It really was a chance encounter.

Tahno thought it was odd that Korra went out for walks in the park. She seemed more of a "running at full speed" kind of person. He was just there, minding his own business, throwing some bread to (at) the turtleducks, when she suddenly appeared behind him.

"They're cute, huh?" Why was she always smiling? He nodded in agreement, his limp hair swaying in the light wind.

He hadn't been finding many things "cute" lately.

"Tahno," she sat next to him on the bench, "how are you doing?"

"I'm fine." I'm not fine. I'm the complete opposite of fine. I feel like someone blinded me and threw me into the ocean. I want to die.

"You don't look fine. You look kind of… I dunno, depressed?" She kept trying to make eye contact, and he kept avoiding it.

"Well gee, it's not like I have a reason to be or anything." Sarcasm again, to help ease the sting of knowing she was only talking to him because she pitied him, just like all those other floozies who used to hang around him. Originally, it was because of the grandeur of being with Tahno, Captain of the Whitefalls Wolfbats, four-time reigning Pro-bending Champion. But then it happened, and suddenly their admiring looks turned into looks that said "I'm so sorry, do you want me to pay for your food? Gee, I'd really like to stay and chat, but I'm late for something. Bye."

He'd rather be ignored than pitied.

"C'mon, Tahno, don't be that way." She snatched part of the bread from his hands, and began gently throwing small pieces into the pond.

"What other way can I be, Korra?" He finally looked up at her, expecting to see a "sorry" face, a "how horrible" face, and was surprised to see a "shut the hell up" face. Her blue eyes filled with contempt, just like old times.

"You do realize that losing your bending isn't the end of the world, right? You're still the same person, just with one less special ability." He grimaced and looked the other way. "If you want to waste the rest of your life feeling sorry for yourself, then go ahead, but remember that there are people who want to help you get back on your feet again."

He stood up and glared down at her.

She stood up and glared up at him.

"Yeah, like who?" Ming and Shaozu had both gone crawling home to the embrace of their loving families. His groupies had all dispersed. Everyone cheering for the Wolfbats in the stands felt too awkward around him, and everyone who wasn't cheering for him hated him anyway.

"Like me."

He scoffed. "I don't need your pity, Uh-vatar." He turned around to walk away.

She grabbed his arm. "Good, because I wouldn't give it to you even if you did."

Slowly, he turned around and stepped ever-so-close to her, just like on the first night they met.

"Why would you care? You know we paid off the refs, you know I hate that stupid team of yours, you know I'm not a nice guy."

She stared up at him, no longer glaring, but her gaze hadn't really softened. "You could be a nice guy if you tried." She sat back down.

He didn't know what else to do, so he sat down next to her. There weren't any words said between them for a while, they just sat and watched the turtleducks.

After several minutes, Korra shifted her body to look him straight in the eye. He looked at her blankly, and she bit her lip gently before speaking.

"Do… uh, do you wanna have dinner with me tonight? I'll pay." Her azure eyes had a strange look in them. It wasn't something he normally saw in her. He was sure it must have just been a trick of the light, but she almost looked vulnerable.

He looked back at the water. "I can buy my own food."

She huffed angrily. "Fine. Suit yourself." She got up and walked away.

He stared at the turtleducks. Whatever, he thought. He didn't care.

He didn't care.

Right?

Damn it…

"Korra, wait." He said it loudly, so she would hear, but he wouldn't look like he was calling after her.

She turned around, obviously still ticked off. She raised a brow expectantly.

Sigh. "Do I have to dress up?"

Her face lit up in a smile. "Nope. Just meet me in Narook's at eight." Then she was gone, off to wherever it is she goes that quickly.

One date with a pretty girl isn't enough to make a broken man happy, he thought.

But he did sit up a little straighter on the bench.