Prompts:

(dialogue) "Are we there yet?"

(restriction) First Person POV

Include your element. It does not have to be bent but the element must be plot-relevant - 3 points

(1521 words)

I yawned in exhaustion as the gasoline pumped into Satomobile, a surly-looking waterbender glowering at me as he bent the fuel through the tubing. The sun was just beginning to crest the horizon, its rays pouring out between the shimmering glass buildings of Republic City.

On the one hand, I was really excited (probably more than someone my age ought to be), but getting up for a very long road trip at 5:00 in the morning wasn't exactly my strong suit.

While my formal side- the one that resembled Tenzin's somber personality- had resisted the idea of going to Future Industries Funland, Jinora and Kai's seemingly boundless enthusiasm swayed me. Working with Tenzin had made me more appreciative of the young woman's optimism and intelligence, and it had gotten to the point where I just couldn't say no.

Of course, Bolin joining and dragging Mako with him wasn't exactly part of my plan, but by the time Bolin had suggested it, I was past the point of caring.

Bolin emerged from the filling station's attached store, bearing a literal armful of Flame-o Instant Noodles, popcorn, Varri-Cakes, and some other junk that was no doubt dripping with fat and Spirits know what else. He stopped, his arms full, to cheerfully chat with an adoring fan from his time in the movers.

"Yeesh, he just doesn't stop, does he?"

"Right?" I chuckled.

Mako was lounging, his typical expression of light annoyance only amplified by a cranky tiredness.

"I'm warning you ahead of time, if he and Kai goof around back here, I might burn the car down. I don't know if I can take four hours of this."

"And I'm warning you that if you harm this car I worked so hard for, I'll airbend your ass out of here before you can say 'Fire Ferret'."

As if on cue, Bolin slammed the door open, piling into the car in a landslide of junk food, Pabu riding the tide like a professional wave-surfer.

"Is getting all of that really necessary?" I asked incredulously, nodding to the sullen attendant outside the car, who retracted the tubing with a half-hearted gesture.

"Korra, Korra, Korra. We're going to be in this car for, like, five hours. While you all pout at my energizing snacks, I'll be upright and happy while you fall asleep. After my time in the Movers, I've gotten quite good at staying awake for a-"

Mako threw Pabu at Bolin's face, causing the ferret to latch onto Bolin's face in a bundle of panicked screeching.

"Whatever," I grinned. "Come on, we're gonna be late to pick up Jinora and Kai."

"Hey, Korra!" Kai said cheerfully, piling into the backseat with Bolin and Mako. Jinora, smiling sweetly, sat politely in the navigator's seat.

"Hey guys. You ready to go? We're running late."

"Arn't ya the Av'tr? Can't you telp'rt us thr?" Bolin asked, his mouth stuffed full.

"What?" Mako said flippantly.

I wasn't fully sure that I had understood Bolin's retort as I pulled away, but I grumbled a response nonetheless, my patience for his trademark wittiness beginning to grate on my nerves.

"Thanks again for letting us tag along," Kai said, bending a Varri-Cake from Bolin's side of the backseat with a mischievous grin- much to Bolin's displeasure.

"Don't mention it. I could use a break from being the Avatar anyhow."

"Where is this place, anyways?" Mako grumbled.

"Near Makapu City. Apparently the bigwigs there figured out a way to harness the steam from the volcano to power the park, or something like that."

"Fascinating," Jinora said, awed. "The only other person to try that was the Airbender Namdak in 89 BG…"

"You think that's impressive? Check out what Pabu can do!"

Bolin looked at Pabu meaningfully, as if he were a theater director giving out cues, only to find that the fire ferret was lounging on the floor, with crumbs and food scraps all around him.

"By the Gods…" Bolin muttered. "Pabu ate all of the food. Now we're going to starve…" he said, a tortured expression on his face.

As Bolin sobbed, I turned the car, smoothly entering the freeway, and finally, after nearly forty minutes of driving, beginning the road trip. Suddenly, I found myself thinking that I would prefer wrestling a saber-toothed moose-lion than finish this drive.

KORRA!

I snapped awake, swerving the car back into the right lane, narrowly missing a large cargo truck in a cacophonous symphony of blaring horns and expletives. I scrabbled with the steering wheel as my heart ran a marathon in my chest, screaming in panic as I wrestled the car back into a semblance of normalcy.

There was a long, somber silence as we all stared forward, our eyes wide as the adrenaline flowed through our systems. A large sign signaling a rest stop zoomed by on our right and I turned the blinker on, my breathing shallow.

I braked the car in a parking space and we sat there in silence.

"Do… do you want someone to take over?" Kai asked, his mocha skin paler than usual.

"Y-yeah. I… I think so."

I stumbled out of the car, trying to calm down the thunderstorm broiling in my heart, sitting down in the grass as a wave of utter exhaustion washed over me. I laid back, staring at the vibrant blue of the sky as birds cawed overhead.

Bolin's face appeared.

"And here I was thinking you were a good driver," he said with a grin.

I sat up.

"Spirits, I thought so too. How long was I out?"

Pabu snatched a muffin out of his hands, skittering into a tall tree, causing Bolin to sigh in dejection.

"Not long, I guess. Otherwise we'd probably be roadkill right about now," he said cheerfully.

Jinora and Kai passed, smiling reassuringly towards me as they giggled nervously, heading towards the convenience store in search of bathrooms and snacks. Mako sat on the Satomobile's hood, rubbing his eyes in stress.

I laughed, chiding myself in silence.

"This park had better be worth it…" I smiled.

I groaned, stretching my legs out and rubbing my eyes. By my count, we had been driving for three hours. The forest-covered vistas of the southwestern United Republic had been replaced by grassy plains as we neared the border to the Earth Kingdom. After a while, the freeway had begun kind of blurring into a grayish blur, hence my opportune nap.

"Of course it's worth it, Korra! It's the happiest place on earth," he grinned.

I groaned, clambering to my feet and heading back to the car, making a beeline for the passenger seat.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"NO."

"Are we there yet?"

Mako's head snapped towards the back, a directing a dangerous glare towards his brother before turning his attention back to the road. I sighed loudly again, leaning my forehead against the cool glass of the window as I prayed to see directional signs for the Funland soon.

"Are we…"

Mako growled, sending a small firebolt towards Bolin, lighting a small flame on the seat next to him. Bolin yelped, blowing at the flame urgently as I glared at Mako.

"What did I say about bending in the car?!"

Mako smiled slyly.

"At least he shut up."

He had a point, so I shrugged. Maybe a singed backseat was a good price for some silence. I glanced back at Jinora and Kai, who were both sleeping. Kai was leaning against the back of his seat, his mouth drooped open as Jinora slept with considerably more dignity, her head tucked into Kai's shoulder.

Despite myself, I found myself missing that. It had been several years since Mako and myself had dated, and I had been too busy since to pursue another relationship. I almost missed my younger days of fighting Amon and the Equalists- at least there was spare time then. These days, between learning more about spirituality from Tenzin and teaching bending, not to mention the various international crises that warranted my presence, I felt busier than ever before.

Maybe this trip can be a good thing, I reflected. Spirits know, I could use a break. Hell, maybe I'll meet someone here.

The car thrummed soothingly as it turned a corner, and I saw something out of the corner of my eye that made my heart skip a beat. I jolted up, squinting my eyes to make out the distant shape.

The distinctive outline of roller coasters and rides made me happier than I had been for weeks.

"Guys, there it is!" I practically squealed.

Kai and Jinora woke up, poking their heads through the gap in the front seats to get a better look as Bolin leaned out of the window recklessly.

"Thank the Spirits," Mako groaned.

Thank the Spirits, indeed, I thought, more glad to be done with the damned road trip than actually arriving at the park.

As the metallic and swirly entrance sign came into view, a sense of optimism took hold.

Maybe things will turn out alright after all.