Korra walked into practice that day to see, yet again, that Mako wasn't there.
"Hey, Bolin. Umm where's Mako?" Bolin who was chunking rock discs into a net just turned and shook his head at her.
"Do you really have to ask? He's with Miss Sato." He pronounced Sato like he had a funny taste in his mouth.
"This is his second time missing practice!" He tossed his towel down angrily.
Of course, Korra wasn't surprised by this at all. It seemed that every time Asami crooked her finger, Mako came running like a little puppy.
"That's okay, we can still practice, though!" The happy expression had returned to Bolin's face. "You know, we need to work on your defensive skills. You're like a sitting turtleduck out there!"
"Oh, I am, am I?" Korra sent two earth discs volleying towards the earthbender's head. He blocked them easily and returned the gesture. Korra tumbled out of the way and sent a wave of water whipping at her opponent. He fell to the ground with a thud.
"That's good, that's good," he said with his face in the earth, "but you still wouldn't have knocked me over the line."
"Oh, I would have knocked you over two lines!" To demonstrate she sent another bout of water at him, pushing him backwards. Bolin tried to block her attacks with earth but it ended up backfiring and turning the cakey earth to mud.
She doubled over and clutched her knees, laughing.
"Ugh! It's in my eyes! It's in my eyes!" And with that, Korra was on the floor, feeling like she hadn't in a long while.
"What are you both doing? You're supposed to be practicing!" A surly Mako was suddenly in veiw with arms crossed and a sour expression.
"We were practicing!" Bolin protested, finally wiping the mud from his eyes.
"Doesn't look that way to me."
Korra jabbed a finger in his chest. "You would know more if you bothered to show up! I didn't know dating the richest girl in Republic City suddenly excused you from that!"
Mako fumed and spat out his next words. "I wasn't with Asami, for your information. Not that anything I do is your business."
"It is when we're on a team! I didn't know being the Sato's new pet would turn you into a regular Hasook."
Mako's eyes glazed over and somewhere in the pit of her heart, Korra knew she had went to far.
"Get out." He stated.
She tore off her helmet and threw it at his feet. "Don't worry I was just leaving."
Pema was wonderful at comforting a person. She insisted on making Korra tea, even though she was eight months pregnant.
"Now do you want to tell me about it?" She says, sipping her drink.
"It's nothing. I just didn't have a good practice session, that's all."
"Korra, I know enough about you now to know that there is something more behind this." She was silent for a moment.
"Is it that handsome firebender, Ikki was telling me you liked?"
Korra almost spat out her tea.
"W-what? I do not like him! He's arrogant and stupid and a jerk... and and I could go on but I think you have my point!"
"You're blushing, Korra." She banged her head on the table.
"Okay, I like him. But it doesn't matter because he's dating Asami Sato, the richest girl in the city."
"Oh, I see now. You're jealous."
"AM NOT! I could care less about what that stupid jerkbender does!" She sticks out her lower lip into a pout.
"You know when I was younger, I never thought a guy like Tenzin could like a girl like me. I was just a simple shopkeeper. And he, he was the son of the great Avatar Aang. A girl like me didn't stand a chance! But one day he came into my shop asking for a book. He looked so sour! I forgot all about my shyness and just blurted out, 'Would you like to have tea with me?' And his sour face cracked into a smile and he told me he would be delighted."
"I never knew how you met Tenzin." Korra studied Pema for a long time and thought that any man could easily fall in love with her.
She blushed. "The point is, Korra, your feelings will never be known until you speak up. Even if this Mako doesn't like you back, at least you can say you tried."
So Korra blamed Pema for following Mako and Asami on their date that night. They were going to a place called, The Palace of Tranquility, which the name itself made Korra want to gag. She bundled herself in a trench coat and wore her hair down, taking out all her water tribe tresses. After they had been admitted, she went to the podium to ask for a seat.
"Excuse me, table for one, please." The man peered down at her with his nose held high and his mouth sour.
"I'm sorry, but you need a reservation to get in."
"Um, I-I kinda don't have one." She smiled innocently.
"Then you may not have a table. Can you even afford this place, little girl?" Korra almost smacked him upside the head right there, and told him exactly who she was but she reminded herself to keep calm.
"Alright, I'll just be leaving then."
"I think that's best."
Korra trudged around the back, thinking that all hope was lost until she saw two bellhops going into a back entrance.
"Perfect," she whispered. She snatched a bellhops uniform easily and snuck in with the crowd, carrying boxes into the kitchen. The place was spick and span, she couldn't even imagine what the actual restaurant looked like. But she was about to find out. Korra quickly spotted the entrance to the outer part and made a mad dash for the door.
"Hey! Bellhops aren't supposed to go out there!" She dashed out the door with an angry bellhop on her tail and the only thing on her mind was, "Find Mako." "Find Mako."
Her mouth fell open at the decor of the restaurant. Everything was perfection. To the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling to the roses as centerpieces. No detail had been overlooked. And there were literally hundreds, hundreds of seats. How was she going to find Mako in this crowded place.
Suddenly a small door caught her sight at the far back of the restaurant. She knew immediately it was a private room, and that Miss Sato couldn't resist taking her pet there. She raced towards the entrance, but quickly caught her foot on a tablecloth and sent food and dishes flying everywhere.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" someone shouted.
"Sorry about that! Excuse me, pardon me!" Korra weaved her way through dozens of jam packed tables, her elbows catching customers faces and occasionally sending a drink spilling. She was almost towards Mako when she heard a shout.
"That's her! Grab her!" She turned around to see angry bellhops and waiters running towards her. She bent the earth underneath their feet, sending them flying across the table to their left. Ladies squealed and gentlemen cursed. And Korra could only imagine Tenzin's face when he heard about this. Bu the door was so close and she took her chance and went for it.
She burst in to find...Asami and Mako locked in a kiss. Her heart fell and she just stood there for what seemed a solid moment before Mako looked up, surprised and shocked to see her.
"Korra! What are you doing here?" But she didn't have time to answer for the entire staff burst through the door and wrestled her to the ground.
"Hey, stop that! I didn't mean to do anything wrong!"
"Stop, she's the Avatar!"
Suddenly a shrill whistle cut through the commotion. Asami stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the staff.
"Let her go please. She's a friend of mine." Korra never remembered being this woman's friend but she was smart enough to keep her mouth shut.
"Miss, this girl has snuck into our establishment, impersonated a staff member, destroyed thousands of dishes, and absolutely ruined the Palace of Tranquility's reputation with our guests!"
"Where Dreams Come True!" one waiter said with a smile.
"My father will gladly pay for all the damages done here tonight. She is the avatar and should be treated as an honorable guest."
Korra wrestled herself away from the angry mob. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to cause any of this. I just needed to talk to my friend." She stole a glance at Mako, who was angrily gazing at the floor.
"You don't have to pay for anything, Asami. I'll fully help clean up all the trouble I've caused. I-I guess I'll leave you two to your dinner. Sorry for the intrusion."
She was quickly escorted out of the restaurant.
Korra lay in her bedroom, arms folded across her stomach, when a knock sounded at her door. She opened it up and was surprised to find Mako in the entry way.
"Hey," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to apologize."
Korra was shocked at this revelation. "But why? I'm the one who ruined your date and possibly the entire slogan of the Palace of Tranquility."
"I came to apologize because you were right. About that day, at practice; about me being Asami's pet. When I was with her, I could forget all my money troubles, you know? I didn't have to worry about anything and it just felt so good. But that night when you came bursting through that door, I don't know. That kiss with Asami, I didn't feel anything! And she's been so good to me, sponsoring our team and taking me everywhere that I would never have a chance to go before but...my heart just wasn't in it."
He was rambling and Korra could only have believed what she was hearing.
"I kept thinking about Bolin and how if we won, then maybe we could buy a nice house and unf-
Korra silenced him with a kiss. His lips were warm and even better than she could have imagined and at first he didn't do anything and she was afraid but then he pressed into her and it all just felt so perfect.
She laughed into his mouth. "I guess we both have been acting like idiots, huh?"
"Well I think you take the cake for destroying an entire restaurant single-handedly." She could feel her face go red.
"What are you going to tell Asami?"
Mako kissed her again. "Right now, I don't care." After a minute he pulled back. "Oh, and one more thing; don't ever call me Hasook again."