Chapter 1:

Fun, Fun, Fun by the Beach Boys

January 10th, 1890

Republic City

"Korra! You better be ready, you're gonna be late for school!" Senna shouted up to her daughter, hoping she could be heard over her radio. Korra was indeed ready, or atleast her mom would say so. Korra moved her arms to lift up the water from various open jugs in her room, and spun her arms while tightening her hands into fists, streaming the water into various pouches across her body. With some quick work she set up the caps so she wouldn't spill any of them and grabbed her portable radio, turning it down so her mother wouldn't notice.

She leapt out of her room and down the stairs.

"Already on my way out, I'll pick up food on the way there! Love you!" She spun around and out the door.

"Korra! You leave that radio here, you're not supposed to bring it-"

"LOVE YA MA!" Korra shouts with a happy wave as she takes off down the streets. The ice carved streets of North Republic City was inspired by the Northern water tribe and built using ancient Southern Waterbending techniques, but this was all boringly familiar to Korra. Besides, she preferred the view from up top. She smirked as she rounded a corner and saw her target. The suspension bridge that led into Lil' Fire Nation, she turned up the radio hanging on her back before vaulting off the bridge.

She dives, spinning through the water as she gathers up the river water before shooting herself out of the water, causing a water spout to launch her out with incredible speed. High into the air she flew as she undid two of her water pouches and formed viscous tendrils of water around her arms as she dove through air, before she flicked one tendril out, attaching it to a nearby building's overhang, she swung forward an high up into the air once again. She shouted with joy as she swung across Republic City. No matter how long she had done this, she always found it exhilarating. The feel of the air rushing past her made her feel.. Something, she could never truly grasp what it was. But it was fun.

"Wooooo!" She shouted as she dove towards the streets as she quickly undid another water pouch, forming ice boots around her own shoes as she whipped her tendril around a light post and skidded across the street on her icey boots. In a moment, she quickly liquified the ice into a gas beneath her, as she shot up into the air and swung down the street she just turned onto, heading to the White Lotus Academy. She did however, have to make a quick pitstop.

Korra came to a stop with a quick flip, quickly bending what water she could retain into her water pouches. She landed on a street corner, where an Earth kingdom man sat amongst various drums. He tapped rappid rhythms with two sticks, and when korra landed, he smiled widely.

"Oh, What's up baby doll? How's my favorite water bendin' gal doing?" as he slowed his drumming to a quiet backing beat.

"Not much Richie! Just a quick refil, watcha playing today?" She undid the empty pouches and bega to pool water from a nearby stream.

"Got a new jam, just for you pretty baby gonna call it 'Rip it up' Tell me whatcha think." His drumming slammed into a rapid tempo as his gravely voice beautifully wailed out a song.

"Well It's saturday night and I just got paid, Fool about my money, don't try to save. My heart says a go go, have a time! Cause it's Saturday night and I'm, feelin' fine…" As the drumming started, Koraa began to twist, turn, and waterbend to the music. As Richie slammed into the chorus she did a flip and a spin, streaming the stream water into her empty water pouches.

"I'm gonna Rock it up, gonna rip it up! I'm gonna shake it up, gonna ball it up! Gonna rip it up, and Ball tonight!" He petered off the drum beat back into his light conversation beat, as Korra settled back into standing with a laugh.

"I love it! You gotta keep it up! I'll see ya later!" She quickly bended her water tendrils out and swung up into the skyline of Republic City.

"Man what a crazy cat, she's gonna do something wild." Richie said to himself as he slammed into another song.
"All around the world…"

Assami sat outside White Lotus Academy, reading through a pamphlet.

'The 100 years war started with benders, and from the Earth Kingdom Firebenders stole our land from us to make Republic City, a national monument to benders. Where streets run with enough water so that Nornetern Watertribesmen can further subjugate women, lit with enough fire so that cruel veterans can live to further terrorize non-benders, and the very streets are made to best be weaponized by earthbenders. This madness is a sign of a new coming war, not against a single nation, but non-benders themselve-"

"Hey Assami! Watcha reading?" Korra's voice cut through the firebender's angry reading.

"This stupid 'EqUaLisT' pamphlet! They're talking about civil war!" Assami lights the paper on fire before dashing the flame out.

"They don't know anything about the city my family built. I'm the only bender in my family and they talk like all of us were Ozai's family!" Korra cocked her head to the side.

"I wouldn't worry about it. It doesn't really affect us."

"I'm two years away from being eligible to run for my dad's seat on the Council Korra, I'm gonna have to directly deal with the fallout of these events." Assami said, clearly stressed. Korra inched a bit closer.

"Well… You know that dream I told you about? Maybe we could…"

"I don't want to run from my problems, Korra."

"You wouldn't be running away."

"Well what else would people think? What would my dad think?"

"You'd be with me, we could figure something out." Korra said with a smile. Assami looked at her eyes, and couldn't laugh at genuine earnestness in Korra's blue eyes.

"You don't get it, it's okay. Some day when I fix the City we can run around the world to your heart's content Korra." Assami joked but Korra's smile widened. "I look forward to it!"

Suddenly the bell rang, and they had to rush off to class.