CHAPTER 2: TRAINING BEGINS
(Disclaimer: I don't own A:LOK. I only own my OC's)
|Republic City press conference|
'I never thought this many people would come,' was the thought of the teenage Avatar as she walked towards her seat in front of hundreds and hundreds of photographers that kept blinding her with multiple flashes of light. She really could care less about how she looked in the pictures; she just wanted to get over with this as soon as possible. Really, what was it with putting her in front of so many people and answer questions? 'Can't I just... I don't know; write my answers on a sheet of paper? Wait, scratch that. I am so NOT writing that much,'
Fortunately, Tenzin and Kenai came with her in an attempt to keep her calm and suggest what questions she should answer and what not. Lin was there to, but only as a formality. While the moral support from Tenzin and Kenai was appreciated, what Korra really needed right now was a sudden burst of inspiration. And so she started. "Hello, I'm Korra, your new Avatar," she said. 'Well, that went perfect,'
Questions soon flooded the press conference. "Does this mean you're moving into Republic City?"
"Were you trying to send a message to the Triads yesterday?"
"Will you be fighting crime or the anti-bending revolution or both?"
"Will you be working with Chief Beifong and the police?"
Trying to compose herself from the sudden outburst of questions, Korra spoke up. "Uhm, yes. I am definitely here to stay, but... I honestly I don't exactly have a plan... yet? See, I'm still in training, but look. All I know is Avatar Aang meant for this city to be the center of peace and balance in the world. And I believe we can make his dream a reality. I look forward to serving you. I'm so happy to be here! Thank you, Republic City!"
Korra's statement, although a little cliché, earned her a round of applauses from the reporters and civilians who were present. The Avatar felt as if she had just lifted a huge weight off her shoulders, and even waved at the cameras before Tenzin removed her off the stage, claiming that was all the time they had. Kenai, who was wearing his Metalbending armor, came in and replaced Korra. "Sergeant Beifong here," he announced as the microphones amplified his voice.
"Sergeant Beifong, what is your take on the current anti-bending revolution?" a random reporter asked.
"I said it once and I'll say it again. Nothing good will come out of this extremist movement. These terrorists are standing in the way of peace and unity, something that will not be tolerated. Here in Republic City, everyone is entitled to an opinion and is free to express themselves. However, using violence methods and fear mongering in order to achieve a political goal is not only wrong, but also punished by the law. That is all I have to say regarding that subject,"
"What about the state of bending gang violence? How would you deal with that problem?"
"I cannot speak on behalf of the entire Police Department. It's no secret that violence and crime from bending gangs has raised over the last years, but so have our commitment and our determination to arrest every single one who takes part on those activities. We won't tolerate people who take advantage of their bending abilities over fellow civilians, that I can assure you,"
"Will you be working close with the Avatar?"
"Only time will tell. I won't do anything that goes against the orders of my superiors. Avatar Korra has just arrived, and we've yet to do any work together, although I'm looking forward to join her in our mutual task of protecting Republic City,"
"It's been a year since you were given the rank of Sergeant in the Police Department, despite being only nineteen years of age,"
Kenai raised an eyebrow. "Is there a question in that statement?"
"My question is do you think you've risen up to the challenge that is to tackle both the anti-bending revolution and the bending gangs?"
"If my higher-ups decided I wasn't fit for the job, they would've told me so a long time ago. I will continue to perform my duties as Sergeant of the Police Department and exceed any expectations my superiors have of me,"
"Did your familiar relationship with Chief Beifong play a role in your promotion?"
The earthbender rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Absolutely not. Next question,"
"Do you see yourself as the next Chief of Police?"
"Not necessary. Right now, the only thing I have to worry about is the state of Republic City, not whether I am Chief material or not. I have a long road ahead of me, and I am not as ambitious as other colleagues of mine. That will be all. I wish all of you a good day,"
A bunch of reporters insisted on asking him questions, but Kenai had already left the stage. Press conferences were a pain in the ass, but it was part of his job and he had gotten used to it. Some people excelled at giving explanations and sweet-talking the crowd. Other people did an amazing job researching and deciphering codes. Kenai? Kenai was more of an action kind of guy. His place was with Lin and his squad facing criminals and bringing them to justice. He was a fighter, and a damn good one if he said so himself. He didn't need to have cameras all over his face, and he was most definitely not the best suited for a desk job.
"That was a nice speech you gave there, Korra," Kenai said as he joined the Avatar, who was chatting with Tenzin in the backstage. Korra looked at him and smiled.
"Thanks. You weren't half bad yourself, Sergeant Hotshot," she teased.
Kenai snorted and puffed his chest. "That's Mister Sergeant Hotshot to you, missy. If you want to stay in Republic City, then you better start showing respect to the authorities," he said in a joking manner.
"Yeah, don't hold your breath," Korra responded, an amused look on her face. She then turned around and looked at Tenzin. "So, what's the deal? Are we gonna start my training today?"
Tenzin cleared his throat. "Yes, we are. You will find traditional Airbending robes in your room when we return. I believe we should start your lessons with the gates exercise," he then addressed Kenai. "Have you told your mother you will be keeping an eye on Korra from here on now, Kenai?" Tenzin asked as his face suddenly developed a slightly fearful expression. "I know for a fact Lin wouldn't appreciate having to call me to ask where you are,"
"Don't sweat it, uncle Tenzin," Kenai replied. "I already told her and I have her approval, so there's nothing to worry about. I'll be joining you guys once I'm done packing the rest of my stuff,"
Tenzin sighed in relief. Calling Tenzin was undoubtedly one of the things that thoroughly annoyed Lin, as well as talking to him, speaking about him, and overall, interacting with him. It was not easy for the Chief of Police to maintain a professional relationship with Tenzin, not only because of how much their views differed from one another, but also because the councilman just happened to be her ex-boyfriend AND the godfather to Kenai, her only son. Not really the most comfortable situation you can find yourself in, to be honest.
|Air Temple|
Two hours later, the local ferry was arriving at the Air Temple with Kenai, who was no longer wearing his Metalbending armor. Instead, he was wearing dark green boots, khaki pants, a black t-shirt with short sleeves and a zipped-up, short-sleeved hoodie that matched the color of his boots. The only part of his armor (which he kept inside his luggage) he still had on were his gauntlets that allowed him to shoot cables through Metalbending. They were deadly useful, and Kenai never knew when he would find himself in the need to use them, so he wore them most of the time.
"I haven't been here in a while. This place hasn't changed a bit," Kenai commented as he got off the ferry and stepped inside the docks. Ah, the atmosphere that surrounded Air Temple Island was the complete opposite of the one in Republic City. This island was a place for peace and meditation, which was certainly scarce in a place like Republic City where everyone seemed to be in a hurry for the tiniest of things. Well, he did work in the Police Department, so of course he was in a constant state of alarm in case something happened. With some luck, maybe this 'mission' could get him to relax a bit and take his mind off of things… maybe.
As he made his way to the shore, three White Lotus sentries approached him. The guy in the middle cleared his throat and spoke on behalf of the three of them. "Greetings, Sergeant Beifong. We were expecting you,"
"Hello," Kenai responded, thinking it felt a bit weird to be called Sergeant Beifong while he wasn't wearing his armor. It was probably weirder for them to call someone so young a Sergeant, but meh, what can you do about it. "Did uncle Tenzin tell you to wait for me?"
"Indeed, Master Tenzin asked us to wait for your arrival. Would you like us to show you the way to your room?"
The earthbender shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I know my way around the temple," The guard nodded and stepped aside so that Kenai could set foot on the island. To be honest, the White Lotus sentries didn't look like they belonged in a place like the Air Temple. Their armor and their imposing figure were nothing like the robes of the Air Acolytes that worked to preserve the island.
After ten minutes of walking, Kenai reached the training area where all the gates were set up. He was soon greeted by the Airbending kids who almost tackled him as if they were rugby players. The earthbender held Ikki and Jinora in his arms while Meelo pretty much attached himself to his leg. The daughters and son of Tenzin had a very soft spot for Kenai, as the sergeant was like an older brother figure to all of them. At the same time, Kenai saw them as his little cousins and acted as such.
"Kenai, you came!" Jinora squealed in delight. "Is it true that you're gonna stay with us just like Korra?"
"I sure am," the earthbender replied with a smile. "Speaking of which, where is she?"
Ikki was the first to respond. "Daddy was showing Korra all of the cool places around the island. They're about to start their first Airbending lesson and then Korra's gonna airbend and then she's gonna learn how to fly and then she's gonna be the first flying Avatar ever!" she said all of that at once. Ikki was known for having a motor-powered mouth.
"Ikki, Korra isn't going to master Airbending after having just one lesson. It's something that takes time," Jinora said as a matter of fact. The oldest of the three siblings had a natural tendency to correct whatever her brother and sister said, which was why they argued on a daily basis. "And besides, you can't fly around like a Raven Eagle just because you're an airbender. That ability has never been confirmed,"
"You know what's confirmed? That cockroach over your head!" Ikki replied as she pointed at her sister's hair. Jinora, who was absolutely terrified of insects, almost had a panic attack and began searching for said bug with her hands, whimpering and completely ruining her silky hair while she was at it.
Once she heard Ikki's stifled giggles, Jinora realized her sister was messing with her, and as an act of revenge, she took a deep breath and used her Airbending skills to exhale a gust of wind directed at Ikki's face. Tenzin's youngest daughter ended up looking as if a hurricane had just gone by, with both her hair buns tousled.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Meelo began clapping.
Both girls seemed ready to have a go at it, but before they could start a fight, Kenai shot his cables and restrained the two airbenders while they were moving their arms, making sure that his grip on them was firm but not too rough since he didn't want to hurt them. "Alright, let's all calm down and breathe, okay? Siblings have to take care of each other, not fight like two Pygmy Pumas in a cage. Now, apologize to one another and let's move on,"
Kenai retrieved his cables, hoping that his intervention was enough to prevent a childish skirmish from erupting. Luckily, neither Jinora nor Ikki attempted to blast each other, although they didn't apologize like Kenai hoped they would. They merely released an angry huff and looked at the other way while they crossed their arms. "Awwww, but I wanted to see them fight," Meelo whined.
The earthbender rolled his eyes. 'These three are a handful and a half. Can uncle Tenzin and aunt Pema truly take care of a fourth child? I wouldn't be surprised if they end up in a mental asylum or something,' he thought humorously. Kenai really cared for the kids, but he lacked the patience to put up with their constant bickering, although he supposed it was natural for siblings to argue about everything when they're kids. An only son like him wouldn't know about it.
In that moment, Tenzin arrived at the scene, followed behind by Korra. The Avatar was wearing traditional monk robes that were identical to the ones worn by Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, and truth be told, she didn't look anything like an airbender at all. Her physical features, mainly her darker skin and blue eyes, pretty much screamed 'Water Tribe here' and no amount of robes would make her seem similar to any of the females living in the Air Temple. 'It's not necessarily a bad thing, but that outfit does look weird on her,' Kenai admitted to himself.
"Korra's gonna airbend! Korra's gonna airbend!" Ikki cheered.
Korra thanked the enthusiasm will a small smile, eager to begin the lessons that would finally make her a fully-fledged Avatar. She also noticed the figure standing behind the children and her eyes widened in surprise. "Kenai? Is that you?"
"The one and only," Kenai replied with a smile.
"… Huh, I almost didn't recognize you without your armor,"
"You're one to talk. I never would've guessed you were into monk fashion,"
"What? Oh, you mean this old thing?" Korra asked as she looked down at her robes. "Yeah, not exactly my kind of clothing, but Tenzin said this is the standard Airbending uniform and I don't really have a choice in the matter,"
It was true. Korra felt strange wearing clothes that weren't Water Tribe. It would've been a lot more comfortable for her to just wear his usual outfit, but she decided not to make a big deal out of it given that she only had to use the robes while during her lessons.
Kenai shrugged his shoulders. He also thought the monk robes that Tenzin and his kids had to wear looked lame and even a bit silly, but he didn't voiced his opinion out of the respect he had for his godfather. Kenai was well aware of how much Tenzin cared for Airbending culture and its preservation, so he held himself from saying things that the son of Aang would feel offended by when it came to that specific topic… although that didn't stop him from making jokes about Tenzin's bald head every now and then.
…
What? It was all in good fun. Besides, a joke never killed anybody.
"Anyways, what's that giant contraption for?" Korra asked while she pointed at the air gates in front of her.
"We will start your training with the gates exercise. It will teach you the very foundation of Airbending," the monk replied. "Jinora, would you care to explain?"
She nodded. "The goal is to weave your way through the gates and to make it to the other side without touching them,"
"Okay, sounds easy enough," Korra confidently declared.
Hearing her naive answer, Kenai laughed. He had seen the gates exercise in action plenty of times before. "Looks like somebody forgot to say that you have to do it while the gates are spinning,"
Tenzin then took a step forward and released an air blast to the gates, which started to spin around at great speed. He then sent a leaf towards the gates which weaved its way through the gates without being touched once. "The key is to be the leaf. You have to flow with the movements of the gates, not oppose them. Jinora will demonstrate,"
Jinora prepared for a minute before effortlessly making her way through the gates. Her body seemed to move on its own, spinning alongside the gates while avoiding getting hit by them. Once Jinora was done with the exercise, she used her bending to keep the gates moving, signaling to Korra that it was her turn. "Let's do this!" Korra shouted as she began running.
It was all going well and good until the moment she entered the gates, which was when things started to get messy for Korra, and that was putting it lightly.
BAAM BAAM BAAM BAAM
Korra seemed to get assaulted by every single gate that was spinning. Once she got hit, there was no way for her to get back on track. The point of the exercise was to pass through the gates without stopping, because if you stopped, you were going to get hit inevitably. Korra's mistake was to believe that she had to rely solely on her speed, which was fine by her given that she was fairly fast thanks to her training in the South Pole. In reality, it was much more about timing and swiftness, as well as 'allowing your body to move with complete freedom' or some Airbending mumbo jumbo that Kenai's didn't really understood or cared for.
Eventually, Korra was thrown out of the gates and landed on her lower back. It was fair to say that Korra's attempt was rubbish by all standards. The Avatar stood up, both her body and her pride feeling sore, and walked up to Tenzin with a rather annoyed look on her face. "How was that for a first try?"
"Don't you worry, Korra. Not even the most talented airbenders in history were able to master this exercise straight away. It requires patience and time just like everything else," was Tenzin's appeasing answer. He was far too kind and gentle to label Korra's first attempt as a failure, even if it clearly was. "Why don't you try again?"
Taking a deep breath, the Water Tribe girl got ready and gave it a go. Her second attempt wasn't much better than the first one as Korra was getting pummeled yet again. Kenai flinched every time he saw Korra getting hit, which happened to be very often in case you were wondering. The Sergeant shook his head and looked at Tenzin. "I think I'll just leave now,"
"I thought you wanted to see Korra's training," the airbender said.
"I do want to see Korra's training. What I don't want to see is her getting beaten into a pulp," Kenai stated. "And besides, I still have to unpack and say hello to aunt Pema… Should I send someone over with a medical kit?"
Tenzin sighed. "Please do. We will need it,"
|Several hours later|
"Airbend!" Korra shouted as she attempted to produce at least a gentle breeze of air, using an old newspaper with the picture of Lin in it as a target. "What's wrong with me? Airbend!" she exclaimed as she tried another time. Needless to say, she got the same results.
To say that Korra was frustrated was an understatement. Korra had been trying to Airbend for the last half hour and not a single time she felt like she was getting close to actually do something that resembled Airbending. Why was it so hard when all the other elements came to her so easily? When she was 5 years-old she was already capable of bending water, fire, and earth, but even after 12 years of intense training, her Airbending had yet to manifest itself. She thought that things would change for the better by moving into the Air Temple, but everything was as useless as ever. Was it some kind of joke from Aang or one of the previous Avatars?
"Maybe I'm just not cut out to be an airbender, huh Nagga?" Korra asked her Polar Bear Dog that was sitting close to her. She was about to leave the place when she heard a familiar voice from behind.
"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you,"
Korra gasped in shock as she immediately recognized Kenai's voice. She then realized Lin's picture was still there, and without thinking twice about it, Korra sent a small fire ball that incinerated the newspaper within seconds. Kenai probably wouldn't appreciate her using his mother's photograph as a target. "H-Hey there, Kenai. What are you doing here?" she asked while turning around and trying to act normal.
"Well, I'm supposed to keep an eye on you, so here I am. What were you doing just now? Other than burning down innocent newspapers, that is,"
"Me? I was just…" Korra tried to find a believable excuse, but she couldn't think of anything. In the end, she sighed and decided to be honest with him. "I just wanted to be alone for a while. This was my first Airbending lesson and it sucked. I sucked. Air is the only element left for me to learn, and judging by how things turned out today, I don't see myself bending air anytime soon,"
The sad look on her face forced Kenai to say some words of encouragement. For some reason, seeing her distressed didn't sit well with him, and felt like he had to do something about it. "So your first lesson didn't go quite well, what of it? No one learns Airbending in a day, and maybe you're simply not used to practice the way Tenzin tells you to. That doesn't make you any less of an Avatar,"
"I know, I know, and it's not like I was expecting to learn Airbending in five minutes. But I just don't understand why I had no problem learning the rest of the other elements, yet never came even close to grasp Airbending, and I've been training since I was five years of age,"
Kenai was beginning to understand where Korra was coming from. If you could master three of the four elements with relative ease, you would expect to have the same results with the last element. That would definitely frustrate or at least confuse any Avatar whose training began at age five. "Well, I think you should look at your situation from another perspective. You're seventeen years-old and you're already a Firebending, Earthbending, and Waterbending master. That's pretty amazing if you ask me. All of the other Avatars in the past managed to learn all four elements in due time, what makes you think you'll be any different?" Kenai then approached Korra and placed his hand over her shoulder, giving her a warm smile. "Besides, I have faith in you. Give it some time and you'll see that I'm right,"
Korra stared at the earthbender somewhat surprised, but after a while she just smiled and placed her hand on top of Kenai's. "Thanks for that, I'll try to see things you way,"
"You don't have to thank me, we all need some moral support every now and then," Kenai said as his hand left Korra's shoulder. He felt great for improving Korra's sad mood as he knew that would make him closer to her as a friend. He was about to suggest going inside and continue their conversation there, but before he could speak, he was interrupted by the sound of a radio voice not too far away.
"Ladies and gentleman, we are coming to you live all the way from Republic City's Pro-bending Arena, the place where only the best of the best get to participate in this exciting event. We will shortly announce the upcoming matches, so grab your snacks, turn the volume on, and get ready for one intense night of Pro-bending. Speaking about snacks, don't forget to try out the new honey candies from Inui Confectionary, the shop with the sweetest sweets in the market…"
Korra was bouncing up and down in excitement. "Did you hear that!? The matches are about to start! Come on, let's go!" Without waiting for a response, the Avatar grabbed Kenai's wrist and literally dragged him around like he was a kid.
"Hey, let go off me!" Kenai protested, feeling a bit embarrassed by the fact that he was being dragged around by a girl two years younger than him. If his colleagues in the Police Department ever saw him in his current situation, Kenai would never hear the end of it. He had to use his other hand to free himself from Korra's grip. "And why are you so excited all of a sudden? They're just Pro-bending matches,"
"Just Pro-bending matches? Just Pro-bending matches!?" Korra stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Kenai in shock, as if the Sergeant had suddenly grown a pair of antlers. "How can you say something like that? Pro-bending is by far the coolest thing in the world! I mean, how can you not like it?"
"I never said anything about not liking Pro-bending, I just think it's a bit overrated," Kenai clarified unapologetically. He didn't think Pro-bending was boring, but he simply didn't understand what all the hype was about. "On the other hand, neither of us has better things to do, so we might as well hear a couple of matches before going to bed,"
Korra flashed him a grin. "That's what I'm talking about. Now let's go, I don't want to miss a thing," They both made their way towards a small building where three White Lotus sentries were making themselves comfortable in a balcony, adjusting the radio and listening to the commentators' pre-game analysis. There was a wooden staircase that connected the balcony to the ground, making it a lot easier to reach either of those places. Kenai was about to walk up the steps when he was suddenly stopped by Korra, who placed a hand over his shoulder to gain his attention. "Okay, here's the thing. I need you to distract those guys while I get on top of the roof. Thirty seconds should be enough,"
The Sergeant blinked in confusion, unable to process Korra's request. "You want to hear the matches from the rooftop? Why on Earth would you want to do that?"
"It's because of Tenzin. He… Well, he doesn't want me to get involved with Pro-bending, and he probably told the guards not to let me hear their radio while the matches are on. I don't want to take any chances, so the only option I have left is to sneak in," Korra explained as she grasped her arm and stared down at her feet, looking a tad bit nervous. "Look, you don't have to get involved if you don't want to, but please don't tell Tenzin I'm about to do this. I don't need another lecture from him,"
Kenai was taken aback by Korra's words. Was Tenzin really that strict? He was aware of the monk's aversion towards Pro-bending, and he was well within his right to feel that way, but prohibiting Korra from listening Pro-bending matches via radio was an unfair, almost ridiculous exaggeration from his part.
'Sorry uncle Tenzin, but I'm gonna have to support Korra on this one,' "Actually, I think you deserve to take your mind off of things," Kenai replied with a glint of mischief in his eyes. "I'm in. Just stay here and wait for my signal, okay?"
The Avatar's face brightened up like a lantern as she nodded in agreement. Kenai walked up the steps, making sure not to make a lot of noise so that the White Lotus sentries wouldn't notice him coming. When he got to the balcony, he crouched and took cover behind a couple of barrels, using the space between them to spy on the guards. They didn't seem to be paying much attention to anything other than the commentator's voice, who was now announcing the first match of the night. Hell, they even brought snacks and drinks (non-alcoholic drinks, mind you) with them. Korra probably could reach the rooftop without having to use a distraction, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
He focused his gaze on the small radio that was broadcasting the match. Judging by its size and its wooden texture, Kenai supposed it was an older model, but it seemed to work just fine.
His lips turned into a small smirk when he noticed that, while most of the radio was made out of wood, the two tuning knobs that adjusted the radio's volume level and frequency were made out of metal. 'Jackpot,' Kenai thought as he knew exactly what to do to distract the guards. Using his thumb and index fingers as tweezers, Kenai gently used Metalbending to control one of the radio's tuning knob, effectively changing the radio station that was currently on air.
"It's the first match of the night, ladies and gentleman. The referee is in the middle of the ring calling for the two team captains to come together. Let's see if the Capital City Catgators have what it takes to take on th-bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…"
"What the hell? What just happened?" one of the sentries asked out loud.
The guy next to him, who Kenai believed to be the owner of the radio, immediately went to see what was wrong with the device. "Damn it, the signal is lost!" he growled while searching for the right frequency.
"You've got to be kidding me. This old thing has been working just fine for months, and now it decides to break down?" the third and last guard said in disbelief. "Come on, hurry up and find the radio station! We're gonna miss the first match!"
"I'm trying, you moron! It's not as easy as it looks!"
Kenai immediately stepped back, turned around and began waving his hand rapidly, as if saying 'Go go go go go!'. The Avatar understood the obvious message and started climbing up the building rather easily, using windows and wooden posts to make her way to the rooftop. All of that training back in the South Pole sure came in handy in situations like these, Kenai thought with a bit of jealousy. If he ever attempted to do what Korra was doing right now, he would have to dig his own grave first.
"Ha! Found it!" The voice of one of the sentries brought Kenai back to his senses. He looked back at the scene and, indeed, the radio was back to normal. It didn't last very long, but his distraction gave Korra enough time to reach the rooftop without getting caught. She even gave Kenai a cheeky thumbs-up all the way from her spot, one that Kenai responded with a thumbs-up of his own.
Satisfied by how things went down, Kenai left his hiding place and walked up to the sentries, acting as innocent as he could in order to kill off any suspicions. "Hey guys, I was just passing by and I heard the radio was on. Mind if I join you?"
The guards were startled at first, thinking they had just been caught by a superior or, Spirits forbid, Tenzin himself. Once they realized it was just the new guy who came to the island this very same day, they released a collective 'pheeeew' and gestured him to come closer. "Sure thing. The first match has already started. It's the Capital City Catgators versus the Red Sands Rabaroos,"
The earthbender nodded and took a seat next to them, realizing how young these White Lotus sentries actually were. They didn't look like they were past their mid-twenties, which most likely explained why they were more relaxed and easy-going compared to their older officers in charge. Even if he was the Sergeant of Republic City's Police Department, Kenai didn't blame them for wanting to spend their boring nightshift listening to some Pro-bending matches instead of staring at an empty sky for hours and in silence.
The guards were even kind enough to offer him a cold drink. Kenai gladly accepted and took a long sip before paying attention to what was being transmitted; smiling at the fact that Korra was on top of the roof right over their heads as they spoke.
"This Mako's got moxy! He advances, fires two quick shots and Yoang Mo is back to Zone 3! Can the Fire Ferrets secure this win? Seems like Hasook is trying to finish it off but he just can't quite do it. Bolin is putting pressure and- Oh! That got him good! One more step back and it's all over! Mako goes for the final shot a-!"
Before they could hear the very last of the game, the radio shut down and the voice of the commentator faded away. All three sentries, whose names were Bonyak, Howl, and Choe Gu-sung, looked horrified, and even Kenai was dumbfounded. The match had been very intense and had everyone's utmost attention, including his. They all turned around to see Tenzin holding an unplugged cable, probably not in the brightest mood of all. The White Lotus guards paled, and as for Kenai, he just let out a meek 'Oh-ho'.
"Ma-Ma-Master Tenzin!" Howl stammered. "What a-are you doing here?"
"Korra, get down here please," Even if he wasn't shouting, Tenzin's voice sounded unmistakably strained, as if he was doing his very best to remain calm.
Doing as she was told, Korra got off the rooftop and landed inside the scene, catching everyone off guard except for Tenzin and Kenai, although the last one was feigning ignorance and acting like he didn't know what was going on. "You shut it off at the best part!" the Avatar whined.
The airbender gave Kenai a harsh look. "Kenai, did you have anything to do with this?"
Kenai almost sounded offended. "Hey, don't blame me. I have no idea what's going on… Besides, you're going to get wrinkles if you stare at people like that for too long, uncle Tenzin," he said at the end, hoping that his cheesy smile would help to get rid of the tension in the air.
It didn't.
"Korra, I thought I made myself clear. I don't want you listening to any of this distracting nonsense,"
"But it was their radio! And technically speaking, you said I couldn't watch one, you never said anything about listening to one," Korra argued.
"This means that Korra hasn't done anything wrong… technically," the earthbender said with his hands placed around the back his head. Ah, good ol' loopholes. They'll get ya out of any tough situation.
The old monk tripped on his own words, causing Kenai to hide a smirk. "Why you… That is… You know what I meant! Anyways, shouldn't you two be in bed by now?" Tenzin weakly argued before turning around and leaving the teens on their own. Korra rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the airbender in a childish, yet amusing response. At this point, the sentries had already left, thanking the Spirits for not getting any punishment from Tenzin.
After a minute of silence or so, Kenai finally spoke up. "Well, it was fun while it lasted,"
"I guess. Man, I really wanted to hear the end of the match," Korra replied in a defeated tone of voice, but seconds later she looked at Kenai and gave him a small smile. "Thanks for helping me out back then. I owe you one,"
"Don't mention it. Besides, it's not like we broke the law or something. We just listened to the radio and had some fun. There's nothing wrong with that," Kenai said dismissively, not paying much attention. It was only after a short moment of silence when Kenai realized that Korra was still staring at him, as if she wanted to say something. "Humhm, Korra, are you alright? You look a bit… strange,"
Korra blinked and shook her head slightly, apparently snapping out of her thoughts. "Oh no, it's nothing. Well, it's just that… I guess I had you pegged the wrong way," she admitted with a bit of uneasiness in her soft voice.
The Sergeant tilted his head in confusion. "Really? How so?"
"Once I knew you were a police officer and who your mom was, I kind of assumed that you were a hard, rule-loving stiff like most of the guys I've met, with your Metalbending armor and all. But I was wrong. You're actually…"
"Fun to be around with?" Kenai guessed.
"… Yeah, I guess you are," the Avatar rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. She had never been in this kind of situation in her life, and while she wasn't weird or socially inept, she still had a bit of trouble opening up to people of her age. She could deal with kids and old masters, but being honest and sincere to someone like Kenai, a guy who she just met yesterday, was a completely new experience to her. She wanted to talk, but at the same time, she had to be careful not to say something that would make her look like an idiot. Korra suddenly found the floor to be quite interesting as she waited for what Kenai had to say.
To her relief, the earthbender chuckled. "Don't get me wrong. I do have a tough cop side of me, but that's part of my job. Just because I wear a badge doesn't mean I want people to treat me differently, the same way you don't want to be treated differently just because you're the Avatar. My profession doesn't defines who I am,"
"… I never thought about it that way," Korra spoke with a soft voice.
And seriously, who could possibly blame her? When you've spent almost all of your existence training for a full-time, life-long job that the universe assigned to you at birth, sooner or later you will end up thinking that your job is your life. The idea of having a private life aside from your public one was still a fairly new concept to the Avatar, which was why she was so eager to go and explore the possibilities that this whole new place had to offer without forgetting who she was and what was expected of her.
"Well, I'm always happy to impart my wisdom on those who need it," Kenai said with a half-smile, imitating Tenzin's calm and noble voice. "Anyways, it's late and I'm getting sleepy. You should go to bed as well, unless you want another earful from uncle Tenzin. Good night Korra,"
"Good night to you too," Korra replied as Kenai turned around and walked away, leaving the young girl alone with her thoughts. After a while, she took a deep breath and decided to go to sleep. She needed all of her strength for another fun and rewarding day of Airbending.