A/N: *cries because this is inadequate and doesn't do this lovely ship any justice*
Review and all that jazz. God bless!
Disclaimer: I don't own "The Legend of Korra."
Bolin had never felt more out of place in his life.
The frigid temperature was like none that he had ever experienced while living on the streets of Republic City. It was a biting chill, one that seemed to cut through you every time the wind blew, causing you to burrow down further into your coats of fur. The higher the ferris wheel carried them, the steeper the temperature seemed to drop.
It was a lot like her.
Korra had expressed her hesitance in regards to her cousins to him after their initial meeting, but he had blown her off. Though he respected the Avatar's opinions and cherished her as one of his closest friends, he was done letting other people think for him. He could decide whether he liked a person or not. And with one last tug at his dull, green jacket, he had walked off in the direction of the twin siblings who had earlier captured his attention.
Eska though, he just couldn't figure out.
After she had grabbed him by the collar, they wandered aimlessly around the festival grounds. The twins remained silent, Eska's grip on the fur around his neck never loosening. He didn't really remember what he had said in those moments, having been too shocked to see the young princess taking any interest in him in the first place, but he was sure he was mumbling something about noodles or directions.
The only time she had let go of him was when they reached a game booth. Looking at the young man expectantly, the indifferent princess pointed at one of the stuffed penguin otters lining the border of the cerulean colored roof. Bolin's brow rose, confusion flooding his features.
"That's a penguin otter," He supplied, believing that she was inquiring which animal the object represented, "Varrick used them in his water show at the feast."
Desna spoke up then, his voice void of any emotion, "I believe she is requesting that you win one of those animals for her as a token of your affection."
"Right!" Bolin smiled uneasily, a blush flooding his cheeks as he realized his mistake,"Oh, yeah! Sure, sure."
He played the game, throwing small, multicolored rings at the rims of the glasses that were lined up on the table. His concentration was reminiscent of the kind he had while in the probending arena, firm and calculating. Two things one would never guess he was. He wanted to impress this girl though, especially since she seemed so hard to provoke a reaction from.
In the end, he had won the prize and handed it over to the waiting princess. With her stuffed animal in one hand and his collar in the other, Eska continued on without so much of a thanks or a smile.
Bolin was surprised when she wanted to ride the ferris wheel, but he was even more surprised when Desna rode on the cart that would be above them, rather than the one they were going to ride in. Suddenly, the cold seemed to fade away and a nervous sweat then took its place. He didn't know what he was going to say when they were alone. She didn't seem to like food all that much and she hadn't expressed any interest in anything that night while they had been walking earlier.
Well, except for him, but even that had been a very brief interest.
They sat on the same side of the cart, the ferris wheel operator clicking the door shut behind them as a gentle snow began to fall. The glow of the festival allowed them some visibility, as the ride's lights dimmed as the contraption began to make a slow trip around.
"So," Bolin drawled, looking everywhere but at the girl sitting next to him, "I'm sure you have things like this in the Northern Tribe all the time."
Silence followed his comment.
He awkwardly glanced at her before continuing on, "You know, cause you're all spiritual and this festival is dedicated to, uh," he paused briefly, "spirit things."
He was met with silence again.
Feeling much like a wounded cat owl, Bolin sat back against the hard plastic of the ride, releasing a sigh of defeat. It looked like he could just never win with women.
The ride paused mid-turn, the operator yelling up at them that there were some technical difficulties due to the recent snowfall and that it was only going to take a few moments to fix.
Those few moments lasted a good ten minutes, prompting the people within the carts suspended in air to groan in frustration. Eska didn't move an inch, barely blinking as the minutes passed in an agonizingly slow fashion. Bolin could feel the nervous sweats coming on again and was about to try and start another conversation when the Water Tribe princess spoke.
"No."
Bolin's brows furrowed, his button nose crinkling in slight confusion, "No, what?"
"No we do not participate in these festivities often."
The young earthbender's heart soared at the sound of her voice, increasingly happy that he had gotten at least a small response from his quiet companion.
"Yeah, we don't really have them in Republic City either," He supplied, running a mitten covered hand over the dark locks of his hair, "This is the first time I have ever even seen a ferris wheel."
Bolin held his breath, hoping for a reply. A few seconds passed with only silence in the air between them. He deflated visibly.
"Mine as well."
The boy perked up at her response, glad to get her talking, "Than what do you do for fun up North?"
For the first time that night, he was graced with a shift of features. The girl's dark brows furrowed, causing the tan skin of her forehead to scrunch.
"Fun?"
"Yeah!" Bolin continued on excitedly, "You know, something you do to pass the time!"
Eska's features remained bathed in confusion for a few moments more before they arranged back into her usual indifferent expression.
"I don't know what you are speaking of."
"You don't know what fun is?"
Eska's smokey blue eyes met his own emerald stare, "I know the definition of the specific word you have given me but my brother and I do not have the time to partake in such a waste of energy as that of the activity you described."
"Ah," The young man nodded, before pausing and rubbing his chin, "Uh, could you repeat that?"
"No."
"Alright!"
The minutes continued to creep along, no movement returning to the stalled ride. Bolin was becoming antsy, the earthbender filling the silence between him and his companion with the nervous taps of his boots on the plastic flooring of the cart.
"Stop that."
"Sorry!" He apologized, pausing his tapping and crossing his ankles.
"Isn't this the time in which you wrap one of your limbs around my shoulders and carry out what one would call 'a move'," Eska inquired, looking pointedly at the young man seated beside her. Talk about putting him on the spot.
Bolin's eyes widened, "Uh...sure? I guess I could do that."
With the caution of a tamer approaching a saber tooth moose lion, the earthbender raised his arm from his side and stiffly placed it behind the girl's neck. The fur of her jacket was warm against the thick material of his coat, making him even more nervous than he had been beforehand.
"For some reason I cannot bring myself to explain, " Eska began, not reacting to the new placement of her companion's arm, "I am increasingly curious as to what you do for fun."
The man's smile grew, his eyes lighting up, "Well I probend!"
Another look of confusion flashed across her face.
"I do not know the meaning of that word."
"It's a game that benders take part in," The earthebender supplied, smugly leaning back against the side of the cart while raising a brow, "I'm kind of a big deal in the tournament circuit."
"From your body language and way of speech, I have a hard time believing your claim."
"Hey! I'm a top-notch earthbender!"
"I'm a waterbender."
Bolin was surprised to hear this, "Really? You can bend?"
"I believe the last sentence I relayed to you confirmed your inquiry."
"Right, right."
The silence returned as both stared at the space in front of them. The festival continued on, the laughter of children drifting through the air along with the smell of spicy noodles being served down below.
"I would supply a healthy amount of yuans on the idea that I could quite maliciously destroy you in one of these probending matches."
That sounded like a bet. This definitely perked the young man's interest.
"Whoa, there," Bolin slowed her, smiling despite the challenge, "You don't even know the rules."
"I refuse to follow any form of guidelines regarding a game that requires the art of bending. There are no rules to the ability therefore no individual can decide what I choose to do with waterbending."
"Yeah, you would lose."
Eska scowled at him, her eyes becoming slits.
Bolin held up a hand in defense, "I'm not questioning your ability! It's just that every player is required to follow the rules."
"My brother and I have the ability to suspend large chunks of frozen liquid above the heads of anyone who dares challenge us when it comes to bending."
"Uh?"
"Meaning," Eska continued, seeing that he was again confused by the wording she used while describing her abilities, "We can bend icebergs and crush our opponents into merely puddles of themselves."
Bolin's eyes widened, "You mean the ice becomes puddles, right?"
"No."
A brief silence followed, the chill of the air causing Bolin to quiver slightly.
The earthbender laughed nervously, "Well, uh, that's interesting."
The operator yelled up to the passengers still on the ride that it would only be a few more minutes before motion would return to the wheel, stimulating multiple groans and sarcastic comments from other riders.
"That's pretty impressive, you know?"
Eska tilted her face in his direction, "What are you impressed by?"
"You," Bolin admitted, a blush flooding his cheeks, "You just said you could bend whole icebergs. I don't even think Korra could do something like that."
The young princess sat for a moment, taken a back by the young man's compliment, but welcoming it none the less.
"Thank you."
For the first time that night since their first meeting, Eska rewarded the young man with a smile. But instead of being possessive like the last one, the upturn of her lips expressed gratitude.
Suddenly, Bolin wasn't so cold anymore.