Her demeanor stood firm, almost impeccable. Taking in a breath of air, she inhaled the cool crisp breath and relished in it. Home at last. The Avatar returned ti the Southern Water Tribe, her birth place. The visit proved to have helped her nerves. Home sickness was never her forte and being able to see her parents once more relaxed her worries. Being away from home was not something she was accustom to. Not yet at least. She was the Avatar, meant to travel around the world and serve her duties, bringing peace all around. It was not in her mindset to settle in one place now that she was constantly moving about. Perhaps one day, much like Aang and the past Avatars, he would settle down in one spot and grow old until her time passed, passing down the responsibly.
Now was not the time to dwell on the future. It was time to live in the moment, as she always had done. Her visit did not last nearly as long as she had hoped - but for good reasons. A war had broken out between the North and the South, ending in the defeat of Chief Unulaq, her uncle. The spirit world was left open by her choice, and peace was once more brought. Her relationship with Mako had once again gone sour, and she was left to ponder what would come of this official breakup.
'Just move forward,' she would tell herself over and over. 'This is just a fork in the road.'
And move forward she did. Still not a fully realized Avatar, Korra moved forward regardless. Her training would not be stopped just because of a little depression, nor would it stop because she lacked a boyfriend. She had moral support and motivation. That was all that mattered.
Her air bending had much to improve on but was put aside for the time being. Her training would be focused on earthbending where she would learn from nowhere except the Earth Kingdom itself. Metal bending was a talent she had not had but hoped to acquire it with some practice. And as much as Lin Beifong got on her nerves sometimes, she was probably the best shot she had at learning it.
"This is getting really boring, ya'know." Korra grumbled whilst standing with her feet planted firmly into the ground, curled fists at either side of her waist, much like a kajukenbo stance. This was getting really boring standing in this position without moving. At least with air bending they sat down. All she wanted to do was hurl boulders and get into some action. This patience was…well, it was too much like Tenzin's training sessions when it came to airbending, and she did not prefer to be patient, even if she was capable of it.
"Ever the impatient one," Beifong sighed and rolled her stiff shoulders. "Fine. We'll finish today and you can have tomorrow off, but don't think that you're taking the easy way out."
Korra said no more and left, taking advantage of her given leave.
The day proved to be ever the eventful. The sun was still high in the sky and Team Avatar was high in spirits, grabbing some grub at a local sit-in. The place wasn't high priced but it was not shabby either. It was just the right place to fill their appetites.
"and then I thought, why not check out the stores while I'm here." Asami spoke in cheer. She then noticed Korra off in her own world, picking at her food. "Korra, are you alright?"
"Hm?" Korra looked up from her meat and blinked, trying to recall any keywords that would reel her back into what her friends were discussing. "Oh, yeah, sorry. You said stores, right?"
"I was talking about shopping, but yes." Asami took a bite of her pork then set down the fork. "How is training going anyways?"
"Is Beifong giving you a hard time?" Mako asked, knowing full well how the Chief of Police could be considering he worked under her as an officer. It's not that he hated the woman, in fact far from it. He highly respected the woman above other people, but sometimes she could really just rack his nerves. The sympathy for Korra stood mutual.
"She wasn't too bad today. A lot of times she's really scolding but she comes around eventually, with a lot of pestering that is. I was lucky she let me out today and gave me the day off tomorrow. It was almost too oddly nice given her personality. I took advantage of it anyways." She shrugged.
Korra was having a hard time adjusting. Sure she already knew how to earth bend, she was taught how to before in the past by earthbending instructors, but never were they nearly as talented as the daughter of well renown Toph Beifong. As frustrating as the woman could be, Korra sucked it up regardless just like she had when her airbending refused to come to her. Time, she assured herself, was the main thing she needed to keep in mind. As soon as she had snapped herself back into the conversation, she just as easily drifted back out of it once again Her eyes roamed elsewhere and tuned her friends out, instead just listening to her surroundings. She took a swig of her drink and cranked her neck. The place wasn't too lively, but it wasn't lacking in customers either.
"To go, please."
The Avatar swiveled her head to the side the instant she heard that familiar faint voice just around the corner. It couldn't be! No, she had to be mistaken.
Her heart began to pound.
Was that fear or adrenaline rushing to take action? This was not the time to make a scene either. Perhaps her assumptions were wrong. What if she made a confrontation and it was someone else? What then? She was terrible with thinking plans through, headstrong was always her tactic when getting things done in the moment. Mako seemed to have noticed her sudden distress and shook her hand that still gripped the cup.
"Korra? Are you sure you're okay? You seem a little-"
"Wait here," she interrupted and slid out of the booth, making her way in the direction she heard that tone. She searched the faces of people but was not rewarded with who she thought. The ringing bell of the closing door caught her attention. Quickly she made a path between the line waiting to order and made for the exit. A glance to the left and he was spotted. She swiveled in front of him so quickly that he was caught off guard, backing up in defense. Korra put her hands up to make for an apology for making such a rude approach, but stopped at the moment their eyes met. She was still. It was him after all.
"You-"
"Avatar Korra, what a surprise." His tone seemed almost irritated but filled with a tint of guilt to have been spoked by the likes of her above anyone else. The man sported clothing similar to his old attire, but lacking in the best and his coat was embroidered with colors of emerald and black and with swirls of white that went from one sleeve, across his back, to to the other. The clothing oddly fit him quite well in terms of style.
"I thought you were dead."
The displeasure was written all over her face.
"You and me both," he spat fatherly bitterly.
Sudden fear, old fear she thought she had gotten rid of surfaced for a moment. If he was alive, surely that meant it was plausible that so too was his brother. Tarlokk could read right through the expression and seemed to be able to catch onto what she was thinking. "I could go into depths of the tragic events that occurred up until this point, but I can see by your grimace that my presence unnerves you. I assure you, I have long since moved on from the man I once was. I do not wish to be publicly exploited that I'm still alive and wish to stay in the shadows, nor do I wish you to say a word about this. Now if you'll move out of my way, I will be taking my leave…"
That's it. He was about to leave and she would never get her answers. "I'd like to hear it, if you'd let me." Korra said quickly, not quite sure why she said it in that context but it was the only way to convince him not to leave just yet. As much as she wanted nothing to do with the bloodbending brothers and the idea that Tarlokk was still alive, he said he's not the man he once was. That did not necessarily mean he may not have a moment where he'd snap in the future and break his oath. 'Just like when we fought in the Council Meeting Room.'
"Korra, I don't think-"
"Not right now, of course. I'm actually having lunch with friends but later. Do you live here now?" Pointing at his Earth Kingdom clothing one could only assume he did. Unless of course Tarlokk was using the clothes as a disguise to pass through the town to get to the next. He merely gave a huff in debate to answer, then made a hesitant nod to say yes. Korra gave a half forced smile. "Hm, well…That makes things convenient. Let's meet tomorrow and we can talk about what happened. I don't have training with Beifong tomorrow thankfully. She gave me the day off."
Somehow training under the Chief of Police didn't surprise him. He should have known she'd be the one who would help her perfect her earthbending. As much as the woman got on his nerves in the past, he acknowledged her as a talented bender. Tarlokk rubbed the back of his neck beneath his still combed back long hair. One would assume if he didn't want to be recognized he'd do what he could to change his appearance but perhaps his ponytails and long hair wasn't something he was willing to give up anytime soon, regardless of the circumstances. "Very well. I don't want any attention drawn to me if you suddenly have a change in heart and decide to make a scene, so somewhere subtle would be recommended." It was then that he noticed how busy this town really was around this hour, all the people rushing past them. A few would stop to point and brag about how it was the Avatar in the flesh to their companion beside them while he turned his head to avoid eye contact and any detection of recognition.
Korra raises her hands in correlation. "Fine by me." Honestly, she just wanted to get back to her friends before they came looking for her. The last thing she needed to do was to try to explain a situation she knew nothing about. "We can meet around 2, the Compaq Pearl. Does that work?"
Tarlokk nods. "It will."
And without so much as a simple goodbye, he is gone just as quick as he came.
"Wow, you really must have had to take a big dump."
"Bo!"
"Sorry!" The earthbender rose his hands in defense. Upon Korra's return back to the table all the plates were scraped clean and stacked on top of each other. She must have been gone longer than she thought.
"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I just saw an old face is all. Nothing too important."
The walk back wasn't too bad. Korra had the gang with her for company but her mind kept wandering off and it was getting harder to stay involved in the conversations amongst her friends. Tarlokk is alive. The tabloids spoke rumors of their escape proving futile, only to have died in a boat explosion caused by unknown reasons. It occurred to her the death was staged and was meant to appeal to the public only for them to slip into hiding, or perhaps it was an unplanned event. What would come of tomorrow? Would there be a scene where she attacked him or vice versa? It was known that Amon originally took Tarlokk's bending, but that didn't mean he somehow figured out a way to reverse it and did during their escape. She wanted to believe he had no bending. Falling for the same bloodbending trick twice wasn't in the book of favorite moments in life. The endless possibilities were weighing on her heavily and the headache was not welcome.
After a tedious debate with herself, she decided to put it aside and just focus on the moment. Dwelling on tomorrow would do her no good and if it came down to a fight, she was sure to be prepared this time.
"Word around says that they're planning to release Varrick from prison. I don't know about you guys, but besides the whole helping with the war for profit, he's a pretty cool guy."
"You're just saying that because he made you famous, bro." Mako rolled is eyes and ran a hand through his hair in irritation. Since their trip to the North he hadn't been acting much of himself. One would think it could be blamed on the scenario with the break-up and Asami drama, but it was more than that. Korra seemed to strayed this evening to bring up his doubts and with her training with Beifong it was hard to find time to get moment with her away from the others to voice his opinion in private. His thoughts would have to wait.
The next morning Korra went into her usual routine. Got up, did a bit of stretching to fully wake up, brush teeth and wash up, then a bit of breakfast. Heading to visit her animal, Naga had no pin of her own to stay in and was reduced to staying under an awning to protect her from the small dust storms that would roll in every now and then. The visit from her master during noon cheered the beast up. Pabu was usually with Bolin and having been too busy helping Asami out, he didn't have much time to bring the fire ferret by, The animal understood though. Naga had not whined for attention and took what she received. As a once wild beast she did not thrive off attention like other domestic pets.
Advancing towards the large creature, Korra smiled and pat her head. "Morning girl," she tossed the beast a piece of meat she brought with her. With eager hunger, the polar bear dog bolted up and snatched it midair and swallowed it in one sitting. "Hungry I see."
A rustling of cloth could be heard from behind causing Naga's ears to perk up and Korra's attention to draw to the currently lifted drape. "Mako?" The firebender wasn't who she was expecting to see considering this was around the time he usually went in for work. His schedule wasn't something she kept up with though. Mako stepped round the mound of hay and towards the Avatar. Something was on his mind, the strain didn't go unnoticed. Had she been this oblivious before or was it something that had just happened today? "Hey, you okay? You look a little…drained."
Waving it off, Mako crossed his arms and looked around as if to inspect if anyone else was around. Concluding there wasn't, he pipped up.
"Do you have a minute to talk? If you're busy I can try another time but I just felt I needed to get this off my shoulders before it drives me nuts."
Korra rises to her feet and looks from Naga to him, then gives a curt nod. "I've got time. I have something to do in about an hour or so, but that's about it. What's up?"
"Right," with a fist at his chin, Mako contemplates where to start. The topic wasn't entirely easy to discuss, not in his head at least. Maybe he was just making a big deal out of nothing but he couldn't help but wonder of the consequences and possibilities. "I wanted to talk about the portals that you kept open. Spirits living among the living…Don't get me wrong, the whole peace ordeal is great, fantastic really, but I can't help but wonder if this may bring more conflict than it will good."
"You see, it's not just normal spirits. It can be people who have died, wanting to return to loved ones and so forth. People die for a reason, Korra. We don't like it, but it happens. Some people are just meant to stay that way. It's as if you're bringing them back to life by doing this. Think of all the people who are meant to stay dead, they could potentially become a threat again. Not only that but if they come back and live among the living, the living won't want to let them go. They'll never fully heal."
"Where are you going with this exactly?" She crossed her arms and put on that usual side sneer, not interpreted to be rude but more so interested yet conflicted whilst leaning on one hip.
Mako sighed. "I'm worried about Bo…No, that's not entirely true. I'm worried about you too. What if among those spirits our parents show up? It would crush him…We both miss them, sure, but I don't think he'd handle it well. He's boisterous and always keeps himself happy now a days since we've been off the streets and I want to see him stay that way. If he see's them…He'll just think they'll stay with him forever. He won't want to let go." Part of himself was in denial of his own desires. It wasn't just Bolin he was worried about. He wasn't sure he could trust himself in a circumstance like that either. He'd become too attached to their presence and refuse to let go. As the older brother, he knew he had to do what was was right and move forward. Acceptance was something he began to understand more over the years after their parents passing. Still, was he a hypocrite if he wished this for Bolin but couldn't do the same for himself? "Korra, think about the enemies too, like the ones in the Avatar's past lives. What about Amon?"
That name. It struck her numb. Not because she was scared of him anymore, not because she had self mutilating hatred for him. It was because of pity. She felt sorry for him, for growing up in his fathers footsteps along with Tarlokk. A fate warped by a man they both hated. There brought up the ideal of Yakone too. What if he showed up? Perhaps Amon was still alive though, just as Tarlokk is. It wasn't a thought she particularly liked but it was a high possibility none the less. Her doubts were not yet concluded, and they wouldn't be until she received the full end of the truth from Tarlokk's end of the story. Just assuming would only get her so far. Perhaps the Equalist Leader learned from his mistakes and moved past his fathers wretched line of evil and burdens, or perhaps not. There was the slight change even to this moment if he is alive - he could be seeking revenge in this moment. Just staying in the shadows, plotting her demise. If so, was she prepared to face such a feat again? Would it boil down to death? Defeating is one thing, killing is another. Korra did not want to think of herself as a murderer. Finally sighing in defeat of her own thoughts, she said, "Listen," and stepped forward, uncrossing her arms, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We'll get though this, we always do. We're strong, so is Bolin, and so is Asami. So are we. Not just us, but everyone. We all are in our own way. I don't regret my decision, even now, but if it boils down to that, it's up to us how to choose our actions in those moments. If your parents are seen, Bolin will have to trust that he can act accordingly, same for me if Amon or whoever else shows up. It's my job as the Avatar to bring balance, and by the spirits I'm going to do it whether I, or anyone else likes it or not."
Wow. She was surprised a how much she had matured in just these past months. Or maybe Tenzin was rubbing off on her. Yeah, let's go with that.
Mako opens his mouth to protest but falters. He knows she's right, whether he wants to admit it or not. He wants to put his trust in his friend, but his emotions want to say otherwise. This is a phase he must overcome, surely given time he'll adapt to the change for the better.
"You're right…Thanks for the talk. If it comes to that, I think I know what to do." His body shifts to take a glance at Naga who was curled up in the shade to keep herself cool. Heat like this wasn't something the animal was use to, and with thick fur it just made it worse. "Just, be cautious please. I know it's just me being paranoid but I can't hep it. I care about you, you know. All of us do. Neither of us want to see you get hurt, even if you are tough. Just don't try to bare the burden alone if you don't have to."
Baring the burden alone? He had a point there. She tended to always take matters into her own hands. It's not that she purposely pushed them aside, by all means she was accepting to her friends being by her side. But she knew all too well being the Avatar came with responsibilities only she could uphold. No one could take the weight off of her and do it in her place. A thought came to mind then, foolish as it may be, it may prove helpful.
She bit her bottom lip to think of how to word it properly without coming out with the information too fast. "Yesterday, I mentioned seeing an old face. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me but there was no mistaking that voice," Korra wet her lips with the tip of her tongue and continued, "He's alive. Tarlokk. I don't know how, I don't know why, but I confronted him outside. I made a calculated estimate in thinking if I got the story out of him of what happened, I could bring him to justice the proper way, but I have no idea how this is going to fan out…"
Korra was perplexed with anxiety. Mako could tell she must have been thinking this over all night long. It would explain the tired expression she bore, faked over by cheer from the bright sun that hung high in the afternoon. As surprised as he was by the news, he had no right to judge her actions. She was independent and she was the Avatar, it was her job to handle things like this. Plus, he doubted she wanted to hear the opinion of her ex-boyfriend no less.
"The Compaq Pearl is where we're meeting. It's not far from here and it's more reserved. I thought maybe if you're not busy, you'd-"
"Yes, please," Mako answered without a second thought. This was the opportunity he needed. It would help with his job nonetheless, catching a wanted ex-councilman and illegal bloodbender on the run. He didn't like the idea of her going alone. There was no doubt she probably needed no back up, but as a caring friend, he felt obliged to help her out in any form necessary.
"He assumes I'm coming alone, so let's keep it at that. Do you think you can stay hidden? Only show yourself if some kind of fight breaks out?"
"I can do that," Mako gave an assuring smile regardless of how he actually felt. "I'll assist however I can. Let me call in with Beifong and let her know I'm doing some field work and then I'll meet you there. In an hour?"
She nods.
"I'll be there. Promise."
AN:
So, just forewarning, this is intended to be an Amorra fan fiction, while yes it MAY hint at some Korrlokk, it is not intentionally. In fact, if anything I'm hoping to revert them into more of a friendship phase throughout the following chapters. On another note, I tend to address my chapters with songs, like I do in most my books. But I lack in this one since I listened to too many and none really fit this current chapter.
