The Order of the White Lotus had been a constant presence in Korra's life ever since she was confirmed as the Avatar. It was the first multi-national organization, and apparently it dated back centuries, though it had only come into common knowledge at the end of the Hundred Year War. Avatar Aang had enlisted their help in keeping balance, and after his passing their role changed to sheltering the next Avatar, which turned out to be her.

Of course, she really only saw the masters of the order during major events such as testing days. Last year she had finally passed her waterbending exam, and her earthbending test was in a few days, so she was currently engaged in a set of high level forms. None of the higher-ups were really at the compound at the moment, but there were always the sentries. And a new one had just arrived.

The White Lotus was an elite organization, and they recruited from all over the world. Korra sized up the new guy the moment he walked into the compound, a mischievous grin spreading across her features even as she focused on hurling rocks at stationary targets.

He kept his face straight ahead, but his eyes betrayed the nervous energy that he was working hard to keep concealed. There were a few other rookies with him, but they were walking a few paces ahead while he hung in the back. The other sentries were chatting among themselves, and Korra surmised that they had been close pals during their time in the academy where they were trained. The man she had her eye on, however, was most likely an outsider to their little social circle.

Korra waited until his darting eyes wandered her way and flashed him a quick smile. He looked away just as rapidly, as if he had been caught with his hand in the rice jar.

She just grinned wider. She liked the shy ones.

The recruits all reported for duty, and he finally caught up. The forms were calling her name, but she made a mental note to pay the new recruit a visit later on that night. She figured he could use at least one friend in this place.

She kind of felt sorry for him when she saw where he had been posted. His first night at the compound, and he was stationed in the eastern guard tower. It was one of the wooden towers, and on top of there was room for one, maybe two people. All of the other guards were laughing and playing Pai Sho in the main gate tower, which she had already observed as she wandered the grounds well past her bedtime.

Korra climbed up the tower easily positioning herself behind him. He was staring out at the tundra, looking awfully forlorn. A brief pang of empathy stabbed through her, and she finally spoke up.

"You know, it's gonna be a long night if you just stare at the snow the whole time," she said from behind him, and he gasped, turning around and scrabbling back to the other end of the tower.

"Gah!"

The Avatar chuckled. "Hello to you too. I'm Korra."

"I-I know who you are," he muttered, refusing to make eye contact. He was really shy. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, you seemed too busy to say hi earlier so I figured I'd come to you," she answered. "What's your name?"

He glanced around nervously and scratched the back of his helmet before replying. "I—Hahn. My name is Hahn."

Korra's face lit up with a grin. "Hahn? That's a Water Tribe name!" Her face transitioned into a look of confusion. "But you don't really look Water Tribe..."

"I was named after my grandfather," he clarified. "He married an earthbender. But I am one quarter Water Tribe."

"That's great!" she replied, stepping further into the tower. "So how'd you get assigned here, Hahn?"

"I..." He looked away. "I don't really wanna talk about it."

"That's okay," Korra said with a shrug, moving forward and grabbing his helmet, removing it from his head before he could react.

"Hey!"

"I've always wondered what it felt like to wear one of these," she narrated out loud as she put it on her head. The helmet was a little too large for her and sank over her eyes. "Guess I'd need to get one fitted," she concluded, doffing it and handing it back.

He snatched it out of her hands a little roughly and looked slightly miffed, but mostly fearful. "You should go," he suggested. "You're gonna get us both in trouble."

Korra chuckled. "Oh please, what are they gonna do? Keep me locked up in a compound and make me run drills all day? Already living that reality. I just want someone to talk to."

"Well, it's my job to stand guard," he rebutted. "And you're distracting me."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure the snow is hatching a devious plot as we speak," she responded, rolling her eyes. She leaned over the edge of the guard tower and pointed skyward. "You see the moon? I know where we can get a much better look at it."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Come on," she encouraged. "I promise, we'll be back in time for your shift change and nobody will even know we're gone. Believe me."

"But I'm supposed to keep you safe."

"Well, that's why you're coming with me, isn't it?" fired back, chuckling.

Hahn eyed her suspiciously. "It's my first night on the job," he pointed out. "I don't wanna get in trouble."

"Don't worry about it," she insisted, reaching out to the snow beneath them and creating a curved slope out of ice that would slide them straight to the ground. She extended her hand. "Now come on."

He stared at her.

"Look at it this way," she told him, crossing her arms. "I'm going out there no matter what and you can't stop me. You can either come with me, or you can go back to the other guards and explain how you let me get away."

Fear seemed to take hold on his face, and she continued.

"Three seconds to decide," she declared. "Two. One."

"Wait, I—"

"Too late!" she shouted, grabbing him by both hands and tugging him onto the ice slide.

"I cannot believe I let you talk me into this," Hahn lamented as they trudged across the snow. The air was still tonight, and the snow was hard enough that they could easily walk in it without sinking below ankle level.

Korra laughed. "Sorry if I came on a little strong. It's just... I haven't really had anybody my own age to talk to in a long time. I get along great with all my masters, but sometimes I just need to sit down and have a conversation that isn't all about bending or my destiny, you know?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm at least three years older than you," he pointed out, giving her the side-eye.

"That doesn't matter," she insisted, climbing up a steep ridge to gain a higher vantage point. "And besides, you looked lonely. I thought you could use a friend."

"I didn't come here to make friends," he answered, following her.

She reached the top of the ridge first, extending a hand to help him up. He accepted it and they climbed up to a tall bluff overlooking the entire Southern Water Tribe. Korra sat down, and Hahn followed suit.

"And what did you come here for?" she questioned. "Can't be the climate."

Hahn did not answer, staring out at the expansive view instead.

"Something wrong?"

He sighed. "I just can't figure out why you're talking to me."

Korra laughed. "What, did you think I was just gonna snub my nose at you or something? It's not like I'm royalty."

"But you are important," he insisted. "You're the Avatar, and I'm just some random guard. I'm supposed to keep you safe and stay in the background. And yet you're talking to me like we've known each other for years."

"Oh come on," she chuckled. "I can tell you're not starstruck, so don't go making excuses like that. I'm a normal gal when you get to know me."

"A normal gal who can bend all four elements," he retorted.

"Okay, so I'm a little special," she admitted. "But that doesn't mean you can't talk to me. It's not like there's a 'you must be this cool to interact with me' sign over my head."

He huffed and said nothing.

"So who put that idea in your head? Was it the White Lotus?"

"No, I—we're from two completely different worlds," he explained. "We don't belong together. You have a duty to the world, and I'm just a tiny part of it."

"Everybody's a tiny part of the world," she rebutted. "Even me. I'm important, but if I turn my nose up at even the tiny parts of the world then I'm not really doing my duty, am I?"

He looked at her with a confused expression, as though he had never heard of such a concept before.

"Look, you can stop being weirded out. I like you, and I want to talk to you. Tell me a little more about yourself."

He looked up at the sky. "I wouldn't know where to start."

"How about your grandfather? Was he Southern Water Tribe?"

Hahn shook his head. "Northern. He was there when the Fire Nation laid siege during the last year of the Hundred Year War."

Her eyes lit up at the mention of a story with which she was more than familiar. "You mean I knew him in a past life?"

"Well, according to my father he never interacted with Avatar Aang, but he was an important figure in the tribe. He was set to marry Princess Yue."

"The same Princess Yue who...?"

"Yeah," he replied nodding. "The same Princess Yue who turned into the moon spirit."

"I heard that story from Katara," she revealed. "Apparently her brother Sokka was his romantic rival or something."

"Well, after Yue turned into the moon, my grandfather left the Northern Water Tribe to do some soul searching," Hahn continued. "He met an earthbender and they hit it off. They got married a year later."

"Wow," she breathed. "See? You're important after all!"

He shook his head once more. "I'm nobody, really. Just another faceless guard."

"Oh, you have a face," she corrected, leaning closer. "And for the record? I think it's kinda cute."

Before he had the opportunity to protest, she pressed her lips against his and kissed him in full view of the moon.