Half Baked

Korra was tired.

Tired of having her life overshadowed by a cloud of misery named Tarrok.

Who was he to have such influence over her life and the lives of her friends?

First the curfew of non-benders, then taking away the city's power and rounding up non-benders in the middle of the night? To top it off, he also arrested Mako, Bolin, and Asami.

Out of all the politicians, Tarrlok was the most conceited of them all. She was glad to head Tenzin's warning about him. She should have listened to Tenzin when Tarrlok recruited her to the Task Force in the first place.

From the start, she was just a tool to him.

Tenzin was a tool, Lin was a tool, Chief Saikhan was a tool.

He just uses everyone around him.

He didn't care who he hurts, what damage he causes, or who he uses in order to get what he wants. If he doesn't like someone, if he thinks someone is somehow less than him, he would toss you aside.

It was a good thing that he wasn't here on the island right now. If he was here right in front of her, she would annihilate him on the spot. If she ever saw that slimy, unfeeling, sociopathic robot again, it'll be too soon…

"Avatar Korra…!"

Speak of Vaatu.

Her brow furrowed. "Councilman Tarrlok, out of all the nerve, I don't know why you're even here…"

"I need to speak with you."

"This really isn't a good time." No time was a good time. If only she could Earthbend his but all the way back to the mainland. As of last night, he had nothing to say to her.

"Are you alright this morning?"

"I'm great, actually. I feel great that my friends were arrested for no apparent reason…!"

"Please let me explain. The last few months have been crazy. I've been hiding something from you that I shouldn't have and that I can't anymore. I need to admit something to you."

He gestured over to the bench. "Please, sit with me…"

"Two parts of me have been at war. You are the Avatar, the most important person in the world. You are still quite young, and probably are still trying to learn about yourself as a person. People expect me to travel in certain circles, and the city expects me to be the Councilman they need, but I'm saying this to you know as a man… Avatar Korra, I am in love with you."

Her eyes widen.

He was in love with her?

How in the Spirit World did that happen? None of this made any sense. Then again, this was Tarrlok she was speaking to.

But maybe it did made sense. The gifts, his reaction to her resignation from the Task Force… The look on his face when he tried to stop her from facing Amon before she left the Force.

Maybe she picked to deny it all.

"I'm… I'm sorry, but those feelings aren't mutual."

"Are… are you rejecting me?"

"Does that even surprise you? You arrested my friends, given me nothing but distain ever since I left the Task Force, and now you expect me to see you in a good light now?"

She got up from the bench. "You act like you want to dive into the sewers than be around me. My friends are in jail because of you. The city's a wreck, torn in two because of you. Does causing pain to everyone around you bring you joy?"

"No…! And about what happened that night, it was to only protect the city. If I hadn't step in, Amon would have done something extreme first. The city needs to be safe…!"

"You know what, Tarrlok? I think you do enjoy being alone. You alienate everyone around you. Tenzin, Beifong… You alienated and used me. You actually don't have any friends, and when you do think you have friends, you're only using them to gain more power. You pay everyone off around you. Do you know how you got so many people at that gala, it was because of me! They didn't came for you, they came for me…!"

She folded her arms. "Don't you remember what you said that night? 'Half baked Avatar'?"

"This is very mature of you, Avatar," his brow scowled. "But what can I expect from a child. Your ignorance astounds me, what will the world become now because of you?"

She scoffed. "Only you know how to insult me and tell me that you love me at the same time."

"So this is your opinion of me? Thank you for explaining it all so eloquently. Perhaps these offences might have been overlooked had not your pride been hurt."

"And thank you for proving time and time again that you're the last person that I could ever fall in love with."

A second seemed like forever. After hearing the wind rustle the leaves, Tarrlok got up from the bench. "Forgive me for wasting your time."