to get into that compound tonight and get those airbenders out." Tenzin declares, clearly already made up his mind.

I nod in agreement. "So, what's the plan?"

"I got just the one for a situation like this!" Bumi excitedly exclaims. "We go in under the cover of darkness: two small insertion teams and a third on the outside. Then all we'll need is twelve tons of blasting jelly, a medium-sized bulldozer and ... does anyone have a badgermole that knows Morse code?"

...

Well then, that was...something.

Before anyone can provide, um, feedback on Bumi's plan the tame mood is erupted by the a loud pounding on the door.

SHIT!

"Oh, great." Asami bitterly mutters. "Not the Queen again."

I glance at my earthbending friend or, specifically, the little fire ferret on his shoulder. "Uh, Bolin-"

He instantly understands, letting out a quick "On it!" After a quick disagreement, Pabu jumps down his shirt.

Okay, animal is gone. Time for more talk with the highness.

Then, after a short glance to us, Tenzin opens the door wide.

It's not the Earth Queen. Not even Gun. There, standing before the airbending master, is a tall middle-aged woman in black metallic armour, hair grey as the clouds and eyes with green that rival the grass. On her cheek is two infamous slashes that have brought fear into the hearts of criminals.

It's-

"Lin!?" Tenzin asks, completely bewildered as we all are. "What are you doing here?"

Yeah, what the hell is the Chief of Republic City Police doing in Ba Sing Se in all places?!

Beifong walks inside immediately and wastes no time. "We need to get Korra out of here immediately. Her life's in danger."

WHAT?!

"Korra is in danger?!" I ask, marching towards the two. "From who?"

"Yeah, what?!" my best friend adds on, marching to Beifong and Tenzin too. "What is going on?"

Despite our bombardment of questions, both of them don't pay us any notice like we don't exist!

"I just got word from Lord Zuko and Tonraq."

Tonraq?! Lord Zuko?! Huh?!

Korra seems just as confused as I am. "Why is Lord Zuko with my dad?"

Neither of them, yet again, take a single glance at us.

"Zaheer and the others have escaped."

Zaheer? Who in the spirits is Zaheer? And others?!

"How is that possible?"

"Because Zaheer is an airbender now."

A bad airbender? That's unheard of. And he wants to kill Korra?!

Finally tired of being ignored, I loudly speak up. "Stop ignoring us and tell us what going on! Korra deserves to know since you think her life is in danger!"

"Yeah!" Korra agrees. "Will you quit ignoring us and tell us what's going on? Who's Zaheer? Why is my life in danger?"

Finally, they give us the attention we desperately needed. After sharing a glance with the Chief, he turns to Korra with a solemn and troubled look painted across his features. "Shortly after we found out you were the Avatar, Zaheer and three others attempted to kidnap you. Luckily, your father, Lord Zuko, Chief Sokka and I were there to stop them. We apprehended the criminals and locked them away in prisons designed to impair their abilities."

When our mentor finally finishes his explanation, my breathe is stolen entirely.

Now it makes all sense...

I remember the day when Korra was moved to the Southern Water Tribe compound. I think I was like six years old when I woke up, went outside, and saw a crying Korra pulling me into a hug so tight that my bones nearly cracked.

"Korra, what's wrong?"

The tears on her face breaks my heart. Why is my friend so sad?

"I'm being sent away."

WHAT?!

"Why?!" I ask her. "Did you do something wrong?"

She shakes her head, sniffing loudly. "Dad told me the White Lotus are taking me to some, uh, I don't know what its called but its some place. He said Aang wanted me to be there for training."

Avatar Aang wanted Korra to live by herself? This isn't fair!

"B-But they-they can't do this!" I mutter out, now beginning to tear up as well. "We have to do something!"

Korra says nothing. She just shakes her head again.

"It's too late. I'm being sent there today."

Today?

"But what about us!" I let out. "Are we still going to hang out?"

My best friend just cries and cries and cries. "I don't know. I ran when I heard about it."

Tears go down my own face but then I just feel anger.

No!

"I will not let them tear us apart!" I say. "We're best friends! We're not gonna let some Lotus men split us up! I'll tell mama and papa and they can talk to your parents! I'll make sure we can still hang out!"

Before I can do anything else, Korra pulls me in an even tighter hug!

"Thank you, Y/N."

Closing my eyes, I hug her back with a smile.

The relief I felt and Korra's own reflected in her ocean eyes when the White Lotus allowed us to meet-up still was overwhelming. It wasn't the ideal situation, though. They gave us a very strict schedule of when I could see Korra because they didn't want me distracting her with her Avatar training. Of course, being the disbehaving children and teenagers we were, often disobeyed them and snuck in or out of the compound frequently. While it was a good distance away to be out of the public eye, it was thankfully not too far away by foot or, most of the time, by Naga.

For years, Korra and I thought she was placed into that compound because that was what Avatar Aang wanted. Then, very recently, we learned it was Tenzin and Tonraq who was behind it. And now we learn it was because of this Zaheer and his gang?

My best friend seems to have come to the same conclusion as I have. "So that's why you and my dad sheltered me away."

"It was your own safety." Tenzin replies. I guess that makes the whole isolated life Korra had more understandable and justifiable.

"Why were they trying to kidnap Korra?" Mako steps in, asking the question we were all thinking.

Beifong glances at her detective. "We spent thirteen years interrogating them, but they never broke. To this day, no one knows what their motive was."

Thirteen years? Over a decade with nothing?

She then turns to Korra. "Now we need to get you back to Republic City, where I can protect you."

I mean...I suppose that's for the best. Or maybe not? I mean, what about the airbenders?

"No." Korra declares. "I'm not running."

I recognise that determination in her tone. Once Korra has made her mind, its very hard to change her mind.

Before the Chief can counter the younger woman's disobedience, I speak up. "Chief, I am concerned for Korra's safety as you are, but we're not leaving without the airbenders. The Earth Queen has been taking them to create her own little army. We have to stop this!"

My passionate argument seems to have persuaded the stern heir of Toph. She huffs with frustration and crosses her arms. "Fine. Let's get them and get out of here. Where are they?"

"They are in a military compound." Korra states. "We're busting them out tonight!"

Her determination ignites my own resolve.

Tonight, we are going to break into the temple, free the airbenders, and wipe the smugness from the Earth Queen's face.

For the Air Nation!

TIME SKIP

Just as we planned, we attacked at night. While Asami, Eshah, and Lin stay behind on the airship as an escape route, we headed off. Infiltrating the Earth Queen's Temple was surprisingly an easy task. It was pathetic, really. I thought the defence was going to be heavy when I saw the two watchtowers in front of the small building from behind. However, there were only two guards that were easily distracted by Jinora. We knocked them out instantly.

Entering a doorway to hide from patrolling Dai Li agents, the next thing I see is green stretches of walls and corridors with many rooms surrounding us in a square-like shape. This place is massive. I have no idea how long it must have took to build something like this.

Tenzin turns to all of us, confidence radiating from his form. "Bumi, Y/N, and Korra, come with me to find the airbenders." He then turns to Jinora, Mako, and Bolin. You three, find Kai. We'll meet on the surface shortly. Radio us if anything goes wrong."

With a quick nod, we all split off. Tenzin follows the lead as we rush our way through the compound whilst avoiding any Dai Li agents we come across. When we finally reach to the prison cell, Korra slides the entrance open.

What I see stuns me to the core.

Dozens of airbenders lying on cramped, rough, rocky beds stare at us. The clothes they wear are covered in dirt and dust, rips and tears all over them. Their arms and faces are full of cuts and bruises, their eyes containing nothing but fear and dread.

Anger swells within me, feeding the dragon inside.

The Earth Queen did this...

She took these innocent people, some of them look to be younger than I, and treated them like slaves! Like they're not even human! She will pay for this!

"Who are you?" one of the prisoners asks. He looks quite young, with smooth jet-black hair and a tiny beard on the centre of his chin. "Who are you?"

Korra steps forward. "I'm the Avatar, and I'm getting you all out of here."

As soon as the words leave her lips, all of them start murmuring amongst themselves. I step forward to calm down the situation. "We're getting you all out of here, but you have to remain calm and don't panic."

"We're getting you all away from the Queen and the city." Tenzin proudly adds on. "Let's move!"

One-by-one, the airbenders rush out of the prison cell and as they do so I turn to the retired commander. "Bumi, tell Beifong we're heading out!"

With a quick "Got it!", the older man gets to it. The prisoner who spoke first stops before us. "There's an airbender that's not here. His name is Kai. We need to get him."

"We have friends helping him." I explain. "Now, let's go!"

Now avoiding all discretion, we run and run and run through the claustrophobic corridors until we finally reach back to the entrance. Korra takes a quick look to the outside to see if any Dai Li are outside.

"Come on! It's clear!"

We all rush out, ready to escape and-

Out of nowhere, dozens and dozens of Dai Li agents land right in front of us as if they fell from the sky, surrounding us in a tight oval shape. SHIT!

"So, you've discovered my elite army. I see their loyalty still needs some work."

Her.

The Earth Queen, standing tall and arrogant with her pompous yellow royal outfit. A stupid smug smile is on her thin lips as she stares at us with a sinister scowl.

"These airbenders shouldn't be used as weapons!" Korra yells with rage. "They have a right to choose their own paths."

Despite the obvious and humane argument, the Queen does not listen. Instead, she marches nearer, the scowl on her face deepening with every step she takes. "These airbenders are Earth Kingdom citizens, and I am their queen. Taking them will constitute an act of war. If you disobey me, I will bear down on you with the entire force of my kingdom!"

Act of war? Oh, she really wants to go there? Fine!

"Then I guess it's war!" I shout at the top of my lungs, the dragon that I have locked inside taking control for a moment. "They are coming with us, you stuck-up, vile, bitch!"

My words born from venom seem to have cut deep into the Queen's pride, as her eyes are lit into flames. "ATTACK!"

As she walks away, her soldiers take a big step forward and launch their infamous hand-shaped projectiles made of the hardest rock. However, before they even touch us, the airbenders we just rescued step forward and launch a powerful gust of wind which destroy them and cause the agents to remain in place and distracted! I guess their horrible experience brought about something good.

If our luck didn't get any better, the sound of an airship begins approaching us. Glancing upward I see Asami's good ol' ship. Perfect! This is our chance!

Joining in with the other airbenders, Korra, Tenzin and, I unleash giant blasts of air as strong as a hurricane towards the Dai Li to keep them distracted all the while Bumi encourages the now-freed men and women to climb the temple's architecture. One-by-one, they do so all the while we step backwards to get closer to the temple so we can climb ourselves. The agents advance to us, attempting to knock us off but we blast them away. When we finally reach near to the top of the temple, all of them finally got onto the airship and I see Beifong and Asami's airships flying past us and far away into the night sky, leaving Oogi alone.

Now its our turn!

Whistling and calling for the air bison, Tenzin leaps and twirls using his airbender to land safely onto his friend. Korra grabs my arm and she does the same, throwing us into the air and landing safely onto the nice, smooth fur of our salvation.

YES!

WE DID IT!

But, wait what about-

"WE NEED HELP!"

BOLIN?!

I gaze down back at the temple and I see Mako, Bolin, Jinora, and Kai still on the ground running away from all the projectiles of the Dai Li agents!

SHIT!

"We need to get them!"

Korra thought the same as she steers Oogi towards them. Before any of us can let out a command or say anything, I see Bolin launch themselves into the air with his earthbending like a crude trampoline, flinging them high up for us to land on the air bision!

YES! WE DID IT!

I look back at the Earth Queen and her cronies staring daggers right at us. I can feel their anger and frustration from here.

Good riddance.

LATER

After travelling for who knows how long, the two airships land near atop a number of hills in the middle of the desert. Standing before the airbenders sitting down, their energy regained, Tenzin, Korra, and I gaze at them with confidence.

"I know that none of you chose to become airbenders." The airbending master begins, voice full of sympathy and compassion. "But now you do have a choice. We can relocate you somewhere safe, or you can come with me to the Northern Air Temple, to live in peace and train as Air Nomads. You are no longer anyone's property. What path you decide is up to you."

When Tenzin finishes his heartfelt speech, there is a brief moment of silence.

Please, spirits. Let them join. For Tenzin.

Then, the airbender who told us about Kai stands up. "I want to go with you."

Then, another airbender. "Me too."

And another! "Count me in."

YES! THANK YOU!

I glance at Tenzin and very closely I can see tears welling in his eyes. I can't imagine how happy and relieved he must be feeling. This was his father's dream and now its coming true. He must be overwhelmed. Eshah and Kai won't be alone now.

As they all walk to Asami's airship, the three of us stand at a distance in our own little world.

"Are you coming with us, Y/N?" our mentor asks me.

My fists clench again and my mind is thrusted back once more to my father's voice.

"The next time we talk, you better tell us you are not joining the Air Nation. If not, don't contact or visit us ever again."

No. Not now. I need more time.

Responding immediately as if unfazed, I give him a smile. "Not yet." I then proceed to cock my head towards Beifong's airship. "I'm going to help find more airbenders for you. I'll start my training with the rest when we're done."

He nods understandably. "Of course. Good luck."

"And good luck at the Northern Air Temple." Korra adds on.

Tenzin's brow narrows in concentration. "Be careful out there and stay safe."

Ah. Of course. This "Zaheer" guy and his friends. Plus, I doubt the Earth Queen will let us get away with what we just did.

"I'll try." My friend humourly adds. She then adopts a look of grimace. "It seems like where I go, I make a new enemy."

"But you made some new friends too." Tenzin counters. He then places one hand on her shoulder and another on mine, their touch providing us comfort and warmth. "You both did well, Korra and Y/N. Thank you."

Feeling overwhelmed by pure joy, I pull them both into a group hug. The happiness I felt moments before is amplified.

"This is only the beginning." Korra declares with confidence.

Yeah, it is.

When we finally part ways from our mentor, we begin walking back to the airship.

"I'm sorry, by the way."

Huh?

"What for?"

Korra gives me a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry for not discussing about the Queen's treatment of her people with her. I knew it meant a lot to you. I just didn't have the opportunity."

Oh...that.

I place my hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. "Don't worry about it. I get it. Besides, I highly doubt she would listen. I can't believe she locked the airbenders up like they were objects and tried to make them her slaves. She shouldn’t be in charge of the Earth Kingdom."

"Agreed." Korra adds. "But, as of right now, there isn't that much we can do."

The pessimistic words that leave my best friend's mouth eradicates the tender moment in its entirety, leaving nothing but coldness.

I continue walking, hand off her shoulder, and pretend everything is normal. It isn't.

How can she does say that? How can she just accept it? She's the Avatar!

Then, from the back of my mind, I hear it. I hear the voice of the dragon from within whispering into my mind. My voice.

She's a coward.

What?!

I shake my head slightly to rid myself of the intrusive thought.

No! No, Korra isn't a coward. It isn't our place. Just like Tenzin told us.

"I am frustrated and saddened by this as much as you are. However, we can't just force the Earth Queen to rule her kingdom the way we want her to. It is not our place."

And yet, despite the echoing of my mentor's words in my mind, I can still hear quiet whisper of the dragon.

Cowards. They both are.

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Hope you all enjoyed today's chapter!

Feedback is appreciated!

See you all in the next chapter! :D

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idealisticrealism · 1 year

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TCL 2x10 recap

Hi I loooooooved this episodeeeeeeeeee

Many thoughts below lol

Okay first things first, I already love this song (Velvet Ring by Big Thief) and it has had many plays on my TCL playlist lol. But ugh Thony alone in the house with her critically ill son, her whole life revolving around administering those meds every 6 hours? This show loves causing me pain haha speaking of which, her IV line has not been correctly primed (to remove air bubbles) and I’m being so brave about it lol But anyway ngl it makes me giggle a bit that this cake has apparently taken like 12 hours to make lol. Ah, stress baking. We’ve all been there. But omg wait IT’S HIS BIRTHDAY???? Aaaaaaahh I know in 2x05 he said he was ‘almost six’ but I didn’t realise he meant he was only like 2 weeks away from it!! Omg which makes me even more emotional about Thony looking back at him before she left to take the jet to Manila, knowing she might not ever be able to come back ughhh. And then they have their little birthday party, just the two of them– just like it used to be, them against the world while Marco was off doing who knows what– and ugh how hard it must be to go back to that after months of having a loving family surrounding them with Fi and the kids and even Arman? And then ugh the way she smiles at him and blows out the candles for him, even though you can see how much it’s breaking her heart to see him like this? Someone save meee

Okay holy hell I don’t know what inspired this Nadia look but I am INTO IT. We stan a stunning and badass queen. But omg the fact RK keeps all his meds in his office drawer? Seems unlikely for a guy who likes to appear invulnerable. This moment is hilarious though bc she takes a pic of the meds, but most of them are turned so you can’t even read the label? Very helpful lolllll. Of the six pull bottles in the drawer, I can only make out one name clearly, which is Ibuprofen, aka literally an over-the-counter mild painkiller, which he also appears to have been given then incorrect dose of. He appears to be on a blood thinner which I am extremely curious about, plus something for blood pressure, which is unsurprising tbh lol, given the way he works himself up haha– and speaking of which, he’s taking something for anxiety/agitation lol (definitely unsurprising). It entertains me so much that the pill bottle appears to list the medication as ‘benzodiazepines’ which is actually the drug class, not a specific drug itself lol. Seriously, TCL writers, any chance you want to hire me as your medical advisor?? I'll do it for free!! Hell, I’ll pay you to let me do it lol. Bc as much as I loved this ep, the medical stuff was painful haha. But anyway when Robert comes in, Nadia seems to grab the pill bottle from the far end, which is literally the Ibuprofen– and he tells her they’re too strong for her. Help this is too funny. Also I’ve tried that pressure point before (did it actually help? No idea lol) but it definitely won't help rn bc he’s literally not even putting pressure on the spot? Lol. Honestly I thought he was doing this as an excuse to check her pulse and see if she was hiding something, but his fingers aren’t in the right spot for that either. Bro’s literally just sitting there tenderly holding her hand lol (not that I can blame him lol, I’d do the same). But uh oh the way he reacts to her mention of Arman running the club with her, and his “in my business we eliminate liabilities” line… yeah things definitely ain't looking great for Arman rn. Also sidenote but seriously Robert what is up with that silver clasp on your jacket you look ridiculous. Ask your bae for some style tips please lol

Ugghhhh Fi desperately trying to clean for JD, trying to feel like she’s contributing something and not just being a burden, and also trying to show her appreciation and gratitude in one of the few ways she can. ‘Acts of service’ is definitely one of her love languages ugh. Also omgggg Laura the gf is gooooone (sorry, faceless name-buddy, but I’m on Fi’s side here lol) and aaaaaaaaahhh J-Fi are being all cute and flirty and kissing and omg my ship is sailing???? Honestly this is happening waaay too quick and easy and I’m a little terrified about that, but I’m just going to ignore that dread and enjoy it while I can lol. Also poor man is going to get a crick in his neck having to bend down that far to kiss her lol. He doesn't seem to mind though, and i certainly don't either haha. But sigh Thony couldn’t you have waited another minute on the cockblocking?? Let your girl get some, bc god knows she deserves it haha. (Ngl Thony deserves it too; hurry up and get your act together, Armony! Take some lessons from J-Fi lol). But ugh JD is just so sweet and understanding and I love him???? I love how happy he makes her. And ‘we’re not done with this’ YEAH GIRL GET IT. (Not exactly sure how you’ll go about that when you’ve got a house full of kids, but I believe in you lol)

(*Casually pretends like I didn’t just spend over an hour photo-editing a screenshot I took of the ‘The Cleaning Ladies’ banner hanging on the wall of their office so I could have a good clear copy of their logo lol*)

Aaaanyways, speaking of the office, the decor is so funny to me, with all the colourful cleaning products perfectly spaced along the walls. Like it looks cute and all but I feel that it just has to be a really inconvenient way for them to be stored when they actually need to be used?? Ngl I also have some things to say about how the meds are arranged/displayed in the clinic part as well but I’m just going to let that slide lol. But oooooh what a beautiful serendipitous occurrence that she and Arman just happen to be there ~alone~ at the same time… like hey you two, I hear there’s a free bed at the back of the clinic??? Just saying lol. But ugh I love that Arman goes from ‘oh shit better deflect quick and hope she doesn’t question why I’m here’, right to ‘wait my Thony-is-upset senses are tingling, must give ALL THE COMFORT’ in like 2 seconds flat lol. Tbh I’ll never be over the incredibly gentle way he looks at her here, or that tiny “Hey, Thony?” that escapes him when he sees her struggling to get the words out. Our boy just hates seeing her hurting ughhh. And then finally he reaches for her just like in 1x06– hands not quite touching her, letting her decide whether to accept his embrace or not– and ugh she steps straight into him, her head pressing against his chest as she cries. And honestly I am obsessed with the fact that she only breaks down like this in front of him?? Even with Fi, she works hard to keep herself fairly together– her voice shakes and her eyes get shiny, but she doesn’t cry, and she’s often the one reassuring Fi that it will all be okay. But with Arman she doesn’t have to hold back, doesn’t have to be the strong one. For those brief few moments, she can just let herself be the one being comforted for once, can let herself simply sink into the comfort of his solid body as he holds her, his cheek resting against her head as he promises her that she’ll get through this. Tbh given that we can’t see her right hand, I’m going to headcanon that it’s in between them, gripping the edge of his jacket and holding on tight because she can’t actually hold him– not when she (mistakenly, obviously) thinks he’s Nadia’s once more. Which is a big part of the reason why she pulls back again before too long, all too aware of all that’s standing between them, forcing her to have to put up her walls again ugh. Ngl I love how carefully he held her though– in 1x06, he couldn’t stop himself from holding her face, from looking at her mouth, making it clear to her how much he wanted her. Now, they’re obviously both already fully aware of that, just as they’re aware of how complicated things are, and so he keeps his hands only on her back, his grip light, letting her pull away when she’s ready. Though lbr after the shit that these two have been through lately, they both need like an hour-long hug lol (damn I should have pitched that to the writers for the finale lol)

Poor foolish Arman was really hoping he was going to get outta there without her asking him again what he was doing lol. Too bad, buddy. But ugh you can see him considering the idea of lying to her and keeping her in the dark about his plans– like he did with Nadia in S1 about the gun deal/Mexico stuff etc– but he can’t. After 1x05, he and Thony don’t lie to each other anymore, and so even though he knows she won’t approve, he still tells her. And okay I know that this scene has caused a lot of contention in the fandom– and a lot of hate for Thony, which I’m sad about– but I’m going to come right out and say it: Thony is right, and Arman is wrong. Now before i go any further, let’s not forget that I have been one of Arman’s most vocal supporters in the fandom all season, especially when he was getting hate in the early/middle eps; these huge recaps are literally evidence of how much I love and support my boy haha. And I am still very much his supporter now, and I completely understand why he is becoming desperate to free them all from RK (see my last recap for more about that, since I feel I've already covered his perspective pretty well there). But I have to say that in this case, I am in complete agreement with Thony. So let’s see if I can explain lol.

Okay so firstly let’s talk about Arman's plan to kill RK. He intends to do it by creating a toxic interaction between RK's regular medications and the Digoxin that he just grabbed at the clinic, thus causing a seemingly-natural heart attack without ever having to touch RK. Sounds like a perfect crime! No one will ever know! It’s brilliant, right? Wrong! It’s a terrible plan literally full of flaws. And okay look, I can say with some amount of authority here that with the exact right combination of circumstances– taking into account the medication and dose used, the specific medications the person is on, their pre-existing level of cardiac function and overall health, and also like a huge amount of sheer luck– there is the chance it would work. A very small chance, but sure, it exists. In this situation, however? No way. And Thony, a fucking cardiac surgeon, knows this. Even if Arman manages to succeed with giving RK the Digoxin undetected (a huge risk in itself), then the chance of it interacting with his meds is incredibly low, and the chance of it causing a fatal heart attack is practically non-existent. Thony knows all this, and maybe if she was well-rested and stress-free (instead of sleep deprived and emotionally distraught from caring for her dying child) then she would have been able to explain it to him calmly and in a way that he'd understand. But she’s got no mental space for that, especially when her mind is immediately equating the loss of RK with the loss of Luca’s meds– aka, her only chance of saving Luca's life. Because, remember, he is DYING. Like actively dying as we speak. If that fluid around the lungs keeps building up, his lungs won’t be able to take in the amount of oxygen needed to supply his body, and he’ll go into multi-organ failure and die. And that’s not to mention that his liver is already failing– if she can’t counteract that soon with the meds, then draining the fluid won’t help. He’ll die from the flood of toxins being released from his diseased liver, much of which will invade his brain, creating irreversible and fatal damage. And okay I’m sorry I know I’m getting grim here, but I have literally watched people die from this multiple times, because once it gets past a certain point, even an entire medical team can’t help. And I don’t doubt that Thony has seen it happen many times too, and so knows exactly the horrible fate that Luca is heading towards– and yet people are really out here judging her for doing whatever it takes to stop it from happening????? Guys. Guys.

Like okay I absolutely do believe that Arman intends to get her the drugs asap (even though he did a terrible job of actually communicating that intention to her), and I'm sure that he’s confident he can definitely make it happen– but honestly it doesn’t matter. The risk is just too goddamn high, because if even just one thing goes wrong– and based on his-less-than-airtight plan, it almost definitely will– then the meds will be lost, and Luca is dead. And possibly Arman is too, if he gets caught by RK. Honestly Arman is too blinded by his need to be free of RK to be able to see how flawed his plan is and how grave the consequences could be. He’s also blinded by the hurt and anger he feels when Thony demands “With what money? What resources?” because it makes him feel like she doesn't trust him, and that his money and connections were all that actually mattered to her– not him– and that now that there’s someone else who has far more of both, he’s been tossed aside. Which is absolutely not true (dude, she loves you, you idiot), but it still hits right on target of one of Arman’s main character flaws: his fear that he is only valued or wanted by others because of what he can give them, and that if he can no longer provide those things, then he will be deemed worthless and abandoned. It’s been fascinating to see that trait become more overt this season, but man does it lead to him making some goddamn questionable decisions lol. Ugh but anyway, I feel like I’ve ranted about this for long enough, so TLDR: Thony is right to try to stop Arman, and it’s not her fault that she didn’t necessarily handle the conversation well, especially considering it was abruptly sprung on her when she’s already practically at her breaking point because her child is dying and she is devoting every ounce of energy she has into trying to keep that from happening. Fight me on it lol

Ok this big bald guy better be careful, Thony is having the week from hell and tbh could snap at any moment haha. I think we can all assume he’s definitely there because RK wants her to know that he’s watching, that he holds the power here and that she can’t escape, but I kinda hope that it also is a little bit because he values her now and wants her (or okay, maybe his investment in her) protected from Sin Cara?

And then oooh Nadia has a guard too (again, for protection, but also because RK is possessive as fuck lol) and I appreciate that he at least didn’t even try to stop Arman going to see her? Tbh I could have believed RK giving the order that Arman is to be kept away from Nadia, but he probably didn’t want to upset her by doing that. But omg okay hold up, Arman is making Nadia dose RK? Holy shit, this is further evidence that Arman really is acting like a cornered animal and not thinking things through, bc he would normally have never put her at risk like that. He would have used her to get the info he needed, like what drugs RK is on, and maybe to create a distraction, but he would do the risky bit himself. “I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you and it’s not going to come down to that” you can’t promise that!!! Your plan is so full of holes you could use it as a fishing net! And omg "just put enough of these in his drink to stop his heart" oh yeah and do you know how many that is, Arman?? Do you??? I can guarantee Nadia doesn’t! Plus there's no certainty that the drug will even have that effect on his heart!! This plan is the worst aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!! But ugh at least he has actually taken clear steps to find Luca’s meds and get access to them– and omg the helpless look on his face when Nadia realises that the meds he's so determined to get are for Thony, and the way he tells her it's not up for debate?? That was hot. But see this is what he needed to make clear to Thony at the clinic, that he was actually actively in process of getting the meds and that he wasn’t going to kill RK until after he had them. Unless maybe it was their argument that made him realise how urgent the situation was and so he stepped up his meds-acquisition plans to show her that he could be relied upon and that he wouldn’t do anything that might endanger Luca. Who knows.

Curious about why Thony did a peritoneal tap (draining the abdomen) rather than a pleural tap (draining the chest), considering Luca's abdomen didn't look at all distended/swollen, but lbr it was probably just easier to film lol. Also the ‘dressing’ she put on would be practically useless in preventing fluid leakage or the infiltration of bacteria, but whatevs lol. It was cool getting to see his Chevron incision from the surgery– ngl I’d wondered which kind of incision she’d used (oh, the things I think about lol).

Honestly I’m surprised Garrett didn’t immediately go track Arman down and bring him in the moment he saw that partial print, but I guess Russo is managing to keep him under control for now. (Since it’s at least the day after they matched the print, I’m curious about what he did when he got home– get drunk and stare at Maya’s photo or something? Or did he stay late at the office trying to find more evidence begot finally going home to crash?). But lol at his theory that Arman killed Maya bc he found out she was an informant, and was worried she would rat him out– for what, lol? Arman and Maya literally never met until the night he shot her, and he had nothing to do with Cortes’ whole cartel thing until the FBI made him get involved. Maya would have known absolutely nothing about Arman or any of his activities. Also slight sidenote but I find it so funny that they never tied Hayak’s death to him– like clearly the autopsy would have found the puncture mark in his neck, and so the next logical step is to check the camera footage for everyone who had been in the infirmary lately and might have gotten access to needles? And if they'd done that, they would have seen who had just been in there earlier for a check of the wounds he received after being attacked by inmates who were clearly hired by someone with lots of money? C'mon detectives. This is not a hard one lol. But sigh anyway, I’ll forgive this show for a plothole or two– especially one like this, because Arman getting pinned for Hayak’s murder and spending his life in jail would have been very inconvenient for my Armony shipping plans lol. But hmm ok Russo does seem genuinely determined to get RK and everyone he’s connected to, so maybe my conspiracy theory is a little crazy lol. Oh well, it was a fun thought

You know it surprises me how much I actually love Thony/Nadia scenes. There’s obviously tension there– resentment from Nadia, guilt from Thony, and jealousy from both sides– but idk, they’re oddly united by the simple fact that they both love Arman. I’d also like to think that it was a deliberate costuming choice in this scene that they are both wearing blue rn– which has been the colour most associated with Arman through the show (for Nadia it’s green, and for Thony it’s obviously red) but that’s probably just me imagining things lol. But so anyway, I love that Nadia could have had her big security guy immediately throw Thony out, but instead she wordlessly led her to the office where they could talk. Ngl though I did giggle at her ‘well that’s progress’ line when Thony said Arman wasn’t answering her calls. The snark is strong with this one lol. But ugh their argument is amazing for so many reasons? Thony begging for Nadia’s help, knowing she has no right to, but doing it anyway because there’s literally nothing she won’t do to save Luca. Nadia clearly feeling a reluctant pity for Thony even despite her anger. Thony trying not to react to the way Nadia keeps using ‘we’ to refer to herself and Arman like they’re a single unit. Nadia getting pissed at Thony for working with RK and ‘betraying’ Arman, which is exactly what Thony got pissed at her for doing only a few eps ago. Nadia clearly now believing that Thony just uses people to get what she wants and then discards them (making the point by referring to RK as being Thony’s ‘hero’ now, after having called Arman that multiple times in previous eps)– a belief which would then make her even angrier that Thony destroyed their marriage seemingly for nothing. And– maybe because of that– Nadia deliberately not mentioning that Arman is literally out getting Luca’s meds for her right now. Then there's Thony’s instant and strong reaction when Nadia accuses her of not caring what happens to Arman, and then going quiet and clenching her jaw at the genuine worry and certainty in Nadia’s voice when she says RK is going to kill Arman, and the way she then leaves without trying to argue further. And let’s not forget the fact that she didn’t actually tell Nadia that they can’t kill Kamdar, but just told her to wait. Honestly I think that once she got her hands on Luca’s meds and ensured he was safe, she would have actually helped them to kill RK (and in a much smarter way lol), and I think that if Arman had answered any of her damn calls, she would have told him that. When they spoke at the clinic she was already upset and also completely caught off guard by his plan, but she’s had time to calm down and think about it now, and I think she would have talked it out with him and come up with a joint plan that would have protected both him and Luca. But instead of that, we got some real 'Romeo and Juliet' style miscommunication happening here, and well, that’s never led to disaster, right??? Right??

Lol if I saw Arman walking through my workplace, I too would follow after him and stare at him like these two guys are hahaha. Btw where is this shipping container place? Vegas, surely, because I assume he didn’t drive the 4 hours to LA just to talk to this guy lol. Also ngl I have to giggle because it’s been literally like a couple of days since Thony was in Manila, and yet they’re all acting like the meds have already reached the States or will be arriving at any moment, despite the fact that shipping something on a freighter from the Philippines to the US would take at least 3 weeks haha. Ah, TV magic. But ugh anyway who cares about that when Arman is so hot in this scene?? Firstly there’s his annoyance at this guy disrespecting him and trying to haggle with him– something I bet he would never have even dared to attempt in the pre-prison days– and then there’s his fury about the fact that by practically holding the container hostage, the man is endangering Luca. (Not to mention that any delay with getting the meds would mean that Thony would keep on believing that Arman can no longer be relied upon to protect Luca– I mean, not that she actually believes that, but Arman thinks she does). Honestly Arman is probably relieved to have the chance to let out his anger on someone (he could have literally just pulled his gun on the guy, but he chose to get physical haha), and unlike that asshole guy he beat for RK in 2x05, he’s doing this for himself. Ugh I have missed Big Bad Mob Boss* Arman (*with a secret heart of gold lol). I also love how useless the two musclemen were at protecting their boss haha. And then ugh his "nobody touches the cargo but me!"– he's really not taking any chances with Luca’s meds now ughhhh. I would die for him Your Honour

Nadia is crushing up pills in the bathroom and I am wheezing because a) our girl has clearly had some ~experience~ at this, which tbh is hardly surprising considering the type of party we first meet her at; and b) she’s literally got three tablets??? THREE. Three tablets of 250mcg of Digoxin (the dosage was on the bottle). That’s a total of 750 micrograms, aka LESS THAN A MILLIGRAM. For RK’s approximate weight, that’s literally considered a normal therapeutic dose. You know how much Digoxin it generally takes to create a severe acute toxic reaction? Usually more than TEN milligrams, but at the very least more than 5mg, unless someone has some pretty significant health issues and just happens to be having some REALLY shit luck that day. And as far as I could determine from his meds, the only thing RK was taking that has any potential to interact with the Digoxin would be the Benzos, but he takes a low dose and likely only uses them as needed, which means he probably hasn’t got any in his system currently. And hey, again, you know who would have known all this? THONYYYYY. Like I’m sorry if I’m ruining the very serious moment of Nadia putting her would-be ‘murder weapon’ into her cleavage in a folded up $20 lol but I just can’t deal with any of this at all hahahahaa

Ooooh Thony meeting with Garrett in the carwash, so clandestine haha. And tbh I’m actually impressed that he manages not to immediately give away that he knows about Arman and Maya, and about Thony likely lying to him, especially when the first thing she does is ask him for yet another favour lol. But holy shit she just comes right out and says that Arman is planning to kill Kamdar? Ngl that caught me off guard (I want to google if it’s technically actually illegal to make plans to kill someone– like I assume so, depending on how detailed and feasible they are?– but I don’t want to bring the feds to my own doorstep by looking it up lol). But man it really shows that Thony has come to trust Garrett– lbr him protecting Chris would have gone a long way for that– but also that she took Nadia seriously when she said that Arman was in danger from RK. Bc consider Thony's line “Arman is planning on killing Kamdar, and I need you to protect him”. Garrett takes that to mean that she wants him to protect RK from Arman, which is partly true– until she has Luca’s meds, she does still need him– but I also think that when she says ‘I need you to protect him’, she also means Arman. He needs protection from himself– from taking part in a foolish plan that could easily get him sent to prison or killed– and he needs protection from RK’s men, who could also come for him before Arman even has a chance to act on his plan. And so she asks someone she trusts– a man who is literally a trained FBI agent, and who has already protected someone she loves– to keep an eye on Arman, and keep him away from RK. I can see how some fans would call this a betrayal of Arman, but I honestly don’t see it that way at all. I see it as Thony doing the only thing she can to protect both Luca (by preventing RK’s death and the loss of access to the meds) and Arman (by literally giving him his own bodyguard). Yes, this will screw over Arman’s plans, but that’s a price she’s willing to pay– and like I said last week regarding Arman choosing to protect himself and Thony by killing Kamdar even against her wishes, her stopping him is just the same– both are a situation of “I love you enough to do what needs to be done to save you, even if it makes you hate me”. Which is why Thony is doing what's necessary to protect Arman, even if it comes at the cost of damage to their relationship and the trust between them. After all, it keeps coming back to what he said to her in 1x01: “when it comes to keeping your son [aka the people you love] alive, it’s not about doing things the right way or the wrong way, but any way you can.”

But man this ep really is aptly named, huh? Practically every scene explores the concept of trust– Thony wanting Arman to trust her judgement and not act on his plans. Arman wanting Thony to trust that he can and will protect Luca. Arman trusting Nadia to carry out this plan with him. Nadia trusting that his plan will work. Thony trusting Garrett to protect Arman (and him breaking that trust by almost murdering him). Garrett's trust in Thony being broken by her lying to him about Maya. Fi being forced to question her trust in Thony. Like damn writers, you’re really exploring human nature here aren’t you

Lol at first I thought all these texts were from Nadia to RK, and that he had actually stood her up bc he’d figured out their plan and had ditched their dinner to go abduct Arman again. But then I learned to read and saw that the texts were to Arman. Clearly something has held him up, since he said he was 10 minutes away and the tone of her texts suggests it’s been longer than that. Also sidenote, but on rewatching I noticed that right before the shot cuts to the next scene, you can see the actor who plays RK in the background, waiting just outside the door for his signal before he starts walking into the main club area lol

Aaaand now we know why Arman is delayed haha. Fell for the old kidnapper-hiding-in-the-backseat trick huh? Though tbh given the size of that car I think it would be very hard to miss a six foot man scrunched up in the backseat lol. Guess Arman just had a lot of other stuff on his mind haha. But daaaamn Garrett this is definitely not what Thony meant when she said to keep Arman away from Kamdar! Tbh I don’t love that they clearly split the scene of Nadia in Fastlane and put this in the middle of it, because it throws the chronological order out of whack, but I guess it created more suspense this way or whatever lol.

Apparently Nadia managed to get off a few more texts in the 10 or so seconds before RK crossed over to her from the doorway haha. Honestly though I think I’m becoming paranoid bc when he held out the gift box I was like IS IT GONNA HAVE SOME KIND OF PROOF IN THERE SHOWING HE KNOWS SHE’S PLANNING TO BETRAY HIM?? But then it was just a matching necklace, which then prompted the thought of ‘watch out it’s a listening device!!!!’ lol. God this show has me too on edge. Also lol RK is so goddamn Extra, like he wants to take her to Buenos Aires for sunrise?? Cool just a casual 14 hour flight in a tight dress lol. Though then again maybe his whole plan is to get her out of the dress for the flight haha. Love the ‘To our new beginning’ today bc from her it's more like ‘to your end’ lol. Honestly I have so much respect for Nadia for what she does in this next scene; like not only does she stall him for an hour to give Arman time to show up, but then when he doesn’t come, she doesn’t abandon the mission?? She makes her own distraction and then actually goes for it and doses his drink??? Like firstly omggggg girl you are literally drugging someone in a crowded area where there are multiple potential witnesses, not to mention cameras, and also where Robert himself could turn around at any second and catch her in the act?? Tbh I am now headcanoning that Sophie the waitress did actually see her do it, bc she fills up the glass literally moments later, but since Nadia has always been nice to her and RK only pays her minimum wage, she’s like ‘eh not my problem’ lol. Women supporting women, amirite?? Ngl I would totally watch a Sophie POV series of all the drama she witnesses between RK, Nadia, Arman, and Thony lol. But anyway speaking of the champagne– even once the drug is in the glass, she has so little time for it all to dissolve away???? Like did she experiment beforehand and see how long it would take?? And what about the way the medication would change the taste??? God this plan is the worst and while I am so impressed by Nadia’s bravery and her taking that risk for Arman (well, and also for her inheritance, since it makes me feel more comfortable to think that she’s doing it for selfish reasons as well as for Arman lol), this whole situation still stresses me out far too much aaaaahhh

Oh man Garrett taking Arman to the dumping spot looks so disturbingly reminiscent of Arman killing the guy in 2x04 aaaaaah. But ugh the resignation on Arman’s face– lbr he’s been waiting for this moment. Whether it was Garrett, or RK, or someone else, he’s known that this day was coming for him; that after all he’s done, he’s been living on borrowed time. I just keep thinking of the Hamilton lyrics for him: I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory. Is this where it gets me, on my feet, several feet ahead of me? I see it coming, do I run or fire my gun or let it be? But ugh even for all Garrett’s big talk (“do you think anyone would give a crap if your body was one of [the dumped corpses]?” like uh yeah buddy, Thony would sure as hell care) his gun isn’t steady and he’s clearly trying to work himself up to the idea of pulling the trigger. Also dude it annoys me so much that he says "What I really want is to know everything about the night that you put a bullet in Maya’s head" because she wasn’t shot in the head??? We clearly see (when her body is pulled out of the river) that Arman shot her in the chest. Which is also the place that makes the most sense??? It’s a bigger target, it’s quick and clean, and there’s just no way Arman would shoot an innocent woman in the head. Ugh c’mon writers, keep up lol. I thought maybe Garrett was trying to bait Arman into correcting him and revealing he did shoot her, but it didn’t really seem like that. But sigh anyway. Clearly Garrett needed to get all of this stuff off his chest about Maya, and the kind of person she was, and how she’s dead because of Arman– but tbh I think Garrett is also saying it to himself a little, like reminding himself that if she’d never met him, she never would have ended up in that river. I love that Garrett is the one to bring up Thony, showing that he knows what it means to Arman that Maya saved Thony from Cortes. Garrett knows what they are to each other, which is why when Arman turns and looks him in the eye and tells him (even though he knows that Garrett might have a recording device on him that's listening to every word) that he’d had to choose between Maya’s life or Thony’s, and that if Thony hadn’t been there, then things would have turned out differently– Garrett knows that he’s telling the truth. And even more than that, he knows the impossibility of the choice Arman was faced with, which is why he lowers the gun. He later says that he never would have done what Arman did and taken a life like that, but honestly I’m not so sure, and I don’t think he is either. He didn’t hesitate to kill Cortes when Maya was potentially in danger from him, and though killing an innocent would have been much harder for him, the whole point is that the ‘rat’ in the chair was going to die no matter what, so the choice was either to kill the rat and ensure the survival of the woman he loves, or to let all three of them be murdered for nothing. Faced with that situation, I’m certain Garrett would have pulled the trigger too.

Also dude I would have loved to see what the drive back to the gas station was like, the two of them sitting silently next to each other, both dwelling on their own grim thoughts? And then ugh when Garrett tells Arman that the second he's is no longer useful to him, he will bury him? That was hot tbh. Honestly I am living for the connection developing between these two, these former-nemeses-turned-reluctant-allies, and I can’t wait to see more of them. Their relationship is so fascinating because there is so much tension and resentment and anger but there’s also a grudging respect and regard, at least from Arman’s side (because of everything that Garrett has done for Thony) as well as remorse from Arman about his role in Garrett losing the woman he loves. Ngl I dream of a S3 where Arman and Thony are badass mob bosses of their medication import business (Nadia is happily elsewhere being queen of La Habana and Fastlane, being fawned over by men and women alike) and Armony have their morally dubious FBI buddy who they feed info to about bad guys and help him put them away behind bars. Please give it to me writers, I’d do anythiiinggggg

Okay excuse me show, you cannot just put the Armony theme music over a scene with Fi and Luca??? Firstly Luca has his own damn theme music, and secondly, don’t you know I have a very strong Pavlovian response to this specific melody lol?? That was just cruel lol

Anyway ughhhhh J-Fi are so cute with their flirting over the phone and her giddy little face, she’s like a schoolgirl with a crush omg I love themmmm

Ok honestly, I just really don’t understand how people are hating on Thony for this ep. Like she finds out Arman’s plan, and then literally the moment she is done with the procedure that Luca needs to stay alive, she leaves him with Fi while she goes to La Habana to try to talk to Arman and keep him from putting both himself and Luca in danger. But instead she finds Nadia, so she begs her to stop the plan. Then she goes straight to the one person she knows who has the best chance of keeping Arman safe, and begs him to help. And then later she literally goes to RK himself to try to convince him of how beneficial it would be to have Arman working with her on the medication importing operation, how she needs an asset like him. Like guys the woman literally left her critically ill child at home and spent the day running all over town trying to protect Arman (and ok yes, protecting Luca’s meds too, but it was never just about that). And then ugh at Fastlane when RK tries to get threatening, asking her if she’s telling him how to run his business, she stands her ground and tells him that her and Arman running the meds operation together for him was what they had all agreed to in the first place, and ugh just look at these two brave women both trying to protect Arman from RK?? Albeit going about it in very different (and somewhat conflicting) ways lol. I do kind of love that RK genuinely seems to think highly of Thony and her Badass Mob Boss potential, and wants to see her free herself from Arman, who he clearly considers to be purely dead weight. Like aw that’s nice that he’s been drinking his Respect Women (And Their Right To Do Crime) Juice lately, but shame that it comes with the side effect of hating Arman even more for the fact that he is valued and desired by these amazing women lol

So I hope you didn’t think I was done with my medical ranting because hoooooooooooo boyyyyyy I am not even CLOSE haha. Like honestly I was just going to let all of the medical stuff in this ep slide and not say anything, bc it’s TV and inaccuracies are just an inherent aspect of that, but @enigmaticfox (the little devil on my shoulder that she is) told me to go for it, and so now you must all suffer with me haha. So where to begin?? Maybe with the fact that acute digoxin toxicity is most likely to take around 2 hours post ingestion to actually start showing symptoms? Or that it is far more likely to present with vomiting and abdominal pain than sudden cardiac arrest? And oh boy I could definitely say many many things about Thony’s CPR lol, but instead I will be generous and admit that it can’t be all that easy to simulate true CPR on TV (though I have certainly seen it done much better than this on other shows haha). But I will NOT be generous about the whole "we don’t know what meds he’s on, so shocking him could kill him" nonsense lol. Important PSA to anyone reading this: if you see someone collapse from what seems to be a heart attack, and there’s a defibrillator nearby, please for the love of god put the defibrillator on them. It will literally TELL you whether their heart is in a rhythm that can be shocked or not. (And honestly even if it’s not, as long as they’re not breathing and don’t have a pulse, getting shocked anyway won’t actually hurt them– it just won’t help fix the problem at all, and will delay you resuming CPR for no reason which is definitely not what we want). So basically they 100% should have at the very least put the defibrillator pads on and checked the rhythm– and in fact, the two main cardiac-arrest rhythms caused by Dig toxicity are VF and VT, which are both shockable. But I guess the writers wanted to make it clear that without Thony there, Arman's plan would have likely succeeded and RK would have died; and that because of her choice to take actions to save his life, she indirectly condemned Arman. But dude, it just ain't that simple. Firstly, if Thony did nothing and then RK miraculously somehow survived anyway, he would definitely have her killed for not trying to save him. And though she knows that saving him means he remains a threat to Arman, he won’t be able to come after Arman immediately, meaning there’s time for her and Arman to figure out a way to get him to safety, like asking Garrett to get him put in WitSec. And maybe she’s hoping that by saving his life, RK will feel indebted to her, and will give her whatever she wants in return– which, of course, would be him sparing Arman.

But anyway, back to complaining lol. She tells the paramedics that RK is bradycardic, which literally just means that his heart is beating slowly, but she could have only known that by having felt his pulse– and if someone has a pulse, then they are not in cardiac arrest, and they don’t need CPR lol. And her telling the medics that they need an EKG makes me feel so much secondhand embarrassment, bc like dude. They know. This is literally something they deal with almost daily in their job. But then lolllll they don’t even take his shirt off and they put on like 2 leads instead of 10 and no one asks for or gives any history of what happened or any details about RK, and someone is giving him oxygen without even holding the mask to his face (meaning the O2 is all just leaking out around the mask rather than going into his lungs) . And then Thony recognises from the EKG that he might be hyperkalaemic (have a dangerously high potassium level, which to be fair does happen with Dig toxicity) and tells them to treat it by giving dextrose– except she doesn’t mention insulin which is the other very essential part of that treatment (as in, the dextrose is useless without it), and she also mentions calcium gluconate which should actually be calcium chloride which is more appropriate in cardiac arrest. Plus these are treatments which generally happen in the emergency room, not with paramedics. Also she says that the EKG shows peaked T waves and widened QRS’s, but the actual rhythm visible on the screen (while definitely slow) actually shows normal T’s and QRS’s. And also she stops CPR because they apparently ‘got a rhythm’, and gives instructions to not shock him ‘if his heart stops again’ (which, again, is bullshit) but then she tells the medic to carry on CPR??? Girl you have literally just proved he’s not in arrest???????????? This is honestly so painful haha. And omg the way the medic acts like such a robot in following her orders, like he would have had no idea what to do otherwise? Gah. Honestly even as a doctor with emergency training I would not be giving the paramedics orders??? I would be discussing my concerns with them but I would be trusting them to do their jobs??? They literally have protocols upon protocols for this shit man. But ugh. Anyway. Nadia congratulating Thony on just killing Arman was kinda funny bc she’s clearly forgetting that now she is in danger too as his accomplice– so technically, Thony may have just gotten both of them killed. Well, they got themselves into that situation so we can’t really blame Thony tbh lol. But aaaanyway I apologise for all of that, but I guess I just have a lot of Opinions haha? (/EndRant)

Sigh it’s a relief to see Luca looking better. And I appreciate that Fi actually checks in with Thony about how she’s doing; I feel like her own wellbeing gets overlooked a lot, except (for the most part at least) by Arman. And ugh she admits to Fi about having to make a difficult choice today which may have endangered Arman, and you can see how much it weighs on her. Fi immediately reassures her about Arman seeming to be able to take care of himself, which is a very valid point tbh. He’s a grown man who has lived in a very dangerous world for the last two decades; he’s no stranger to his life being at risk. Still, I think Thony would have trouble accepting that argument bc as we have already seen over the past 2 seasons, she’s very protective of Arman and worries about him at the best of times, let alone when his life is being threatened by someone like RK. She breaks it down so clearly though when she says that the decision today involved her being asked to choose Arman over Luca– because for her the situation was that simple. Letting Arman kill Kamdar to protect himself would risk losing access to Luca’s meds, which Luca would almost certainly die without; and so of course she had to choose her son– who has been her entire world for over six years– over a man who she loves, but who has only been in her life for literally about 4 months, and she honestly doesn’t even know if he will choose to stay in her life. To be totally honest, I think that just the simple fact that the decision was genuinely difficult for her to make– not in terms of knowing her choice, but in terms of acting on it, knowing the potential consequences it would have for Arman– is incredible, and shows just how deeply she cares for Arman. But lbr I’d be very concerned about any parent who did put their romantic kind-of-partner above the life of their child– like if Fi or JD had to choose between saving each other or saving Jazz, both of them would pick Jazz without hesitation, because they’re her parents. It kind of comes with the territory???

Anyway speaking of JD, he appears and is not at all happy about being manhandled by Mr Big, Bald, and Brawny. Tbh though I kind of love this bodyguard guy? Like every time he speaks you just know that there are no thoughts going on in that big bald head. He’s clearly a former boxer based on his cauliflower ears, and tbh it looks like he got just a few too many concussions lol. Honestly I would love for him to start feeling a sense of respect and regard towards Thony somehow (like maybe she helps him with a medical issue or something) and he becomes like a big ol’ loyal dog following her around haha. But anyway ooooh I kind of like that JD calls Thony out on things? I think having someone force her to look at herself and her actions is important to make sure she doesn’t disappear too far down the rabbit hole. Though it does kinda suck that he’s (very fairly) forcing Fi to be torn between Thony and the kids… but I mean, like I literally just said, she’s going to have to choose the kids, just like Thony would. But ugh when she tells Thony about the ultimatum he gave her… Thony looks so sad, because though she knows what the right choice is and will support Fi in making it, she knows it means that she will lose her entire family and be alone with just Luca once again. Tbh I’m just the tiniest bit happy that she is the one on the receiving end of this decision this time, because it might give her a sense of how it felt for Arman, and might make her be more open with him about why she did what she did and how much she wished she hadn’t had to make that decision. Ngl I have already drafted a fic where Arman turns up at her house after the events of the ep and they actually finally talk it all out and maybe also make out lol

“I’ve never had an issue with my heart” Hmmmmm are you sure you even have one, Robert?? Lol. But seriously though, one of the pills in his drawer was a ‘blood thinner’ and so that literally means that he has to have something wrong with his heart– or if not that, then a problem with blood clots, and those can obviously also lead to cardiac arrest as well anyway. So really this heart attack shouldn’t have been that much of a shock. “They checked your blood for toxins” lol like what? What funky tests are these guys running? Though to be fair, if they do take his request to test for ‘everything’ seriously, then Nadia is in deep shit because our genius boy Arman picked one of the few meds that we actually have a blood test for. And which can also cause a very distinctive waveform pattern on the EKG as well. Like siiiighhhhh have I mentioned yet how stupid this plan was???

Anyway oh mannnnn I cannot say how much I enjoyed this ep (even despite the medical ridiculousness) because holy shit literally every interaction between the characters was so good and all of them took actions that were so completely in character and ugh I am just so excited to see what happens tomorrow aaaaaahhhh

#The Cleaning Lady #Armony #TCL recaps #TOMORROWWWWWWWWW #*pterodactyl screeches into eternity*

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