A/N: The soundtrack of this show is so amazing, I couldn't not write something inspired by it!
1,2,3 and 5 take place post episode seven. 4 and 7 are pre-series, and 6 takes place after episode two but before three.
I recommend that you listen to the corresponding song while reading each piece,as that's what I did while writing them. It really does contribute to the story.
I own nothing.
1. amon in the shadows
The bunker is deep underground, cradled by the earth. He does not mind it-instead, he relishes the feeling of being...hidden. Of being buried alive.
(It reminds him of nights spent buried in piles of snow on the tundra with Tarrlok, curled up like polar-bear dogs in hibernation, laughing, breath crystallizing in the cold.)
As he lets the mask clatter onto the ground, he looks in the mirror, and is surprised to find his made-up lips twisted in displeasure. It was to be expected, after today.
That idiot Sato had decided to reveal himself as an ally. The man was fuelled by revenge, like himself, but Amon controlled his. Sato let it control his life. It was easier to manufacture weapons in the open, but he thinks that they have enough prototypes to replicate underground.
Of course, there was a drawback. That pretty daughter of his had fully allied herself with the Avatar, which was a shame. Such a girl would have appealed to the bourgeois and faddish people of Republic City, of which there are many. With such power behind him, the council would have had no choice but to crumble.
No matter. The revolution was gaining momentum, and soon, the city would play into his hands. The Avatar's impetuousness will only serve to further his purpose;and he is very sure that her fatal flaw will be her friends, so easily manipulated.
Amon walks into the light, and smiles.
2. bolin wants to know
Asami looks at him, completely nonplussed. "So...please don't tell me that you don't know what a sanitary towel is..?"
Mako appears beside her, a small flush evident across his nose, fiddling with a newly-purchased pack of herbal cigarettes. "Uh, Bo never really had, erm, occasion to learn about, um, female hygiene..." He gives Asami an awkward smile.
Asami throws an accusing look at Korra. "You mean you never told him either..?"
Korra shrugs nonchalantly. She's over in the other aisle, testing out different perfumes, completely oblivious to the dirty looks the salesgirl is throwing her. "He thought they were glider stickers, and I found him using my tampons for a nosebleed. He seemed pretty happy with that definition." She sneezes as she accidentally sprays herself in the face. "Besides, it was funny."
Bolin hops up and down impatiently, thick eyebrows knitted together. "What do they do? I wanna know, tell me!"
Asami sighs, and spends the next ten minutes explaining the vagaries of the female menstrual system to Bolin. He has difficulty of grasping the concept of "bleeding for a WEEK? And SURVIVING?" but by the end of her lesson, Bolin has it figured out enough that he won't be able to look either girl in the eye for a while.
Mako looks vaguely horrified. Korra looks as though she never wants to stop laughing. As for Asami, she makes mental lesson plans on the subject of childbirth.
3. hardboiled...afraid
Her apartment is dark and cold. Lin rarely sleeps at home, preferring to catnap on the couch in her office or use a spare bed in the barracks, if she sleeps at all. Lin's all-nighters are the stuff of legend.
All that, has, of course, changed. She huffs slightly, blowing wisps of greying hair out of her face, and drops the box onto the earthen floor with a wince. Her side has not yet fully healed, and she has a feeling that it never will. It will be just another scar to add to her growing collection, both physical and mental.
She steps hesitantly into the bathroom, and stoops over the sink, splashing water over her face. She glances at the mirror, but looks away quickly. Her armour is a part of her now, and she looks and feels naked without it.
A memory flashes into her mind, brief as a smile. It is of her mother, chuckling at her young daughter stumping around in Toph's breast plate. It dwarfs her, and Lin curls her lip in dissatisfaction at the way Tenzin's hand is raised to his mouth in a futile attempt to stifle his giggles. "You look like an egg that's too small for its shell!" he says, eventually, and her mother erupts into full-blown laughter at the mental image.
She smiles a bittersweet smile, slumping against the wall, and tries to ignore the fact that her hardboiled egg shell is cracked.
4. hittin' on all sixes
The gambling den is smoky, lamps guttering. Mako is only ten, and he is dwarfed by almost everyone in the lounge. The bouncer lets him in without comment when he sees the red scarf.
A band is playing in the corner, saxophones and zithers singing in cheerful harmony. The babble of people talking is like a stream in the background, voices melding together, high pitched laughter and low rumbling remarks sounding in his ears.
Mako would stop to stare at the band, but he's here on a job. He's perfect for this-small and skinny and unnoticeable. If he pulls this off correctly, he and Bolin will eat well for two weeks. That alone is enough to push the thought that it's the Triple Threat Triad he's running numbers for out of his head.
At the nearest poker table, he sees a familiar back. It's Shady Shin, dressed in his customary cobalt blue. Mako makes his way carefully to the man, making sure he is unnoticed. Upon reaching him, he mumbles, under his breath, 'No, not my cabbages.' Shady Shin freezes and thaws one man's glass within a second so that it breaks. While everyone else's attention is diverted, the man swivels around and whispers hurriedly to Mako.
"When I drop my watch, set that tapestry over there-see it? The one with the purple platypus-bear with pink horns and silver wings-on fire. It'll fall on this desk. I'll toss the money at you, and then you skedaddle. Drop it, don't catch it, your brother won't be walking for awhile, capisce? Anyways, I'll meet you back at the docks, and you'll get a decent cut. Don't mess it up, kid." Shady turns back around, and plunges into the game. Mako locates the hanging, and conceals himself beneath it.
After about ten minutes, he sees the watch flashing on the floor. He acts quickly; making a spurt of fire gush from a nearby lamp, he burns through the string and the cloth falls in such a way that it lands on the desk at which Shady is playing. He flings his arms up just in time to catch the sack of yuans. Heedless of the fact that he has never seen this much money at once, Mako makes like a banana and splits, darting past the bouncer and sticking to the shadows.
His heart is thumping, and Mako lets himself smile a little, his mouth already watering at the thought of his first meal in five days. Luck is with him tonight, and the image of sixes and yuans flash in front of his eyes.
5. main theme
The sun is at its zenith, and rays of light refract off of the statue's head. His father's face is shadowed, pupil-less eyes staring.
Tenzin meditates in its shadows. The island is bustling with activity-the three new arrivals have sent everyone into a tizzy. Tenzin does not begrudge Korra's friends-far from it!- but nevertheless, quiet on the island today is unthinkable.
From his vantage point, the ruins of the arena are clear to see. Half of the glass dome ceiling is gone, and breadths of wood have collapsed, upholding pillars shattered.
He breathes in through his nose, out through his mouth, and wonders what his father would do. Doubtless Aang would have some solution, or perhaps Sokka could think of something-they would, at least, be able to dissuade Lin from resigning. There is nothing he wants less right now than Tarrlok in a position of power. He knows that the man will abuse it, and that it will end in tears. However, Lin will not be swayed, and secretly he is proud of her, just as he knows her mother would be.
Behind him, Oogie lifts his head an iota. Tenzin looks upwards to see three gliders soar through the air towards him. Jinora lands delicately, Ikki lands in a whirl, and Meelo almost crashes into the snoozing sky bison. After a round of giggles, Jinora shushes her siblings, and they silently make their way towards their father.
They drop into stance beside him, and he feels hope bloom a little in his heart, and he smiles at his family, knowing that his main priority will always be them. Purging all responsibility from his brain, he begins again to meditate, flanked by his children.
He doesn't think he could be happier.
6. lost my heart in republic city
Dawn is breaking in Republic City, and for once, Korra is awake to observe it.
It's been three weeks since she arrived in the capital of the Republic, and the city itself never fails to amaze her. Her new hobby is exploration-she and Naga run all over the city, from the palatial mansions on the outskirts to the grimy alleys of the Dragon Flats. Slowly, she has been discovering the jewels of Republic City-things like the best market for Water Tribe goods, the wildest parks, the seediest clubs, and the prettiest views. This is her newest spot-the Mai Bridge that spans this particular inlet of the bay.
The sun begins to peek out from the clouds, and Korra catches her breath. The rising sun casts pale orange pall over Naga's fur, turning it a light gold. Mist cloaks everything like a gossamer shawl shading a lady. The bridge glistens with dew, and the violet sky begins to slowly fade as dawn withdraws her rosy fingers. The sun's bottom is skimming the horizon, and it frames the towers scraping the sky. The mountains, covered with a fluff of snow at the tops, provide an impeccable backdrop. She's left almost speechless by the city's beauty, and she wishes she could paint, if only to capture the pure perfection filling her right now. The only word she can think of right now to describe it is utopian.
In that moment, Korra makes her decision. She will change this city that has captured her heart, and drag it from the dystopian depths in which it languishes. She wants this city to be exactly as her predecessor envisioned it-balanced, and a beacon of peace.
A waft of some succulent smell drifts towards Korra and her stomach rumbles, eliciting a surprised giggle from her. As she pulls herself up on Naga's back, she decides that mornings aren't so bad after all.
7. the rally
The crowd around Asami is suffocating. There must be at least a thousand people present, crammed into this tiny warehouse. Her mouth is dry, and her heart is thudding a little.
She isn't even sure why she's here-a girlfriend, Hana, had been asked by a potential suitor in a show of bravado, and Hana had brought along some companions, both male and female, as a dare. Asami knows that she was only asked along due to her status, in order to impress the young man. Hana's plan isn't working out, however-the suitor's eyes keep on sliding from her face to Asami's, but the heiress ignores him.
There's a metallic sliding noise, and the lights extinguish completely, apart from one spotlight on stage. In that circle of white is a man, cloaked in black with a blankly carved face. The crowd erupts, screaming and yelling, but the man raises his hand and they fall silent, eyes wide with almost religious fervour. Asami looks around her, and finds that her companions are the exact same, jaws ajar, and she clutches her friend's arm a little tighter.
Amon begins to speak, and she has to admit, what he's saying makes sense, if only a little. He talks about his childhood, about his parent's death, and Asami's heart squeezes in sympathy. But then she listens more, and she comes to the conclusion that the man is insane, completely insane. There is truth in his words, but he has twisted it so thoroughly that it is no longer real.
She glances around her to see if anyone's face is as twisted with distaste as hers must be, but they are blank, heads upturned towards the masked man like flowers stretching to the sun.
She spends the rest of the rally staring at her feet, heart choking with fear, and she pays no heed to the familiar man on the speaker's left.
Favourites are greatly appreciated, but reviews are smothered with tears of joy and awkward attempts at replying.
Bye for now. ~Gryfo