They stayed in the Southern Water Tribe a few extra days, and then it was time to head back to Republic City. There was still much in the city that needed to be attended to—Asami's responsibilities at Future Industries, some lingering Avatar responsibilities for Korra, Bolin's need to finish training his teammates for the upcoming return of the probending season—as well as the fact that Tenzin and his family needed to return so that the airbending master could resume his responsibilities in the city and on Air Temple Island.
Tenzin intended to head back with his family on Oogi after the five young adults departed. Bumi assured his brother that he'd get the five of them—along with Eska—back to the city without incident. After a few words were exchanged between them, Bumi led the young group to port to board his vessel for the trip home.
After packing up what was his and saying his goodbyes before leaving to join the party on Bumi's vessel, Tahno hugged his mother and promised that he would come visit her. He shook her husband, Unrak's hand afterwards, telling his new stepfather to take good care of his mother. That being said, he headed back to the city alongside Mako, their hands clasped tightly in one another's during most of the trip as they left the cold tundra of the south to once again reach the sprawling metropolis at the base of Yue Bay.
XoXoX
It was weird being back on Air Temple Island after everything else that had happened, after all that had changed—and all that Tahno had gained in the process. As well as what he lost—
The pressure to his hand as he disembarked from Commander Bumi's vessel reminded him of that with a heavy impact. He'd gained Mako, but he had forever lost Ming—
Tahno let go of Mako's hand so he could grab his luggage from the Southern Water Tribe and take it to his room. He could sense Mako following as he reached the entryway and entered the space he hadn't been inside in over a month and a half. As he set down his stuff, he turned to face Mako.
"Home sweet home, huh?" Tahno said to him.
Mako nodded. "Yeah."
Tahno took a seat on his bed. "Sometime in the next couple days I'm gonna need to get in contact with Shao, but before I do that—there's something else I need to take care of here first." He looked at Mako seriously. "Remember how I mentioned having some guidelines while we were at my mom's place?"
"Yeah," Mako sat down beside him, bringing his hand up to trace the side of the waterbender's face. Tahno carefully drew his hand away, startling the current ex-firebender.
"There are some things I need to have cleared up before I can consider continuing something with you, Fireboy," Tahno informed him, taking Mako's hand in his.
"Like what?" Mako was looking at him oddly.
"I want to be sure it'd be okay with Tenzin for us to even be together on the island before I commit to anything," Tahno replied. "Also...because this is the Face Stealer we're talking about—if Tenzin gives his approval that is—I wanna take this thing with us slow." He let go of the ex-firebender's hand before continuing. "When my rep took all that damage after Amon did a number to me up there on stage—I had to make a lot of changes to who I am. I can't be frivolous with my love life like I was during the glory days, and...I don't want to waste what we've got going by moving too quickly."
He looked to the floor as he added. "After my thing with Ming, I also learned my best relationships started out as friendships first. Don't get me wrong—sex with you has been great, but—I wanna back off from that and anything else more serious than friendly until we've got this figured out. Plus—I don't want you using it as a substitute to keep you warm while you're without your bending." He looked up at the ex-firebender then. "Mako—I wanna give it a month before we take this further, see if you're still up for it then and if it'll be okay. Will you be okay with that?"
Mako took a few moments to consider what the waterbender said it seemed. "I guess that makes sense." He got to his feet. "Why don't we go talk to Tenzin now and see what he has to say about all this?"
"Yeah, might as well," Tahno also got to his feet. "Later, after dinner or something, we're gonna get started with your self-defense lessons, Fireboy. Until you get your firebending back—if you get it back, that is—I want you as prepared for trouble as possible if we're even gonna consider being lovers."
"You can show me what I need to know." Mako's eyes met with his. He smiled. "Let's go talk to Tenzin."
XoXoX
After Korra kissed Asami goodbye for the time being as the beautiful young woman left the island to head back to the Sato Estate, the Avatar sought out Tenzin to discuss something with him. Bolin had taken her cousin and his fire ferret along with him to his room a short time before Asami's departure, and Korra could only guess where the other two headed.
Tenzin was in his private study when she found him. He answered her knocking almost immediately, inviting her in before closing the door behind her. Korra let some silence settle in, and allowed Tenzin to handle his personal matters before she spoke up.
"Tenzin—there's something important I'd like to discuss with you and the council," Korra announced. "A matter that's become more important to me lately that I think we need to discuss."
"What is it, Korra?" Tenzin looked up from his work.
"Well, Asami and I've been getting closer lately, and with the thing with Tahno and Mako—" Korra got halfway into her thought before there was a knock at the door. The words froze as both turned to look in that direction. Tenzin bothered to answer. On the other side stood Mako and Tahno.
"Do you have a moment?" Mako was saying as Tenzin invited the two in. His eyes widened in surprise when he spotted Korra present. "Um, we're not interrupting anything, are we?" Tenzin looked to Korra.
Korra shrugged. "I can wait."
"What did you two need?" Tenzin asked after the two young men joined them in his private study.
"We, um—have a matter we...um—wanted to talk with you about," Mako said. "We...Tahno and me—since this is your island, we wondered if—it'd be possible for us to have a romantic relationship while we're staying here?" Just then there was yet another knock at the study's door.
"We'll discuss this in a moment. First, let me see who this is," Tenzin answered it again to find Lin, Kya, and Mako's superior Ishio standing there. Like before, he invited the trio in before closing the door once more. Ishio's eyes lit up on spying his young officer's presence.
"Lin, what's this about?" Tenzin asked the metalbender, casually eying Ishio a moment.
"My captain learned his young officer, Mako, and his friend, Tahno, had returned to Air Temple Island, and he wanted to talk with both of them," Lin stated.
"After speaking with Chief Beifong and getting her consent, I wanted to see if Mako wanted to return to the job—and if his friend here would like to join as well?" Ishio looked to Tahno specifically as he spoke.
"Your timing was good, because they both wanted to discuss a matter with me that could very well extend into their job positions—if they were to choose to take you up on that offer," Tenzin spoke up. "Lin—both have come to me asking about whether it would be okay for them to pursue a romantic relationship while here on Air Temple Island, and, I was wondering if you'd have any objections to employing them because of that?"
Lin looked from Tahno to Mako, and then back towards Tenzin. "I'll leave that mostly up to their superior to decide, but—if they can keep their on the job performance professional and not display open affection towards each other while on the clock, I don't have any objections to it. What's your opinion?" She looked to Ishio.
"I would have no objections whatsoever. Mako's like a son in a way to me, and I promised Rei Jin, Tahno's father, on his deathbed that I would keep an eye on his son for him," Ishio responded, smiling.
Tahno stared at Ishio. "You knew my dad?"
"We were good friends a long time back," Ishio informed him. "We sort of lost touch with each other because of our different paths in life while you were still fairly young. I sought him out after I heard he was terminally ill."
"Was that one of the reasons you wanted me to help Tahno out before the Hiroshi incident?" Mako asked his superior. Ishio nodded.
"I wanted to keep my promise to an old friend," Ishio replied. "So, Mako—I know you still don't have your bending, but if you—and Tahno as well—are up to it, I'd like to have you working for me."
"Give me another week to recuperate," Mako replied. Focus turned to the waterbender.
"I'll have to think about it," Tahno stated. "It'll depend on where other things stand." He looked to Tenzin then. "So—what's the verdict? Okay with me and Mako having a thing while we stay here, or do ya have objections to it?"
"Well—it's an airbender philosophy to maintain harmony while promoting acceptance and tolerance, and—because of that stance and your contributions to helping put a stop to Hiroshi's plans—I will allow you both to continue a relationship while you're staying here. But I expect you to follow these conditions: You will limit public displays of affection to simple gestures—handholding, innocent and quick kissing, and gestures of that nature. You will also both keep your separate rooms, and if you must share a room for more intimate exchanges—I expect that you will specifically mark the door as occupied to prevent unexpected intrusions. I will not bar you from getting intimate, but I advise that you be very discreet about it—and make very certain that my children will not intrude. I do not—under any circumstances—want my children witnessing that kind of behavior."
"I guess I can live with that," Tahno said. Mako nodded his agreement.
"Was there anything else Lin?" Tenzin looked to the metalbender.
"Your sister wanted to speak with Tahno, but I'm done here," Lin looked to Ishio. "I'll give you time to visit with your young officer. Meet me at the docks when you're finished." She left.
Ishio nodded, pulling Mako off to the side to privately chat while Kya drew Tahno off to have her own with him. Meanwhile, Korra got Tenzin's attention once again and continued where she left off before the intrusions.
"I wanted to ask you how your bending's been progressing since you and Mako reunited?" Kya asked the waterbender once she got his attention to herself.
"It's a lot better than it was, but it still needs work," Tahno replied.
"Since you got your bending back, have you dealt with any instances spiritual in nature—sensations of something being present but can't visually see, sense of eyes watching you from a source you can't see—that sort of thing, or have you been completely devoid of spiritual connections since Korra restored it?" Kya asked him.
"I hadn't thought about it much—what with my mind being occupied so much the last month or so, but—yeah, there've been a few occasions where I felt eyes specifically watching me, or something lingering in my presence that I couldn't explain," Tahno replied. "Don't know if it's me being paranoid after all that's happened, or if the feeling's legitimate."
"I believe it's from the fact that you've been touched by the spiritual side of nature, and that—once you've connected with that—its presence never really leaves you. Spiritualism and connections to it have become somewhat of a fading phenomenon in this day and age," Kya informed him. "Would you like my help working on your forms? My mother, as you know, is Korra's sifu and a waterbending master, and I picked up a good amount of knowledge from her. You never know—it could improve your forms to being better than they were even before your bending was stripped from you."
"How long will you be in town?" Tahno asked her.
"A while," Kya replied.
Tahno smiled. "I guess I'll be around for the time being, so yeah—I'll take you up on that offer."
XoXoX
The next week passed almost uneventfully. Asami got back to work while Korra resumed whatever responsibilities she had in the city post Hiroshi incident. There were a few innocent benders that got caught in the mix along with the Triad arrestees that Korra felt obliged to restore the bending of, and she also worked with Bakeru to try and find a way to make up for the damage to the spirit's abode. Bakeru had finally accepted that change was inevitable, and grew to appreciate the cityscape after the Avatar provided the spirit a deeper understanding of the concept of a city—how it allowed more people the opportunity to live within closer proximity of each other while providing easier access to necessities like food, shelter and the very human need for community.
Korra also discussed Koh's agenda for Mako's bending, discovering that it was Bakeru who had delivered the firebender's bending essence to the Face Stealer upon his request, and that it was currently in Koh's possession. Bakeru assured her presence when the confrontation took place, and would provide an expedient transport for the trio on the winter solstice.
In the meantime, Mako was slowly adjusting to a lifestyle without his bending, spending lengthy—several hour-long stretches on the island's training platform getting in his self-defense training with Tahno. Mako turned out to be a fast learner, and by the time the week reached its conclusion, Tahno couldn't help but approve of his progress—enough to feel comfortable with Mako resuming his post at the station. The night before Mako returned to work, Asami stopped by to wish him luck—and give him something.
"In case you need to protect yourself while on duty," Asami held up the Equalist glove she'd possessed since she received it from her father so long ago. She was now passing it on to Mako, who hesitantly took it. As he put it on, she asked, "Do you need help figuring out how to operate it?"
Mako flexed his fist a few times, checking then to activate its shocking abilities. He smiled when a shock of electricity was emitted from the enhanced gauntlet. "I think I've got it figured out. Thanks, Asami."
"I hope it'll be useful for you," Asami's eyes met his.
"I'm planning to only use it as a last resort," Mako informed her. "I'm hoping that I'll only have to rely on the moves Tahno taught me to deal with trouble in the field."
"Here's hoping you will only have to rely on those here and there as well," Asami stated. She turned to the door; ready to escape from his quarters to head home when his voice summoned her to a halt.
"Asami—do you know for certain if Korra's...really okay with Tahno and me—?" Mako let it hang as she did a quick turn to face him.
"I guess she hasn't told you yet," Asami rested her hands in front of her, a sheepish smile forming on her candy apple lips. "Korra and me—we've been...kind of seeing each other since she got back from her last mission in the Earth Kingdom, and fully committed to it while down in the Southern Water Tribe."
"Seeing each other—do you mean romantically?" Mako stared at her, wide-eyed.
Asami nodded. "The situation with you and Tahno made her realize a few things, and…I never told you this, but...I developed feelings for Korra over the past several months. Korra's working with Tenzin and the council right now about laws to protect people from abuse because of whom they love. It's a difficult process; Korra informed me that they're planning on revamping the entire government structure for the United Republic. So it could take some time, but—Korra's remaining optimistic."
"So that's what she's been working with Tenzin on lately," Mako said.
"Yes." Asami half turned to the door. "Good luck tomorrow. I—hope you don't end up facing any problems on the first day back."
"Good night, Asami," Mako said as she moved towards the door. "And—thanks."
Asami turned and smiled wholeheartedly at him before exiting. In the silence that followed, Mako concentrated on the glove encasing his fist, giving it a few more sparking test runs before setting it aside and joining Tahno for dinner.
XoXoXoXoXoX
It had been weird to return to the job at first, but after a few weeks of it—Mako adjusted. It was harder work to take down and arrest the perpetrators than it had been before, but somehow he managed. It was probably due to the training he and Tahno had spent some hours working on in their free time. As he worked his current morning shift, he silently thanked the waterbender for it.
Mako hadn't mentioned it to Tahno, but rumors about them had leaked, and a few of his former arrestees had already confronted him on it. A few times Mako was able to resolve the situation relying on the moves he learned from the waterbender, but there were a couple of occasions he resorted to giving them a shock with the Equalist glove. Mako didn't want Tahno to overly worry about him being targeted by telling him about the cases, especially since he figured he could handle it.
And so far, that had proven true.
He was currently running the rounds in the shopping district on his cycle, looking for incidences that needed his tending. So far it was fairly quiet, to his relief. After about an hour of peace a skirmish broke out in a local shop. Mako stepped in to help the other officers' handling the trio of trespassers. In the process, Mako had to dodge a few fireballs aimed at his head, as well as a water whip from the trio's offending waterbender. A fellow officer got the earthbender down before he could cause trouble, and Mako managed to sweep the firebender's feet out from under him. He struck a few critical pressure points to incapacitate their bending before cuffing the perps. He helped the two other officers get the trio to their feet and lead them from the store before heading towards his cycle to patrol elsewhere and let them handle the rest.
Following that case the ex-firebender dealt with two more triad incidences and a domestic dispute before his shift ran its course. The Red Monsoons thought it was smart to hassle a shopkeeper over a deal they believed to have worked out with the innocent man, and Mako had made an emphasized point that their so-called deal was actually null and void. One advantage Mako got out of watching Tahno's waterbending lessons was some insight on how to better dodge and maneuver around water attacks, which the Monsoons had readily employed before the ex-firebender knocked some sense into them.
His shift was nearly over, and Mako was ready to call it a day after the last incident. He ran through various aspects of all his cases that morning as he got his cycle stored away and checked out for the day before heading back towards the docks. He was thankful it was only a half-day; he knew Tahno was back on the island expecting him for their next session.
He reached the docks without incident and waited for the ferry to come in. While he stood there waiting, he felt a looming presence approach from behind. Mako's muscles tensed as he waited for some kind of confrontation, but it never came. Whoever it was didn't feel the need to bother with him. Or maybe his nerves were too much on edge and he was blowing an innocent bystander's presence out of proportion—
"Better watch your back, Fire Ferret," a gruff voice spoke in hardly more than a whisper from behind. Every hair on Mako's body was suddenly standing on end. He abruptly turned to confront the source, but whoever it was had moved swiftly out of his peripheral. Where they once were now stood devoid of anyone.
Mako heard footsteps pounding down a nearby alleyway leading back towards the innards of downtown, but he didn't have the energy to give chase. Besides, his ferry had just arrived, and it would be another hour before the next came in. Sighing, he resigned himself to boarding his island transport and headed home.
XoXoX
Tahno spent the next month getting in some practice with Kya on his waterbending forms while Mako went back to work. The waterbender's forms improved vastly, past a point that exceeded his expectations. While she was teaching him physical forms, she was also instructing him on other philosophies in regards to waterbending. She occasionally asked him if he ever still got that lingering sense that she mentioned before—that one she believed was spiritual in nature—to which he responded that he got the sense of something of that nature from time to time.
After several times of her asking him about it, Tahno confronted her on why—to which Kya responded that she believed he might still have a tangible connection with the spiritual realms of reality. She explained that she believed he might've retained some of that connection even after his bending was restored, and that he should look into the matter further. Tahno informed her that he might look into it eventually, but that he currently was occupied with more important things.
Like Mako for example; when Mako took breaks or had time off from his job, he and the waterbender occupied the training platform fine-tuning Mako's fighting stances. During their sessions, Mako told the waterbender about his day, on occasion mentioning that their lessons had come in handy for him.
Mako assured that he'd only had to resort to using the tactics on a few occasions, and had only once used the glove Asami lent him for protection. On the surface Tahno felt relief that Mako hadn't faced any real danger—even though somewhere beneath the surface he suspected Mako hadn't divulged everything with him—and hoped that would continue if they chose to publicly reveal their romantic relationship. Which, for some reason, Mako insisted they do if they ended up committing to it once the month was up. Tahno didn't like the idea, but grudgingly agreed to it due to Mako's persistence.
A month was nearly up, and the two were in the middle of a session with one another, currently caught in light sparring. Sweat glistened on their skin like a crystalline sheen under the intense rays coming down from the midday sun. They threw punches and parried strikes, not holding back in their efforts just because they happened to be lovers. Tahno instructed Mako to put in his every effort, and Mako did.
Tahno called the session after Mako got in a glaring strike to the waterbender's shoulder. After they reached for their towels to wipe away the sweat and got in a refreshing drink, Mako approached the waterbender to examine the extent of the damage to Tahno's shoulder. What he found was a decent sized bruise.
"Damn, I think I swung a little too hard," Mako recovered the bruised skin.
Tahno grinned at him. "I took worse in the arena—and on the street. It's nothing; I told you not to hold back, and I'm glad you're listening. I wanna see your full potential."
"Okay," Mako shrugged.
"Besides, it won't take much for me to fix it up—reduce the swelling and that nasty blackish-blue coloring once I apply some water to it," Tahno assured him. "Being able to heal really has its benefits." He grinned at that.
Mako smiled in response. "Yeah, I gotta admit—that kinda thing has come in handy." The waterbender approached the jug of healing water he kept aside especially for their sparring sessions, withdrawing the wealth of it's contents and applying it to his re-exposed bruised flesh. Mako stood there watching as the liquid glowed beneath Tahno's open palm and did its handiwork. After he was finished with it, Tahno returned the water to its origins, picked up the jug, and brought it with as he headed towards his room to change.
Mako followed him. Tahno didn't object when he stayed after the door closed, and didn't mind having the ex-firebender's eyes on him as he swapped out his sweat-odiferous attire for something clean.
"So—it's been a month," Mako spoke up as Tahno threw his shirt over his shoulders. "Is now an okay time to discuss where we currently stand?"
Tahno finished dressing. "Now's as good a time as any I guess." He took a seat on his bed, and motioned for Mako to join him. "So?"
"I've come to a decision," Mako said, staring straight ahead at the wall. "I—I think I—I'm ready to fully commit to this." He locked eyes with icy blues. "If you'll have me, that is."
"Sure?" Tahno asked.
Mako nodded confirmatively. "Yep."
"No regrets? No thoughts of wanting to go back to Korra?" Tahno questioned.
"Korra's now happily with Asami, so no—not even considering it." Mako stated.
"Thought I heard about something hot going on between the two lovely ladies," Tahno said with a quirky grin. "If you're certain..."
Mako leaned closer. "Yup, I am."
"Then let's put a marker on the door and kill half the afternoon in here." The look in Tahno's eyes gave the ex-firebender a certain indication, to which Mako responded by quickly getting up to do as the waterbender suggested. When he reclaimed his spot next to Tahno, the waterbender wasted no time bringing the ex-firebender in for a fervent oral exchange. The charge of energy eventually led to articles of clothes littering the floor, and the two in a passionate struggle with one another.
At one point Mako broke the connection, hovering over the waterbender he had pinned to his own bed. Auburn orbs connected with glacial blues, and held a fixated gaze. "So—care if we switch roles?"
Tahno stared hard into those auburn orbs before responding. With hesitance, "Go for it."
XoXoX
Getting back into the groove with probending was turning out to be tougher for the young earthbender than he thought. It'd been a while since he worked with his replacement teammates for Korra and Mako, and their training sessions proved without a doubt that they were rusty.
For Bolin—it felt like he was retraining them to work cohesively all over again. He was coming in from an extensive training session, more than ready to call it a night.
Probending had started up a few weeks back, his team making their first appearance in the second week. The session had been a decent one, one they barely won however. Whether his teammates would get good enough to go far that season was up in the air, but he was seeing increasing potential. And now that he'd picked up a promising, influential and rich sponsor, things were looking up even more.
Eska promised to be down for his next match, to which he couldn't wait. As he was thinking about his desire to see her again, he passed by Tahno's room on his way to his own. He paused in front of the door when he heard noises emerging from the room, curiosity making him wonder until he spotted the blatant don't disturb sign on the door. He stood there a moment longer, realizing with full force what was going on, and then continued on his way without further pause.
XoXoX
Over the past month Korra and Asami made a routine of stopping at Narook's biweekly to sit, eat and chat about their days. During this current particular session Asami was telling Korra about the positive upturn in business at Future Industries.
"I've got something new in development," Asami explained after the waiter served their meals. "I've been working with my engineers on aircraft designs that surpass my current biplane designs and the airship models currently in production. I'm hoping I can design an aircraft that's superior to my biplanes and the airship models currently in use—something that can eventually be used for commercial passenger services and much quicker long distance travel than can be currently achieved by airship, flying bison or ship."
"How's progress going on that?" Korra asked, taking a bite of her noodle dish.
"The prototypes are looking promising," Asami replied. "So—how was your day?"
"Stressful. This new government revamp that Tenzin's helping with has been a major hassle," Korra responded. "They want to set up something where everyone votes in one individual to act as the head for a period of time. A president or whatever they wanted to call it. Glad I don't dabble in politics very often—it gives me a headache."
"Sounds about right," Asami replied. "How've Tahno and Mako been lately? I haven't stopped by the island in a while because I've been so busy."
"From what Tahno told me one time—he's been teaching Mako your self-defense moves so he can better protect himself now that he's returned to work," Korra responded.
"Yes, Mako told me about that," Asami said.
Korra took that pause as an opportunity to get in a quick bite of her meal. She added after she finished chewing, "Tahno's deceased boyfriend also filled me in on his sessions with Kya—how they talked about him possibly still being spiritually sensitive or something."
"Do you think it is still possible Tahno could see or speak to deceased souls like before?" Asami asked her.
Korra shrugged after taking another bite. "Beats me, but my uncle thinks its possible. Or, at least—he seems to think that Tahno's become permanently spiritually connected as a result of his near death experience that created the condition in the first place—or that he might've even had a weak connection to it all beforehand and didn't even know about it, and the near-death experience ended up fully triggering it. Whatever the case is—I just know that Uncle Unalaq thinks Tahno's still got that connection...and that he's got an interest in him."
"It would be interesting if your uncle's right and Tahno still has that connection in some way," Asami commented. The two ate in silence for a pause before she bothered to speak up again. "Korra...I wanted to tell you something."
"Yeah?" Korra looked up from her dish.
"I wanted you to know, that is—" Asami pinked a bit across the cheekbones. "I-I...I love you, Korra." Korra stopped in mid-bite, mouth agape and ocean shallows staring across the table. After an awkward pause, Asami forced herself to say more. "You've been there for me when I needed you, and—you helped me recover from the nightmares my father put me through. I can't help it—I love you."
Korra set aside her wide-eyed stare and her eating utensils and grabbed Asami's hand in hers. "I'm fine with that."
Asami looked like she wanted to inquire about the Avatar's feelings in return, but held her tongue. Instead, "Are you finished eating?" She glanced at the Avatar's bowl as indication.
"Yeah—you?" Korra replied, looking the other woman in the eye. She nodded.
"Let's pay for the meal then," Asami suggested. "We can make tonight a girls' night out. What do you think?"
"I'm good with that," Korra replied. "After we spend a little time out on the town—I'd like to head back to your place and get in a few more rounds on the race track. You played a few sneaky tricks on me during our last race, and I'd like to set the record straight." She smiled secretively then. "Afterwards…we can settle the score privately—win and loser—in your room."
"Fine with me," Asami stated, grinning as well. She reached into her wallet and pulled out some yuans. "I'll go cover the tab. Meet you at the door?"
Before Asami took off, Korra gave a nod. "Yeah." Asami went to cover their tab while Korra waited by the exit for her.
XoXoX
Tahno left a slumbering Mako in his bed to look into another scheduled engagement he had to attend to that evening. He carefully dressed while in pain from their prior intimate exchange—pain he hadn't dealt with in a good long while. Not that he minded it, even if it did hinder his movements more than he liked.
He settled his thoughts on the upcoming meeting with his former teammate and his fiancée; Shaozu was doing wedding shopping, and—since Tahno was a part of the ceremony on Shaozu's insistence—the waterbender needed to be set up with the appropriate attire. Tahno wasn't fond of formal wear or events, but he swallowed his distaste for his friend's sake.
He took a quick shower, finding some benefit in getting healing instruction from Kya when he applied it to some particularly sore regions. The water also felt refreshing, and he couldn't help marveling over the ability to manipulate the shower stream in the process. He then got dressed, did a little hair maintenance while checking himself in the mirror, and headed out.
On the way he ran into the Avatar and Asami in the downtown district. Apparently they were cruising the town. Asami invited him to join them in a drink or something, but he declined.
"Gotta meet up with Shaozu," Tahno explained. "Getting wedding preparations done."
"How's that going?" Asami asked. They were standing on a well lit street corner with activity buzzing about them as patrons entered and emptied from the fancy restaurant nearby.
"Shao's planning to hold it up in the Spirit Oasis on the Solstice," Tahno replied. "Said you're all welcome to come if ya want. He wants you present especially, Korra."
"Me? What for?" Korra exclaimed.
"Mei Lin talked him into getting his bending back, and he wants to do it after the ceremony," Tahno replied.
"Speaking of the solstice," Korra began. "My uncle's holding a festival the week leading up to it. You up to attending?"
"My birthday falls a couple days before the solstice—are you kidding me?" Tahno remarked. "Yeah, of course—that's my kind of thing."
"Have you told Mako about your birthday?" Asami asked. He nodded.
Korra asked, "How old?"
"Twenty-two."
"Ha! You're the old man of our group," Korra teased him. He rolled his eyes.
"Gotta go," Tahno said. "Shao's waiting."
Before he got far, Korra was shouting, "We've gotta discuss our plans for the day of the solstice sometime. Have fun getting dressed up!" Tahno didn't turn to wave at them, continuing on his trip uninterrupted for a time.
As he got closer to his destination, Tahno felt eyes watching him. Multiple sets, it seemed to him; it felt like one was a protective gaze watching over him—yet the other felt foreboding, or at least not kind. He searched around for a source, shrugging it off as it possibly being any in the huge surrounding crowd, or something not to worry over. He pressed on, not thinking about it any further.