A Legend of Korra Snapfic
Lessons
Part 5
By
Joshua Trujillo
Games. Jinora had a way of thinking up little games, and sometimes not so little games, that she would give Korra as a means of making her a better airbender. Most of the time, they wore Korra out. Jinora seemed to have the abundance of exuberance that youth provided her while Korra…well, she didn't feel old, but the energy of her Sifu seemed endless.
Korra panted as she lay flat on the stones, the little leaf resting on her forehead. They'd been at it again. More training, but at least this time, Korra seemed to be getting it.
"Sit up," Jinora said as she set something down beside Korra. "You did really well this time, Korra. You didn't let the leaf fall once."
Korra sat up and took the towel Jinora proffered her. The tray between them also held juice. Korra looked at the girl and smirked. She reached over and chilled the juice in both glasses. Really easy for someone like the Avatar to do and perhaps a frivolous use of her power, but if she were supposed to make life easier for everyone, then maybe not too frivolous. Jinora giggled, reached over and picked the little leaf off Korra's forehead.
"It's been a couple weeks, Jinora," Korra began. "Do you think I've come far enough to show Tenzin?"
Jinora took her time and sipped her juice. It was something Korra took to mean that she was thinking, a little invented thing that made her look older than she was. Korra wanted to find something like that, to control the conversation to her own advantage. Problem was, she didn't think she had enough patience.
"Father is pretty exacting," Jinora set her juice down. "With you, not so much, but I think you've come far enough to show him that you have the basics down. You need practice. I think everyone should practice. Except my brother. His…airbending…"
The girl turned slightly green and shuddered. Meelo had a…unique…view of what kind of air to bend. And while Tenzin had been trying to break him of the habit, Meelo seemed to be on his own schedule. Jinora focused herself back to her older charge. There was still something…
"There's still something bothering you, isn't there?"
Korra thanked the spirits that she had set her juice down.
"There is," Korra nodded. "But Tenzin and I have already talked about it."
"Which means it's about Mako," Jinora sighed. "Is he treating you okay? I mean…oh, I dunno…"
Korra watched in fascination as the bookworm airbender got tongue-tied. Jinora flailed her hands around in circles, then puffed out a breath and set them in her lap.
"Is he being nice?" she asked seriously. "Keeping his hands to himself? That kind of thing?"
Korra took a sip of her own juice to cover her smirk.
"And what, exactly, do you think he might do?"
"Well…"
Jinora coughed as her own blush rose. Korra smirked again. Jinora and Ikki held crushes for Mako, just as Meelo had a crush for Asami. Korra felt herself agreeing with all of them. She loved them both and that bugged her. She had been brought up that, given normal circumstances, there was only enough love to go around between two people. Now, her family had never thought that it should strictly be girl and boy. You get caught out in a bad storm and a body is a body, honestly. But love will be love. And yet…there it was. She loved both Mako and Asami.
"Jinora, I think that, perhaps you should stick to my airbending," Korra said primly.
"But that's the thing, Korra," the girl answered. "Airbending is about balance and how you hold that balance in your mind and body. As far as I can read, it's the trickiest of bendings because you have to have that balance."
"But…Aang-"
"Grandpa had been an airbender all his life," Jinora shook her head. "And, he'd been raised in the Temple. Airbending and thinking in the way of an airbender would have been second nature to him. Same as dad. Same as me an' Ikki and Meelo, really."
Korra sat in silence. Both of them turned out to the bay and looked at the gleaming arena in the distance. Korra snuck a peek at the smaller girl. It was obvious her mind worked like mad under that placid exterior. Maybe Tenzin did things the same way, though he usually had the answers. Korra could still get him flustered now and again.
"Maybe…" Jinora frowned. "That wouldn't make sense as an airbender, but perhaps I've been looking at this the wrong way."
"Looking at what?"
Jinora shook her head.
"I need to talk to dad," Jinora said softly. "Please continue with the practices I've taught you and I hope I'm not right."
The girl stood, gathered the glasses and tray, turned and left. Korra frowned as the girl departed. Korra thought she had been doing so well, too. But maybe it was time to think about getting her own house in order.