Update: 10/17/12; fleshed out a few bits, expanded a few scenes, nothing ground-breaking just a better read.
Disclaimer: LoK belongs to them people; them people being not me. Some Dialogue shamelessly ripped right from episode 5. I make no profit from this, which apparently makes this legal to write. Which is good, because I'm no lawyer, and I prolly can't afford one.
Chapter 1:
Introducing...Avatar!
Republic City; a cultural hub well-known throughout the world. Originally founded by Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko almost seventy years ago to promote peace and prosperity the world over, it has since grown into the second largest city in the world, second only to the legendary Earth Kingdom Capital of Ba Sing Se, and the only one of its unique architecture. Influences from all four of the elemental nations can be seen on nearly every street corner.
Perhaps one of the greatest sights of the city is the giant statue of Avatar Aang standing in Yue bay, at its base a museum dedicated to the importance of the Avatar; master of all four elements, and keeper of the balance between the physical world and the Spirit World. Known as Aang Memorial Island, it stands as a symbol of the power of the Avatar.
Power which the new Avatar, Korra of the Southern Water Tribe, would one day unlock. Already a master of Firebending, Waterbending, and Earthbending at the age of seventeen, she traveled to Air Temple Island in Republic City to learn under the sole remaining Airbending master since Aang's passing; his youngest son Tenzin.
Progress has been slow however; while with the other three elements she'd been bending with very little effort, after several weeks of training she'd only barely mastered the very basics of Airbending, and had yet to produce a single tiny sputtering of wind.
Despite this, she has gotten on well with her new Master's family, as well as made new friends and new enemies out whilst adventuring in Republic City (against Tenzin's orders naturally, though he soon came to the realization that he can't really stop her).
In an effort to train, as well as punish and discipline her, Tenzin gave Korra a number of chores around the island to do; and on this morning at least, Korra was instructed to fill the Winged Lemur feeders with assorted fruits which served as their breakfast.
However, she was not alone in this task.
"So...how's it going with the tall, dreamy, Firebending boy?" asked Jinora, Tenzin's eldest daughter. As with her father and the rest of the Air Acolytes, she was dressed in the traditional Air Nomad robes of red and yellow. Her short cropped brown hair wrapped in a single bun to the right side of her head tilted to the side as she inquired about fellow Airbender-in-training's love life.
"You've been spending a lot of time together lately," she added.
"Oh! Yeah! Tell us ALL about the magical romance!" exclaimed Ikki, Jinora's younger sister, excitedly. Like her sister, she was also garbed in the traditional Air Nomad clothes, her slightly darker brown hair wrapped up into two buns, one on each side of her head.
"What? Ha! Listen to you two, I'm not interested in Mako or any romantic stuff." claimed Korra dismissively. Although during training she usually wore the colors of nation whose bending she was learning, right now she was in her preferred casual clothing typical of Water Tribe; furred boots, baggy blue pants, blue undershirt and armbands with her furred coat wrapped around her middle. Her chocolate brown hair was done up into a ponytail and two bangs framing her face held together by blue stripes of cloth. With the last of the fruit entering the feeder, the Lemurs swarming the food, she turned away.
Coughing into her hand she added, "besides, he's more into that prissy, beautiful, elegant, rich girl Asami." Mako was one of her friends out in the city proper. Tall, handsome, and perhaps a little too serious, Korra been developing feelings for him ever since they first met. Even if he'd been a total jerk at the time. But then, Asami came out of nowhere and almost ran him over with her moped. As an apology, she'd asked him out to dinner and the two had been dating ever since, much to Korra's veiled jealousy and annoyance. She honestly had no idea what to do about it, if anything.
Looking back at the two Airbending sisters, an idea hit her and Korra threw up a coy smile, "But lets just pretend for a second I am interested in him...what would I do?"
"Oh! I just read a historical saga where the heroine fell in love with the enemy generals son, who was supposed to marry the princess. You should do what she did!" advised Jinora, ever the book worm.
"Tell me!" said Korra, attempting and somewhat succeeding at avoiding sounding desperate (cause she wasn't!).
"She rode a dragon into battle and burned down the entire country. Then she jumped into a volcano, it was so romantic!" answered Jinora dreamily.
Korra was somewhat less enthused; for starters where would she find a dragon? Weren't they supposed to have been hunted to extinction during the Hundred Year War? Not to mention burning down the country was a little extreme, and jumping into a volcano? Really? How would any of this help with her feelings for Mako?
"No, no, no!" yelled Ikki, gaining the attention of the other two girls. "The best way to win a boys heart is by brewing a love potion of rainbows and sunsets, that makes true lovers-" and Korra promptly tuned out the rest of what she said, already knowing the rest of it wouldn't help her anymore then the first bit.
"The volcano is starting to make more sense to me now," Korra stated mildly, careful not to say something that might offend the easily excited Airbender.
A chuckle interrupted her thoughts, causing all three girls to look at the source of it.
"Oh, hey! Pema..." greeted Korra awkwardly, "uh, how long were you standing there?"
Pema, Tenzin's wife, mother of three, and heavily pregnant with her fourth, gave Korra another chuckle, "long enough. But trust me, I know what you're going through. Years ago, I was in the exact same situation, with Tenzin," she said, walking over to the three girls.
"Daddy was in love with someone else before you?" asked Ikki, shocked.
"That's right," answered Pema.
"So what did you do?" asked Korra curiously.
"Well, for the longest time I did nothing. I was so shy and scared of rejection; but watching my soul-mate spend his life with the wrong women became too painful. So I hung my chin out there, and I confessed my love to Tenzin. And the rest is history." The three listening girls gushed at the story.
'Yeah, that could work,' thought Korra, 'no hesitation, no take-backs, no wondering what-if, just go in there, and tell him. Figure the rest out later.' Which, really, suited her normal style of things just fine. But even as new determination flooded her, a small creeping of doubt remained.
Later that day, the crowd inside the Republic City Pro-Bending Arena were going wild for the first match of the Pro-Bending Championship Tournament. The sport was a direct result of the cultural mash-up of Republic City, and each team was made up of one Waterbender, one Firebender, and one Earthbender. The rules and bending styles seen in use in the arena were generated in the interest of safety and fair-play; virtues which the founders of Republic City would undoubtedly approve of.
Although some viewed the sport as a mockery of traditional bending, popular opinion held it as the United Republic of Nations favorite pastime, and one which can be shared between benders and non-benders with equal cheer and celebration.
The current tournament was an annual event only started about a decade ago, in light of Pro-Bending gaining a significant upturn in business, and this year featured something very few, if any, people had expected from it; the legendary and mythical Avatar, playing on this season's favored rookie team; the Fire Ferrets. Playing as the teams Waterbender (and not permitted to to bend any other element during a match), Avatar Korra's original placement on the team was two parts dumb luck and one part teenage rebellion; and she wouldn't have it any other way. Her teammates and friends, the infamous 'Bending Brothers' Bolin, an up-beat Earthbender, and Mako, a Firebender, had originally placed the team in the spotlight alongside their friend Hasook due to a combination of the their rare talent and obvious inexperience. After winning a stream of local matches, they managed to snag a place in one of the exhibition tournaments; wherein the last match Hasook had been a no-show, and Korra had volunteered to take his place.
Making use of her Airbending teachings in order to dodge the oppositions attacks, Korra held on long enough for the three to narrowly pull out a win, qualifying them for the tournament which they were now taking part in. Following that, the three had become close friends, and between her Avatar training and her enlisted duties to Republic City, she trained with them regularly.
The effects of their training became immediately obvious to the local populace as their well-fought but short-lived match, ended.
"All three rounds go to the Future Industries Fire Ferrets! Who in their opening round of the tournament have decimated the opposition!" yelled the announcer into the microphone, the audience roaring either their approval or discontent.
The three teammates proudly made their way back to the locker rooms to change out of their uniforms, Bolin stopping to wave and yell his excitement back at the fans.
"Wow!" exclaimed Mako, "We were really connecting out there in that ring!"
Adrenaline still pumping from the match, Korra recalled Pema's words, and felt determination flow freely again, even as a slight blush adorned her cheeks, "yeah, I feel like the two of us have been connecting real well out of the ring, too."
"Uh, sure," replied Mako, uncertain as to where she was going with that particular statement, but too fired up to care.
"So, I was thinking we should spend some time together," pushed Korra, trying to avoid being so direct about her own feelings.
"We've been spending lots of time together," countered Mako, suspicious as to her point.
"I mean outside of the gym, and not while searching for kidnapped family members, or fighting Chi Blockers," elaborated Korra, referencing their time fighting against the Equalist Faction who were the result of significant civil unrest towards the 'Bending Elite'.
"I don't know, Asami and I-" at the mention of Mako's girlfriend, Korra felt something inside snap and she was about to disregard all pretenses and simply TELL HIM; when that inkling of doubt from earlier exploded in her mind.
Did she really want to do this?
Despite her personal opinions and feelings on the matter, Mako and Asami were happy together, far as she could tell. Did she really want to interfere with that happiness? Or what if Mako rejected her and both Mako and Asami hated her for it? She wasn't just playing with her own feelings, but Mako's and Asami's as well.
It would be incredibly selfish, not to mention quite unlike the 'Avatar' to potentially rip apart a seemingly happy couple for a chance at their own happiness.
In the end, Korra realized it wasn't worth the risk; she'd rather feel pain every day then jeopardize her friends' happiness. And really, if she were honest with herself, all her negative feelings towards Asami were purely because she was dating Mako. If she gave the rich girl a chance, Korra could easily see the two of them becoming as close as she'd already grown to Mako and Bolin.
Decision made, she refocused on Mako- and promptly realized he hadn't stopped talking while she thought to herself. Catching the gist of it ("I'm with Asami and am happy with her"- really, what she was thinking anyway), she cut him off, "Hey, it's alright, I understand. I, just...you know, was thinking about it is all, no big deal," she said, trying to ignore the sudden pain in her chest and found that she couldn't look him in the eye anymore, before turning towards her own locker. "Just, forget I ever said anything."
Mako for his part, knew that despite her words it wasn't 'alright' and 'no big deal', but he'd never been much of the sentimental type. Watching your parents get mugged and killed, then practically raising both yourself and your younger brother for the last decade had made such things a luxury he usually couldn't afford. He watched her turn away, unable to find the words to say to find out what was wrong, and how they might go about fixing it.
Eventually he turned away with a sigh, and did as she suggested; put her strange sudden behavior out of his mind, and did his best to forget it.
Just then, Asami burst through the door leading from the hallway, her long glossy black hair trailing behind her, "Congratulations guys, you were so amazing out there!" she said, walking up to Mako with the widest smile on her face as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. She was pleased to see a small, genuine smile on her boyfriends face as well.
Korra was careful not to look anywhere near them, and so saw Bolin approach with determination written all over his face. "So Korra...I was thinking, you and me, we could go get some dinner together, sort of a...'date' situation?"
A part of her really wasn't surprised Bolin was asking her out, given how he'd flirted with her when they first met. His interest hadn't gone unnoticed by Korra, and he had been generous and kind in the past. But on the other hand her split-second decision only a few seconds ago had worn her out emotionally. "Oh, that's really sweet, but I don't think so. I don't feel very date worthy," answered Korra absentmindedly, turning away from him.
"Are you kidding me?" asked Bolin incredulously, his tone causing Korra to look up at him again, "You're the smartest, funniest, toughest, buff-est, talent-est, incredible-est girl in the world!" exclaimed Bolin with the largest smile on his face.
Korra couldn't help the blush that suddenly overtook her features, nor the giggle that escaped her, "You really feel that way about me?"
"I felt that way since the moment I met you! Trust me, I know we're gonna have so much fun together!"
His enthusiasm was infectious, and after what she almost did, she could use some cheering up. If their date goes anything like the past few seconds, then, perhaps, she had been focusing on the wrong brother?
She dismissed that thought out of hand, but nonetheless responded, "You know what, I could use some fun. Okay, sure!"
"Yes! Who's the luckiest guy in the world, right here!" Bolin said as his put an arm around Korra's shoulders and walked her out of the locker room, both of them with matching grins on their faces.
"So, where we going?" asked Korra brightly as they approached Naga.
"Ah, just trust me on this. You're gonna love it," replied Bolin reassuringly, making motions with his hand for added emphasis, "it's actually pretty close by."
Stifling a giggle with her hand, she smiled at Bolin and gestured, "lead the way, then."
They'd been standing just outside the Pro-Bending Arena, where the last of the preliminary matches were still taking place inside, having just gotten done freshening up and changing out of their Fire Ferret Uniforms and into their preferred outfits. For Bolin, this meant a faded green collared shirt with matching dark green pants. At her invitation, Bolin lead Korra through the city towards their destination, Naga following at a sedate pace.
"So...can I at least get a clue as to where we're going?" asked Korra curiously after a few minutes of walking.
Bolin looked at her scratching his chin in a thoughtful manner. Smiling at her, he said, "it's a restaurant. That serves food," he said cheekily.
She scoffed, "oh really, they serve food? And how are you so sure I'll like the food there?"
Though she'd said it teasingly, it was actually a pretty legitimate question. Not one Korra was very worried about; during her training she'd been immersed in the different cultures as well as the different styles of bending, which included sampling various traditional foods from across the world. And now that she was learning Airbending and living on Air Temple Island, she'd been started on the traditional vegetarian diet of the Air Nomads. Out of all the different types and styles of food she'd tasted and smelled, she'd only ever held a particular aversion to one dish; a specialty Fire Nation Beetle Soup. Thankfully, the particular beetles used in the recipe were a rare delicacy, so she'd only encountered it at the dinner table a total of three times while she'd been mastering Firebending, and didn't go near it the latter two.
Apparently, the question didn't concern Bolin much either, "Oh, I'm pretty sure you'll like it," he said with the utmost confidence.
Now Korra was even more curious, but judging from her first two attempts Bolin wasn't going to tell her until they were already there. They settled into a companionable silence, accompanied by the noises of the city's awakening night life and, to Korra's mild surprise, Bolin's cheery humming. His good mood was apparent and incredibly infectious.
'Is he this happy I said yes?' she thought with some amusement, 'or is it simply being with me that makes him this happy?'
She paused at that thought, tempted to dismiss it entirely, but then she remembered his words back in the locker room, and instead filed the thought away for future review. For now, she would enjoy the night best she could- and avoid thinking about Mako entirely.
"Ah, and there it is!" said Bolin, pointing it out with his hand as he looked at her, eager to see her reaction.
Following his finger, Korra felt her smile widen as she read the sign aloud, "Narook's Seaweed Noodlery, Traditional Southern Water Tribe Cuisine at Affordable Prices!" she turned to Bolin, suddenly breathless, "Wow," was all she could say.
"Yeah, I figured you being from the Southern Water Tribe and all, and being way out here in Republic City for your Avatar stuff, you mighta missed it a little." explained Bolin sheepishly.
"Wow," repeated Korra, feeling a small blush coming on, "That's really thoughtful of you Bolin, thank you." And now it was Bolin's turn to blush at the praise as he gave a small chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
"It was nothing, really," he said modestly, "shall we go in?"
"Sure," said Korra, glancing at Naga, "You might as well just stay outside Naga." Naga gave a low whine in agreement before laying down near the entrance as Bolin and Korra made their way inside.
"How ya been doing Narook?" Bolin said when they entered, greeting an older man behind the counter.
"Ah, Bolin. Always a pleasure," replied Narook with a small smile, "and if I'm not mistaken the lovely young lady beside you is your teammate Avatar Korra. Heard you got into the tournament, but isn't it a bit early to be celebrating?" he admonished lightly.
Korra's eyes widened that he recognized her, though it wasn't particularly surprising; she had been in the newspapers an awful lot combating the Equalists before she'd effectively disappeared while training for the tournament.
Nonetheless, she flashed Narook a smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," she greeted politely.
"Oh, no no, the honor's all mine, Avatar. Any friend of Bolin's is a friend of mine. Please take an open seat and I'll be with you in a moment."
Neither one noticed Bolin's slight frown at Narook calling Korra his 'friend', but he was smiling again almost instantly and quickly lead Korra over to one of the tables near the windows after telling Narook, "Two of the usual."
"He was quite friendly," commented Korra, as they sat down glancing questioningly at Bolin.
"Yeah, Narook's a pretty cool guy for an old dude. Not that there's, you know, anything wrong with old guys, its just-" he quickly cleared his throat and started again, "so what do you think of this place so far?"
Amused at the subject change, Korra glanced around the restaurant, noting all the Water Tribe memorabilia decorating the walls. "It's a lot warmer around here, but it does reminds me a bit of home," she said fondly.
She looked back at Bolin to see a dreamy smile on his face as he stared at her. She rose her eyebrow after several seconds, at which point Bolin seemed to realize he'd been caught staring and shook himself before coughing into his hand and pointedly looking away, doing little to hide his blush. Korra giggled at his antics, which drew his attention again with a somewhat embarrassed smile.
Narook came by with two bowls of his signature Seaweed Noodle Soup before the embarrassed silence could be drawn out, and Bolin dived into his bowl with fervor.
Korra soon sampled the noodles, and found herself immensely pleased with the taste; just as the decorations looked like and reminded her of home, so too did the noodles.
"So how ya like it?" asked Bolin in between mouthfuls of noodles. His table manners might have been found atrocious by some of her White Lotus etiquette teachers, but Korra found she didn't really mind or care over much.
Besides, "It's delicious, and totally authentic! Man, I didn't realize how much I missed Water Tribe grub," she said with enthusiasm.
Swallowing his bite, Bolin said, "That's great! Cause this is my favorite joint! See, you love Water Tribe food, I love Water Tribe food, just another reason, we are so great together."
"They are good noodles," admitted Korra readily, enjoying the familiar taste and texture. The two continued to eat silently for the next few minutes, Korra finding that she really did enjoy Bolin's company. In fact, everything so far had turned out greater then she'd imagined- except for one thing.
"Hey, who's that creepy guy who keeps leering at us?"
Bolin looked confused for a second before he glanced behind him, and suddenly the ever-present smile vanished from his face, "That's Tahno...and the Wolfbats. The reigning champs, three years running. Don't make eye contact!" instructed Bolin, but it was already too late; Korra had been glaring back at her fellow Waterbender since Bolin had started explaining who he was.
"Uh oh, here he comes," said Bolin worriedly as Tahno and his group collectively got up and started walking over to their table. "Now don't mess with this guy, he's a nasty dude!"
Normally, Korra might have heeded Bolin's advice, but she was getting a really bad vibe from this guy and her Avatar training had taught her to never, under any circumstances, ignore her gut feelings. That, and she'd been having a great time until this guy showed up and soured it, so she was annoyed about that too.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Fire Ferrets, Pro-Bendings saddest excuse for a team. Tell me, how did a couple of amateurs like you luck your way into the tournament? Especially you, Avatar." Korra gave a disbelieving scoff at Tahno's attitude, which only made his smile grow wider, "You know, if you'd like to learn how a real pro bends, I could give you some...private lessons."
"You wanna go toe to toe with me, pretty boy?" replied Korra while standing up, annoyed.
"Go for it. I'll give you the first shot," taunted Tahno.
"Korra, don't! He's just trying to bait you- you hit him, and we're out of the tournament!" Bolin whispered urgently.
Staring at Tahno's confident, self-assured face, Korra felt her blood boil. There was no way she was just gonna let this go- but she had an idea.
Bringing up her hand, she heard Bolin give a slight gasp before bringing it to her lips and giving a sharp whistle. Naga burst her head through the open window and roared.
Tahno, taken completely by surprise, stumbled backwards with an embarrassingly high pitched yelp.
Recovering, he straightened himself out and fixed his hair before, wisely deciding to leave them alone for now, gestured to his posse to leave with him.
Watching the group leave, Bolin and Korra suddenly burst out laughing. "I've never seen someone rastle Tahno like that! You, Korra, are one of a kind!" said Bolin, awe apparent in his voice, making Korra blush from the praise.
Soon after, the couple left Narook's (Bolin, being the gentlemen, naturally payed for the meal- and also because Korra, having lived in a compound practically all her life didn't have any money) and at Bolin's suggestion headed for an Ice Cream joint a little further down the road.
"So you've never had ice cream before?" asked Bolin incredulously.
Korra shook her head, "No, it wasn't exactly commonplace in the South Pole. From what I know of it, most people use it to cool off; down there, if anything, we needed to keep warm. Besides, kind of a lack of dairy farms among all the glaciers to make any locally with, and transportation costs were a lot higher then White Lotus was willing to pay," seeing Bolin's thoughtful expression, she continued, "I mean, I always wanted to try it, but there wasn't really a reason to before."
Bolin nodded thoughtfully, before flashing her a wide grin, "Well, we'll just have to fix that, now won't we? I bet you're gonna love chocolate ice cream!"
Korra, who had merely been interested before, now found herself looking forward to their arrival with eagerness. When they arrived, Bolin held the door open for her to enter. The walls were all painted warm colors, and large circular windows let in a lot of light from outside. During the day it would be very bright, though even with the sun down the streetlamps and other outside lighting ensured the store was well-lit. And anywhere they might have been shadows, lights hanging from the ceiling ensured there were none, and combined with the warm colors made the place have a comfortable homey feel. The place was designed to make its patrons relax and enjoy, and a look at the menus hanging above the counter informed Korra that they didn't just serve Ice Cream, but all manner of desserts.
It didn't escape her notice that Ice Cream was, in fact, one of the cheaper items on the menu, but some of the really specialized cakes simply seemed...unnecessary. Then again, she knew it was unfair to judge any food before you sampled it, so perhaps they were worth the extra expense...not that she really had any idea of a proper price for any of it.
She choose not to comment on it, instead letting Bolin order for them again. He'd pointed out where their many, many flavors were listed, but given how she had no idea how to even pronounce half of them, she gestured for him to do it for her.
That was how she found herself seated beside Bolin at the counter, a small sample plate of nine different flavors of ice cream in front of her.
"The three in the middle are Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry," explained Bolin, pointing out a white, brown, and pink blobs, "Basically any ice cream place anywhere has them. The green one is mint, that one is vanilla mixed with cookie dough, and that one has peanut butter and caramel in it," he continued. Slightly bewildered by it all, she eventually took the spoon that was given to her and tried a bite of each one.
As it turned out, Bolin's prediction turned out to be correct; out of all of the different flavors, chocolate was definitely her favorite among them. She turned to him with a curious smile, "How did you know chocolate would be my favorite?"
Bolin blinked owlishly at her a few times, then with a shrug and a smile, "Everyone loves chocolate."
Korra frowned, slightly disappointed that his reasoning wasn't tailored to his knowledge of her preferences, as their dinner at Narook's had been, but she found no reason to argue with the statement. Finishing her samples, she turned to Bolin to ask what came next.
"Well, we could get a bowl of ice cream," he said thoughtfully, "or do you want to try the smoothies?"
Not entirely sure what a smoothie was, Korra shrugged, "Do they come in chocolate?"
In responce, Bolin addressed person behind the counter and said, "two chocolate smoothies, please!"
In what seemed like only a few seconds to Korra, two glasses filled with a brownish goop vaguely resembling the chocolate ice cream from earlier were placed in front of them with a straw in them.
The two enjoyed the delectable desert for several minutes, when a burp beside her broke up the monotony. Looking at Bolin, she saw he'd covered his mouth with his hand, mortified at his involuntary action. Taking pity on him, she gave a burp of her own.
Relief that she wasn't offended showed on his face, even as he smiled and then let out a noticeably longer belch. He crossed his, smiling playfully.
Not one to be outdone, Korra immediately sucked in a breath and managed to give a monstrous belch that put his to shame. The two shared a look, and then burst out laughing at the impromptu immaturity both of them displayed, and they only laughed harder when they saw the disgusted looks of their fellow patrons.
"We still got a few hours before we gotta turn in," said Bolin as he looked at a nearby clock tower, "anywhere you want to go before then?"
Korra shrugged, "Nothing really comes to mind." In all honesty, she'd had a great time. While she did want it to last a little bit longer, she wasn't entirely adverse to quitting while they were ahead either.
Bolin, apparently, was not of the same mindset as he looked up and down the street for inspiration on where to go, before his eyes locked onto a distant structure.
"I know the perfect place to finish up tonight," said Bolin with a broad grin, "Harmony Tower."
Looking at the place in question, Korra gave a shrug, then a smile, then an, "alright."
"We'll prolly have to ride Naga to get there on time- that is, if its ok with her," suggested Bolin, unsure.
"Oh, please," scoffed Korra, "she's been sleeping the whole day away, Naga'll be fine." Naga herself gave a loud bark of agreement, excited at the prospect of getting some proper exercise, rather then simply following them all around the city.
Korra quickly got on Naga, easily slipping into the harness, before helping Bolin get secured, as Naga shot off into the street.
A lot faster then Bolin thought it would take (he noticed very quickly neither Korra nor Naga seemed to know the rules of the road; probably something to discuss with them at a later date), they were at the base of the tower, where Korra told Naga to wait for them as they started climbing the stairs.
"I think you're really gonna enjoy it up here. You can see practically the whole city!" said Bolin excitedly.
"I gotta wonder what Air Temple Island looks like from up there," mused Korra.
"You'll find out soon enough! Come on!" urged Bolin.
"I'm already 'coming on', Bolin," said Korra with a chuckle, "You're the one who needs to hurry up!"
Taking her words as a challenge, the two quickly sped up, racing each other to the top. After the third time they'd nearly tripped over the other visitors, or their own feet, they burst into laughs again, and decided to end the game before someone actually got hurt.
Finally reaching the top, the sight took Korra's breath away. While many locations around the world held their own ethereal or natural beauty, Republic City was just about the only place in the world with its own particular brand of artificial beauty. The way the city lit up like a hill of fireflies at night was just simply awe-inspiring; and the fact that seventy years ago, it had just been a few tiny villages made it even more amazing. That over the course of two generations, what once been a profitable, but mostly empty landscape had been transformed into the second largest, and definitely most advanced city in the world.
The Pro-Bending Arena, so large when looking up at it, and appearing even larger on the inside, was now merely a tiny golden dot smaller then her thumb.
Air Temple Island, majestic up close and mysterious from the shore, now looked like a simple jagged rock out in the bay.
She was surprised she could still make out the features of Avatar Aang's statue out on Aang Memorial Island. His youthful (at the time) determination to bring peace and balance to the world, apparent in his face. Would he be proud of her?
The thought was sudden and unbidden, but from what she knew, Aang had always been more interested in fun then work as a child. Kitara herself had mentioned that the first time she'd met him, his only interest was taming one of the local penguins for a round of penguin sledding. This type of behavior, naturally, was heavily discourage by the White Lotus, and Tenzin would likely disapprove of such actions as well, but overall Korra felt Aang would understand and approve. After all, she did, and wasn't she and Aang the same person deep down or something?
Shaking the weighty, philosophical thoughts away from her mind, she looked in amazement as Bolin pointed out the part of the city where Narook's was situated, her smile just as big as his.
"Ya know, I think I would have been more comfortable just walking you to the port," said Bolin an hour later as they approached the Pro-Bending Arena. Soon after officially joining the Fire Ferrets, Korra had learned that Mako and Bolin actually lived in a rented space on the top floor.
"Yeah, but me and Naga can just swim home, and this way I don't have to worry about you getting into trouble," replied Korra teasingly.
"Yeah, because I'm the trouble magnet out of the two of us."
"You did get kidnapped just a few weeks ago," pointed out Korra dryly.
"That was...not my...not cool, Korra, not cool," he said, wagging his finger in a 'no-no' fashion, causing Korra to burst out laughing at his antics. She was doing that a lot, she'd noticed.
As her laughter died down, the two started smiling awkwardly at each other, neither certain what to say next.
Thankfully, Bolin broke the silence, "So, I guess this is...goodnight?"
"I guess," replied Korra, "goodnight Bolin," stepping up she kissed him on the cheek, "and thank you. I had a great time, really," she said with a blush and smile.
Bolin was also blushing madly, and rubbing the cheek she'd kissed with his hand, "heh heh heh, I'm really glad. Maybe we can do it again sometime, soon!"
"I'd like that," replied Korra as she mounted Naga. "See you in the morning, Bolin! We got a match to win!"
"Yeah, we'll show them all! Go Fire Ferrets!" yelled Bolin as he watched Korra and Naga jump into the bay and start swimming for Air Temple Island. He stayed and watched them shrink into the distance for several minutes before finally turning in with the brightest smile on his face.
AN: so, got the date done. And I'm very proud of myself for that part being over 90% original content.
That was a lot more then I thought it would be. Originally had this split into two chapters, but the length was pitiful (in my own opinion), so I combined them. Having reread it a couple times now, I think it flows better now anyway.
I think I got it across that Korra is not yet over Mako, but she is covering up her feelings with how amazing Bolin makes her feel. Not the most healthy alternative, but it worked for her this day; only time will tell if it bites her in the [butt] later.
I also feel like mentioning, that Mako's canon feelings for Korra are there; it's just he's used to burying his emotions under layers and layers of mental garbage. I believe in canon he only started noticing his feelings for Korra because she admitted them; leading him to realize he loves her as well, but hes no where near heartless enough to simply leave Asami for what appears to be no reason, which resulted in all the confusion in canon.
Instead, here, he probably won't realize his feelings for her until Korra and Bolin have been going strong for a while. And by then, it'll be much too late to do much about them (unless Korra and Bolin break up for some reason, which is possible, but I've no plans regarding such; though it'd be an interesting plot twist...).
Mako is an incredibly flawed character, which is awesome, but I honestly don't think he's the one for Korra; especially not when Bolin is right there, giving her everything she wants and, more importantly, everything she needs. Let's just hope Korra can do the same for him.
Next chap will be the quarter and semi finals. Possibly the Finals as well, pending the length.
So, review and stuff, tell me what you liked and didn't like. I'm trying to improve my writing, but I can never tell if I'm simply being paranoid or if something is genuinely messed up, so I need other people to point it out for me.
Also; on ripping directly from the episode, like I said I'm trying to improve. In the past, moving away from canon has lead to immense, seemingly impassable writers block for me. So I'm using the episodes like a crutch to actually get somewhere with this story; if I get far enough, the crutch will eventually break, but hopefully my legs will have healed by then, metaphorically I mean.
That'd be a terrible thing to happen in real life. Hm. That wasn't morbid at all. I'm rambling, aren't I?
See you next chap!