Story request for "the core of justice". I don't own Legend of Korra.

It was storming outside, the drops of rain pattering against the roof loudly and the occasional bass of thunder shaking Korra's loft at the Air Temple. A despondent Avatar sat in front of the window, flinching at the noises around, wincing when a pillar of lightning flashed across the skies. Sheets of rain dropping onto the roof, the walls creaking from the wind, and smell of sea water wafting through the creases unsettled Korra but she couldn't very well move from that spot without calling for Asami or Pema. Their efforts would no doubt make her feel overwhelmingly pitied and sorry for herself, even if their intentions were helpful. So no, Korra continued to sit, alone in her room while the weather outside sent her nerves into a frenzy; her defeat by Red Lotus still fresh in her mind.

The sound of thunder boomed and a flash of lightning followed closely after; Korra could've sworn that she thought the storm was starting to pass but it seemed to be right on top of the Temple. Spirits, end this storm already… Korra prayed right before letting out a pathetic yelp when she heard a gust of wind push strongly against her room. It felt as if the room itself was about to be sucked into a vortex for a moment. As if Zaheer himself was manipulating the weather right outside her room-

Korra huffed in anguish. Zaheer was imprisoned. The battle is over. Korra needed, no, wanted to put it all behind her, but the psychological damage cut deeply. No known practice of healing was able to remedy her of it. A chill racked her body but she stubbornly ignored it and sent a weak glare at the comforter resting on her bed, clearly out of reach.

Korra suddenly straightened when realization came to her. Willing her heart to slow down, a great task in the middle of a storm, she brought her fist together and leaned back. She didn't know how long it took, but the sound of thunder and bright lightning strikes gradually hushed until-

Korra opened her eyes, and took in the halcyon atmosphere the Spirit World provided to its inhabitants. Visibly relaxing against the oak tree and letting out a long sigh.

"Hey there!"

"Yah!" Korra jumped in her skin, bracing herself for an incoming assault from Zaheer- A small lion-turtle. Not a member of the Red Lotus… a cub. Korra wanted to scowl at the small spirit but chose to pat her rapidly beating chest instead.

The lion-cub had retreated into its shell when Korra shouted but gradually peeked out, "Eh… are you alright? Did I scare you?" Its aura must've screamed killer intent if the Avatar herself yelped like that.

When she calmed down, she responded, "Yeah, m'fine, kid… you just spooked me is all."

"I scared you?" The cub tilted its head incredulously. The small lion-turtle had a sandy-brown shell, autumn fur, and bright yellow eyes. His mane hasn't even grown out yet. Let alone his claws or canines. "Aren't you the one that defeated the fearsome Vaatu in battle?"

Korra's brow twitched but before she could retort a much larger lion-turtle came from behind the tree and slightly pulled the smaller duck's tail, eliciting a yelp from the turtle-duck. "I'm very sorry, Ms. Avatar, my mischievous little one needs to learn some manners when addressing his elders."

But Korra's attention wasn't on the cub; her mouth gaped at the sheer size of the lion-turtle. Just a bit bigger than Naga, an auburn mane, fur the color of a pine tree, and a majestic shell with intricate charms and tome pages etched in by some white chalk. "…wrong, Ms. Avatar?"

Korra blinked, hearing the last part of the question directed to her. "Huh?"

"You look troubled; I asked if there was something wrong." The great lion-turtle inquired gently.

"Oh…" Korra wondered if she should tell the spirit that she was only here because the storm in her realm frightened her.

The lion-turtle read the emotions on her face and noted that she was a bit jumpy; the way her young one scared her so easily enforcing her concerns. "Ms. Avatar, why don't you climb aboard my shell?" The lion-turtle offered, "You're welcome to come along as I teach my little one his lesson for today."

It was either Korra being too polite to decline or too tired to object that made her nod her head. She steadily got up, fell a bit due to her legs' strength, and didn't voice any complaint as the lion-turtle helped her rest of the way up. Despite looking jagged and bumpy, the shell was smooth and warm. Setting herself down in a comfortable position, Korra motioned that she was ready to depart.

After a few miles, the mother lion had her cub along with the Avatar on her shell. She wadded through the lake, content that the two fell asleep. It wasn't long until Korra gradually faded from the Spirit World to the realm of the living. The lion-turtle smiled. In a way, the spirit helped the Avatar.

If Korra spent another day sitting around looking out the window, she'd go insane. But there was nothing to do. Yes, she was finally out of that accursed wheelchair, but her caretakers- Pema, Asami, Tenzin (the whole Temple)- didn't think she was well enough to train her bending. Her daily activities were limited to meditating (Tenzin) and reading up on the ancient world history of the four great corners of their world and the Spirit World… The library turned into a napping spot for Korra within the week.

Korra could walk on her own but not as gracefully as she would've liked. While she did have Naga to carry her, Asami somehow trained the polar-bear dog to keep the swimming distance in diameter of the island, much to Korra's annoyance.

So there she was, a grounded Avatar stuck on the island, clearly ignoring the monotone lecture from Tenzin. Every morning, Tenzin held a gathering of the new Air Nomads that were temporarily residing on the island and introduced the ways and teachings of the Nomads. Korra was currently by the entrance great room, bored out of her mind-

The doors to the auditorium parted slightly and Pema poked her head in. "Excuse me, Tenzin…" The woman noticed Korra first and winked at her. Korra raised a brow, bemused until Pema turned to address her husband.

"Ah, Pema, do you need something?"

"Yep, I need someone to accompany me to the market-"

"Me! Me me me!" Korra shot her hand up and frantically waved her hand about to volunteer. She didn't care if she looked like a child, she'd take any ticket out of this stuffy class.

"Korra, you're not ready to-" Tenzin started but was interrupted by his wife yet again.

"Oh she'll be fine! Let's go, Korra!" Pema waved the concern away and turned to leave with an excited Korra in tow.

"Pema-"

"Did you want anything from the store, Tenzin?" Pema stared at him, a challenging glint in her eyes.

Tenzin deflated in defeat. Pema wasn't one of his students and she knew it. He muttered, "Just some sweet rolls…"

"'Kay, be back in a few hours!"

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Korra had been hugging Pema and thanking her a mile a minute ever since they got off the ferry.

"Ok-Okay!" Pema laughed, patting Korra's head… and trying to escape her clutches.

Korra rubbed the back of her neck, noticing the effects of her antics. She clapped her hands together, "So, where to first, Pema? Deli? Bakery? Crazy cabbage cart guy? "

Pema readjusted her tote bags and gave Korra a sidelong glance. "Hmm? What're you talking about?"

Korra's shoulders slumped as she gave the older woman an incredulous stare. "We're supposed to shopping- the whole reason we're out here… To. Get. Food." Korra emphasized on that last part with a pointing motion using her finger.

"Oh dear, that was just an alibi." Pema chuckled at Korra's confused expression. She laid a hand on the Avatar's shoulder. "Korra… you've been cooped up in that attic for months. And out of a wheelchair for a while…" Pema let on, hoping the young woman would catch on.

By the dull look on her face, Pema digressed. "Go," Pema held the girl's shoulders, "have," turned Korra on her heel, "fun." And gave her a gentle push in a random direction.

Korra felt her stomach leap at the opportunity offered to her. She could barely contain her excitement. Korra had to look back over her shoulder to give Pema a grateful smile, her eyes getting misty. A wordless inquiry for permission was the only reason for her hesitation.

Pema responded with her own heart-warming smile, "Go." The mother waved, shooing her away.

Korra beamed and took off into a jog. And then a sprint. Until she was just racing down the street, a big goofy grin plastered on her face. The pain in her lower back be damned. Nothing was going to stop her from finally feeling weightless and free.

Korra had run until her lungs were burning and what felt like pins and needles in her legs. Luckily, she slowed to a walk and found a hole in the wall café. Catching her breath, Korra walked right in, clueless to the stares and soft whispers of her celebrity status. Getting a booth, Korra wasted no time in ordering meat buns, pasta, and several desserts. It'd been a while since she had anything that wasn't green, pasty, or flavorless and she had to make up several months' worth while she could. Who knew if Tenzin would let her out again.

After her meal, the bill was dropped off at her table. The price wasn't expensive but it would take a chunk out of her budget. Korra had to actually go to the mayor's office if she wanted to cash-in on any 'hero's reward'. When her hand felt her waist, Korra suddenly looked mortified. Frantically patting herself, she grimaced at the discovery. She didn't have her coin purse! The waitress was walking towards her now! "Eh…"

"Was everything to your liking-" The waitress paused when she glanced from her notepad to the patron. "A-avatar… Korra!" The waiter stuttered; how could she have not noticed until that moment. She brought tray after tray towering with food, so maybe that was it. "T-thank you for all you have done-"

"The Avatar is here?!"

"Is that her?"

"She's so pretty!"

Compliments and shouts of gratitude soon flooded the ambience of the restaurant. Korra momentarily forgot her situation when a crowd quickly formed around her booth. Children were climbing onto the booth seat, fans wanted an autograph, and some elders even pinched her cheeks and patted her head.

After many requests, Korra got from out of the booth and was mobbed from all sides. Handshakes, hugs, and pats on the back until she was almost out the door-

"Quiet down, the lot of ya!" The owner of the place, a dark-skinned barrel-chested man barked and the diner fell silent. He made his way front and center, unfastening the apron he had and throwing it over his shoulder. He eyed Korra with a stern gaze. "While ya have my thanks for all that you do… you weren't trying to walk out on the bill, were yah?"

The crowd looked at the man as if he were suddenly the bad guy. But Korra pacified them and stepped up to the owner. "No, I wasn't. I was just… occupied; I honestly would never leave without paying." Korra tried to reassure the man, but grew nervous under his gaze.

"So?"

"Well, you see, I don't have any money on me-"

The owner frowned and crossed his arms. "So you were trying to dine and dash, hmm?"

"No! I just forgot my wallet!" Her claim sound weak and the owner's frown deepened. Korra was going to try again but then a child stood on their tip-toes and held up their hog-monkey bank.

The girl rattled it, a few coins jingling inside. "Here." And that one gesture started a charity drive; each person retrieved their purses, wallets, and… socks? With combined value, Korra could've bought the whole café.

"You really gonna take advantage of these people, Avatar?" The owner huffed, giving her a stare as if he was accusing her of being some spoiled hero.

And that was it. Korra stood up straighter and waved the offers away. No, Korra was finally coming back to her old self; she wanted nothing to do with letting other people help her for every little obstacle she faced. "No, I'm not." Korra turned to the other patrons holding out their donations and said, "Thank you, everyone, but I can't let you pay for me. I'm not the type of person who depends on someone for my own problems." She turned back to the owner and leveled his glare with her own. "I promise to pay you back for this meal as soon as possible." Korra clasped her hands and bowed. "Please forgive me and understand."

The owner got ready to decline the promise, but thought twice about it when those gathered looked like they would break out into a riot. "Fine, fine. You owe me 87 coins, kid. Don't make me regret letting you off the hook just this once."

Korra rose from her bow and nodded. "Thank you. I'll be back at the earliest convenience." And with that, Korra bid each and every person a good day and left. On the street, Korra took a moment to let out a sigh. Peering up to the sign of the café, reading: "Kaizer's Café", Korra memorized it before setting off anywhere but here. She'd likely get pulled into another mob if she stayed in one place for too long.

Korra had been wandering around aimlessly, eager for something to distract her, until she smacked herself on the head and started running in the direction of Mako and Bolin's apartment. She hadn't seen them in a long time, how could she have forgotten to visit while she was finally out of the Temple. Korra was suddenly brought out of her thoughts when pain shot up her spine. Her right leg buckled and she found herself stumbling into an alley. Korra swore out loud for a good several seconds. She was overtaxing her body too soon after just getting out of a wheelchair.

"Miss, are you okay?" A young voice called out.

Korra slapped a hand over her mouth. She scanned the area; she would be freaked if she got caught cursing like a sailor by a child. Her eyes stopped at the scene in front of her. A young boy, probably the one that called out, was currently surrounded by a group of delinquents. One of them even had a knife too close to the boy's head. Korra bolted upright, instinctively getting into her offensive stance. That little boy was asking if she was alright when he was at knifepoint!

"Drop the knife and back away from the kid." Korra demanded, closing her hands into fists with the sound of knuckles cracking. Korra had to think of which element to use in a hostage situation.

"Or what, girly? Gonna scream?" A grunt cackled, shoving past the kid and approaching her.

"If you don't stop, I'll make you." Korra threatened, unclenching her fists. As the grunt got closer she shifted into a Nomad defense stance; her palmed hand close and the other outstretched.

"Bring it!" The teenager swung a right hook. Korra waited a moment before she countered with a parry; pushing the teenager's right arm away and then delivering a palm strike to his solar plexus. When the guy hunched over trying to catch his breath, Korra gave him a chop; knocking him out. Korra then switched to another element, attaching stone cuffs on the teenager and send him sailing through the air to be attached to the alley wall. She turned to the remaining pair of bandits, motioning for the next challenger.

Thug no. 2 let out a growl before breaking into a run towards her. He had every intention to spear-head tackle her to the ground.

Korra jerked into an Earth-style horse stance; firmly planting herself with a wide position. She took a deep breath and awaited his approach. The moment his feet the ground and sailed towards her, Korra brought her foot down, summoning a pillar of street to slam into the man's midsection. "Ah-!" The man let out, the wind knocked out of his lungs. With a flick of her wrist, manacles appeared around the man's arms and legs; a moment later the man was swung through the air to land on the alley wall, bound right next to his buddy.

With a glance, Korra saw an out of place-looking coin bank that probably belonged to the young boy. The likelihood of a man having a turtle-duck bank attached to their hips was small. A bandit, no less. But before she could even think to take it back, thug no. 3 barked, "Here's what's gonna happen…" Korra turned back to the man and narrowed her eyes. The remaining thug had the knife pressed a little too close to the boy's neck than Korra would've liked. "Hands up or the boy gets some cool-looking scars."

Without a thought, Korra yielded, raising her arms.

"Good girl." Thug no. 3 gave the kid a shove. The man was advancing towards Korra but he used the boy as a shield, a knife still to his throat. He stopped when he was about a foot away from the Avatar.

The young boy struggled the whole way, trying to get free, only to earn a rap upside his head. Nursing his head, he briefly peered up to the Avatar. She shook her head at him, and the boy stood still, no longer resisting.

Keeping a firm grasp on the boy, thug no. 3 leaned forward with his knife and cut the clasp holding the pelt around Korra's waist. When the fabric fell, felt her blood begin to boil. If the situation was going where she thought, then the act was going to be the least of her worries. She needed to get the boy out of here before it happened. She spoke as the man slowly encircling her, "You've got me, let the boy go- AH!" Korra grunted when a kick came to the back of her knee. The same knee that buckled earlier.

Korra almost spun around, but a cry came from the boy and she paused. "Unless you want the boy's face carved up, turn back around." Korra set her jaw before turning back around and moving to stand back up. The butt of the knife hit her on the back and she was forced to the ground again, kneeling.

Korra always trusted her gut. At this point, Korra should've had the man on the ground, in seriously pain. But even if she had a million ways to cause the thug immense pain, Korra's confidence took a blow when her gut-feeling got her poisoned and bound to a wheelchair for a year and a half.

Thug no. 3 came back around, leering down at Korra's contorted face. He shoved the boy into the trash bins, but before Korra could retaliate, he brought a chunk of street and held it in the air over the boy. Turning back to Korra, thug no. 3 gave her a tsk. "Now now, if you play hero, the boy gets crushed…" He said, giving Korra a disgustingly smug smirk. "Now, how about a little pay-back for the hurtin' you put on my pals…" Without any warning, he back-handed her. The strike caused her to stagger to the side. Korra tightened her fists but unclenched them when the boulder dropped a few inches down on the boy. "Ah ah, take your medicine without resistance." Thug no. 3's wolfish grin widened. And the onslaught of blows rained down on Korra. "Gotta break ya before the real. Fun. Begins!" The man iterated with every strike. He swung his foot into her jaw, sending her tumbling onto her back.

"That all you got?" Korra snorted, tilting her head to the side and spitting some blood out. Thug no. 3 raised a brow at the comment.

"A sucker for punishment, are ya?"

Korra let out a derisive laugh. "At this rate, it'll be night time by the time those pillow punches start hurting." By the way the man's eye twitched and jaw set, Korra hit a nerve. "Let the kid go, don't let him be late for bedtime."

Thug no. 3 followed her line of sight and looked as if he had forgotten the boy was still there. Turning back to her, he performed a quick move and had Korra bound to the street. "Well, can't say you're not selfless." Thug no. 3 shrugged and threw the floating boulder away from above the boy. "Go on, kid, you probably shouldn't be here to see the fun." A dark look shadowed his features as he pulled his knife back out.

Korra locked eyes onto the boy, "Go."

The boy got to his feet and looked ready to try something. "Get out of here, kid!" The boy jumped and scrambled to run. Korra didn't look away until she saw the boy disappear around the corner. Korra turned back to the man, resisting the urge to pounce just yet.

The man didn't pay the boy any mind after that. He stalked towards Korra and unceremoniously dropped onto her pelvis, straddling her. As he sat there, there was conflict on his face; should he grope her or cut her clothes up first? An ear-splitting grin broke out on his face as he thought of the choices. Going for the former, he sheathed the knife and reached down for her breasts, but he never got the chance to even feel the waves of boiling rage coming off Korra.

Breaking her restraints as if they were paper, Korra exploded into action from underneath him. She let out a snarl before pouncing, pinning him to the ground and wailing on him. She wrenched his arms away when he tried to block the punches, swatted away any attempt to return some of his own blows, and continued to strike him as the fight turned one-sided.

Eventually, Korra regained control of her senses and fell back onto her back. The last of the adrenaline left her and the aches from her face, arms, and back came back full force. She breathed in and out with ragged breathes as she willed herself to calm down. That was the last of the group, she needed to get up and try to get the authorities to take them away-

"Ah!" Korra cried out when she received a harsh kick to her side. Her eyes snapped open, staring wide-eyed at the two thugs she had pinned to the wall earlier. Apparently, her bounds fell apart and they woke back up. And by the looks of fury in their eyes, they saw the state Korra left their friend in. Another kick sent her skidding into a pile of bins, rotting trash fell onto her, making her gag and wheeze from the kick to her ribs at the same time. She was given no time to recover when the pair started kicking her further. Her aching body could do nothing but curl up into herself, trying her best to block the hits.

"Stop it!"

The assault halted momentarily. Korra cracked an eye open, and her heart stopped. She opened her eyes just as a great mass of fire collided into the two thugs. With a sliver of hope, Korra thought Mako arrived. But what shocked her was the color of the bending. "Blue… fire?" Korra managed to choke out before hissing in pain. The fire was so intense it lit the trash ablaze. The flames morphed back to orange and started a continuous trail until it licked her boot and came up her legs. Korra didn't wait for it to consume the rest of her as she started patting herself down.

The boy saw the results of his actions and the angry expression on his face flashed to horror. He tripped at first before breaking out into a run towards her. He helped pat the flames down, ignoring the heat brushing his hands.

Once the fire was out, the boy, at Korra's request, helped her out of the trash and brought her to a relatively cleaner part of the alley. With the thugs out of the count for a while, Korra sent the boy to fetch a bucket of water and a rag. Although reluctantly, the boy went out and came back quickly with them. At once, Korra dipped the rag in the water and wiped away at the cut on his cheek and his flame-licked hands. Afterwards, she bended a bit of water and set to work performing minor healing. After a few moments the cuts were gone and she started on herself.

Korra had just finished dressing her wounds when, out of nowhere, she brought her fist down on the boy's head.

She had just healed him, why was she hitting him?! "Owuh!" The boy cried out. Nursing his head, he turned to the Avatar misty-eyed. He was about to whine but the stern look in her eyes made him grow pale. He wisely shut his mouth.

"I told you to run. Why did you come back, you could've gotten seriously hurt!" Korra scolded the boy. When the boy didn't immediately answer, he earned himself a smack. "Well?"

"Stop swatting me!" The boy cried, gaining a little more color in his face. "I-I saved you!" The comment made the Avatar raise a brow. The boy straightened up and frowned. "You should be thanking me, not hitting me!"

Does he seriously want to play that game? Korra raised her fists and cracked them. The message was heard loud and clear. When the boy was sufficiently cowed, Korra continued. "You were at knifepoint, had a rock hovering over your head, and you were clearly outnumbered." Korra stated, making the boy grimace. "What made you think coming back to the chaos was a good idea? If you couldn't do anything from the beginning what could you have accomplished coming back?"

The boy sat there, stewing over the lecture with a pout. Thankfully he didn't receive another hit. A couple of minutes passed before he spoke again, with a more respectable tone. "You needed help and there was no one around." The answer was weak and he had a feeling she thought so as well.

"I'm the Avatar, kid. I save people all the time. It'd be pretty redundant if I needed to be saved. I don't need the help of people I save." The 'old me' didn't, anyway… Korra added with a sigh.

"But if I left someone that helped me and they…" The boy searched for the right words. A tear slid down his face. "…didn't make it. I'd never forgive myself." His bandaged hands clenched.

Korra wanted to press on the issue more, to drill it into him how irresponsible and reckless his actions were, but she relented. She reached over and took his tightly wound fist. "Despite being an idiot…" Korra unwound his hands. "You did alright, kid. Thanks." She gave him a grateful smile. The boy's cheeks colored slightly and he sheepishly returned his own. When her hands left his, the boy felt a weight in them. He looked down and his eyes widened at the turtle-duck coin bank resting in his palm. "When did you-" But the Avatar had a distant look in her eyes, so he stopped.

Looking up into the sky, she could tell it was late afternoon. She briefly thought of when she was supposed to go back to the ferry to meet up with Pema. She frowned at the thought of Pema overreacting to the state of her ragged clothes and bruised face. Korra's skill in healing was too abysmal to make the swelling go down. Only time will heal her face. Maybe some ice will make it go down faster. Looking at the pail, unfortunately, there wasn't any water left. Korra let out another long sigh. Hearing him clear his throat made her turn to the boy. "Hmm?"

"What are we going to do now?"

Korra didn't respond at first, she simply massaged her head, feeling a headache come on. The thugs needed to be put in custody and she had to take the kid home. But she really, really, didn't feel like moving any time soon.

When the police arrived, unfortunately neither of them Mako, Korra gave a quick explanation without informing them of Zion's blue fire. From what she heard from Mako, the practice of blue fire-bending was an infamous art and she didn't want the kid brought in for interrogation.

Korra had been heavily relying on the wall for support as she finished her report. She made sure to include the intentions a certain thug had and one officer, a female, shook her head and turned to her partner.

"You believe that moron? Trying that with the Avatar of all people…"

"Screw the headquarters, we should just bag 'em, tag 'em, and send them off to the Mental Institute."

The officer looked apprehensive at the suggestion. "The one with Warden Ju Dee?" Sure, the guys were scum, but that lady had a frightening reputation with her methods.

"Yep." The female officer said without hesitation, making her partner and the thugs wince. "We're take it from here, Avatar. Have a nice day." She said with a skip in her step. Justice is seen rarely in her field and she was about to let the opportunity pass up.

Korra waved the officers goodbye, watching the patrol van drive off. She turned to the boy. "What's your name, kid?"

The boy looked up, still confused by the conversation itself and the collective reactions following. "Zion. My name's Zion." He hesitated for a moment before bowing respectively to her. "Thank you for saving me, Avatar Korra-"

The Avatar thwacked Zion on the head. "Just Korra is fine." She laughed at his pout. "Say, how did you bend blue fire, by the way?"

At the question, Zion became reserved. Korra saw the change in attitude and was about to inquire but Zion spoke first. "I'm not allowed to say. It's a secret." When Korra didn't respond to his answer, he took a step back in case he was going to get hit again.

"I'm not gonna hit you for not telling me." Korra rolled her eyes at his antics. "You don't want to tell me, that's fine."

Zion's eyes widened at the level of understanding he got from her. That last person that witnessed his bending wouldn't relent from questioning him until he ran away, losing that person in the streets. Instantly relieved, the 'biggest fan of the Avatar' side of him came out. He opened his mouth to suggest various activities to hang out with her longer.

"Lead the way, Zion, I'm taking you home."

Zion's grin faltered and he backpedaled. "W-wait, what?"

Korra was eyeing him wearily. She was bone-tired and aching. She had one more task, which was bringing him home, before she tried to walk over to Bolin's to take a nap. "I'm taking you home, Zion."

"But- okay, I'll tell you, just promise we'll hang out for a while-"

"No, I'm gonna ask you one more time before I hail another police cruiser and have them take you home."

"But-"

Korra had it with the child's behavior. "No buts! I'm going to take you home and that's final." She said with a tone of finality. She crossed her arms and waited for him to decide.

Zion's shoulders slumped and he looked to the ground, defeated. "Fine…"

"Now lead the way, Zion."

It was a quiet walk to his house, some attempts of conversation, but that was one-sided. Zion stopped asking after the third time Korra shot down another subject with silence.

By the time they neared Zion's house, Korra recognized their surroundings and knew something was off. They were right back at the café she had visited earlier. She stopped on the sidewalk and looked ready to apprehend Zion for misleading her.

"Zion!"

The boy perked up and waved at a man coming out of the café. Korra didn't even notice Zion walk away from her side; she was staring at the man and started to recognize him. It was the owner of the café! "Eh…"

"Hey Uncle-"

"Don't you 'hey uncle' me! I sent you to the grocer hours ago. Where have you been-" Kaizer looked up and instantly recognized Korra. "What are you doing here so soon?"

"Well…" Zion began the tale of being robbed and rescued. When he finished, Uncle Kaizer looked from him to the Avatar and back.

Kaizer was beside himself. On one hand, the Avatar still owed him money, the other, if what his nephew said was true he was now in her debt. "Is this true, Avatar?" Kaizer asked pointlessly. Zion was a good kid; he wouldn't make up such a tale.

"Yes, but you can request a report from the officers that arrested the thugs if you don't believe me." Korra confirmed. "And I had no intention of using this event to get out of paying you back-"

"Ah, forget about the damn debt. You saved my nephew…" As much as it hurt him to lose the gold, he continued, "We're even."

Korra fought the smile from breaking out onto her face. She was being honest. Korra wasn't going to take advantage of the situation but in the end it all worked out in her favor. It would be bad form to rub it in. So she did a slight bow and waved goodbye before turning away and leaving.

Zion wanted to call out to her but after the way he annoyed her earlier, he stayed silent. He could only hope he met her again, on better terms.

Korra had just barely made it to Bolin's before she collapsed on by their door. If it wasn't for Pabu insistently scratching on the door, neither one of the brothers would have opened it and carried her in. She was now on the couch, inhaling loads of junk food, while Pabu lay curled around her neck. She had just finished retelling the story to Bolin when Mako returned back from hunting Pema down and telling her that Korra would be staying the night at their apartment.

Bolin had been hopping up and down at the news and almost started his own tale of what happened last night regarding a dragon. But the moment Mako knew what he was going with and the fact Korra looked sleepy, he intervened and got Bolin to get Korra a comforter and pillow.

He looked back to Korra and smiled when she yawned. "Regret leaving that the peace of that Temple now, aren't ya?"

"Not even a little bit." She stretched and got comfortable on the couch. She declined taking either of their beds and settled for sharing with Pabu that night. Bolin got back with the sleep-over kit while Mako cleaned up the mess the two made. When Bolin reluctantly retired for the night, Korra called out for Mako before he went himself. "We need to talk tomorrow."

"Ooh, you're gonna get it…" Bolin teased from upstairs.

Mako rolled his eyes and regarded a chuckling Korra. "What's up?"

"The boy I saved earlier…" Korra's eyes were drooping. "His fire-bending… it was blue."

Mako furrowed his brows. "Blue fire? Are you sure you saw that right-" Mako paused, the light in the room vanished. Korra was already fast asleep and Pabu had waddled over to the lamp and flicked it off. With a huff, Mako formed a small flame in his hand and decided he would ask tomorrow morning.

Dreaming, Korra found herself right back in the alley where she saved Zion. But she was alone. Instantly, it went from a bright afternoon to a sudden storm. Korra briefly wondered why there seemed to be more storms as of late but chose to flee the alley for shelter from the freezing rain. As she ran, the rain pelted her harder. She looked around only to see that she was at the Temple somehow. Korra ran for a tree in the gardens and stood underneath its leaves, momentarily out of the cold rain. And then she felt it; a sense of trepidation and she looked to her left.

Zion was standing in the middle of the clearing, just staring at her. She was about to call out to him, tell him to get out of the rain, but he motioned up. He pointed upward into the dark clouds riddled with lightning streaks. Following the silent instruction, Korra looked up just in time for a flash a lightning revealing… a dragon!

Korra had never seen an animated depiction of a dragon before. They'd been extinct for a long time. Since before Avatar Aang was announced the new reincarnation. But before she could react, the ancient being opened its maw and the raw power of plasma lightning gathered in its throat and shot out at her!

Korra bolted upright from her dream. She sat straight and tried to calm down, reassure herself that it was only a dream. After several moments, she calmed down and her eyes had adjusted to the dark living room. She jumped when something moved in her lap. Reaching down, she felt something fuzzy. Breathing a sigh of relief, Korra made a small flame in her hand, so not to awaken Mako and Bolin. Her eyes widened at the sight of Pabu, his red fur standing on end as if he'd been playing with a balloon. His fur only did that when he was in contact with static…

Wait a second… Korra warily looked at her other hand and her breath hitched. There were small currents of static dancing on her palm.

Holy sh-