I want to thank Wildstar93 and SaoirseParisa for their reviews and assistance in the previous chapter. We had a couple of great discussions for this chapter, particularly with Korra's diagnosis with autism and some other personal details. I really appreciate the help you two provided, and I hope this chapter's contents really reflect your wise suggestions and that I did a good job in portraying them. I understand that autism and struggles with people growing up with autism can be difficult and delicate, and that's why your every comment means a lot to me. On that note, let's begin.

Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own the Legend of Korra.

"You know, Varrick, I don't even know why you would choose Firewood Bay as your first choice for the loading pier," Ginger remarked in a haughty way, glancing at the shoreline while Varrick drove their vehicle through the narrow winding roads to their destination. "It is so isolated and away from everything else, and I doubt anything gets done over there. If it wasn't for the fact that Future Industries wants to cut costs, I don't ever want to visit that place."

"Relax, Ginger," Varrick reassured the redhead, all the while focusing on the road. The warehouse and pier was in sight, and they only had to go through one more bend. As they entered the final bend, a series of trees blocked the view to the sea. "There are advantages to using Firewood Bay, and its location is one of them. Besides, did you not hear that the military wants to import some goods through that pier as well? More business for us, I say!"

Ginger made a sound that was somewhere between a snort and a chortle. It was evident to Varrick that Ginger was not happy about visiting the pier, even though Varrick gave her full powers over advertising. Shouldn't she at least see the goods and where they were stored before hopping into the project? Why did she sound like she wanted out of it so quickly?

Varrick drove the vehicle into the opening, where several uniformed individuals stopped him. Confused, the entrepreneur lowered his window and called to the closest guard. "Is there a problem with the pier? It seems like there is more security than usual," he remarked.

"That's correct, Mr. Varrick," the guard replied, "Per the orders of Minister Yakone, we have to increase the security levels. It's for the military's importation and short-term storage of some new equipment. Even if you are a staff member of Future Industries or Boar-Q-Pine Logistics, all people going in and out of this area must be checked."

"It's so like Tarrlok to go overboard," Varrick mumbled to himself, sending the guard an unimpressed gaze of his own while showing his driver's license to the guard, "Alright, we'll play it by ear for now. Ginger here is my staff member, and she'll be joining me at the warehouse on official business function. Just don't make life more difficult for us than it has to be."

The guard allowed Varrick to go through, leading straight into an opening where the warehouse was located. Parking right in front of the warehouse, Varrick turned off the engine and hopped out of the vehicle, taking a deep breath of the ocean breeze. From the passenger seat, Ginger followed suit, but her actions resembled more like she was on the red carpet. Her posture was tall and straight, while her steps were careful and deliberate. Even without a careful glance, Varrick was surprised at how quickly Ginger changed her demeanor. "Finally we see you a bit more enthusiastic about this project," he commented, strolling up to the former actress.

Soon, Varrick and Ginger were greeted by a green-eyed young man. "Varrick, good to see you again," Bolin stated, shaking the man's hand warmly, "Korra is busy right now, but she should be out in a moment." Turning to the redhead, Bolin's expression changed from friendly to somewhat hesitant. "So this is Ginger, right? I guess I finally get to see you in person."

Ginger cast a curious glance at Bolin. Usually people would see her response as being condescending, but this time it seemed more like Ginger was feeling Bolin out. "Did you see my movers before?" she asked Bolin, "I wasn't aware that I have a fan in this warehouse."

Bolin stuttered. Part of him wanted to tell the truth, which was that Ginger's movers were not that great. Sure, they were somewhat funny, and Bolin did see them at the cinema, but they were nothing special that Bolin would hold close to his heart. At the same time, Bolin knew that if Ginger was to work with them, he should at least try to be diplomatic and civil. If he told her the truth straight up, it might offend Ginger, who could then make life miserable for him. If what Korra said was true, which was that Ginger had a controlling and manipulative side, who knew what damages she could cause to Bolin and his friends?

Just then, Bolin was saved by a certain water bender, who bounded excitedly up to her foster parent. "Varrick, great to see you," Korra greeted, enveloping the man in a tight embrace, "You know, you rarely ever drop by the pier. Even at home, you don't talk about this place so much. Since you're in charge of shipping, I'm a little surprised at that. But either way, I'm glad you're here, and I'm willing to help out however I can."

"That's good to hear then, because I brought Ginger with me today," Varrick stated, gesturing to the woman to his right. Korra took one glance at Ginger and her blood ran cold. Ginger not only had her usual condescending look on, but the way her eyes narrowed to pins really put Korra on edge. Other than trying to avoid eye contact with Ginger, Korra wasn't sure what else she could do. "Ginger, I know you haven't had the best start with Korra, but let's all try to get past that today. We're going to work together from now on, okay?"

Korra tried to stand strong, but Ginger's gaze was just too much for her. "Uh, Varrick, there is actually something about that proposal that I want to talk to you about," she murmured, trying to bring her foster parent away from Ginger. Luckily, Varrick was aware of Korra's cues to know that the water bender was feeling uncomfortable, so he excused himself from the redhead and followed Korra into a quiet corner. "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but there is something about Ginger that you should know. I spoke with Shiro, and he told me…"

While Korra's conversation went on with Varrick, Ginger turned her eyes to Bolin, who was as uncomfortable with Ginger as Korra was. "So, your name is Bolin, right?" Ginger began, eyeing the earth bender like a viper bat zoning in on its prey, "How nice it is that you've seen my works. Maybe that'll mean we can work together better in the future, right?"

Bolin chuckled nervously, not sure how to react. Taking a deep breath to slow down his pounding heart, Bolin moistened his lips before responding. "Yeah, I did, when I was younger," he eked out, avoiding Ginger's eye contact like the way Korra usually did with strangers, "But I do wonder how you can incorporate your works with our marketing. Whatever Varrick has in mind, do you think your roles can apply to them?" Bolin queried. Right now, he felt it was better to let Ginger speak and he stayed silent, in case he made a mistake that could hurt him later on.

Ginger smirked, almost like she was teasing Bolin for asking such a question. "You know, when you have a pro like me around, a question like that is almost offensive to my intelligence," she stated, tilted her body to the left and casting a side glance at Bolin, "If you know what's good for your little warehouse, you might want to pay attention to what I'll do. Maybe I'll make you famous along the way, you know."

Bolin felt his body shiver, and not because of the ocean breeze blowing in. Something about the way Ginger made that statement made him feel very disturbed. Yet at the same time, Bolin could not help but be intrigued by the possibility. If he or the company became famous, it could only mean bringing in more money. At least Toza could afford to retire earlier and Bolin did not have to rely on Mako all the time, right? "What are you proposing, Ginger?" he asked, lifting his eyes in a mix of curiosity and apprehensiveness.

While Bolin was drawn in by Ginger, Varrick and Korra were having a totally different conversation. Korra was still concerned about what she learned from Shiro, and she hoped she could bring Varrick up to speed with this so he could be careful. "If Shiro's info is correct, and Ginger is the same person in those movers we showed, then I'm really worried about what will happen to us," she warned her foster father, "Will you at least keep an eye on things when Ginger is around? If something happens to you, Zhu Li and I will be very sad."

Varrick pursed his lips, taking a glance over his shoulder at Ginger before turning back to Korra. Varrick was aware that Korra took time to get used to strangers, but the whole story she told about Ginger did not sit right. Even so, Future Industries really required the new marketing scheme, as their reputation was in shambles after the last fiasco. "I assure you, Korra, that I will be extra careful. I already got chewed out last time in front of the board, and believe me, I don't want that to happen ever again," Varrick insisted, waving his hands to calm Korra.

Korra winced, looking over Varrick's shoulder to observe Ginger. She could not hear what Ginger was saying to Bolin, but whatever it was, the earth bender gave her his undivided attention. She made a mental note to discuss this with Toza and Mako later on, so that they could remind Bolin not to get too close to Ginger. Shaking her head a few times, she turned back to Varrick and again pressed the issue. "I know, because I still remember what you told me when you apologized for that defective goods mess. You said it was a mistake you made and you were prepared to own up to it," she recalled, "You also said that everything you did was for me, and told me the story about Mrs. Beaks again. But what if this is Mrs. Beaks all over again, and you are taking this for granted? If Ginger takes advantage of you, then I won't like that."

Varrick took a few deep breaths, mimicking the sounds of the waves at the pier. His usually sharp mind was slowed significantly by Korra's remark. Korra's caring nature was why he listened to his conscience more. Korra had his best interests at heart and wanted to protect him at all costs. Turning back to Korra, he replied with a smile, "Well, we've always got each other's backs, right? So it there's anything funny going on, we'll just let each other know, okay?"

"Varrick, our guests are here," Zhu Li called, striding into the living room of their home with a couple following behind. Finally the weekend came and the hectic week slowed down enough for Varrick's household to take a break. It didn't hurt that this gave them enough time for their visitors, something they both looked forward to.

Varrick emerged from the kitchen and smiled at the guests. "Tonraq, Senna, glad to have you join us," Varrick greeted, shaking the large man's hand followed by his petite wife. Tonraq and Senna were different in every physical attribute. While Tonraq was tall, muscular, and boisterous, Senna was short, slim, and more soft-spoken. There were few things they had in common, but one of which was befriending Varrick's family. "I'll go get Korra," he offered.

"You don't have to, because she's right here," Zhu Li pointed out. Indeed, the ponytailed water bender entered into the kitchen and, upon seeing the Minister of Foreign Affairs, bounded up to him and embraced him as well. "She's been excited ever since we told her you will visit," Zhu Li added, "She's been asking when you'll drop by since Senna and Iroh visited the pier."

"Well, I always have time for my friends, but especially Korra here," Tonraq declared in his deep baritone voice. He gently released Korra and took a good long look at her. "I am so proud of you, Korra. You've come such a long way and I'm so happy to see you go far."

"Thank you so much, and I'm so glad you guys supported me all these years," Korra responded, this time wrapping an arm around Senna's shoulder, "When Senna told me you'll run for presidency next year, I told her I will support you. I'll never forget all the things you've done for me, so this is my way of giving back to you. You two will always be my friends, you know?"

"Yeah, and we're more than willing to keep supporting you. We owe it to you too," Tonraq added, although the last bit was quieter than what Korra could hear. He has a look of sentimentality on his face, almost like he wished to bond with Korra even more.

Just then, Korra excused herself from the group. "I was in the middle of cleaning my room. I wanted to take out some old notebooks and journals that I've had since I was a kid and store them somewhere else," she announced, marching out of the living room, "I'll be down for lunch, so just give me a shout whenever you're ready to start."

Zhu Li soon left with Korra, offering to help Korra with some organizing. That left Varrick alone with Tonraq and Senna, to which the entrepreneur led the couple to the living room. As Tonraq and Senna sat on the main couch, Varrick moved to the solo sofa and plopped down. "She's grown a lot, hasn't she," Tonraq began, "It still feels like yesterday when she was leaving the Southern Water Tribe as a child evacuee of the civil war."

Varrick nodded. "Although she's no longer a war guest, since I hold her papers as my foster child. And since she's been a fixture at Republic City for twenty years, I think this is more her home than the Southern Water Tribe," Varrick pointed out, leaning his back against the sofa, "But still, having you guys drop by all the time and Korra continuing her ties with you, that's wonderful. You know how hard Korra takes it when she has to unexpectedly change, right?"

Tonraq and Senna both sighed, staring out the window at the open skies. Things were so different twenty years ago at the Southern Water Tribe, when the civil war was at its fullest…

"Things are not looking good out there, Varrick. At this rate, you have to evacuate the children in the next few days," Tonraq suggested, wiping some sweat off his brow. Despite the presence of a full icefield outside the entrepreneur's home, the scene was anything but chilled. Gunshots and bombings still echoed in the distance, a sign that the South was holding its ground against the North, which stubbornly continued its encroachment. "I think you should do a quick headcount in the next day or two, and then report back to me. Once passage is safe, we send these kids to Republic City where they will stay as guests of war for the time being."

"Sure thing, Tonraq," Varrick responded, peering outside the home as well. Varrick, being a richer man, could afford to live in a more sheltered area. The signs of war had yet to make their way to Varrick, but he knew it would only be a matter of days. "I appreciate you paying me all the money to do this, but is there any particular reason why it has to be me?"

"Because when it comes to shipping and transport, no one at the Southern Water Tribe can match you," Tonraq replied, placing a hand on his long-time friend's shoulder, "You have a shipping company that is world famous, and knowing that you will merge with Hiroshi Sato's Future Industries, it'll only make things better. Nobody will suspect a bunch of kids being sent out of here on a cargo ship, so it'll be the perfect decoy, if you ask me."

Varrick glanced over his shoulder. His company headquarters was becoming a refugee camp of sorts, which was no way to do business. But with so many Southern Water Tribe members trusting him, Varrick found it hard to say no. While he still wanted some way to make money off of this venture, he realized that he also had to do this out of the goodness of his heart as a way to assist his homeland. "What about the special one, Korra?" he asked.

"Is she still not interacting much with others? She doesn't even talk a lot, does she?" Tonraq inquired. When Varrick shook his head, Tonraq could only sigh. "She's past two years old now, yet she still can't talk properly. I would like to know what we can do to help Korra. If the war didn't divert all medical personnel to the warfront, I would have asked one of them to check up on Korra to see what her condition is."

Varrick shook his head. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there, but let's try out your plan first," he decided, "If Hiroshi asks me to relocate to Republic City, I may take Korra with me there permanently. I hope when this is all over, you can live in Republic City too. If Korra gets used to it there, you'll have trouble convincing Korra to move back."

Indeed, Varrick stayed true to his word, assigning the task of the addressing the children to Zhu Li. Upon concluding the numbers and informing all the parents, the children were on their way to Republic City. Varrick could still remember the tears in many parents' eyes when they bid their children farewell. While they all hoped that this was for a little while, with some even promising to see their children again, Varrick knew things were far from certain. And with him being tasked with taking care of Korra, Varrick knew how serious this was for him.

Soon enough, the children were finally moved to Republic City, where extended relatives or host families were ready to pick them up. As for Korra, Varrick had her placed in his Republic City residence, where Zhu Li would stay with her while he wrapped things up at the Southern Water Tribe. While Hiroshi had yet to make it official, all signs pointed to the inevitable move for Varrick. "We should look into setting things up for Korra," Varrick informed Zhu Li, "Until things settle in the South, we are Korra's legal guardians here in the city."

It took Korra until almost her third birthday before she learned to speak properly, and almost her fourth birthday before she became comfortable with her home. While Tonraq and Senna tried to visit whenever they could, the war was still first and foremost on the couple's minds. In the meantime, Hiroshi Sato finally requested Varrick to relocate, to which the latter finalized his move. And with Varrick now living at Republic City, he could do more to care for Korra, showing a kind and considerate side that Zhu Li never thought existed. Given the dedication he showed to family, it was not long before she agreed to marry him.

But there was still the issue with Korra, who developed very unusual routines. She would stick to doing certain things and ignored everything else. She was interested in water bending, and luckily Tonraq convinced Katara Kuruk-Anil, the mother of his good friend Tenzin Anil, to teach Korra. Seeing Korra excel at water bending when both Varrick and Zhu Li were non-benders made them proud, although they were surprised at how involved Korra got into that.

Korra also became interested in organizing things around the house, keeping things in a certain way. It started with her room but soon moved to everything else she could get her hands on. Varrick and Zhu Li were shocked at how Korra would have everything in her room placed in a certain way, including items on her desk, her clothes in the closet, and even how she made her bed. What amazed them the most was how Korra remembered where everything was to the exact spot, which certainly made it easier for Varrick and Zhu Li to store things.

But when it came to noisy places, Korra would react negatively, demanding to leave immediately if not running off altogether. Korra was also very uncomfortable around strangers, with the most memorable instance being when Korra met Hiroshi's daughter Asami. With the way Korra threw that temper tantrum, everyone was surprised no one got hurt. After apologizing profusely to Hiroshi when he left, Varrick sat Korra down and asked her why she reacted the way she did. Korra never really responded, other than saying that Asami was a stranger and she didn't want to have anything to do with Asami. It was a comment that caught Varrick off guard.

Finally, Zhu Li put her foot down on this matter and insisted on having Korra see a child psychologist. The visits to the psychologist's office spanned several months, but finally, Varrick invited the expert to his home on a day when Tonraq and Senna were able to visit. Hiroshi, Yasuko, and Asami were also invited to join, as they were very concerned about Korra's behaviour. When Varrick brought the psychologist into the living room, the news was anything but expected. "Well, what have we got?" Varrick asked, wringing his hands in worry.

The psychologist adjusted the glasses on her nose and took a deep breath. Glancing at each concerned face in the crowd, she spoke in a calm but clear voice. "Mr. Varrick, Ms. Moon, everyone, I have my conclusion," she declared, "I am diagnosing Korra with autism."

"Korra, would you like some help up here?" Zhu Li asked, knocking on the open door of Korra's room. Korra's usually neat bedroom was anything but, with various books and papers scattered all over the place. Even Naga, who usually had her own little corner to rest in, looked annoyed. The Great Pyrenees paced back and forth, sniffing at this and pawing at that, just trying to get some room. "Probably best to not keep the guests waiting," Zhu Li added.

"I know, but I just have a lot of old journals here, some dating back to when I first moved here," Korra replied, shifting some notebooks around. Her eyes bore straight at the journals, not paying attention to Zhu Li. "I just thought I'd get these out of the way before I forget. It is a new start for me, and I guess that means putting away the old."

Zhu Li slipped in, leaning her head over Korra's shoulder and scanning her desktop. Korra was seated at the desk right now, flipping through each journal to organize them by date. It was an old habit of hers for managing her autism, as Korra's psychologist advised her to start keeping journals as a way to work on her everyday skills. Not only did it allow Korra to write down what she learned so she could retain it better later on, it also gave Korra an outlet to manage her emotions with. Whenever she had problems with social interaction, or something bad happened that day, Korra would turn to the journals to write her heart out. It really let Korra build her life management skills, allowing her to cope with autism throughout her whole life.

Shaking her head a few times, Zhu Li turned back to Korra, who placed another journal to the side. This time, it was placed right in front of Zhu Li, and the bespectacled woman was able to glean from its cover the approximate dates. It was almost twenty years ago, and Korra should be in the first grade. "I didn't even recall when it was that you started to write in these journals," she commented, rubbing a hand on the cover, "Was it really that long ago?"

Korra nodded. "I was in Grade One, Asami was in Grade Two, and our classrooms were right next to each other," Korra recalled, citing each specific detail like they were right before her, "I had a teacher who actually understood mental health issues and assigned an assistant to me. That assistant was really helpful, and I got through my classes with not too many problems. It still took me a while before I joined in on class activities, and there were times when people made fun of me or didn't want to hang out with me because of that. But that's also when Asami really reached out to me, telling me to stand up for myself and all that."

Korra placed down another journal, this one dated directly after the previous one. They were in the specific order she wanted, just like how things were like with her. "Asami is a really good friend to you," Zhu Li commented, "You're very fortunate to have known her."

Korra paused, her eyes tilting up at the wall. There was a dreamy look in her face, like gazing into the distance. "I still remember when she stopped those people from hurting me."

"What'd you do that for?" a six-year-old Korra shouted at the pale-skinned boy towering over her. Said boy had uneven hair, with a larger tuff that occasionally draped over the right side of his face. But nothing stood out more than the smirk on his face, which drove Korra absolutely bonkers. "Why are you picking on me, Tahno?" Korra demanded.

Tahno flipped his hair, giving Korra another condescending look. From behind him, his two cohorts, a fire bender named Shaozu and an earth bender named Ming, both crossed their arms and plastered smirks on their faces. "Because you are a weirdo," Tahno taunted Korra, all the while Ming and Shaozu giggled, "Who puts building blocks out like that anyway? You put them on top of each other, not out on the ground," he stated. Indeed, Korra had the pieces sorted by shape, one pile each for round, triangular, and rectangular. There were three neat piles on the ground before Tahno kicked them loose.

Korra frowned. She always organized her blocks before building them. That was her favourite activity whenever the weather was bad and the school would not let the students go outside. With the rainstorm slashing at the windows like this, why wouldn't she want to build some structures? Korra just found it easier to build things when she had all the pieces sorted by shape. If Tahno really wanted to understand why she did that, all he had to do was ask. There was no need to make it sound like Korra was intentionally abnormal or anything like that!

"And she does the exact same thing with her pencils and crayons," Tahno continued, squatting down to Korra's level, "And even how she eats her lunch!" Behind him, Tahno's friends all chuckled. Korra sorted her pencils whenever she wrote, and during art class she always organized her crayons by colour. And for lunch break, Korra just found it easier to eat everything in a certain order. It was for the same reason as the building blocks, and Varrick and Zhu Li both understood that. If they were willing to let Korra do that just to make her more comfortable, why couldn't Tahno?

Korra raised a hand, threatening to push Tahno away, but thought better of it. Varrick and Zhu Li always told her not to get physical, with any moves made reserved for her water bending classes only. But with the way Tahno grated on her nerves, Korra really had to hold back. "What's the matter? You want to water bend at me? Why don't we go outside in the rain? But even with all the water in Yue Bay, you still can't beat me in water bending," Tahno mocked, causing more laughter from his cronies. By now, Tahno stood back up, crossing his arms again and sneering at Korra. With the boy towering over her, Korra was not in a good spot.

But by now, Korra was ready to destroy Tahno, teacher or no teacher. She got up, raised a fist, and swung hard. However, Tahno sidestepped and caused Korra to tumble into Shaozu. The young fire bender pretended to hold Korra to help her regain balance, only to release and let Korra fall flat on her back. It knocked loose one of the bands holding the two strands of hair near her face. "Who ties their hair up like that? You look so silly!" Shaozu teased.

"And your shirt is weird too," Ming added. Indeed, Korra's shirt hitched up while she untangled herself from the ground, causing part of her chubby stomach to show. "And with that big outie belly button, it just proves you're weird!"

Korra seethed with anger, hyperventilating nonstop and sending a death glare at the laughing threesome. She could not control being from the Southern Water Tribe, or getting diagnosed with autism, or having a ball-and-socket outie. She should never be made fun of for that, but to hear Tahno's abuse nonstop day after day was just too much. If she would get in trouble with the teachers or her foster parents for rearranging Tahno's face right here, then she was willing to take that risk. Feeling her hands clench into fists, Korra lifted herself off the ground, adjusted her shirt, and faced her tormentors head-on.

Before Korra could say a word, somebody from behind her chimed in. "Why don't you three losers just leave her alone?" a familiar voice pointedly stated. Korra turned around to see Asami march up to them. Because it was indoor lunch recess, teachers usually allowed students from different classrooms to mingle with each other. Even though Asami was a grade higher, she was able to visit Korra's classroom. Ever since Asami became aware of Korra's autism, she and her parents were more than supportive, including when Asami and Korra were in school.

Tahno's smirk turned into a frown. Stalking up to Asami, he glared at her with narrowing eyes. "What did you just say to me, Sato?" he growled, now feeling his own fists clenching.

"I think picking on Korra like that makes you look stupid. She's my friend and I don't want you pushing her around," Asami responded defiantly, "Have you ever seen me pick on your two friends? So why don't you back off and leave Korra alone, okay?"

Now Tahno was downright scowling, waving a fist in Asami's face. "If your dad wasn't the boss of Future Industries, you think you can say that to me?" he roared, "How about I give you a knuckle sandwich right here, right now?"

Without missing a beat, Asami got one of her long fingers onto Tahno's fist. She pried it open and, in one smooth motion, gripped Tahno's fingers and twisted them backwards. Tahno could only howl in pain as Asami bent further, causing the water bender to almost drop to his knees. "You can tell the teacher, but then Korra and I will just say self-defence. Everyone knows I take self-defence lessons after what happened to my mom last year," Asami declared, "And since I'm not a bender, and Korra isn't using bending at school, we can't get in trouble!"

Asami promptly released Tahno, who staggered off. Ming and Shaozu followed closely behind, too stunned to say anything further. Asami and Korra could only giggle to each other, watching the three boys nurse their bruised egos and, for Tahno, bruised fingers. "Thanks, Asami," Korra murmured, her eyes tilting to the ground, "They really hurt my feelings."

"It's fine, Korra. I don't like them anyway," Asami replied with a smile, but then her tone quickly turned serious, "Next time, don't let them make fun of you. Try to be friendly to everyone but don't let them pick on you. Not everyone thinks you're weird, at least I don't."

Korra smiled back at Asami. While she still had problems with social interactions, having to work on those skills with her psychologist, she was glad that some people at school were also supportive. Her foster parents, the Satos, and even Tonraq and Senna were more than supportive of her, letting her set up her routines and always making her feel comfortable. Even with the way things were in school, Korra felt things would only get better in the future. With Varrick's wild imagination, Korra mused if it would lead to great things for her when she grew up.

By the time Tonraq and Senna left, Korra was back at it, finishing up with the cleaning of her room. She already moved out lots of old documents and notebooks, with her old journals taking up most of the space. Now she only had a couple left, the coiled books sitting at the corner of her desk. "I promise you, Naga, once I'm done this, I will play with you," she informed her Great Pyrenees, who was not too happy with being ignored and getting shuffled out of the room whenever Korra took a bunch of old things into storage, "I've just been really busy, that's all."

Naga glared at Korra with an unimpressed look, which Korra paid no heed to. Instead, Korra moved a bunch of old trinkets from her desk and placed them into a box. They were items that Tonraq and Senna gave her throughout the years, whenever they dropped by from the Southern Water Tribe. Varrick and Tonraq agreed that despite having her grow up in Republic City, Korra should be in touch with her Southern Water Tribe roots as much as possible. That meant bringing her trinkets and other culturally significant items from there. A lot of them were from the Glacier Spirits Festival, which ran yearly at the Southern Water Tribe. "It's been a while since we last went," Korra commented, picking up a small glass sculpture, "Maybe when I have more free time this year, I should ask Varrick and Zhu Li to take me there again."

"And am I allowed to join you this time?" a voice called from the door. Korra glanced up and smiled, watching the familiar form of Asami Sato leaning next to the doorframe. "I always wanted to go see it, but never freed up the time. If you're planning to go, maybe I can join you."

Korra chuckled. "Hey, Asami," she greeted her long-time friend. She placed another item into a cardboard box next to her before standing up. "I didn't know you were dropping by. Did you eat lunch yet? I think there's still food downstairs if you want some."

"No, I think I'm fine. I had lunch with my parents before dropping by anyway," the engineer replied. Taking a gander around, Asami marvelled at how different the arrangement in Korra's room looked when she was here previously. "Zhu Li told me you were reorganizing a bit, something about wanting a fresh start. Physically, I think you achieved that right here."

Korra chuckled at Asami's joke. "It's more than just redecorating, you know," Korra stated, her eyes wandering back to the cardboard box containing most of her items, "I still remember when I finished college three years ago this month, and I was so worried about not finding a job. I wasn't the best student, and given how long it takes for me to get used to new surroundings, I really thought I would struggle. Shiro Shinobi gave me a chance by hiring me as his assistant, but up until now I haven't had much luck. I guess when you decided to recruit me last month, it basically told me I should move to the next level."

"I'm glad you're seeing it that way, and after what happened with Varrick last time, I'm glad you're feeling better too. It's always great to see you feel more confident about yourself, Korra," Asami commented. She could recall countless times when they were younger, when Korra's autism became a source for bullying by other students. While Korra struggled to deal with that when she was younger, it was Asami who kept her through it. She never gave up on Korra, and in turn Korra never gave up on herself. By the time Korra was in the third grade, she was already in better control of her emotions, to the point where she could stand up for herself.

"It's funny you say that, because part of the reason I'm reorganizing is to start fresh from that incident," Korra explained. She moved to her bookcase, which was totally redone with new books and binders. "I put most of the warehouse info and records here, just to have a copy at home if anything gets lost. I don't want to repeat the last incident where Tarrlok accused us of importing counterfeit goods. I've forgiven Varrick already and things are good between him and me, but the least I can do is to do things differently, hence the changes here."

Asami nodded again. It was so like Korra to make wholesale changes all in one shot. Because Korra tended to stick to routine, it was very unlikely that she would change things up. But if Korra ever picked up a new routine, then she would stop at nothing to change so she could fit that routine. "And did you write out your new routine in your notebook or journal?" Asami asked, "I'm guessing you'll take some time to adapt to it first, right?"

Korra marched over to her desk and picked up one of the two remaining notebooks there. She flipped a few pages and kept her eyes on the lines within, not really paying attention to Asami while she browsed through. Asami knew that this was Korra's train of thought and chose not to bother her. Once Korra got what she wanted, her attention would return again. While Korra scanned, Asami's eyes wandered to the other book on the desk.

Finally, Korra glanced back up at Asami. "I have the new routine all written down in the journal," she described, pointing to the page in question, "If you want, I can tell you about it."

Unfortunately, Korra never got the chance to. Zhu Li called from downstairs, informing Korra that she found a place in the basement for Korra to place the box she had. Excusing herself from the room, Korra grabbed the cardboard box she had and lumbered down the stairs. It left Asami all alone in the room, her eyes turning to the desk where there was now one open book. It had Korra's notes inside, notes that Korra was about to share before she left. Even though Asami knew she should not pry into Korra's private journal, she could not help but take a gander at it. "One quick look shouldn't hurt," she murmured, hesitantly tilting the notebook towards her.

Asami's eyes quickly scanned the page, getting a good glimpse at Korra's plan to adjust to the new routine. It involved organizing the binders into separate categories, such as imports, exports, finances, foreign suppliers and buyers, and important contacts. To no one's surprise, Asami and Future Industries were listed, but Asami also noticed Korra neatly writing down all other staff members' contact information. Toza, Yung, Bolin, Kai, Opal, even Mako and Lin were included. It made Asami realize how seriously Korra took this change, especially in the face of all the challenges. "Looks like I really inspired her," she muttered to herself.

It was like Asami's mind was no longer in control of her body as the heiress flipped through the pages of Korra's notebook, starting all the way from the beginning. Based on the dates Korra wrote on the pages, Asami figured that this was started shortly before Asami came back to Republic City. Scanning through the pages, Asami could see Korra write out what she did with Shiro at the arena, including exact details of what movers she showed and what guests she saw. She giggled slightly when she read the way Korra described certain young men at the cinema, almost like she had a crush but was too shy to admit it. Strangely enough, Korra never made any mention about approaching them or responding to their approaches. "Maybe she's just not comfortable enough with them yet?" Asami wondered aloud.

Asami then flipped a few pages, leading to Korra's time at the warehouse. Korra wrote of her endless gratitude to Asami, praising everything about her and wishing to lead the team the way Asami led Future Industries. Korra even mentioned tidbits about when they were younger, where Asami taught Korra to stand up for herself. Asami had to chuckle when Korra gave her so much credit, almost like Korra felt she was unworthy. "Why sell yourself short, Korra? You're pretty amazing too," Asami wondered aloud, flipping yet another page.

Oddly enough, it was the entry around the same time the defective goods fiasco occurred. Korra wrote about disappointing everyone, but a particular section of that was towards Asami. Korra mainly felt that she failed to deliver for Asami when Asami needed her most, even comparing it to the time when Asami's mother was attacked. While Asami recalled how Korra was uncomfortable around her back then, she did recall Korra supporting her through this in her own ways. Did that really affect Korra so much that she's getting those memories back?

But it was here that Asami found out something she never realized before. At one of the more recent entries, Korra wrote of feeling something for Asami that went beyond friendship. "I always feel like we've got each other in our times of need, and I've never really felt that way about someone before. Even with all the boys I know from school or at the arena, none of them made me feel the same way I feel about Asami. I'm not sure what it means, and I've been trying to keep things normal between Asami and me, but if this goes on, I think I'll go crazy. Should I even tell someone, like Varrick and Zhu Li, about this?" Asami read aloud.

Asami almost dropped the notebook out of her hands upon reading that. Her heart pounded at her ribcage while her breathing hitched several times. Was Korra suggesting some type of romantic feeling for Asami? Did Varrick and Zhu Li know about this? And even if they did, where did it put her? While Asami always thought that she was attracted to males, even having fraternized with many male classmates in university, she also knew that, deep down, her attraction to her own sex did not waver at all. It created for a conflicting situation where she wondered if she was homosexual or heterosexual. Now Korra was in the same situation, and somehow felt attracted to Asami? This was almost too hard to believe.

Just then, the sounds of Naga barking snapped Asami back to attention. She turned to see the large dog trot back in the room, which caused Asami to instantly put the book back down. Korra followed soon after, greeting Asami as she never left. "I put the box away, and now I have to put away my journals," she stated, picking up the open book nonchalantly, "You want to do coffee and seal jerky at three o'clock? I could use a break after moving all this stuff around."

"Okay, we're going to close up. Make sure you put everything away before I lock the doors!" Toza shouted from the front door of the warehouse. After what could only be described as a crazy week, with visits from military and government officials, Toza was glad to put this behind him. He was hoping to take a few days off and leave everything to Yung for the next little while, just so he could unwind from all the madness that occurred. "Don't forget that we have to check out with security as well, so let's not take too long," he reiterated.

Toza waited a few more seconds before seeing Bolin hustle out. The older earth bender could see some papers under his foster child's arm. Rarely did Bolin take things home to do, let alone take that much. As Toza closed down the front door, he asked, "What's under your arm?"

"No, this is stuff on Ginger, that actress and model who will be helping Varrick with marketing and advertising," Bolin responded, showing Toza some of the documents when the latter came back to his side, "Korra mentioned some things about her, and after meeting her in person, I wanted to do some research on her myself and see what we can do with her."

"I won't be too enthusiastic about that, Bolin," a familiar husky voice stated. The two turned to see Mako, still in his police uniform, marching towards them. "I still have a couple of hours to go before my shift is up, so I'll be late coming home. But I heard what you said about Ginger, and I just want you to know that you shouldn't get too close with her."

"I know, I know," Bolin reassured the two older men, his tone half patient and half irritated. Bolin was not naïve, and he certainly had Korra's warning in mind. But given they were to work with Ginger in the next little while, shouldn't they at least get every side of the story? "If Ginger can help Varrick turn this around, then maybe she's not so bad! After all, Varrick is one of the other projects on top of the military project that we're doing," Bolin point out.

"Right, but you're forgetting that Ginger is a master manipulator," Mako added, leaning against the wall of the warehouse and crossing his arms. He was not there when Korra first revealed her discovery, but Korra pulled him and Toza aside subsequently and told them everything. "She knows how to blind her targets and pull them in. I'm glad Korra caught on and can keep an eye on Varrick, but I'm just worried about you and Kai."

"Come on, Mako! You make it sound like I'm going to get roped in!" Bolin protested, waving his arms around like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Some of the papers he held ended up slipping loose, but luckily Toza was there to pick them up. "Ginger cannot pit me against you guys, and even if she does I won't let her. Besides, now that I'm dating Opal, what makes you think I'll ditch Opal for her?"

Mako could only shake his head, while Toza put a sympathetic arm around Bolin. "She will always be friendly and polite, but that's because she doesn't want you to see her as a threat," Toza described, leading Bolin to their vehicle. The two earth benders waved back at Mako, who in turn had to return to his duties with the police. "If you try to dig up on her, then she will react in one of two ways. She'll either show her vulnerable side to pull you in, or she'll claim you're overly suspicious and paranoid. The first option will make you ditch Opal for her, and the second option will put you and Korra at odds. Both are going to be mental torture for you."

Bolin pursed his lips. He did not believe things would go that far, but knowing the way these celebrities operated, it would not be out of the question. Still, their hands were tied, given they were now forced to work with Ginger by virtue of Varrick's decision. Moreover, if Ginger refused to give up her secrets, and Korra tried too hard to pry, would it not make Korra look like the villain? While Varrick understood Korra's autism, Ginger might use that against Korra and make Korra look really bad. Either way, they were really in a bind here.

Two beeps of an auto lock snapped Bolin back to attention. Toza unlocked their van and hopped into the driver's seat. Bolin followed closely and entered on the passenger's seat. "I still want to give Ginger the benefit of the doubt, but assuming you're right, how do you know that Ginger will do all these things?" Bolin queried, all the while pulling his seatbelt out.

Toza cracked one of those rare smiles. Starting the engine, the older earth bender pulled the van out of the parking area and headed straight for security. "I'm not the warmest parent to you and Mako, but at least I've always done my best to teach you and protect you from danger," he explained, "There was one incident in my younger years where I went for something that was too good to be true, and I almost lost my own honour and dignity."

Toza slightly pressed the brakes, slowing the van to a halt. He lowered the window and showed the security guard his driver's license, to which the security guard waved him through. These frequent identification checks was an absolute hassle, border security staff used to only check when goods were imported and exported. But now, even warehouse staff had to be checked, which made coming and going from the warehouse much less efficient.

The van slowly squeezed through the newly erected gates and headed into the road. There were trees surrounding both sides, which only made the setting sun's rays even dimmer. Had it not been for the fact that it was late spring, Bolin was sure they were completely in the dark. Turning to his foster father, he could see Toza's face was in complete silhouette, with no features being shown. Other than the soft hum of the van's engine, not any other sound could be heard.

Finally, Toza spoke in his aged voice, his tone containing its usual slight bitterness but also laced with profound disappointment. "You and Mako know that when I was younger, I was the captain of the Boar-Q-Pines. But before my retirement, I ran into some financial problems. The team was in debt, and with our age, we just weren't winning as much. It led me turning to shady financial sources for help, and unfortunately, one of them was with the Triple Threats."

Bolin's eyes grew wide at the revelation. Him and Mako always knew that Toza had financial issues in the past, but by the time Toza took them in, he seemed to have everything under control. "The Triple Threats paid for my matches and other expenses, but then I got roped in the same way Ginger is roping Varrick in," Toza continued, "They flat out bribed me to throw a match, promising me I'll never be broke again if I do."

"You didn't do that, did you?" Bolin exclaimed, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest, "Don't tell me part of our family savings are from the Triple Threats!"

Toza shrugged. "Given I was flat broke at the time, and my body just isn't up to it, I was going to do it. But then that little voice inside my head told me I was more honourable than that. I can't throw my entire pro-bending career and my teammates away all for that bribe," he pointed out, "So I refused, won the match, reported that to the police, and then retired after."

Toza slowed the vehicle down and turned to Bolin. The permanent gritty look on his face was still there, but there was some softening of his expression and tone. "If something is too good to be true, it probably is. I would rather work on rebuilding myself than to rely on someone who I know will abuse me," he lectured Bolin in the most fatherly way he could portray during all his years as a foster parent, "None of our family money, including the money I used for the Boar-Q-Pine Logistics business, is from the Triple Threats. If I can get back on my feet without needing the Triple Threats, then you can do the same without relying on Ginger."

As usual, here is my list of inspirations and allusions for this chapter.

1.) Korra, as well as many other children from the Southern Water Tribe, were evacuated from that area as war children. This is a reference to a book series I read when I was in elementary, the "Guests of War" series by Kit Pearson, where these British children were evacuated and lived with host families abroad, mainly in Canada. While this is a bit different in the sense that Korra ended up joining Varrick and Zhu Li as their foster child, the main objective of this evacuation is similar to those in the Pearson series.

2.) Korra's autism diagnosis, as well as the problems she had growing up, are inspired by yet another fictional autistic character. That would be Billy Cranston from the 2017 Power Rangers reboot movie. Just like Billy in that movie, Korra has a tendency of following strict routines, including organizing her pencils and building blocks. Tahno and his cronies are modelled after the bully who pushed Billy around, and Asami is modelled after Jason Scott, the fellow Power Ranger who confronted the bully and defended Billy. Obviously, there is a huge age difference, with Billy a teenager while Korra is only 6 in the scene, but the situation between the film and this chapter are pretty similar.

3.) Tahno's confrontation with Korra and Korra nearly attacking back, including the poses they took, are from "the Spirit of Competition" in Book 1. Asami twisting Tahno's finger and bending it backwards is identical to what she did to Varrick in "Beyond the Wilds" in Book 4. Asami mentioning taking self-defence classes after her mother was attacked is from "the Aftermath" in Book 1 where she mentioned learning self-defence for the exact same reason. Korra's trinkets from the Glacier Spirits Festival are from the same festival mentioned in "Rebel Spirit" in Book 2. And Toza's personal history with the Boar-Q-Pines and the Triple Threats is from "Republic City Hustle" which is the short animated films that serve as a prologue for Mako and Bolin before the beginning of the Korra series.

Your reviews and comments are much appreciated, and I look forward to seeing you again at the next update!