City Bound
Hi there~! I'm Alice-pyon, and this is my first LoK story! I'm a big fan of Jinora, and I'm hoping she gets some episodes dedicated to her in future seasons. But for now, I'll just write fanfiction about her instead! :) This is a Jinoochy story, but also deals a lot with Jinora's personality and her desire to branch out a little. Hope you guys like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra or Avatar: The Last Airbender. All rights go to Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante Dimartino.
The setting sun cast an orange, hazy glow over the tiny airbending island. The Sky Bison were settling down for the night, dinner had been finished an hour ago, and a calm, lazy atmosphere was taking over the occupants of the island. Everyone was peaceful… relaxed…
Except for one girl, who was usually the most relaxed of them all. She was perched up in one of the many trees of Air Temple Island with her trademark book pushed up in front of her face. She kept shuffling around on the branch, unable to sit still, which was a foreign thing for her to do. She hadn't turned a page in her book for the last twenty minutes, too. This was the girl who could read up to five books in a day. If the pages weren't flipping, something was definitely wrong.
The Avatar happened to realize this early on. Korra had been strolling by with Mako when she noticed the young airbender up in the tree. Although she wasn't the best with feelings and emotional stuff like that, Korra was pretty sure that something was off about her airbending teacher's daughter. So, she'd practically dragged her boyfriend behind a bush, where they had sat watching for quite some time. Needless to say, Mako was not pleased.
"Korra," Mako groaned, lying back in the soft grass. "I don't think Jinora would appreciate that you're spying on her."
Korra looked down at Mako and scowled. "Spying? This isn't spying!"
"Then why are we sitting behind a bush?" Mako questioned the waterbender, his pointed eyebrows raised. Korra opened her mouth to retort, but shut it again, thinking.
"Oh… Maybe this is spying…" She admitted, frowning.
"I told you so," Mako scolded, sitting up beside Korra and slipping an arm around her shoulders. "It's alright though, I forgive you," he whispered in a low voice. Korra, however, had other things on her mind.
"I'll just go tell Jinora that I've been watching her then, and that we need to talk!" Korra declared, unraveling from Mako's arm and jumping up.
Mako's eyes widened. "Korra… I don't think that's a very good idea," he warned her. "Jinora's a girl who likes her space…"
Korra pulled Mako to his feet, ignoring him completely. "You're coming too!"
"What?" Mako hissed, trying to pull his arm away from Korra. She had his arm locked in an iron grip, and he was ashamed to admit that he was having some trouble breaking free. "I didn't agree to this!"
"Jinora!" Korra called loudly, jumping over the bush and pulling Mako with her. The airbender in the tree gasped, shutting her book quickly and nearly falling backwards. Glancing down and realizing that it was Korra, Jinora jumped out of the tall tree and floated to the ground. Korra ran up to the girl, and Mako, having broken free from her grip, followed sheepishly behind.
"Hi Korra," Jinora greeted, a little surprised. "And Mako, good evening."
"Hey Jinora…" Mako groaned, rubbing the back of his neck.
"We need to talk, kiddo!" Korra announced, grabbing Jinora by the shoulders and staring down at her. Jinora fidgeted a little, though she was used to the Avatar's sudden and sometimes confusing actions by now.
"What's wrong?" Jinora questioned, glancing at Korra's boyfriend for an explanation. Mako only shook his head.
"You're acting weird today," Korra said. "And now that I think about it, you were really quiet at dinner tonight too!"
"Korra, I'm always quiet."
"Wha-? Well, yeah, you are," Korra admitted. "But today you were even quieter than usual!"
"Is this all you wanted to talk to me about?" Jinora asked, side-stepping away from Korra. She started to tip-toe backwards. Although she knew that the waterbender always meant well, she wasn't really in the mood for an interrogation tonight. "It's no big deal, really…"
"Wait!" Korra exclaimed, jumping after Jinora. She swiped the red book from her hand and held it up in front of her face, examining it. "The Fire Nation, A History… This… this is the same book you were reading this morning!"
"So?" Jinora groaned, getting pretty annoyed.
"So?" Korra echoed sarcastically. "Jinora, you usually read like, ten books a day. Something's wrong!"
"Nothing's wrong!" Jinora shouted, stomping her foot down and sending a blast of wind in all directions. Korra's hair and Mako's scarf were both whipped back in the gust. Jinora's eyes widened and she started to back up more. "Sorry Korra, sorry Mako… I'm just going to go to bed…"
"Wait, it's fine," Korra said, smoothing her brown hair back down. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have been so direct. But seriously, if there's something you need to get off your chest, I'm always here." She looked back and smirked, taking Mako's hand. "So is he."
Mako grinned and nodded. "Yup, that's right."
Jinora took a deep breath and looked down at the ground. It… it wouldn't hurt to tell them, right? "Okay," Jinora sighed, walking over and grabbing her book back from Korra. "Just never take my book again." She smiled up at the waterbender, and Korra laughed.
"I'll make sure to contain myself in the future," Korra joked. "So, do you wanna talk?"
"Yeah," Jinora nodded. "Let's sit down though."
The three benders all got settled under the shade of the tree. The setting sun still lit the island in an orange glow, and the branches on the trees cast dark shadows along the island. Jinora shaded her eyes and looked out in the direction of Republic City. Soon night would fall over the world, and the city would light up. It was one of the most dazzling things Jinora had even seen from Air Temple Island. The city at night looked truly beautiful from her home.
She always wondered… what it would look like at night from inside the city.
"Jinora," Korra said, waving a tanned hand in front of the airbender's face. Jinora jumped and looked up. Korra and Mako were looking down at her curiously.
"Oh, sorry," Jinora apologized, shifting to face them.
"So, what's up?" Mako asked, leaning back on his hands. Korra sat cross-legged, smiling at the girl expectedly.
"Well… I've just been thinking lately…" Jinora starched the back of her neck rather uncomfortably. Jinora wasn't a demanding girl; reading material and peace and quiet were enough for her. Ikki and Meelo were the more crazy siblings that demanded attention. Tenzin and Pema, over time, realized that she was the calmer one; because of that, they were surprised whenever Jinora asked for something.
With the thoughts of her family swirling around inside her head, Jinora sighed and again looked out at Yue Bay and Republic City. "Would you guys believe that I've only been to Republic City once in my life?"
Mako and Korra both raised their eyebrows, surprised by the sudden statement. "Are you serious?" Korra asked.
Jinora nodded. "Dad never let me go when I was little. He said that City Hall would bore me, which I never really argued. But when I got older, I did want to visit the city, considering I've lived so close all my life." Jinora frowned, clenching her fist. "The only time I've ever been there was three months ago…"
Korra's eyes widened at the realization. "The Equalist Rally…"
"It wasn't actually a fun trip," Jinora joked half-heartedly. "Anyway, Amon's gone now, right? And the city is getting better?"
"Well, yeah," Mako shrugged. "We haven't cleaned everything up yet, but Republic City is a lot safer than it was a few months ago."
"So, I'd be perfectly fine there, right?" Jinora asked, trying to stress her point.
"Jinora," Korra said softly, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Have you been thinking about Republic City this much?"
"Well, yeah," Jinora said, pulling her legs into her chest and sighing. "My parents think I'm the content one. Ikki and Meelo are always asking to do crazy stuff, and then there's me. I work on my airbending and read. Every day. I've barely ever left this island."
"Why don't you just ask Tenzin if you can go to the city?" Korra suggested.
Jinora shook her head, her cheeks slightly pink. "I'm afraid of what he'll think."
"What?" Korra asked, raising an eyebrow. "Jinora, why would you be scared of that? Tenzin let me go to the city all the time when I first got here!"
"Yeah, but you're the avatar," Jinora stressed. "You're the protector of this world, of course he'd let you go! But do you remember how much he fought you on things?" She sighed and fell back into the soft grass, hugging her book to her chest tightly. "My parents are already stressed out as it is with work and Rohan. I don't want to add to that. I'm supposed to be the quiet one. I'm not supposed to give them any trouble…"
"You really want to go to the city though…" Mako pointed out. The two older teens looked down at the girl. She nodded slightly.
"I've read about the city in books," Jinora whispered. "All of them are the same. They talk about Republic City as if it's the greatest place on Earth. There are large crowds, dancing, and restaurants… People walk the streets at every hour, and there are street performers and great food."
"That pretty much sums it up," Korra said cheerfully. She glanced sideways and noticed Mako shaking his head at her. "What?" She questioned, taking his hand in hers worriedly.
"The city isn't exactly like that," Mako warned Jinora. "Where I grew up, things were pretty rough. I'll understand if Tenzin and Pema worry about you going there. It's a dangerous place."
"I'll stay away from those parts," Jinora said instantly. "I mean… not that those parts are bad…" Her cheeks turned red again, worried that she had offended the firebender.
"You just have to watch out for certain people there," Mako said. "You can take care of yourself, we both know that. But in the city, you're going to stick out just as much as Korra did."
"Hey!" Korra protested, poking her boyfriend in the chest angrily. "I didn't stick out that much!"
"You wrecked havoc on your first day here." Mako argued.
Korra looked like she wanted to punch Mako, and Jinora quickly intervened. "You guys are dating but you always fight, knock it off!"
"You fight a lot with the person you love most," Mako shrugged. "It happens." Korra blushed at his statement, but she relaxed and grabbed Mako's hand once again.
"That's so romantic!" Jinora sighed.
"Back to business," Korra said instantly, trying to steer the conversation away from her love life. Mako put his arm around her shoulders, but the waterbender was determined to ignore her boyfriend's smirk and Jinora's wide smile. "Jinora, I think you should just ask Tenzin. Going to the city is life changing, and you need to tell him that. You can't live on an island all your life."
"Do you think he will listen?" Jinora asked.
"Only if you really prove your point," Korra stressed. "Show him that you want it."
Twilight had fallen on the island. Soaking in Korra's bold words, Jinora gazed over at the city in the distance. The lights were on, and the city's reflection sparkled off the calm waters of Yue Bay. Just a few miles away, crowds of people roamed those streets. Each person had a story. Information. Ideas. Jinora wanted to experience what they were experiencing. She wanted to be on the inside, for once in her life.
She really wanted it.