Early practices for the fire ferrets and meditation with Tenzin and his family had led Korra to the conclusion that mornings are evil, but this particular one seemed to drive the point home. She did have some reprieve from the horrors, as her teacher ended their session early, but that was more of a result of his daughter's behavior than anything else.

Apparently Korra's romantic life was the most exciting thing in the world to Jinora and Ikki, as they had changed their approach of finding answers from questioning curiously to downright pestering upon seeing the flowers that Bolin gave her in a vase in her bedroom.

Korra's refusal to say why she had them and who had given them to her wasn't enough to deter them unfortunately, but it did make her realize that she needed someone to talk to about all of this, and the chattering hog monkeys in air nomad robes would not suffice.

She pondered her options, and became frustrated upon realizing her choices. She couldn't talk to Asami for reasons that were obvious even to her. Tenzin would probably chastise her for even considering a relationship, telling her she needed to focus on mastering airbending and her spirituality. Naga was a good confidant, but Korra had not yet been able to decipher her barks into applicable advice. Meelo would probably get bored during the conversation and fall asleep like in meditations. Chief Beifong was also a no go, as she might be tempted to try and arrest Korra for wasting her time on nonsense like that when she had a city to protect.

Even though trying what Pema had done years ago hadn't gone the same way for her, her interaction with Tenzin at breakfast reminded her that she was the only woman she knew besides her mother that was in a happy, healthy relationship, so later that afternoon, Korra went up to the woman and asked if they could talk in private about what was going on.

After following Pema to the bedroom she shared with Tenzin, the woman encouraged her to sit down next to her and start from the beginning.

"Well, I had thought a lot about what you said earlier, about not being afraid of rejection, and it being too painful to watch your soulmate be with the wrong person, so I decided that after our probending match that night I would tell Mako how I felt", Korra started.

"Ok".

"I tried to be casual about it at first, give him little hints, but he didn't seem to pick up on them, so I...blurted out that I thought we were meant for each other", Korra said while burying her face in her hands, embarrassment from her outburst returning.

"Oh", remarked Pema with slight surprise.

"Anyway, he said he didn't feel the same way, so I told him to forget I said anything. Then his girlfriend, Asami showed up and they were being all lovey-dovey, so at that point I just wanted to get out of there and go home, before Bolin came up and stopped me".

"That's Mako's little brother, right"?

"Yeah, he's the earthbender on the fire ferrets too. Anyway, he wanted to ask me out to dinner as a date situation, but I wasn't feeling up for it with what just happened, so I told him I didn't feel date worthy".

"And what did he say to that"?

"He asked if I was kidding, because apparently I'm the smartest, funniest, toughest, buff-est, talent-est, incredible-est girl in the world", she said with the exact expression on her face as the first time she heard it.

"Awwwwwww", came a high pitched voice from just outside the door.

"IKKI!", was the immediate response of three different girls. Korra and Pema for finding out she was eavesdropping, and Jinora for blowing their cover.

Realizing her mistake, the girl quickly blurted out an apology and sped away on an air scooter, with her sister right behind her to avoid the wrath of their mother and the avatar.

Following a few seconds grumbling about what she had planned for them, Pema apologized again for their behavior and encouraged Korra to keep going.

So Korra continued, going into detail about going to Narook's and Bolin's reasoning behind taking her there, the trouble Tahno gave them and Bolin calling her "one of a kind" after she had used Naga to scare off the nuisance.

She then talked about their visit to an ice cream parlor nearby, how Korra had never tasted it before, and the spontaneous belching contest they'd had. This got a laugh from Pema, along with admitting a bit of jealousy, as ice cream was a treat she hadn't had in a long time, since her three children would always scarf it down first on the rare occasions it was available.

Korra then finished the story by talking about them riding Naga to harmony tower, the long walk up the stairwell, and the view at the top that took her breath away, while Bolin happily pointed out places she recognized and places she did not, before deciding to call it a night and head home.

"Sounds like you had a really nice time", Pema said with a soft smile.

"Yeah, to be honest it was one of the best nights of my life", Korra admitted.

"So what happened next?"

"Anyway, the next morning Mako wanted to have a talk with me. He said I had Bolin in a tizzy, that I was just using him, that he didn't want to see his little brother get his heart broken", Korra remarked, the frustration from his confrontation returning.

Taking notice, Pema tried to soothe her, saying how common it was for older siblings to be overprotective.

Korra lightened up a little hearing that, going so far as letting a little laugh, remembering a story Katara had told when she was younger about how her older brother Sokka had chased Aang around the South pole with a war club upon discovering that his little sister was pregnant with the avatar's child.

"So what did you end up saying to Mako?"

"At the time, I didn't believe he was only concerned about Bolin. I said Mako was just being jealous, that he actually did have feelings for me. Then I called him a liar, he said I was crazy, and we were in such a bad spot that we probably would have lost the match if Bolin hadn't carried us through it".

Then Korra talked about Bolin showing up after the match with flowers, and the whirlwind of emotions that came with it. The way he hugged her and tried to apologize for making her upset even though it wasn't his fault at all, and how feelings for him seemed to come out of nowhere and her reassurance to Bolin that she just needed time.

Pema then took a deep breath and placed her arm on the avatar's shoulder. "Korra, before I give you any advice, I think you should know the full story behind how Tenzin and I became a couple, because I don't think the situation I was in is the same as yours".

"Oh...alright ". Korra couldn't help feeling a little stung at Pema's words, but brushed it off since she knew the woman was just trying to help.

"I was a little older than you were when I met Tenzin. I had just moved to the island to become an acolyte. He was teaching new arrivals about the history of the air nomads, and after one of his lessons we decided to spend some time together. Our feelings toward each other were only platonic at the time, but we became friends quickly and got along really well. Eventually he introduced me to his girlfriend and his family, and we became fixtures in each other's lives".

"Really? The way you talked about it before made it seem like love at first sight".

"I know, and I'm sorry if I mislead you, it's just I didn't want to go into detail in front of the girls, because I don't think they'd understand or be interested in all the details about what happened". Pema had said this with a slight sadness in her eyes, but Korra couldn't tell if it was because of what she said yesterday or what had happened a long time ago.

"The truth is Korra, I don't know when exactly I fell in love with Tenzin, but I do know I struggled with the idea of admitting it for a long time. I struggled because I knew if I admitted them, people could end up getting hurt. I would have been hurt if Tenzin hadn't felt the same way, but also because it might have been uncomfortable for him to still be friends while knowing I wanted more than that. I also knew people would get hurt if he did feel the same way, because even though Tenzin and the women he was with fought a lot and they weren't happy in their relationship anymore, I know he cared and still cares a lot about her, and that the breakup was really painful for her".

"Really?"

"Actually, before they started dating, they had actually grown up together. But after they had been together for a few years, they had started to argue about where they wanted to go in their relationship. He wanted to get married and have kids, she wanted to stay focused on her job. That was actually what made me confess to Tenzin, not just because I loved him and knew him so well, but that I wanted to have a family with him more than anything in the world".

This put Korra at a loss for words. The story she heard yesterday made everything seem so simple. She hadn't even considered Asami that much in her pursuit of Mako.

Now that she had a chance to think about it, the Avatar didn't really have any evidence to back up that Asami was the wrong woman, or even that Korra and Mako were "meant for each other".

Pema then leaned in towards Korra, and with a tone of slight sternness, said "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but even if Mako doeshave feelings for you, it's not your place to force him into a relationship, especially if he's already with someone else. But either way, I don't think you should be dating with the idea of finding your soulmate right now, at least not while you're so young".

What the woman had just told her had reminded Korra of her first airbending lessons with Tenzin, where her inability to "be the leaf" had led to several bruises and a concussion.

"Alright, the first part of what you said makes sense, but what should I be dating for then, if not that?" The annoyance at her advice must have been clear, as Pema had raised her eyes ever so slightly.

"I'm not saying that you won't meet your soulmate right now, I just think that it's a better mindset to just find someone that you enjoy spending time with. And if you end up developing a romantic relationship with them, then that's great, but don't get ahead of yourself, alright"?

Taking a moment to ponder what she had just heard, Korra had to admit that the older woman said did make a lot of sense.

"So you think I should go out with Bolin then?"

Pema let out a little chuckle at that, which caused Korra to turn red from sounding so overeager. "It's entirely up to you Korra, but based on what you've told me, I don't see the harm in it".

Hunching over a little, she then said "I guess I kinda just feel...guilty about the thing, because I'm not sure if I even would've gone out with him if Mako hadn't just shot me down, and I only really thought of him as a buddy until he hugged me and I noticed how...muscle-ey he was!" Korra couldn't help but bury her head in her hands upon admitting how shallow she had been.

"I understand what you mean. It's alright for appearance to be a reason for why you want to date someone, it just shouldn't be the only reason. And...Between you and me, I didn't really have a crush on Tenzin until he invited me on a vacation with his family to their beach house on ember island", a sly smile coming over Pema's face.

"What does that have to do with..oh"

The look on Korra's face must have been fairly amusing, as Pema continued through a small laugh. "All I'm saying is that air nomad robes are good at hiding muscles too".

"Ok ok ok!" She hoped that her desire to change the subject was clear, as Korra didn't want to offend Pema, but she also wanted to move on as quickly as possible to avoid any unwanted mental pictures of her airbending master.

"Alright, Korra, I'm sorry. I just wanted you to know that what you're feeling is completely normal. But whatever you decide to do, I think it'd be best to smooth things over with Mako first, since it sounds like you'll be spending a lot of time with him in the future".

She couldn't argue that point. Korra also made a mental note she should probably also get to know Asami better, since being on good terms with the girl Mako was actually dating would probably help as well.

"Thanks, Pema. I really appreciate your help with all of this".

"Anytime, Korra".

(-)

While the fire ferrets had technically been victorious in their match against the Buzzard Wasps, it hadn't been the ideal scenario Bolin had been hoping for. At the very least, the tension between his crush and his brother had seemed to be resolved, as Korra pulled Mako aside for a private conversation, and he hadn't been able to hear any yelling or the sound of something being broken. Korra hadn't been able to clear things up with him as well before the match though, as they heard an announcement for the three of them to show up to the lockers right by the entrance to the ring.

Unfortunately, not knowing where he stood with Korra had by his own admission been a distraction during the match, although at least Mako wouldn't be able to pull his I told you so routine on him again, as his performance hadn't been up to his usual standards either.

However, it wasn't really up for debate who was having the worse night between the two of them. An earth disc to the stomach a few seconds into the opening round had Bolin leaning over the side of the ring and spewing his prematch meal into the pool below.

Injury was later added to insult in the third round when another disc to the shoulder had him fighting with one arm, if only for a few seconds before joining his brother in the pool.

At that point he was thinking at least there's always next year when Korra had pulled off a waterbending miracle to keep them in the tournament with a spot in the finals.

After that they both went to offer their praise and thanks for what she had done, but he and Mako were interrupted by Tahno and two of his sidekicks/teammates entering the locker room.

"You boys smell something in here? Wait, I know what that is. Yeah, that's the scent of losers".

Bolin couldn't help but shoot back a remark hearing that. "We literally just won our match, Tahno. At least put some effort into making fun of us."

Korra nodded in agreement. "I hope we see you in the finals. Then we'll show you who the losers really are".

Tahno didn't seem intimidated by her threat at all. "Yeah, I'm peeing my pants over here".

Bolin couldn't ignore the perfect setup he'd been given. "You mean like when Naga roared in your face at Narook's last night"?

He knew he'd probably end up regretting saying that later, yet he couldn't help but enjoy how much the comment had gotten under Tahno's skin.

"Oh I'm gonna enjoy embarrassing you", the Wolfbat captain said with the same expression from when his entourage had stopped him from falling over at the previously mentioned noodle joint.

It was clear even to him that replying now would be earthbending his own grave, but for some reason he couldn't explain, Bolin kept going.

"That's probably what the person who does your hair thinks every time you have an appointment with him".

Too stunned and furious to offer a comeback or promise of suffering, Tahno quickly turned around to take his anger out on the unfortunate team that had no idea what was about to happen. Bolin did the same to see Korra covering her mouth to hide her laughter, Mako gaping at him like he had grown a second head, and Asami giggling with raised eyebrows.

"What do you think you're doing? They're tough enough already without you ticking him off", his brother whispered through gritted teeth".

Bolin didn't really have a good enough reason for what he had just done, so he just shrugged and said "Uhh...mind games? Who knows, maybe what I said will throw him off and we won't even have to play them in the finals!"

Mako groaned and was about to point out how terrible of an idea that was, but stopped when he noticed Asami walking toward him and focused his attention on her, and since Korra had done the same to offer her thanks, Bolin decided to tend to his hurt shoulder.

His injury hadn't gone unnoticed by the Avatar though. Korra offered to use a bucket of water nearby to help with his shoulder, explaining that she had learned to heal with waterbending from Katara. Apparently the lessons hadn't covered how to be gentle though.

"Ow! Geez, are you sure we're thinking of the same Katara? Is it a common name in the South pole? Did the woman have hair loopies"?

That got him a chuckle and eye roll, but as the water in her hands began to glow, a feeling of relief and euphoria washed over him. This hadn't gone unnoticed by Korra however, as he turned his head to see a smug grin on her face. "Does that answer your question?"

"Yes ma'am", he murmured, staring at the ground.

She then sighed happily, but followed that with a serious look on her face. "Bolin, I just wanted to apologize again for last night. I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand".

"It's okay, Korra, really. And I'm sorry if I put you on the spot before".

"You don't have anything to apologize for Bolin, honestly!" The tinge of frustration and sincerity in her voice caused him to look back up at her, and he could see a bit of pleading in her eyes.

"Oh, sor-". He was fortunately able to stop himself, as he'd probably have to deal with two messed up shoulders if he had tried to apologize again.

She rolled her eyes again, but this time she had a smile on her face.

"Sooo..., anyway. Listen, I know things are still kinda crazy right now, with the equalists, the tournament and all that stuff. But you...me...us, I want to give it a shot". Bolin straightened up immediately after that, with a giant grin on his face from hearing those words and noticing Korra's cheeks had a slight blush to them.

"Really?! That's grea- uh, I mean, I guess if you want to try, I uh..., suppose we can give it a shot, if you want". It was Bolin's turn to blush now, although he was doing so to at his inability to play it cool with the girl of his dreams.

Korra giggled a little, then opened her mouth to say something else when she got interrupted by the announcer on the pa.

"Your winners, the Wolfbats!"

"Wait, what?" They looked over to Mako and Asami who had been watching the match the entire time. "How is it over already?", Korra asked incredulously.

Mako explained that the other team had opened poorly, and their opponent had capitalized with a round one knockout so vicious that the Mongoose Lizards needed to be placed on stretchers.

Korra and Mako looked down at the carnage with stunned looks on their faces, but Bolin couldn't help but wince, knowing he should probably send flowers to their hospital rooms, as he couldn't help feel a little responsible for their condition.

Mako then went to leave, but not without giving his brother a sarcastic remark. "Great mind games, Bolin. They look like they'll be real pushovers tomorrow".

That took the earthbender from a guilty wince to a fearful cringe, now picturing what his own funeral would look like. Monkeyfeathers.

Notes: I wanted to give Pema a chance to give Korra a better explanation of what happened between her, Tenzin and Lin, because the situation she was in and the situation Korra was in weren't similar at all. I think if Korra had known the full story, she wouldn't have gone after Mako imo, because he was happy and Tenzin wasn't.

This is the first thing I've written that hasn't been for school, so ANY feedback or suggestions about writing or what you want to happen in the story is welcomed! Anyway, hope you enjoy it and I'll try to keep up with this story the best I can!