Title: Adequation

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Don't own Legend of Korra.

Summary: Avatar Korra, having mastered three out of four elements, was about to take charge of her own life and finally learn airbending in the grand city of her predecessor, Aang – is it any surprise that she missed the stop at Republic City?

Note: Chapter one, unpolished. I've got a number of other ones, but this is a weird fic in that I know I can end it at any time - but the further I write, the more Amorra it'll get, so I better keep inspired, right?

BTW, title. It's always interesting what you find in an online dictionary. Look it up. ^^

Bvvrrrrrruuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Sleeping soundly, Korra furrowed her eyebrows at the loud, vibrating sound. Beneath her, Naga slept on as well – the horn of the steamship blowing was something both had learned to ignore in the days of their journey.

Bvvrrruu-bvvrrrrrruuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Standing in front of the pair, the First Officer of the vessel looked down at them. He frowned, and lowered his voice for the order. "Tell the Captain we have a pair of stowaways from Republic. Lord knows what her goals are, but that's not our prerogative."

"Yes, sir." The shipmate bowed, but hesitated before following out of the room. He glanced not at the girl, but at the polar bear-dog. Being from the South Pole himself, he remembered the fuss of hushed rumors when the Avatar tamed the vicious animal as her Spirit Guide.

Still, it probably wasn't his place to inform the crew that they were carrying the Avatar. Who knew what would happen, then?

Deliberately putting the matter out of mind, Yorak walked briskly through the halls, taking only seconds to come up to the door to the Captain's quarters and office. He knocked without hesitation, and let himself in.

"Cap'n, we have a stowaway." He declared upon entering.

The Captain frowned upon looking up. His face was weathered from the sea, as trips to the Poles were especially hard on men from other nations, but he was a fair and well respected Captain.

"Well, it wouldn't due to just dump them; we're too far from land." The Captain scratched his chin idly. Sighing heavily, he stood from his seat and strode right passed Yorak and out the door. "C'mon, to Navigators hull."

Yorak followed silently.

It was a quick deal to explain the situation to the Navigator, who started pouring over the maps lying upon the desk. While the woman was doing that, Yorak took the opportunity to speak up. "Captain, sir, I must inform you that the situation is dire: not only is it a young girl on board, but she also has within her company an animal of large proportions."

The Captain's frown deepened the lines upon his face, and he asked, "How large are we speaking of?"

"…Approximately the size of a Satomobile, sir."

Sensing the severity of the situation (for they could not afford to keep both girl and animal on board), Navigator spotted just the place to drop off a young woman. "Captain, we can stop by the Abbey on our way North. We will need to keep inland, but it is a better alternative than carting the girl all the way to the North Pole."

"Good. See to it the changes to our course are made. A beast that large I want off my ship."

Both Navigator and Yorak bowed as the man left the room; immediately thereafter the woman pinned gold eyes on the Second Officer. "You used the word dire." She stated imperiously, as if that very word had changed her decision on where to stop.

It probably had.

"Yes." Yorak said, an implacable expression coating blue eyes. When he saw she would not back down from the topic, he made a split second decision. "The girl is obviously the daughter of Tonraq, son of the North."

Navigator frowned. "And what, specifically, does that mean? That we could have supported her until we got to the Northern docks?"

Even in this day and age, it seemed, people of other nations did not think to follow what lay behind the politics. "Tonraq is the brother of the Northern Chief. He abdicated the 'throne' for a Southern girl, and was subsequently banished. He and his family can never set foot upon Northern snow." This would change, he knew, once the girl made herself known as Avatar, but for now it was truth.

Gold eyes widened, and she nodded seriously. "I understand." She stated, and vacated the room herself to give orders to turn the tiller.

Yorak was left alone in the room, and wondered if it wouldn't have just been simpler to wake the girl up and have her waterbend to shore.

Bvvrrrrrruuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh!

"Girl." A deep voice called out to her. Korra just groaned and turned further into Naga's fur. For her part, Naga snarled as a nudging foot got too close.

Yorak frowned. "Girl, wake up, or I'll waterbend you right off the boat. We're about to pull in, and I need to tell you some things."

A single, baleful teal eye glared up at him. Yorak stared back.

"I'm up." The Avatar sighed in defeat. "Naga, calm."

"Good." He said imperiously. "I know you were meant to head for Republic City, stowaway."

Korra's eyes widened. Until that moment, it hadn't quite sunk in that she was caught. Wait, what? "W-were?"

Thin lips quirked and Yorak nodded. "Were. We docked in the early morning, and set out over four hours passed."

"Four… hours…" Korra repeated faintly.

"You're lucky." The Water Tribesman told her. She just looked up at him, so he continued. "We're not taking you all the way North with us. You're getting dropped off in less than an hour."

"…oh." An hour. Over five hours by steamship away from Republic City, it would take her days to get there, even riding on Naga. Suddenly, Korra realized how unprepared she was for such a journey.

"If you would take it, I offer you this advice."

Wary of his answer, Korra nonetheless nodded at him to go on.

"We won't be pulling into a port: no port will look kindly on a stowaway, and even less on a girl, no matter if she has a large and, quite frankly, intimidating animal." Yorak spoke steadily, hoping to impress upon her the importance of his words. By the growing look in her eyes, he was succeeding.

"Instead, we will pull alongside the shore, and you will be sent out with your dog. There won't be a path, but, should you go directly inland you will find an Abbey, guarded by nuns of the Spiritual orientation. I advise you seek shelter there."

Nuns? Well… Korra bolstered her courage, she wanted to come to Republic City to learn airbending and get in touch with her 'spiritual side,' right?

"O-okay… but what then?" Korra asked quietly, fist clenching in Naga's fur.

Blue eyes judged her, and Korra instinctively found herself bristling.

"What! I never asked for any of this! All I wanted was to come to Republic City to learn air-!" Korra found herself suddenly cut off midsentence by a hand, and she glared up at the man.

"I would advise you not to speak such words." Yorak said, crouching down to her level to stare her in the eye. She looked away first and reddened in humiliation.

"You will find that I know exactly who you are, daughter of Tonraq, and that does little to impress me, for it is obvious that you are going about on your own with little to no information. Now, will you listen?"

Korra nodded against his hand, a distinct fear filling her eyes, and Naga growled lowly.

"Good." He removed his hand, and continued steadily. "Republic City is far from the safest place to be right now. It is an enormous city bigger than all of the South Poles settlements combined, and it is filled with Triads – thugs, if you will – bad politics, and is in the midst of a civil uprising."

Korra's eyes filled with disbelief, and Yorak speared her with a Look.

"Should you go around speaking to anyone who has ears of who you are, what you are, then chaos will follow. Not the good kind, either. They will hunt you down and make sure that you're stint in Republic City is not even looked upon in the history books."

Korra couldn't help but protest, "But, Master Tenz-"

"Airmaster Tenzin is one man, head of Air Temple Island. Yes, you would be safe there, for a time. Anonymously. He is hardly a fit politician for Republic city, he is too lofty and gentle." Yorak realized they had deviated from the original topic, and cut his hand through the air. "Regardless, you will be leaving this ship very soon for the Abbey. How are your funds?"

"…funds?" Korra asked in honest obliviousness. "Why would I need funds?"

Yorak called upon his ancestors for patience, and looked at her. "You, who were taught in your youth by Water Tribe Warrior Sokka, don't know the importance of money in society?"

Korra flushed red again in outrage. "I- it's not like I've ever needed it! I've lived in the compound my whole life! I-"

"Will be quiet or I will gag you." The Second Officer toned. She stayed quiet.

"Very well." Yorak stood up, and held his hand out. "I will provide you with enough to get you either transport or enough food for the journey. However, I would advise you speak with the Nuns about your situation, they may clear some… truths up for you."

Uncertain, she looked at the weathered hand. He smiled. Good. She should be wary, if she was to survive to the Capital.

Twenty minutes later, Korra found herself pressured overboard, and was quite hasty in putting ice under her and Naga's feet as the steamship plowed on without her.

Bvvrrrrrruuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh!

"Well Naga, let's get going…"

Bvvrrruu-bvvrrrrrruuuuhhhhhhhhhhhh!