'What is Bolin doing?' Mako whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

'I'm not entirely sure,' Korra replied. 'But I think he might be trying to teach Pabu how to drive a Satomobile.'

'What?' Mako gasped, opening and closing his mouth and forgetting to whisper. 'Even Bolin isn't that stupid!'

'I heard that.' Bolin said, turning his head from where he was trying to get Pabu to press the accelerator with his tail. 'And I'm not stupid. Pabu is the most intelligent Fire Ferret to ever live. Aren't you, Pabu?' He cuddled Pabu and made the ferret nod his head in agreement. 'He deserves more than just being a performing ferret. I am taking him out of the age of Fire Ferrets and into a new golden era.'

'You're taking him out of the age of Fire Ferrets, certainly.' Asami quipped. 'And into the age of Fried Ferrets. Don't be stupid, Bolin.'

'Hey, now you're ganging up on me! Don't have faith in Pabu? Fine. I won't ask you to come on the test drive.'

Asami dramatically put a hand to her forehead. 'Oh no. I am so devastated I missed out on an opportunity to get slaughtered in your ridiculous plan.'

'Bo, come on.' Mako said. 'Chief Beifong didn't give me this day off to watch you murder innocent animals. To quote her, she said I needed some "time to stop my brain overheating" and the only reason I agreed is because I haven't as she pointed out been spending enough time with you and tomorrow your metalbending lessons start and since they start at the crack of dawn I'll see you even less. Now stop playing around with Pabu and let's go to Republic City.'

'Woah. I can feel the heat coming off you there, Mako.' Bolin said, mock-fanning himself. 'Cool it, hotman.'

Korra laughed, and Bolin grinned; it felt good to hear Korra laugh. 'Lin – I mean Sifu – gave you the time that our lessons begin?'

'Mhm.' Mako said, nodding. 'I'll tell you what time if you abandon your completely moronic idea and come with us.'

Bolin stuck out his bottom lip and sighed theatrically. 'Fine. Pabu, the world will have to wait to see your genius at work.' Pabu squeaked and leapt onto Bolin's shoulder.

'The ferry leaves for Republic City in five minutes.' Mako said. 'We can make it easily.'

'Urgh.' Bolin groaned. 'You better be grateful, Mako, because every time I go into Republic City I get attacked by some creepy fifty-something-year-old Nuktuk fan. It's horrible. Worse still, Varrik never paid me.'

'Really?' Korra was disbelieving. 'But he's a billionaire.'

'Not. A. Yuan.' Bolin emphasized. 'I guess he didn't have time what with being arrested by Mako and escaping prison and making his way to Zaofu. By the time we met him there, he couldn't legally use his wealth.'

They began walking down the dusty path leading to the ferry. It was lined with bushes of soft purple flowers and Pabu leapt through them, his fur becoming violet-coloured.

'So you're still going to take metalbending lessons with Beifong?' Korra said. 'I'm so sorry. I promise I'll make your funeral real nice after she kills you in a Mad Beifong Fit of Fury.'

'Nah, it won't be that bad…' Bolin said, though his usually confident voice faltered with a slight tinge of uncertainty. 'She said she'd make me cry, but she never said she'd kill me. And I like to pretend that the crying was just an empty threat.'

'You like to foolishly and optimistically believe.' Mako corrected.

'Fine, I like to believe that the crying was just an empty threat. Anyway,' he crossed his arms, 'it'll all be worth it once I learn metalbending.'

They had found themselves on the ferry, and Bolin hit the metal hard with his fist. 'Wouldn't that be amazing? To his this and have it snap like a twig? You'd feel so strong.'

'I can only imagine.' Korra said sarcastically.

'Fine, you can already metalbend. But soon, I'll be better than you. Su said herself that Lin was a better metalbender than her and possibly even a better metalbender than Toph, and Toph invented metalbending. So a few months of training with the greatest metalbender who ever lived and I'll be better than the avatar!'

'What age did Lin start metalbending?' Korra asked Mako. 'Did she ever tell you?'

'Why would the Chief tell me?' Mako shrugged, then turned back to the island and pointed to the path lined with purple flowers. 'Maybe Su can tell you.'

Korra, Asami and Bolin squinted into the sunlight. Suyin was sliding down the slope on a thin sheet of earth, barely disturbing the flowers as she sped by. She leapt into the air and landed on the ferry with graceful ease.

'Nice moves.' Said Asami. 'Something to do with your dancing?'

'I was taught by Ty Lee.' Suyin replied. 'She took a liking to me when I was very small.'

'So, Su. What brings you into Republic City?' Asked Korra.

'As you know, I came back here from Zaofu yesterday and Opal will be along in a couple of weeks when she's finished her tests for her initiation into the metalbending dance group. I'm just going into the city to check up on Lin. See her supposedly well-oiled machine of a Police Force.'

'We wanted to know… don't think we were talking about you behind your back… we wanted to know when you and Lin learned earth and metalbending.'

'Oh.' Su said, and a momentary look of what could in the vaguest terms be classified as jealousy flickered across her face. 'I started earthbending when I was three. When I was eight, mum decided to start training me in metalbending. I was constantly complaining that she didn't spend enough time with us, so even though I didn't metalbend until I was eleven, I guess she thought that starting training early was a bit of a kill-two-butterbirds-with-one-stone.'

'Impressive.' Asami said. 'Toph invented metalbending when she was twelve, didn't she?'

Su nodded.

'And Lin?' Bolin didn't want to sound rude, but he really wanted to know.

'Lin…' Su sighed. 'Lin metalbent when she was seven. She had already practically mastered seismic sense and she told me that all she had to do was watch mum for a while and then close her eyes and see the particles of earth within the metal. She said that she could feel every atom. That's probably another reason why my mum started training me at eight years old. She was hoping I'd be as good as Lin. Of course, I wasn't. I never was as good as Lin.' She turned away and gripped the metal railing so tightly she bent it into the shape of her fingerprints seemingly without knowing. 'But I did well right? I built an entire city! I did just as well as Lin!' She seemed to realise that she was almost shouting, and lowered her voice, trying to calm down. Then she turned to Bolin. 'Tomorrow, when you start your lessons, remember you're training with history's greatest metalbender. She'd mastered it at the age of twelve, around the same time my mother mastered earth and discovered metalbending. Don't be crushed by how good she is if you can't get it. I'm sorry I called her a horrible teacher. She might be, but I don't know. When I said it, I guess I was just jealous. Her extraordinary ability was just another wedge between us when we were young.'

Korra smiled gently at Suyin, and though Mako's brows were knitted in a frown, he too offered a half-grin. The ferry glided across the water and as they drew closer to Republic City, Asami asked Bolin;

'Do you even know how to drive?'