3).The Realizations(part 4)

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Tenzin got an emergency call from the council, and left with Lin in the morning. Korra did wonder what the emergency was, but she's too lazy to find out. Crossing fingers, the mercenary guessed it might have something to do with the Equalists. Who knew, the city might decide to hire them to deal with the Triads, and lay off half of metalbender police force for being ineffective.

Jinora jumped at the chance to teach Korra again, which the Avatar really appreciated. At dinner last night, they both had to endured Tenzin bragging about how his teaching(and his tea) were the reason Korra got better at meditation.

"I don't understand why I still can't airbend." The mercenary said in frustration. She tried mimic the move Jinora used to shoot a gust of wind from her palm, but failed. "I never had this much trouble with the other three elements."

"Maybe because you're too old." Jinora observed and commented. "Grandpa Aang was a lot younger when he practiced all four elements. It's possible that you're too in tune with the other three that it prevents you from unlocking the fourth."

"Well, sorry for not living up to my previous life. It's almost like we're different people or something." Korra mumbled. She hated when anyone compare her with Aang.

"It's not your fault!" Jinora said quickly. "You should have been given at least some basics of airbending when you were younger. It was their fault."

"Who?"

"The White Lotus, of course!"

Korra was taken aback by the answer. She could swear that Jinora sounded...angry...when she mentioned the order's name. Korra never thought anyone beside her(and maybe Kuvira) would actually dislike the White Lotus.

"Dad told me he actually asked to take you in and train you since you were six, but the White Lotus refused," Again, it sounded almost like she was snarling the name. "And dad couldn't abandon his work at the city council to go stay at the compound."

"Shame, I would have cherished the memory of leaving that prison for a couple of months. In fact, maybe I wouldn't have snapped and run away later." Korra smiled solemnly. She tried performing the move again, and still nothing came out. "But then I wouldn't have become the mercenary I am today. So, give and take, I guess?"

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Bolin nervously stepped onto the Air Temple island dock, thinking this might be a bad idea, but he was really desperate.

Last night, he went to report about the attack and the kidnapping at the Triple Treat Triad headquarters to the police. The investigation would take time, as he was told when he went to the police again this morning, and Bolin couldn't just wait around doing nothing while Mako was kidnapped.

But what could he do? If the metalbender police couldn't find the trace, he probably had worse chances to investigate by himself. He didn't want to drag Azon or Hasook into this mess. The only way, or person, he could think of was the one Mako mentioned yesterday.

Kairi, apparently, the mercenary.

Bolin was surprised when he really thought about it. Kairi did look tough, but he never thought about her being a sellsword. And while being mercenary wasn't illegal, he still thought the profession leaned more toward the other side of the law. After all, no citizen should need mercenaries if the authorities did their job correctly. Thus he was a bit unnerved when he learn that his fangirl was a hired (possibly)killer, until she handed him a bag of cookies, then he forgot about it until today.

He walked up to the temple, thinking about asking someone when he spotted the teen girl immediately, due to her being the only one on the island who wore black. She looked like she was practicing some kind of exercise move with another younger girl in the courtyard. Bolin quickly approached them.

"Kairi!"

She turned around, surprised to see him.

"Bolin? What are you doing here."

"Bolin?" Jinora echoed the name. "You mean the pro-bender that Ikki is a fan of?"

"Hi! Sorry I come here all of sudden, but..." He seemed a bit hesitant, especially when he looked at Jinora. "...I need your help."

"What's wrong? Tell me." Korra crossed her arms.

"Umm...I..." He glanced at Jinora again. The little girl cocked her head in confusion. Why was he looking like he was uncomfortable with her?

"Oh, this is not your fan, by the way. That's her sister, the one that baked you cookies. She's playing with her polar bear-dog in the bamboo grove. I can go get her..." Korra made an assumption. Ikki would probably lose her mind if she knew that Bolin came to see her.

"No! I came here to... Can we talk in private?" The earthbender saw Kairi narrowed her eyes suspiciously, so he quickly added: "I mean!...I want to talk to you about...your...business."

Korra finally got the implication.

"You mean you want to hire me, right?"

Bolin's eyes widened in alarm at her direct question. He looked between Kairi and Jinora before whispered to the mercenary.

"We shouldn't discuss this in front of a kid..."

Or at least, tried to whisper, since Jinora could hear full well what he was saying. She looked at him with a deadpan expression as she interrupted.

"I'm not that naive, you know. I know what she does." She turned to Korra with a smile. "I'll leave you two for now then. He really looks like he wants your help."

"Thanks, kiddo." Korra nodded as the girl left the courtyard. She turned back to Bolin. "So, how can I help you?"

"My brother got kidnapped!" He said, almost yelling. "I...I need your help to rescue him!"

"Wait, your brother? You mean Mako?" Bolin nodded. "Not that I don't appreciate you thinking of me, but shouldn't you tell the police..."

"I already told them, but I figure you might be the better option." That sentence made Korra feel so proud of her career right now. "Mako is involved with the Triad, so I was afraid the police might not take this case seriously..."

"I understand. Though you might want to keep that opinion to yourself." Korra pulled Bolin under the big tree at the edge of the courtyard, so they won't draw too much attention from air-acolytes as when standing in the center. "Now, tell me everything. Do you know who kidnapped your brother?"

Bolin told Korra everything that happened last night, which was surprisingly a lot of traces to go on, she wondered why the police hadn't caught those kidnappers yet. Then again, it happened in Triple Treat Triad territory, so the metalbender police might have trouble investigating the crime scene.

The most important thing was the identity of the kidnappers, which from what Bolin described, Korra was willing to bet they were the Equalists, maybe or maybe not the same group that 'helped' her at the dock before. It made sense that they would go after the Triple Treat Triad, she just never thought they would successfully kidnap an entire headquarter like this.

It would be...awkward to go after the Equalists, knowing she was on their recruitment list, but this is business, and Korra didn't have any reason to turn Bolin down.

"I accept the job." She stated firmly, making Bolin smiled.

"Really!? Thanks you so much! I..."

"It'll be six thousand yuans. Two thousand up front." Korra continued, still firmly, and coldly.

Bolin almost dropped his jaw when he heard the price, remind himself that she was, after all, a sellsword.

He had his saving money around two thousand yuans that he brought with him today just in case(he was tragically right), only enough to pay up front, without anything to paid Kairi after she rescued Mako.

But that was all that mattered, wasn't it. If she could save his brother, Bolin was ready to take any consequence she'd throw at him without regret.

"Here's." Bolin took out his wallet, and tried his best not to let Kairi see the inside that was almost empty after he paid her.

Korra finished counting the bills before she said to him. "I'll go search for him immediately, where would I find you after I rescued him?"

"No need, I'll come with you." Bolin said with determination, and the seriousness the Korra never saw in him before.

"I don't think that's wise..."

"I can't just sit around and wait! I can fight too!" He flexed his arms muscle to show her. "Besides, I'm paying you, so I can do whatever I want, right?"

"I should have written a contract." Korra rubbed the bridge of her nose. So this was why Kuvira always took forever when talking deal with client. She should have paid more attention to her sister's paperwork. "Fine. You could come, but try not to get in my way, alright? For the sake of your brother."

"Yes, sir!" Bolin smiled excitingly and salute her. "You're the boss!"

"I'm not! You hired me, technically you're... You know what, never mind." Korra facepalmed herself. This was going to be a long mission.

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to be continued...