Korra was in a daze, she hadn't had a lot for breakfast, the she fought some bad guys, ran from the police, was caught by the police, met their chief, then Tenzin rescued her from whatever Lin Beifong had in store, fine, imprisonment, or community service, and nothing an Avatar in training has time for.
"So, thanks for the save back there." Korra said, rubbing the back of her head, "So what might have happened if you didn't show up?"
"You'd probably have been sent back to the Southern Water Tribe…after a lecture."
Oh, that—I don't know which of them sounds worse, but both together?!"
"Lin…she's very strict." He noted.
"Tell me about it."
Korra was in the middle of crossing the road Tenzin called her back, then suddenly changed his mind.
"Well, which is-" she was about to unload a lecture of her own, crossing a lane back to Tenzin when she felt something hit her, it had the force of a boulder slamming against her.
"Ah!" she heard someone gasp as she rolled across the pavement, not Tenzin, though she did hear his voice inquiring what previously transpired, as did others in the crowd that now stood around him, blocking his view.
"Oh no!" whoever crashed into her called out, riding up to her before dismounting the moped, "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you."
"This day just keeps on getting better!" Korra exclaimed, sitting up and rubbing the back of her neck, "Republic City has a lot to offer a-" Korra was shocked when she looked up in the midst of her rant.
She didn't expect someone so pretty to run into her, and lost the next string of words as the moped's owner pushed her hair back, it flowed away from her face perfectly, as though to taunt Korra, even though the multibender made the connection between the helmet in the other girl's hand and the previous gesture.
She knew she was staring, but after the crazy day she'd been having, she felt she had vindication. Besides, this situation was strangely refreshing, as though she woke up in a different world than she'd fallen asleep in, or that she emerged from another dimension, not that she wanted to be hit again.
"I didn't hurt you did I?" the moped rider asked, hand on the silent Avatar's arm, "Ugh, I'm such an idiot."
"Uh, no, no, umm," she turned away, blushing, and trying to think of something to say, "m-my trainers have to hit harder than that to keep up with me in…training sessions."
"I still feel so terrible…and with all these people…this is so embarrassing, Daddy's going to give me such a lecture." the other girl noted.
"I know about lectures." Korra said, accepting the other girl's hand.
"You have to let me make this up to you. How about I treat you to dinner?" she asked as Korra dusted off.
"Hmm, talk about opposites!" Korra said, pushing Tenzin in the far back of her mind.
"I know, sorry about that, again." she said, wincing slightly at the accident that previously took place, "Well, how about Kuang's Cuisine at eight, tomorrow night?"
"That sounds nice…but I may not have a dress for a place with a name like that…that's a one thousand yuan name." Korra said, suddenly worried that her lack of money would give this acquaintanceship a quick finish, which was a pity, moped girl seemed kind of nice.
"Well, that's alright, just show up and leave the rest to me." she promised, "So…tomorrow night?"
The contrast between what she felt before and what she felt now could be compared to having a conversation where the other person kicks you out of nowhere.
"Yes." Korra agreed, smiling brighter than she felt she'd been all day.
"Great, I'll see you then…oh, my name is Asami." she said as she put her helmet back on.
"Korra." she replied, watching as moped girl smiled and adjusted her goggles and walked away.
She was gone as suddenly as she appeared, and something about that girl made Korra stare longingly after.
Maybe Republic City wasn't short on compassionate people after all.
"Korra, Korra!" Tenzin was just now slamming through the wall of people wondering what just happened, "Are you alright?" he asked, voice full of concern.
"I—yeah…I'm great, just great." she looked down at the road below her, and Tenzin huffed.
"Well, I'll ask around for a license number and report to Lin."
"Uh, no, I'm really alright, honestly…Tenzin, you worry too much." she said, smiling up at him.
"Yes, well-"
"Clear a path, clear a path!" a familiar voice cut through the air, "What is going on?" Lin Beifong demanded.
"Uh, nothing." Korra answered, along with other replies from the crowd, a hit and run was one of them, and Korra hoped he was wrong; it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, and then maybe more, Korra could only wonder.
After convincing Lin that Korra wasn't making more trouble in her city, they came up with a new plan: send Korra back to the Southern Water Tribe.
They had just arrived at the docks, and Korra quickly turned to Tenzin, "Please reconsider?" she asked, a hopeful gleam in her eyes, in the face of a hopeless situation.
"No." he said, completely unaffected by the pleading eyes.
"Fine…I guess that's one friend I just lost."
"I just promised to Lin to send you back, but you gave no thought for that, did you? You had to go make dinner plans instead."
"But…you already seem to be on good terms with her, I'm sure Lin will understand if you give me a second chance, she was mean anyways, and I kind of have to fulfil a promise…it was out of my hands!" Korra said, hoping he'd understand.
Tenzin huffed, not a good sign, she knew, her head bowed as he completed the utterance.
"That's hardly an answer." Korra grumbled.
"No! Absolutely not, you're to go back to the Southern Water Tribe and wait until it's safe to come back here!"
"What do you mean, that girl offered dinner to me after apologizing. Me—a complete stranger, not only can she afford that kind of—of gift…she was very generous! I hardly see any danger, just stupid people hating benders, and benders giving people a reason to hate every other bender, it's stupid."
"You could have politely declined! Look, she might not even be there, even if you stayed, so-"
"No! She will be there! I am not going to pass up this chance to change the way people think of benders—humbly offering a politely given offer, people will see that and not see a bender turning her nose up to nonbender's offer!"
"And what if she's a bender; what will people see then, the Avatar talking to benders and not nonbenders? Not everyone flaunts their powers like you do! Me, for instance!"
"Oh, you're a…fine example of the modern model bender." she snapped back sarcastically.
Tenzin was fuming now, and turned to the statue of his father.
She knew how this night would end, she would be put under greater scrutiny, and security would double…and again be a prisoner to the world she thought she should be helping.
Hours passed in silence, she now walked along the dock, Naga beside her as they walked to the three members of the Order of the White Lotus who had come to take them back home, a tearful set of eyes distracted themselves with a cheery thought.
Order of the White Lotus…who comes up with these names?
She almost laughed at her last defiance, and then that moped girl…Asami was her name, Korra remembered, came to mind.
I'm sorry, Asami, maybe next time I'm in town.
She could have whispered it, for all she knew, only that face, now staring at her, confused and anxiously looking out a glass window of some place Korra had never been to, and now never would, it was then, as a tremendously, overwhelmingly painful emotion hit her. In the stomach, cheap shot, she remarked.
"Wait." Tenzin said that word a thousand times today, but she felt the sun coming up, or maybe short-lived flicker from a candle and the children made a last minute gift.
She took a breath and turned around, ready to be disappointed. No gift, just Tenzin walking closer to her.
"I have done my best to guide Republic City toward the dream my father had for it, but your right." she listened carefully, was he going to tell her it wouldn't be long until she was here again?
"It has fallen out of balance since he passed. I thought I should put off your training in order to uphold his legacy," he put a hand on her shoulder, "but you are his legacy. You may stay and train airbending here with me. Republic City needs its Avatar once again."
That one "wait" was a turning point, she felt it in her heart, and she knew she had been the one to persuade him, either he was stupid for listening to her, or she was wiser than he gave her credit for.
Author's Notes: well, this awkward; I forgot the ANs this time around!
Alright, here it is, my thoughts on this are that I was going to do this from the start, carving out a bunch of parts, but then I just thought, no…just no, the reviewers know what happened up to this point. I just need to toss in this one, minor detail, thus changing the flow of LoK.