As Bolin rode the lift back to the ring, he joined the crowd in cheering on his brother. Mako's hat trick had kept their tournament chances alive, and made everyone forget about the blunder with Hasook earlier. He had no hard feelings for his teammate's mistake, but he knew Mako would be mad enough for both of them.

He put thoughts of that aside, his attention turning back to the girl waiting in the locker room. It hadn't been his best performance, but she had a grin on her face, so it didn't seem to matter to her.

"Well Korra, what did you think? Bolin's got some moves, huh?"

He hadn't expected Korra's reaction. It was so exciting to her that she lifted him up by his collar. He was so shocked that he wasn't able to listen to anything she was saying. Korra was still smiling though, so she didn't appear to be mad at him.

"She just picked me up like I was nothing", Bolin thought to himself. "Wow, she's pretty." He probably would've kept staring at her face, but Korra put him down with a half-shove that gave him his hearing back, just in time for Mako to show up in the middle of giving Hasook a lecture.

"You did more harm than good out there. You almost cost us the match!"

"We won, didn't we?, Hasook shot back, clearly not in the mood.

"Barely, no thanks to you!"

"Get off my case, pal." Their waterbender stormed out, but not without slamming his helmet on the floor. Bolin winced, figuring he'd have to smooth things over before their next match.

"Useless", Mako muttered under his breath, but Korra didn't seem to notice his sour mood.

"You guys were incredible out there! Especially you, Mr. Hat trick!"

Mako didn't even look in her direction. "Oh, you're still here?"

Korra didn't seem fazed at all by his attitude. "Oh, you're still a jerk?" That got an "Ooh!" from Bolin, but fortunately after that she got back to the conversation they were having before.

"I've been immersed in bending my entire life, but I never learned how to move like that! It's like there's a whole new style here! Think you could show me a few tricks?"

"Absolutely!", he immediately agreed, something Mako found the need to comment on, for whatever reason.

"Right now? Come on, Bolin."

Don't ruin this for me. "Just ignore him", Bolin told Korra. "I'd be happy to teach you, but I'm not sure how my earthbending would translate to your waterbending, but we'll figure it out."

"Won't be a problem", Korra explained. "I'm actually an earthbender."

Uh oh. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed your bending. I just figured with the water tribe clothes and everything, that you were...you know."

"Oh, I am a waterbender. And a firebender. And an earthbender, too."

Was she messing with him now? "Okay. I'm very confused right now."

Mako figured it out before he could. "You're the Avatar, and I'm an idiot."

"Both, are true", Korra admitted. Bolin wanted to freak out, but by some miracle he was able to play it cool and take her to the gym where Toza had caught her earlier.

Fortunately the old man had gone to bed so he wouldn't give them any trouble, but finding out the "fangirl" Bolin covered for was actually the Avatar had Mako interested, so he decided to tag along. Bolin wasn't particularly happy about that, but at least his brother helped set them up quickly with the training equipment so they could get started faster.

Korra seemed like a natural, which wasn't a surprise, but there were definitely some things to work on.

"Great power!", Bolin exclaimed. "But try not to be so upright and flat-footed. You gotta be light on your toes, right up until you strike, otherwise you're a sitting turtleduck." Then he gave a demonstration of what he meant. It was a simple maneuver, but Korra seemed transfixed.

"Let me try it." Then she repeated the move almost to perfection, impressive enough for even Mako to give praise. "Not bad."

She didn't seem to realize how rare it was for him to say something like that, though. "What's it take to get a compliment from this guy?"

"Oh no no, trust me. That's one of the nicest things I've ever heard him tell someone." That explanation from Bolin got her to smile, and even his brother seemed to find the comment funny.

"Alright, It's getting late. I think I'm gonna turn in, you kids have fun."

Finally. "G'night, bro."

"See you upstairs."

"Wait, you guys live here?", Korra asked him as Mako walked away.

"In the attic. Nothing fancy, but we've got some great views. Perfect for him to look out the window and brood."

He'd gotten her to laugh, but Bolin didn't want the avatar to have a bad impression of his brother either.

"Yeah, he tries to be all moody, but he's all mushy on the inside."

"I'll take your word for it." They got back to training after that, but it wasn't long before a question popped into his head.

"Hey Korra, why did you have to sneak into the area? They probably would've let you in no problem if you had told them you're the Avatar."

She got sheepish. "Well, I'm not actually supposed to be here, let alone leave the island. My sifu would probably flip if he knew I snuck out."

"Oh. Is that part of your probation, or plea bargain, or something?"

"No. Why would I have any of those things?"

Now it was Bolin's turn to be awkward. "I just remembered listening on the radio a few days ago about how the avatar had been taken into custody when she arrived for tearing up a whole city block?"

"Hey, I was trying to stop some guys from shaking down a store! And I didn't destroy an entire city block, like thirty percent damaged, tops."

Korra was smiling as she defended herself, but he still held up his hands to show he had no plan to argue. "So what did make you wanna come to Republic City? A chance to see the famous bending brothers in person?"

"Not quite", she said with another laugh. "I came here to master airbending. Actually, I had to stow away on a ship just to get here, but the city's been so crazy with so much going on, I can't even focus on anything!"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out", Bolin reassured, But Korra didn't look convinced.

"I dunno. Feels like I should be able to fix all this stuff no problem, but my airbending training isn't going anywhere, and I'm not even allowed to leave the island to help with the other stuff!"

The conversation seemed to affect her concentration though, as one of the earth discs she'd been training with went wide of the net set up, hitting the wall behind it instead, leaving a sizable crack.

Korra looked mortified. "Oh no, I'm so sorry! You're not gonna get in trouble for that, are you?"

"No worries", Bolin spoke calmly, running his hand over the damage, fixing the wall so it looked just like it did before.

"You should've seen the first time I used these discs", he added. "They actually had to replace that window over there."

She was smiling again, but he could still see guilt on her face. "Thanks. For the training and everything. I should probably head back before anyone finds out I'm gone though."

"No problem. Tell you what. If you can sneak out again tomorrow, you can come watch our match. You won't have any trouble with security or Toza this time, and I can even introduce you to Pabu!"

"Pabu...?"

"Oh, he's our mascot and the best fire ferret a boy could ask for!"

"Deal", she agreed. "Nice to meet you, Bolin."

"You too, Korra!", he told her as she was leaving. Once she was out of sight though, Bolin couldn't resist doing a little happy dance.

(-)

Korra was glad that Bolin had offered her a chance to come watch their bending match. At least that way she had something that could go right today, she thought to herself while stewing in her room.

Her morning training...had not gone well. It had felt like a repeat of the previous session with the hits she was taking, until she lost her temper and used firebending to leave the training mechanism in ruins. That unsurprisingly started an argument with Tenzin, which ended with Korra calling him a "terrible teacher" before storming off.

She knew that she owed him an apology, but she also needed to clear her head and take her mind off things. Fortunately, her new friend Bolin had been able to provide an opportunity to do just that.

Sneaking off Air temple Island was once again easy for her, and security at the area was no trouble, like Bolin said. But when she got to the locker room, Korra was surprised by the sullen demeanor of the two brothers.

"What's going on?", she asked. "You look like you guys already lost."

"We might as well have", Bolin glumly admitted.

"Hasook's a no-good no-show!", Mako angrily added.

"We don't know that. Maybe something happened and he's running late."

"He was supposed to be here an hour ago. Face it, Bo, he bailed on us."

"More like he bailed on you", his brother mumbled at a volume that she and Mako could hear.

"So this is my fault?"

"Well, I wasn't the one who started calling him 'Ha-suck', Bolin answered.

"Was I wrong?", Mako asked.

"That doesn't mean you should've said that to his face. How would you feel if he made fun of how stupid your eyebrows look?"

"My eyebrows don't look-"

"Can't one of the other waterbenders here fill in for you?", Korra suggested, hoping to prevent a fight.

"No, rules say you can only bend for one team at a time", Bolin told her.

Then she thought of a solution. "What if I was your replacement?"

"You're the Avatar though. Isn't that kind of cheating?"

"It shouldn't be as long as I only use waterbending", she figured. It seemed like the problem was solved, until Mako tried to quash the idea.

"No way. I'd rather forfeit than look like a fool out there."

"Wow. Thanks for the vote of confidence", Korra responded sarcastically. Before she could make a case for herself though, a referee poked his head into the locker room.

"Times up, I need an answer. Are you in or out?"

She spoke up before either brother would say anything. "We're in!"

Mako seemed dumbfounded. "We are?"

"You can thank me later", Korra told him as she walked to Bolin, who helped her find equipment she could wear for the match.

It wasn't until they were in the middle of the match that Korra realized that she probably should've read the rulebook before volunteering. At least this way she'd probably always remember. You can only knock people out through the back of the ring, and you can only bend water from your own zone.

Bending more than one element though, may be a different matter entirely. It was a reflexive instinct. She was being singled out as the weak link by the other team, and she never made a habit of limiting herself to one element, so it felt natural to use earth to defend herself, despite the rules.

That was only part of the problem she created for herself, though. Korra knew that the white Lotus guards had a habit of listening to probending matches, so she figured they had informed Tenzin of her whereabouts, and he was probably on his way to the area to drag her home in front of everyone.

But Korra was so busy with her sulking that she didn't see Bolin approaching, and when she noticed and looked up, she was confused by the smile he had on his face.

"I don't know why you're looking so down, we're not done yet."

"It might be better if we were, though." The comment wasn't meant to insult him, rather show dissatisfaction with her own performance, but she could tell that he had interpreted it differently, the way his expression changed.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just thought I would show up and win this match with you guys no problem, instead of turning into a joke." She didn't say it directly, but Mako's words before the match were starting to creep back into her head, but Bolin seemed to pick up on it anyway.

He put a hand on her shoulder pad, which shifted her gaze back to his face. "Hey, forget about what he said, I'm glad we took a chance, we still have a shot to win this."

"You still think we have one?"

"Of course!" Korra had to admire his positive attitude, not to mention that it seemed infectious as well.

"Alright then", she said hopefully. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. I wanted to let you know that the other team's probably gonna go after you when the match starts back up. We'll try to help you out as much as we can, but just wanted to give you a heads-up."

"Thanks. Any other rules I should know about?"

"Good thinking. If we get another penalty Mako's head might explode."

"Don't tempt me", Korra told him half-jokingly.

"Ok, so a water blast can't be longer than a second, or it's a hosing foul, you can only use water in liquid state, so no steam, ice or fog, and water can't be filled with anything, either. Water is the most restricted element, so they let waterbenders be the only ones allowed to do headshots."

"Got it", she confirmed.

After that, the referee spoke up and told them that the Avatar was allowed to compete as long as she just stuck to waterbending, to the disappointment of the other team. When the match resumed though, Bolin's assessment had been proven right, as they targeted her enough that she was sent falling into the pool below the ring.

When Korra emerged, the first thing she saw was Tenzin, with a particularly deep scowl. He seemed intent on dragging her home while giving a lecture, but she brushed him off. Whatever punishment or consequences awaited her afterwards, she would deal with it then. She wasn't going to bail on Bolin and Mako right now.

But when she returned to the match for the third round, it was more of the same. The two brothers got pinned in a corner, so they weren't able to offer much help. It looked like she was going to end up in the pool again, when all of a sudden it started to click.

She was able to dodge the other team's attacks easily, just like if she were trying to get through the airbending training device. They tried to keep up, but it was clear the opposition was worn out by their strategy.

However, Bolin and Mako still had plenty of energy left. They seized the opportunity quickly, and with the help of their other teammate, the fire ferrets were able to send all three of the other benders off the other end of the ring, a knockout and an automatic victory.

Korra was left slightly stunned, taking in the cheering crowd. She was amazed at how well everything came together. She honestly wasn't sure what to do next, until she saw her teammates coming over to offer congratulations.

"Way to go Korra!", Bolin exclaimed, giving her a high-five. "That was totally awesome!"

"That was amazing, Korra", Mako added. "The way you were dodging attacks out there...you looked like a natural out there."

"Thanks, both of you", she told them, surprised by the older brother's sincerity. "But I can't take all the credit. Someone else taught me those moves." She looked back to where Tenzin had been standing, but he was gone, likely returning home.

"Well, whoever taught you did a great job. Think you could teach me a few moves in practice tomorrow?"

Korra was about to agree to Bolin's offer, then she noticed Mako giving him a look, probably bugged that he hadn't cleared the idea with him first. "What?", Bolin asked. "Did you have someone else in mind?" But all Mako could offer in response was a defeated sigh, before telling her "We'll meet tomorrow morning in the gym at 8. Don't be late, ok?"

Once Korra returned to the island, she found Tenzin overseeing the airbending training device being rebuilt. She tried to think of any apologies or explanations she could offer, but to her surprise, he offered one as well, saying he was trying to teach her about patience, but he lost his own.

They agreed to no hard feelings, and he actually praised the way she played out there. Tenzin told her she moved just like an airbender and that probending would be great for teaching her, but he still didn't seem particularly pleased that she had permanently joined the fire ferrets.

When she finally went to bed, Korra took the time to look out the window and gaze at Republic city. It was so different from how the South Pole looked at night. There, the only things you would normally see were the moon, the stars and snow.

Here? The light came from lit rooms and street lights, and there were so many of them. And they had people there trying to live their lives, just like she was. It wasn't going to be easy, but after tonight, it was easier for Korra to feel like she belonged here.

Notes: I'm putting all the tags I'm using for the story here (I'm mentioning tags since this is on AO3 too), so if you're new to this story you can get an idea of what I'll try to cover in it, and also because there's apparently a limit on how many tags you can use (Who knew)?

Characters: Bolin, Korra, Mako, Asami Sato, Tenzin, Pema, Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, Lin Beifong, Pabu, Naga, Hiroshi Sato, Iroh II, Bumi II, Amon/Noatak, Tarrlok, Tahno, Senna, Tonraq, Katara, Aang, Rohan, Kya II, Eska, Desna, Unalaq, Varrick, Zhu Li Moon, Raiko, Shady Shin, Two-Toed Ping, Viper

Relationships: Bolin/Korra, Mako/Asami Sato, Pema/Tenzin, Bolin & Mako, Korra & Asami Sato, Korra & Mako, Bolin & Asami Sato, Lin Beifong & Tenzin, Senna/Tonraq, Aang/Katara, Bolin & Korra, Ikki & Jinora & Meelo & Rohan, Bumi II & Kya II & Tenzin, Katara & Korra, Korra & Tenzin, Korra & Tonraq, Korra & Senna, Tonraq & Unalaq, Varrick & Zhu Li Moon, Varrick/Zhu Li Moon, Desna & Eska, Aang & Bumi II, Aang and Kya II, Aang and Tenzin, One-sided Bolin/Eska