Chapter Two: Plans

"Hey, do you want any breakfast, cool guy?" That voice can alarm Mako from miles away. His eyes shoot open and there stands Korra, leaning over him from the side of his bed. Her eyes sparkle as she smiles, and his quick heart beat begins to slow at the sight.

"Yeah, I'd like some. Who's cooking?" Mako sits up, running his hand through his messy hair.

"Katara. She makes the best food down here in the South Pole, I swear."

Mako chuckles. "So she's the best healer, and the best cook?"

"I'd say so!" Korra says proudly. "Now, come on! She's almost done!" She begins to walk out, but once she's halfway through the doorway, she pauses. "Oh, and make your bed. Katara will blow a casket if you don't."

And with that, she's gone. Mako takes a moment to stretch, reveling in the relaxation of the very movement before deciding to make his bed.

Just as the firebender finishes, he hears his brother race out of his room and down the small hallway. "BREAKFAST!"

"Calm down, Bo!" Mako calls, chuckling to himself. Reaching over to the coat rack, he puts on his jacket, reaching for his scarf afterwards.

"Come on, Mako, hurry up!" One last call from Korra. Huffing, Mako speeds things up. He tosses his scarf around his shoulder, wrapping it around his neck before making his way out of his room and down the hall into the small kitchen. He joins up with his teammates, even Asami coming along.

"So, even with us having our own kitchen in here, we are having Katara cook for us?" He asks. The group begins to walk out into the snow, which is glistening with the bright sun rays.

"She wants to. Like a friendly greeting. And kind of a celebration for Amon being defeated and me getting my bending back."

"Amon may be gone now, but he got away. You said so yourself, Korra," Bolin adds.

"I don't know about that. Something tells me his ending didn't come along happy," Asami replies lowly.

Mako takes a quick glance at Asami. She looks normal today. Yesterday she looked depressed, almost, like she was beating herself up for everything that ever happened. Including with what happened with her father, it must have been terrible. But now she looks better. Could she have gotten over it that fast? Was she hiding it so that no one else would worry? So that Mako wouldn't feel sorry? It's quite possible, that Asami doesn't want to interfere with Mako and Korra's relationship. Mako just knows that everything is a little unstable right now.

"Here we are!" Korra announces, throwing her arms out to present a rather large ice hut. Mako raises an eye brow.

"Katara lives here? By herself? It's pretty big for someone who's so lonely."

Korra opens the door and lets her friends slip inside. "She's not as lonely as you think she is. Sure, she misses Aang, but a lot of people come by and request healing. So she makes a lot of new friends."

The inside is beautiful. Paneling on the walls, animal furs hanging on some of them, some soft, penguin snow leopard skins laying on the floor, and beautiful decorations, even some dream catchers.

"Whoa," Bolin whispers to himself.

"Yeah," Mako agrees. "Whoa."

"There you are!" Katara's warm, elderly voice chimes. They follow her into the next room, which is a dining room and kitchen with elegant wooden chairs and a polished dining table, which a chandelier overhead.

"Where did you get all of this beautiful furniture?" Asami asks, skimming her fingers gently against the polished surfaces.

"A lot of my furniture is left over from the house Aang and I used to own down in Republic City. It was all too nice to just leave there. But the things that I didn't really desire to take with me, I gave to others." Katara nods as she speaks.

"It's really nice," Mako adds, smiling at the small old woman. She smiles.

"Why don't you take a seat?" Katara gestures to the seats, turning around afterwards to tend to the food.

Korra sat down first, in the chair at the end. Mako sat beside her, Bolin across, and Asami beside Bolin. The delicious smell of cooking eggs and cow pig sausage fills the room, and from time to time, Mako's stomach roars like an angry tigerdillo. He can't help but blush in embarrassment each time it happens.

"Tenzin's should be joining us any second now," Katara smiles to herself, always delighted to see her family. She piles everything onto their own special plates before placing everything in the center of the table. "You don't have to wait for them. If you're hungry, dig in!"

Korra grabs her fork and begins to pile on the food, nearly salivating from all the smells.

"Leave some for the rest of us!" Cries a loud, hitch pitched voice. All eyes are averted over to the entrance of the kitchen, where there stands Tenzin's family. Pems holds the baby close as she walks in first.

"'Cause, I'm hungry, too!" Meelo finishes. Beside Bolin, Jinora slides into the seat, then Ikki, then Meelo. Pema and Tenzin sit across from them, the baby stirring slightly as they all settle.

"Good morning, Mother. What's all here?" Tenzin asks, peering over the food. Katara smiles warmly as she places the last plate down: toast.

"Eggs, cow pig sausage, and toast! Go ahead and eat! Anybody want orange juice?"

Korra, with her mouth full, stops her chewing for a moment. "Where do you get oranges?"

"It's imported. Things are a lot different from when I was young...it's quicker to bring things over here than before." Katara pours the orange juice into the waiting cups. "Though, I believe progress might slow down a bit now."

As everyone begins to fill their plates and eat, Tenzin raises his head. "Along the lines of progress...I recieved a call earlier this morning. With preperation, we can get back to rebuilding everything. They said that, maybe, in a months time, the arena would be repaired and the fire ferrets can move back in!'

"Sweet!" Mako and Bolin cheer. Korra smiles and cheers along, but is the first to get quiet again. "I guess they won't be staying with us anymore?"

"If they decide they want to move back into the arena, then no. But for now, we're all together, and we're all family."

"Hey, what about me?" Asami speaks up. "Where would I stay?"

Tenzin gives her a gentle smile. "Well, the man did say that the Satomobile company needed a new head...perhaps we can get that up and running again, and you can have the mansion."

Asami takes a sip of her drink. "I would have some demolisions done. Take away that underground tunnel." She lowers her head. "I would never have any use for that."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to awaken any bad memories!" Bolin chuckles, but no one else laughs with him. "I really do choose the wrong time to crack a joke, don't I?"

Katara takes a seat next to her son. "How is everone enjoying their breakfast?"

"It's delicious, Katara. Korra was right when she said you were the best cook!" Mako takes a piece of egg into his mouth. Katara lets out a light laugh.

"Years of practice."

A moment of silence falls upon them.

"So," Mako continues, "Now that we know that Repubic City is under construction, are we going to go back anytime soon to assist?"

Tenzin answers again. "Lin already left early this morning. She felt like now that she has her bending back, she could help. In a few days, Korra will probably be requested to sail over, and return some bending."

"Isn't this all a little too quick?" Korra asks, chugging down some orange juice afterwards. "So hungry!"

"That's what I mentioned, but he said that it could help the builders. Maybe even get Lin's forces back. The more I think about it, the more it sounds like a good idea."

"So we'll go along? What will we do?" Mako asks. Pema answers.

"Heh, perhaps you can help me with the house back home. It was damaged as well."

"Hey, it's not a bad idea," Bolin notes, taking a sip of orange juice. "Gives us something to do for the time being."

"Just one thing," Mako buds in. "Would it be dangerous for Korra to go?"

"I was just about to ask that," Asami adds.

"It could be. Though, wouldn't it be the same amount of danger from when Amon was rising?" Tenzin retorts. There's a silence as they stop and think about it.

"What about riots?" Korra asks. Tenzin shakes his head.

"Just as many riots as before. Amon lied to them, remember? Plus, we'll be with Korra at all times. If anybody tries anything, we can be there to help."

"Chi-blockers? They still roam the streets, and can make someone unable to bend for a pperiod of time. What will you do about that?" Mako ponders. He can see the pause take effect on Tenzin, and knows his question mattered.

"I guess we'll have to get the police force on the look out because we don't know their faces, we can't arrest them for what they've done yet. If one of them strikes, we could then know to follow them. Even get questioning donw to find the others."

"You make it sound easy," Korra says, finishing up what was on her plate. "I'm sure they have plenty of tricks still up their sleeves. They were Amon's henchment, they're not stupid, they're skilled.

With that, they fall silent to eat.


"So, what do you want to do?" Bolin plays with a few pebbles that were sitting in Mako's room. Pabu bats at them playfully.

"I have no idea..." Mako lays back on his bed, Korra sitting on the edge.

"I would introduce you to penguin sledding, but we're way too big for them," Korra sighs. Mako gently flicks around the ties that hang from her waist. She smiles and looks back at him, and they share a look for a moment.

"I'm still in the room, you know," Bolin says nonchalantly. Mako and Korra both laugh a bit at this and Bolin cocks up an eye brow.

"Leave, then."

"What? Why? Wait. I don't even want to know." Bolin grabs Pabu and begins to walk out. "Come on, Pabu. Let's join Asami, over where it's INNOCENT."

Korra and Mako begin to laugh once he leaves, and then Korra lays down beside him.

"I'm glad Tenzin wasn't able to stay to teach me."

"What do you mean?" Mako begins to thread his fingers through her ponytail. Her hair is so soft against his fingertips, like a ghost's carress. He never would have imagined her hair being so silky.

"I only went to Republic City because Tenzin couldn't stay."

Mako lays there for a moment and stares at the wooden ceiling. "I'm glad he couldn't stay, too."

Korra closes her eyes and just relaxes. "I never knew Amon even existed until I got there. I didn't expect me to be a hero. I felt like since Aang's life was full of different things, that my life would be boring."

Mako's hand leaves her hair and begins to stroke her cheek gently. "You're getting the debris he left behind."

"I'd say this stuff is annoying, but it seems it's positive for me," Korra mumbles before rolling over to face her boyfriend. "Everything."

"A negative usually leads to a positive," Mako replies, leaning in a little bit. Korra's eyes are starting to slip shut as their lips gently graze each other, before meeting completely. Sparks fly in her chest, fireworks combust in his, butterfly dances in the mix. They felt this way every time they kiss. Granted, they've only kissed twice before, the results have always been the same. For a moment, they're gone, far away from the South Pole, to the place Ikki spoke of before. The castle in the sky. Heaven.

But then they pull away slowly, and the beautiful moment is over.

"I love you," Mako whispers.

"I love you, too," Korra whispers back. She rolls back over onto her back, and sighs.

"Yeah. Going back to Republic City will make the fun begin again..."