Title: Frozen Runaways
Word Count: 1,063
Summary: [She needs to go after it by herself. It's her duty; her fate. | Korra. Mako. Book 2 Spec.]
be-the-peaf · Prompt 030 – fate
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Happy Anniversary to be-the-peaf (on tumblr) and all its crew! I can't believe we've been at this for a year now, I'm very proud for all the hard work they've put in. :)
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Korra waits for the night to come.
Sneaking past the White Lotus guards is easy. This time she jumps from the meeting room's windows, sweeping the snow to the soles of her feet to cover the impact. The Southern city is still busy with the commotion of the festival, even with the hour so late and she passes children with tired hands gripping onto their parents, leading them to bed and couples taking strolls on the quieter streets, hands clasped tight to ward off the touch of ice and wind that bellows through the buildings.
She takes these quiet streets, walking by the distracted parents and lovers without a second glance to who she is. She blends in well in her homeland, even with everything that has happened and as she reaches the edge of the city Korra peaks around the corners she's gone by, checking her back to see if she'd been followed.
Thankfully, she's given everyone the slip.
She runs to the stables where they had taken Naga, unlatching the gate and waking her friend from a deep sleep. The polarbear-dog yawns in her bed of snow and hay, nuzzling her master's hand with a dry nose and Korra finds her vision blurring with water as her mouth opens in a large yawn that seems to draw strength from her entire body. She's tired and hadn't been able to get a full night's sleep since the attack, but there were more important matters to attend to; she need to go after that spirit.
She secures Naga's saddle and leads her from the building, looking to the circling storm clouds that were gathering on the horizon. That's where the spirit ran to the previous night after the attack; it's probably where she'll find it now.
Footsteps crunch on the snow behind her.
She doesn't turn around, not at first, and her hands curl around Naga's reins as she breathes slowly through her nose. A calming technique Tenzin had shown her months ago, she was finally starting to use it.
"Where are you going?"
She glances over her shoulder to see him standing a few feet away, fresh snow riding up to his ankles and his hands tucked under his arms. The rest of his body is drawn in, closed and reserved as the wind blows the red scarf across his face. He'd forgotten his parka running after her; a serious mistake in this colder weather.
"You should get inside," she says, facing front and throwing Naga's reins over the saddle. "You'll freeze if you stay out too long."
"You never answered my question." He says, planting a foot further in the snow. "Where are you going?"
"I need to go after it, Mako." She says. "It's my job."
"Tenzin told you to wait, even Master Katara agreed that this was dangerous!" he says, his voice getting louder. "Your uncle doesn't know what these things are, none of us do."
"And I'm just one of many Avatars," she says, her words harsh and cold. "If I don't know, then one of them will."
"It's too risky." He says. "I'm not letting you run off like this without a plan."
"I'm not going to sit around and wait for those things to come back!" she says. "It'd be better if I left to deal with them now, before it gets any worse. It's my duty as the Avatar to be the bridge between the worlds. It's my destiny; I can't avoid this."
"I don't care what you call it; you're not going." He says, walking to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "At least not alone."
It doesn't take her more than a second to figure out what he's talking about.
"Oh no," she shakes her head, adjusting the stirrup's length. "No, you're not coming with me. None of you are."
"Yes, we are."
She throws his hand of her shoulder and whips around, stretching her neck out to get right into his face. Mako stumbles back a few steps, trying to create distance but she closes it, standing with her chin centimeters from his chest. A few days ago she would have enjoyed being so close to him, but with these spirits attacking with no explanation as to why, she had to be cautious. There was no way she was letting them come with her. This was her job and her fight. She didn't want them to get caught in the middle of it.
"We don't know if Bolin will have earth to bend; he'd be a sitting turtleduck if we got attacked in the middle of the tundra!" she says, her hand stretching out to the vast iceland that waited. "And those spirits are fast, they can change their shape and faze right through an attack. Asami's glove would go right through them."
When she turns back to Naga, Mako grabs hold of her arm.
"I'm not going to see you get hurt for my sake." She says, her words bitter and harsh.
"And I'm not going to sit by and watch you do the same." He replies, his grip strong and his fingers dig into her parka as she fights against it. He turns her around, clasping his other hand on her shoulder. "We'll watch each other's backs. It's the only way to stand a chance against those things."
She crosses her arms, staring up at him. The wind dies down and snow clings to her hair and his clothes. She doesn't feel cold on the outside or inside. Instead she feels a flush of heat run to her cheeks and a rock sink into her gut. She knows she's going to end up regretting this, but ….
"Fine, " she sighs. "If that's the way you're going to be."
Mako lifts the corners of his lips in a cocky grin and lets her go. She shakes her head and rolls her eyes, walking back to Naga, who has been waiting for her. She climbs the saddle and holds a hand to him, helping him up. He pulls his scarf up to his nose and wraps both hands on her waist. Korra looks behind to make sure he's ready and gives Naga a quick pat on her neck.
"Come on, they'll realize I'm gone soon enough."
She directs Naga to the storm.
"Let's go."
:Fin:
I was writing another fic to go with this prompt that would have fit the theme of fate better, but I had to scrap that for reasons. So this is just a little fun with how I think a scene in Book 2 *might* go. It's certainly not going to be accurate, but this was just a fun thing to write up. Even if it didn't fit very well with the prompt. ^^