Korra met Tahno where he stood in the street, standing just inches from his incredulous expression. It reminded her of the way they met, toe-to-toe, eye-to-eye, swapping trash talk in Narook's. But she was talking to a different man. His hair lay flat, limp and lifeless and wet like hers. Bags still hung from his violet eyes as they had in the station, and those eyes- they'd lost their spark, the glimmer and rage they'd held in the arena. Now they were zeroed in on hers, waiting for an answer.
"Amon," Korra said, jabbing her thumb behind them, to the arena where, just six months ago, the Equalist leader smashed through a window. Scaffolding surrounded the golden stadium now, just another one of Tenzin's initiatives to improve the city. She was shocked he would vouch for the arena, of all places. But the old master knew what it meant to her. "You wanted me to get him for you. I did. And I'm sorry. You don't look yourself- I wanted to know why. I'm not exactly myself right now either, so, maybe…maybe we both have some explaining to do."
The taxi beeped impatiently, and Tahno, in a quirk spurt of anger, turned his head to the driver, giving what Korra imagined must have been a glare. He turned back to her, rolled his eyes, and motioned for her to follow him. They left the taxi driver fuming and walked in silence to a closed-down teashop, where Tahno promptly began to force the door open- with his fists.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Korra cried, trying to elbow her way between the door and its aggressor. "It's closed!"
"Closed is relative. The signs says closed. I read open." He slammed his thin, but evidently muscular frame against the door, and it gave with a satisfying crack. "You're a much too linear thinker."
He had to be mad. That was the only option. Tangled in depression, maybe, too blinded with disappointment and shame to think clearly. Korra never took pride in being rational, at her worst she was downright rash, but this was ridiculous. The avatar felt Air Temple Island calling. Sure, things had been complicated there lately, but it was better than this insanity, and insanity was the last thing she needed to be around right now. No. She couldn't leave him like this. She was the Avatar, and the Avatar didn't leave people to ravage buildings.
Feeling a smidge hypocritical (she'd smashed open a few storefronts herself, after all) Korra ushered a gust of wind from the street and primed it to shove Tahno aside. Hands behind her back, shaping and hiding the blow, Korra stepped in behind him.
"Isn't it lovely?" Tahno crooned, introducing the shop with a dramatic swoop of his arm.
It was.
The tea shop was nothing like Korra expected. The outside was ravaged, seedy, and falling apart at the seams. But here, aside from the boarded windows, it looked every bit the luxury establishment, as if its owner never left. The place was decked out in a blend of Fire Nation finery and something else, a more exotic, tribal style she couldn't quite place. Low-set, tastefully-decorated tables, with chairs in the shape of leaves, clustered around the windows and what looked like a bar. A bar? It was a bizarre thing to see in a tea shop, but here it looked right. Stretching the length of the left wall, the bar was lined with stools in front and shelves behind, shelves stocked with great jars of tea in strange varieties. Above them a long catgator was carved into the wood of the wall.
"This…this is amazing." Korra felt the urge to continue her compliments, to go on and on about how peaceful the setting was, how incredible the decoration, but the words escaped her. The accolades would have to wait. After all, she was still recovering from shock. Never in a thousand empires had she expected something like this. But the Avatar couldn't stall here, her mouth gaped open like an idiot. She had to make a move. Ask questions? Demand answers? The decision need to be made- quickly.
Tahno saved her the effort. With a weak but appreciative smile, he gestured to the bar. Before Korra could protest the man was already behind the counter, brewing up hot tea that filled the place with a crisp, earthy aroma.
It wasn't Korra's nature to stop for tea, not when she had a thousand questions beating at the walls of her mind, ordering her to resolve them. But it had been a long night, a long, cold night that left her with a hole in her chest. It was about time she started following Tenzin's advice.
Inhale. Exhale. Look around you and inside you. Tend to what you see and then determine a course of action.
They were cryptic words, the kind of council Korra hated to decipher. But now, well, they at least made a spoonful of sense.
Look around you…
Tahno reached for a jar of honey and dabbed that small amount in her cup. He stirred it swiftly and pushed the brew to the edge of the bar. An invitation.
And inside you.
Korra's stomach was empty and aching, her mind troubled with more worries than she could count on one hand.
The answer seemed obvious.
It couldn't be. Was her next course of action as simple as accepting the tea? According to Tenzin's logic, it would the only thing that would satisfy both of them. But as Korra chose a seat at the bar and accepted a caramel-colored cup from the lanky, silent man behind the counter, she felt anything but satisfied. This wasn't like her. Normally the Avatar would have pursued a more, well, proactive course of action. A little interrogation maybe, not this ridiculous impromptu tea party.
She took a reluctant sip, lips on the cup, stare aimed at Tahno. Korra was determined to keep an eye on him, determined for a whole four seconds until a soft wave of heat slid down her throat, caressing its dry walls and settling as a warm aura in her stomach.
The calming tea having won over all plans of action, Korra sat silently at the bar and drank.
On the other side, Tahno leaned his long frame against the counter and brewed a cup of his own, doing everything in his power to avoid eye contact with the shop's first customer in months. All he wanted to do was get away from her, escape conversations that would inevitably lead to the past. Nevermind that Korra looked almost as ragged as he did. Nevermind that she was savoring his tea and had a kind word to say about Amon. She was a relic of his past. Relics of the past lead to the past and Tahno was running in the opposite direction. Just why did he decide to let her in? His sanctuary, of all places.
All he had to do was say "Thank you" and jump in the taxi.
Thank you.
The words were gravel in his mind. Maybe he wasn't ready for that. Maybe this was the easiest way to make amends, but amends were made and the Avatar was overstaying her welcome. How to get her out of here?
"You don't have to stomach it, you know," Tahno remarked under his breath. The sudden sharpness made Korra twitch.
"What did you say?" she asked with more than a hint of annoyance.
"You don't have to stomach it. Between the Air Temple and that Future Industries princess I'm sure you're used to the best." His eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't want to get sick from the local brew."
What was this? Korra felt the cup threaten to crack as her grip tightened. Her nastiest glare was doing nothing to the ex-bender's taunting sneer. What was wrong with him? One moment Tahno gave the impression of a friend, the other his voice dripped venom. It was infuriating. And after all she'd done…
"Listen!" Korra snapped to her feet, slid the teacup across the bar just slow enough for Tahno to catch it, and pointed an accusing finger his way. "I know you've been through a lot, but we all have! And if this is who you want to be, I can't stop you." The momentum in her voice slowed and her arm fell to her side. Exhausted with the conversation, Korra met Tahno's eyes and sighed. "You wanted me to get Amon for you, I did."
She walked to the exit and with a gust of air, brushed the door debris to the side.
"You want me out, I'm leaving. "
Korra turned her head to the dumbfounded man at the bar and leered.
"What more do you want?"
"I don't think that would be wise." Tahno came out from behind the bar and strode toward her.
"What?" The Avatar turned to face him, her expression a mix of anger and confusion. "Is that a threat? You can't stop me from going."
Tahno's brow, which for the last five minutes had creased with irritation, relaxed and transformed his features. His lips curled into a small, understanding smile.
"No," Tahno cocked his head to stare at the door frame behind her, "I can't stop you. But the boards will."
His words sounded like another game, and she was done with them. Just as Korra took her first step to leave, her foot met with a wooden plank against the wall. They collided with a "thunk" and the board slid to the ground. Something shifted above them.
Avalanche.
The Avatar leaped from a path of nails and wood crashing to the floor. Her back collided with a tea table, the impact sending a hot wave of pain down her spine and flung the table, chairs, and her bundled frame to the ground.
The world spun for as Korra lay in excruciating discomfort, her legs protesting when she tried to move. Whether Tahno liked it or not, the Avatar wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.
A figure stood above her now, its face framed with limp black hair, arm outstretched toward her.
Chapter two is finally up! Finally! A big thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, and followed this story- your support means everything. Chapter three should be on the way soon, so don't worry about another long wait. Korra is really tangled up now and I can't wait for her to learn what's really happening at tea bar.
Let me know what you think!