disclaimer: i own nothing to do with Avatar or Legend of Korra or the characters involved... though the things I would do if I did.
notes: prompt given to me on tumblr, there will be a direct chapter after this and hopefully more to come.
scarves; by bspace.
Her feet shuffled against the sidewalk, eyeing colorful shops so late at night with prisms that danced across her face, and heat coming from various side stops begged her with aromas and warmth to just stop in. But she had to head back to the Air Temple, soon enough, lest Tenzin came searching for her with a fury or worse, the Equalists find her. She didn't doubt for a second that crushing a few chi-blockers would get her blood pumping, but in a cold wintry night? The Avatar would pass on the encounter.
It wasn't long before she passed by Narook's, shivering and hawing at the damp cold coating her jacket. Her eyes caught on a familiar lanky form, jet black hair molded like liquid ink standing outside the noodle shop and Korra didn't believe she could walk faster. Tonight would not be her night if she had to deal with Tahno, despite the encroaching urge to smash his pretty boy face in.
Korra yelped as she felt a tug on her high ponytail, tugging her back and halting her trek with pinpricks of pain upon her skull. Without thinking, she raised a hand, pivoting on heel with practiced reflexes, the ball of her wrist coming in contact with a pale, slim hand. Her hair flew wildly about her face, wrenched free from it's normal state to flutter across her body like an angry storm cloud.
All he did was smirk, peering at her with a bemused glint to those beady eyes.
"Don't you know little girls like you catch their death out here, Uh-vatar?" She winched at the typical drawl, nose scrunching as she batted hair away from her eyes before wrapping her arms about her body once more.
"It's nothing I can't handle." If words were venom.
"Is that so? No wonder you're shivering," the taller water bender tsk'd, shoving his hands in thick pockets, towering over her as he leaned.
"Shove it, pretty boy," Korra growled, her jaw clicking as her neck craned to meet the gaze and ever-present challenge head on, pale eyes clashing with the brightness of her own. Telling him she wasn't in the mood to fight would be like baiting a platypus-bear with fresh meat.
His lips twitched in a wide smirk, sliming and utterly gut wrenching to her, as his brows arched to suit his facial expression. "And what kind of man would I be if I didn't offer to warm you up?" Tahno purred, his fingers finding the slip of cloth tied about his neck, tugging at washed grey material and exposing a swarth of moon-touched flesh.
"A smart one," she threatened, fists balling.
It distracted her, the pale reveal of his neck against the dark glow of the things around them, giving her cause to swallow hard against another insult brimming on the tip of her tongue. She carefully followed his fingers as they gripped the simple cloth, slowly – dare she say, sensually, pulling down off his taller form.
"I'll sacrifice intelligence for manners, just this once and just for you, Uh-vatar." With a liquid grace that was innate in all water benders, he slipped the scarf about her neck, keeping eye contact as a way to distract her – only the flood of warmth coating her shoulders and pulse gave way to a stammer and a streak of crimson passing over the bridge of her nose.
It was made of woolen down, a gentle scratch on her bare and tan skin, hued with mulberry and navy dye, and by the look of it, hand-crafted and beyond old. She reached up to grab at it, still staring at Tahno with a look of most disgust and confusion, her fingers finding the thick material soothing on her callused pads. The scarf itself, it felt like home to her, though the bender before her pale and nearly looked indigenous of the Swamp benders – some customs translated well between tribes. But it smelled like sandalwood and smoke, mixed with the musty scent of rain that she wholly assumed was everything smug Water Bender was.
Though the wet cold didn't seem to seep so much against her skin, hot and itchy now but, that was better than pneumonia. Yet did her pride agree with her on such a matter? Seeing the haughty look on his face was enough to press an urge to set the scarf about her neck ablaze, possibly his coat as well.
"I can't keep this," she blurted, huffing once, twice before starting to yank it from her body, halted by a pale hand clasping around hers in an insistent manner.
"I'm not letting you keep it. Consider it a loan... That I expect you to pay back." His grin was lecherous as he purred, leaning down to brush his lips against the arch of her brow. Already reeling back as she swatted at him, frowning at the chuckle erupting from his paler lips.
Her blood boiled for a moment, like a lit match catching to rice paper and spreading through her body like wildfire. Maybe she didn't need this scar; her rage was enough to keep her warm. "Pay you back? Like hell. And with what?" Her teeth made an audible cracking noise as she snarled, lips twitching in ire.
"I'm sure you'll figure something creative out, Uh-vatar. But you really should scurry home, it's not safe out here this late for such young impressionable girls." It didn't seem to phase him, nothing did and the Wolfbat just carried on – though on a cautious level, she noted, taking a step backwards from the incensed Avatar.
"I'm not impressionable!" Oh, she could wipe the smile off his pretty boy face but the fact that she was still wearing his scarf – all the more reason to him to claim victory over this little spat on a cold night.
"Mhm, whatever you say." He flicked his wrist at her, already pivoting on heel and strutting down the street with the usual stuffy air. The sound of his boots clicking and clacking on the cobble stone while wisps of ebony hair wafted behind him like a dark storm cloud.
And she was fit to burst, covering her mouth and nose with the offending scarf, inhaling deeply a scent that she would never get out of her clothes for weeks to come.
Or her mind for that matter.
A/N: I know it's short, seriously - I wrote this half awake. But whether you folks like it or not, I'll be having Korra return Tahno's scarf to him at a later date and obviously some things of a certain nature will occur. Because I can. R/R if you would be so kind~