Chapter 2 - Lifestyle

It was really quite a pain in the ass, to get up this early, just to squeeze the daily sparring session with Bolin into her and Mako's cramped timetables, thought Korra. But the early hours of the evil time of the day were the only ones she and Mako had to meet up with Bolin nowadays.

Mako had been a cop in training for three months now and his education had been both time consuming and incredibly strenuous, thanks to Chief Beifong. At the beginning of Mako's training he only had to attend classes in the academy for trainees, but after 2 months he had been let in on minor cases and started to fulfill patrolling duties at night. He literally lived in the police station, only returning to the attic of the probending arena to sleep.

Korra had also a lot on her plate, if not more. She was the Avatar after all. After defeating Amon, she had thought she knew what it meant to be the incarnation of the one being the whole world directed their hopes to, but only after the whole Amon affair and her long awaited connection with the spirit world, did she realise – she had been horribly wrong.

Tenzin and the White Lotus had granted her and her friends some quality time at the south pole, but as soon as they had returned to Republic City, they had presented her with the Avatar timetable.

Korra's duties consisted of the regular attendance of council meetings – since Tarlok's post had not been reappointed everyone had welcomed her with open arms and the citizens of Republic City had elected her as the new watertribe represantative. No wonder, by now she was considered a hero.

She had fought both Tarlok and Amon, had supported the rights of benders and nonbenders, had revealed Amon's real identity and on top of everything she had gained the power to return people's bending. Being a popular probender helped, too.

And this was exactly where her problems began. She could not continue like this. Until now, her days consisted of practice sessions in the morning, council meetings during the day, air bending found room in the evening. The weekends were reserved for probending tournaments and extended practice time. Additionally there were special tasks only for the Avatar to tend to.

She had started to get letters from all over the world. People asked for advice after hearing of her successes in Republic City. Countries demanded her presence, claiming she had concentrated too much on the fate of one city.

Korra had managed better than most people would have. Every night she stumbled into Mako and Bolin's apartment and fell asleep on Mako's bed instantly. He returned after her mostly, but she never got any sleep, no matter how silent he was.

Citizens of Republic City had made it a habit to knock on their door late at night, knowing that Korra would be there. At first Mako had stayed back and let Korra do her duty. After all, how could he deny those people what he himself would never want to loose – the power to bend.

But when more and more people turned up, sometimes in groups of three or more, Korra started to collapse after the procedure. Only then did Mako realise how much energy the Avatar state cost her.

He remembered the fourth or fifth time Korra had slumped to the floor in front of her visitors vividly. Something inside him had snapped. He shooed the lot of them out of the flat rather loudly, demonstrating quite a bit of uncontrolled firebending. He slammed the door forcefully and locked it for good measure. Then he turned to Korra and picked her up off the wooden floor. With a pang he realised that she was far too light even for her small size. His anger did not subside at this however. If anything it made him even more furious. Furious at Tenzin and the council and the White Lotus and the whole city for taking the Avatar for granted.

The next day he had made Korra stay at home to rest and get some sleep. He himself had payed a visit to Tenzin informing him about the state Korra's Avatar activities really left her in. Like he thought, Korra had never told Tenzin about her problems. To her he was a teacher, a father even, naturally she wanted to succeed in front of him.

Tenzin had been concerned, but not as shocked as Mako would have liked him to be. With a grave voice and an expression of regret Tenzin had informed Mako that he would have to tolerate Korra's sacrifices if he wanted to stay with her.

Mako had counted on Tenzin to help tem out of this mess, and the airbending master tried to help Korra, but the council did not like it when Tenzin suggested korra being replaced by someone else. They didn't even agree to let her take a leave of absence once in a while. She was too important, they said.

So, grudgingly, Mako had sat Korra down and informed her about Tenzin's failed efforts. After a lot of arguing the two of them had made a deal. Mako would not have her continue her nightly activities of bending restoration. She had to promise to keep it at a minimum of one person per day. He had ignored all her protests, telling her that he would not open the door to any more late night callers and would forcefully keep her from opening it.

Mako knew Korra thought him cruel. But this wasn't about him. She wasn't realising it, but slowly and surely Korra was ruining her health. Mako couldn't have that, not after almost losing her once. Now at least, he could keep Korra safe, even if she didn't like it.

In the end Korra agreed, thinking she must have healed the majority of the benders anyway. Those who were left at that point just had to wait a little longer.

The other part of their deal concerned probending. Korra had been shocked into silence at his statement they both should leave the Fire Ferrets. She did not want to, could not believe he even suggested it. She brought up Bolin and how hurt he would be.

But in the end Korra realised that Mako didn't want to stop probending at all, he just had seen what she had purposefully ignored. That their lifestyle could not continue like this.

After a lot of yelling Mako had agreed to continue their morning practices with Bolin. He didn't say it, but he was immensely thankful that Korra insisted on them so stubbornly, for he really didn't want to see his brother any less than he already did.

That night Korra had cried into Mako's chest. Maybe it was the exhaustion of arguing with him for so long or maybe it was the prospect of giving up the one aspect in her life that she shared with the brothers.

It had been a combination of both, but beneath all of this it had been the lifting of some weight off her shoulders that opened the flood gates.

I love how chapter two of Korra will happen 6 months after the first. Perfect opportunity for me to make up my own story of what could have happened in between...