Korra finally manages herself out of bed, aggitated as she dresses herself. The thoight of Meelo's realistic nightmares, aling with her own realistic fears, makes her scared. As she straps on her boots, Naga awakes, yawning as she stretches her long, powerful legs, nearly knocking over the furniture in Korra's room.
"I had a bad night Naga" Korra begins, scratching her dogs ears. "How about you?"
The dog gives Korra a concerned whimper
"Naga, I'm fine, trust me"
The dog whimpers again, as if to protest, but Korra ignores her, and begins to walk down the stairs, and into the courtyard.
"Good Morning Korra, My Lady"
Bolin bows, still holding a rock in mid-air. Korra is hesitant to goof around with him, as she is extremely conflicted by everything going on in her mind.
Bolin studies her for a second, and puts down the rock. He signals for Pabu to follow him, and he does, crawling onto Bolin's shoulder, perched like a parrot.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asks, wrapping his arm around her as a sign of comfort. But all she does is brush him off, and he quickly looses his grin.
"Did you get any sleep last night?" He asks as Pabu leaps off his back and onto the tip of Naga's nose.
"How did you know?" she asks sarcastically, her face still groggy from the morning.
"Because you look terrible..." he trys to take those words back "... I mean, you don't look terrible, just, under any other condition, so to speak, your face would look..." He struggles to find the right words; "...More ...um... Pleasant?"
She rolls her eyes "Thanks for the emotional support Bolin. I feel WAY better"
"Glad to know!" he smirks innocently, crossing his arms "Now, tell your Uncle Bolin whats wrong"
Korra's face becomes sour, and she turns away from him,
"It's not any of your concern Bolin..." she sneers, dipping her feet into a shallow pond by the air temple courtyard. She loosens up a bit, and manages to make her voice more stern, "In fact, you wouldn't even care"
Bolin rests his strong hand on her shoulder; "Korra, if its something that's holding you back, then I'm concerned"
She growls, a bit of steam escaping her nostrils.
"Okay, now I'm really concerned"
But she does not respond. She merely bends a platform to get herself out of the pond, and goes back inside. Bolin, however, does not become sour, yet feels distant. If he cannot be with her, atleast he could help her.
"She'll level out" he assures himself, resuming his earth bending training.
Mako sits on the edge of his mat, it deep concentration. The heat he hasrpdiced in the room is un bearable. Each flame flickers on and off with his breath, yet he will not take off his scarf, the last thing he has tp remember his father by. He begins to go into a deep trance, when suddenly, he becomes un attached. His eyes flutter open. His scarf is gone.
"What..." he mumbles under his breath, as a small cold hand traces his back
"I thought you were getting hot, so I took it off"
He turns to her, Asami Sato, innocently holding the scarf as if it were a flimsy rag doll, rather than a prized possesion.
"I'd like it back please" he grumbles, holding out his hands for the scarfs retrieval.
"Are you sure? It's so hot in here?"
But despite the beads of sweet rolling down his temples, Mako snatches the garment from Asami's hand and wraps it around his neck delicately. Even now, as he is bare chested and in his shorts, he will npt take that scarf off.
"You know not to touch it" he whispers, eyes closed, his back facing Asami "You know damn well not to, and you did"
"I'm sorry" she begins, flatly, "Maybe I'll just go then..."
"Maybe you should"
He waits until the sound pf the door closing before her continues. But this time, his trance cannot be re gained. Asami's already messed up his chakra by streesing him out over the scarf. Mako puts the scarf up to his nose, wafting a faint smell of his fathers colonge, and remembers;
The boy walks briskly against his father, trying to copy his actions with evey detail. A few spikes of jet black hair are raised from his head, in refusal to be combed back.
"We got to do somthing about that hair, Mac" his father teases, patting him on the back "Your moms gonna have to teach you how to comb it back like Bolin"
Mako pouts, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt "I don't wanna go my hair like Bolin" he whines
"And neither do I..." his father begins "But I want you to look your best when I bring you to your first pro-bending game"
It was Mako's birthday that day, and his father had suprised him with tickets to a Pro-Bending match against the Water Beaver-Hogs and the Fire Tiger-Wolves. Ot was a dream come true, since Mako wasn't even aware that his parents could make enpugh money to buy one, let alone four tickets to a match. Mako's mpther and baby brother were origonally going to join Mako and his father for the first part of the trip, which was Lunch and presents at a local dive-bar Mako loved called "Panda-Duck Palace". However, upon finding out it wad Mako's birthday and not his, Bolin threw a tantrum, and their mother agreed to meet up with Mako and his father at the arena once Bolin settled down.
The two sat in a booth, almost dopplegängers to eachother, as they had a contest on who cpuld eat more pepper-berries. They both belched flames and laughed at the occasion, upon which, his father announced:
"Time for presents Mac!"
Mako felt guilty- a lunch at Panda-Duck Palace and a Pro-Bending match was alreasy alpt of money. His father didn't need to get him anything else... If he could even afford anything else.
"Dad, you don't need to get me anything... You might as well keep it, what ever it is"
"When someone who loves you gives you something, they can never take it back" he smirks, resting a strong, comforting hand on Mako's tiny shoulder.
"You sure Dad?"
"Of course I am... Now close your eyes..."
Mako waited patiently, until the spft feel of silk was draped around his neck. What was ot? A cape? A shirt?. Mako opened his eyes, amd looks intp the reflection of a wondpw put looking the street.
"Your scarf?" He asks, with a tone of suprise and guilt
"It's not my scarf any more"
"But... This is grandpas scarf... He gave it to you!"
"And now, I gave it to you" his father beams "Would you like me to put it on you?"
"Sure!" Mako says excitedly as his father begins to perfectly coil the red silk garment around his neck. When the tieing of the scarf is finished, it takes up all of Mako.
"Um... Dad... I think its a little too... Big"
"You think so?" he laughs, adjusting the scarf
"Yeah... But I like it! I'll wear it everyday! Thankyou Dad!"
He laughs "You'll grow into it Mac" he begins, giving his son a hug "I know I did"
Mako shudders at the promise he made his father, of only getting something from a loved one that he can never get back. But yet, he remembers it, as it is some of the last advice Mako ever remembers hearing from his father.
Mako knows that Asami is not a prude like Korra said. Those accusations stung him- he would never be able to give Asami all of his caring if she didn't love him. And if he did, could he take it back? Could he re-use all that effort on someone else?. His brain wants to say yes, but his heart keeps a persistant no. And this is Mako's fear. Of not getting love in return.
He reflects this as another person enters the room. He sighs, surely missing any last oppurtunity to get himself into a trance.
"Asami, please leave"
"It's not Asami" a deep voice says, stoic and low.
"Oh... Tenzin... Hello"
Tenzin wipes a bead of sweat from his brow and removes his cape; "Tell me, why are you sitting half naked in the boiler room?" he says with a confused voice
"I find the heat helps me concentrate during meditation" he says blankly, inhaling and exhaling stream from his nose.
"Have you ever concidered teaching Korra?"
"Teaching Korra? To meditate? That's sounds scary" he chuckles, standing up and rolling back his shoulders.
"Well then, you two have some common ground" Tenzin begins, fanning the coal fire in the boiler with bursts of air
"How is that so?" Mako asks, wrapping a towel around his neck.
"Your not the only one who is scared, Mako"
"Korra? Scared? Your joking! If Korra was scared, then I would surely be scared too. Scared for her sanity, that is"
"Well, you are obviously scared of somthing... Perhaps the thought of you teaching her does terrify you, but that dosn't mean you shouldn't do it" Tenzin growls, becoming impatient
"Why can't you teach her?" mumbles Mako as a hiss if stream rolls out his lips in anger
"Because, she has become too distant from me today. I can't even exchange greetings without her lashing out" Tenzin begins, somewhat upset as he states the truth, that he has been looked down upon by his pupil
"She'll get over it" Mako says blankly, biting his lips as he walks towards the doorway
"Mako," Tenzin begins, in a stern tone, causing him to turn around from the door "You can't just get over a fear"
"I know..." Mako begins, walking out the doorway. As he reaches the steps to the middle floor, he hears Tenzins lone voice from behind him, almost begging;
"Please concider my offer"
The warm late Augusg air feels natural against Tenzin as he glides throughout the twilight sky. He perches right above Tophs house; A grand marble victorian with columns and a zen garden. He spots a few garden knomes his parents had gifted Topg in the past years, as she had picked up the habit of gardening. Tenzin was always so fascinated that Toph could tell exactly how much water each plant needed by merely touching the soil. And not only that, but Toph would often spend her free time bending rocks in her garden into sculptures as decorations. He and Lin often would marvel over Toph's creations in the garden; A bust of his father as a teenager in perfect detail, or a sculpture of Sokka signing various amendments at a council meeting.
Lin and Tenzin's favorite sculpture, however, was a group of sculptures Toph and Lin had made together of bloomed cherry tree bossoms, which were Lin's favorite type of tree, because it was strong, long lasting, and beautiful- in fact, cherry blossom was Tenzin's nickname for Lin. Even in the winter, the sculptures would never look out of place, whether it be the seasons, or just the perfectionistic talent of Toph and her daughter.
Most importantly, the cherry blossom trees had been where Lin and Tenzin first made love after they had a date in down town Republic City. And although it was a magical, romantic, and nearly perfect occasion, he would still grimmace over reacounting how awkward they were; both still virgins, with barely a clue of what they were doing. Yet they went at it, and learned. And although intanmicy played a role in their life, Tenzin would still feel connected to her, whether they were hushed making love in Lin's room, or simply holding eachothers hands during an outing in the park. And thats what made Tenzin akways come back.
But there was a strange mood in the courtyard tat night, as he perched over a oak tree, waiting for the sign that Toph was gone; Her taxi. There was somethjng differn't about that night. And although he couldn't describe it, as Toph left the estate and he glided into the open bedroom window of Lin's room, his strange feeling was confirmed by tne sight of Lin, fave down in bed, softly crying.
"Lin? Are you okay?"
She looks up at him, a look of shame and defeat, undescribed. A single tear rolls down her cheek, and Tenzin sits on her bedside, wiping it away with his finger.
"What's wrong cherry blossom?" he coos, curling next to Lin. He tries to comfort her, resting his hand on her thigh; but she shakes his hand off.
"Please, Tenzin, I can't right now"
He shakes his head in disagreement, "I wasn't trying to initiate something" he says, apologetically "Just tell me whats wrong..."
She looks at him in the eye, almost withdrawn. As she closes her eyes, a few tears escape.
"Tenzin" she whispers, holding her hand up to her mouth as she begins to cry "I think I'm pregnant..."