Cat-Eyed
Korra is not able to tell whether or not she should feel impressed or scared.
She stares up at the large, fancy mansion. Then Korra shifts the strap of her bag on her shoulder. Now she feels more scared rather than impressed with this ongoing situation. A normal bourgeois girl that holds a pot of two-headed fish soup in front of an elegant building would surely look rather out of place in such an upscale part of Republic City. However, she sucks up her guts and prepares for the freakiness in exchange for Pema's cooking. No one never expects her to come here, not even Tenzin himself.
Really, she should be suspected in this certain event and be thrown into jail for life. Korra knows that this guy won the probending championship, reigning for now four years running. It was also that he is a lady-killer, whatever that means. If it includes having a bunch of women clinging onto to him like a parasite, then that fits her meaning of that term. I guess that he is also filthy rich. "Too many freaks, not enough circuses. Isn't that right, Dragon Boy?" I recognised that snarky tone. "Look it's Miss Bunhead."
"Astrid, is sarcasm really just one more service you can offer? Sorry about that, Korra." Kazuo's eyes widened. "Are you standing in front of He-Shall-Not-Be-Named's home?"
"Tahno?" Kazuo placed his hand on Korra, her muffling left some spits on his hand. "Korra, we are not to speak of-"
"It's alright. I always wanted to see what is inside of this place. Heard that he throws the awesome parties. I dare you to open it, Newbie." Taking in a deep breath and steeling herself, Korra reached out and pressed the doorbell before jerking back as if it had shocked her.
After a few minutes of just standing there in silence, Astrid realized that she could hear no footsteps coming towards the door. She rang the doorbell again multiple times, more like she's stabbing it to death. There is still no indication of someone inside. No one. Awkward.
That was until the door opened with a bang. "Alright who's keeps on banging on the doorbell?" It was a loud, booming voice, and it was coming from the elderly woman. Her frizzy graying hair is smoothed to back of her head, the wrinkles on her face a bit more defined than Katara's. "What are you hoodlums doing here disturbing a feeble old woman's peace?!"
"Oh, you must be visiting Tahno. Where are my manners?"
The three teens stood upright and took in their surroundings.
"Wow!" the teens breathed, eyes wide and mouths gaping. "Close your mouths. You'll let the flies go into your mouth."
For a former probending champ, Tahno had a really nice place. It is spacious and big with polished hardwood floors, tasteful décor and expensive-looking furniture that hardly even look used. To them, it resembles very much like a fancy hotel room. Korra couldn't help but feel jealous. The place is pretty sweet.
Korra heads over to the coffee table placed in the center of the room while flanked by a long leather couch, and sets the soup there along with her bag. There were also half-wrapped stacks of books placed on the table. "Are you my grandson's girlfriend?"
Astrid bursts out laughing and mocking ever so proudly at Korra. Korra on the other hand, blushed a little and denies the question. She must be Tahno's grandmother.
All of the sudden comes a huge yelp and both girls turn their heads to Kazuo with his butt being bitten by a cat-gator."Get this beast off of me!"
"But don't you have buns of steel?" mocked Astrid. "This is not funny, Astrid!"
"I never seen Bessie taken a liking to people. Most of the times she would be hanging around with Tahno and his friends. On the other hand, your friend must have some reptile critters in his pockets." Kazuo gulped at the thought of the word 'reptile' and screamed for help. "Calm down Big Red, Bessie is just tasting you."
"Tasting me?! That's even worse!" As chaos ensues, Korra decides to sneak around inside the huge mansion. She noticed that the corridors and rooms are not much in a melancholy state as of Asami's. With step she takes as she takes a look inside each room, she takes it as a dance. The rooms have their own personality. However, there is one room and it is the room with the same enormous oak door.
I wonder what's inside now with this door. As she opens the door, she sees inside a vast wetland. Trees are all interconnected by vines and roots. Water appeared periodically, flashing silver in the sunlight. It appears to be from the Foggy Swamp as she could remember from the books. Korra then sees Tahno and his friends lounging on the risen roots of one tree. Tahno has a baby cat-gator sleeping on his lap while Ming messes with the big one. Korra sees it a bit strange yet funny at the same time. "Korra, there you are!"
Korra turns around to see Astrid and Kazuo with Bessie still biting his butt. "Kazuo, how did you managed to still have your behind attached to you when Bessie is still biting it."
"I told you, buns of steel." Kazuo whimpered and tried once more to get rid of the cat-gator. "Not funny, Astrid. I don't want to be eaten alive."
"Bessie won't eat you. She's only eats insects and fish, not people." The trio turned their heads to Tahno, who seems to be fanning himself with a leaf. "So what are you all doing here?"
"So you were from the Foggy Swamp? That explains the trees and cat-gators I suppose you despise tacky leaf hats and humidity."
"If only I could hate it here. Love and hate, they're both the same thing."
"Then what is it about Foggy Swamp that you like and dislike the most?"
"My family. I am the third oldest out of seven."
"That's a lot of siblings. Do you miss them being here?"
"No, that's thing. This room can appear to whatever the owner of the house misses the most. I hop back and forth with my friends to here." Both Tahno and Korra observed their friends doing a swamp skiing throw-down. "Home is never far you know."
"Yeah, it never is." As Korra continued to converse with him, she learned many things about him.
Tahno and his grandmother moved to the city from the swamp when he was younger due to his potential to a certain school. Twice a year, his grandmother takes him to visit his family in the swamp. Tahno hates going as he whines and complains the entire train ride there. The humidity messes his hair, his relatives are annoying, the food is weird, leaf hats are a bit tacky, and that there's nothing to do there in Foggy Swamp.
He can't really bring himself to hate the cat-gators and his siblings, though. They love his attention too much. Usually Tahno spends most of these family reunions out on the porch, listening to the radio while fanning himself with a purring cat-gator sitting in his lap. Korra could not imagine him as someone who once lived in Foggy Swamp. I can't even imagine him with a funny accent.
"So who exactly are you into? I noticed tension between you and Scarfie." Korra nudges him a bit with a elbow and spoke calmly.
"Nope, guess again." Tahno then glanced at her cream-coffee shirt, brown skirt, black tights, and white boots. Her hair placed as a messy bun. "You look different. Could it be Bolin then?" As soon as he mentioned his name, Korra's cheeks turned beet red, and she nudged him again a bit harder.
"Be quiet you." This is fun, yet why do I feel like I am missing something.
