Korra took Howl into the city and the first thing she walked him to was the arena. Korra frowned when she saw that it was completely shut down after what happened at the championship. "I-I guess I can't show you around the arena..." Howl hated when she sounded so defeated. He looked down on her and nudged her shoulder. "Korra, it's alright. I heard enough of your matches to practically be there." She looked away and grabbed her opposite shoulder, "This isn't just where I competed Howl, this is where I met Mako and Bolin. This is where my life in Republic City really started." He didn't like that sound of that. A new life? What about the life back home? The one that included him. He was tempted to ask her if this new life had a place for him, but he didn't want to throw that at her with everything that has been going on. Keep it light, as Tenzin had said. He took Korras hand in his and started walking away from the arena. "Speaking of Mako," he started off hesitantly, "does he have a problem with me? I get the vibe he doesn't like me." Korra laughed, "Don't worry, he's always like that. He'll warm up to you. He did the same thing to me when we first met, and now it is completely different!" Howl started to slow down, "What do you mean by differ-" Korra cut him off by pulling him towards the Police Headquarters, "You'd be surprised by how many times I've been in here!" Howl started to laugh, "You? The most innocent Avatar to have lived? I don't believe that you could have ever even been within twenty feet of this place." Korra looked at Howl with fake amusement, "Ha-ha, very funny. You should hear all the stories about this place. Toph Beifong founded it! And Lin, Tophs daughter…."
Korra and Howl walked hand in hand throughout the city while Korra told Howl of all her new adventures with her new friends. It was getting late and Korra knew Howl was exhausted so they made their way back to Air Temple Island. Howl bowed to Korra and thanked her for such a perfect day and she giggled and threw her arms around him. "Goodnight Howl, I'll see you in the morning." Howl smiled, mainly because he assumed he'd be seeing her well before morning.
Once Howl got back to his quarters on the mens side of the island he started to think about how much Korras face lit up when she talked about her "new life". Howl loved how excited and happy she was, but at the same time it made him extremely sad. She was so happy here, so happy without him. Life back at home was nothing compared to this for him. Sure, he had more free time. But that meant nothing without Korra to help him fill it. Korra was all he thought about, and he wondered if the first time she thought his name was when she saw him on the dock this morning. He always wished that she would regret coming to the city, because she couldn't be there if he wasn't there right beside her. He shook his head. It was selfish of him to wish that. She was the Avatar. She had to find her destiny, and it certainly wasn't sitting back at the compound with some White Lotus Guard. Howl sighed and took out one of the many readings he brought with him and walked to his window to read in the moonlight. As hard as he tried to concentrate, his mind kept slipping back to Korra. He heard a light creak above his head. To anyone else, it would be mistaken as a branch hitting the roof, but Howl knew better than that. It was the sound he wished interrupted his reading every night back at the compound.
"Korra, I know you're up there." Korra poked her head over the ledge, "How? I've never been so quiet in my life!" Howl chuckled, "Says you. Korra, you probably woke up everyone on this side of the island." He knew that wasn't true, but he loved teasing Korra about trivial things. She simply rolled her eyes, "Whatever Howl." She flipped down onto the ledge and sat across from him. She leaned on the window frame, facing him with her legs pulled up towards her chest. "You're the only one I can't sneak up on, ya know?" He half smiled, "Because I know what to listen for. You are quiet, but you always underestimate what you're stepping on. You really think anyone could walk on this roof without being heard?" She laughed, "I scared Mako once, and I snuck up on him the same way I did to you!" She laughed thinking about the story and was about to tell it to him until she noticed that he huffed and looked out the window. "Korra, when you said you and Mako are "different now" what did you mean?" She furrowed her eyebrows and waited for Howl to look her in the eyes. He only kept eye contact with the bay. "I just meant that were friends now." He scoffed "I have a hard time believing that." Korra sat up, offended. "What's that supposed to mean?" He rolled his eyes, "Korra, I see the way he looks at me. Don't pretend that you don't see it too. He can't stand me. He has a girlfriend, yet he acts like he has some kind of dibs over you. And I've never seen you so giddy talking about a guy." Howl didn't realize how angry he was over this. He saw that Korra was upset and this is where he'd usually apologize for his outburst, but she suddenly became defensive. "No one has 'dibs' over me. I'm sorry that I decided that I'm going to try and live my life and make the best of being here instead of moping around." He was taken aback by her rage. What did she do to make her so defensive? "Korra," his voice softer now, "what happened?" She saw the hurt in his eyes, "Howl, I…" she trailed off. "Korra look at me." It was the first time since she jumped onto the ledge that he looked her in the eye, "What happened?" She looked down, disappointed in herself. "Well, there was one time, just once that we kissed." She saw the immediate pain in Howls eyes and she couldn't bear to look into them again. "Howl, I-"she tried to reach for him but he brushed her away, "I think you should go Korra. I'm tired and it's late." Korra knew this was Howls go to tactic when he was afraid he was going to cry. But she had never been the cause of it. She jumped off the ledge without another word and walked towards her room feeling like she had just stabbed a knife into her best friends' chest.
Howl waited a few seconds after he heard her jump to let it all out. But no tears came. He was just angry. He was angry with Mako, angry with Korra, angry at the world. But most of all, he was angry with himself. Once when Korra was twelve she had snuck out to meet Howl at his nightshift. It had become a routine thing now and they both looked forward the long cold nights that they spent together. Howl was reading a book about romance, and Korra wanted him to explain the concept of it. She couldn't understand. He admitted that he didn't fully understand it either, but he told her that he thought romance was kissing a girl for the first time when she needed it, not when she wanted it. She asked him if he ever kissed a girl and he told her he had kissed a girl once, before he started to train to become a White Lotus. He didn't tell her this, but she was nothing like Korra. Even then, Howl knew she was special. Korra admitted that she had never kissed a boy before. He remembered how red she got because she was embarrassed by this. "Korra, you've been locked up in this compound almost your whole life, that's nothing to be ashamed of." She just kind of smiled slightly and said, "Maybe, but it's not like I'm all alone in here either." He didn't know if that meant she wanted him to kiss her, or if she just was stating a fact. Either way, Korra told Howl she was tired and he walked her back to her room. He vowed to himself right then and there that he would be her first kiss. He didn't know when, but he promised himself. And now, here he is, a little less than six years later and he will never be able to fulfill that promise. He was too chicken to do anything about it when he was a kid. But he's a man now.
Howl made a new promise to himself that night. "I won't let Korra get away from me again, not without a fight."