4re: Last time jump I swear.
"Korra!" Katara called as she searched throughout the manor for the girl. She paused for a moment, listening for a response, but the only thing that reached her ears was the small echo of her own voice. She sighed, Korra was probably off somewhere playing with her dog, Naga, or running around bugging Howl as he worked. Hopefully she would get back home before supper.
Korra raced through the pine forest near Katara's home, chasing after an elusive hare, her Newfoundland bounding ahead of her. Her smile wide as she caught up with the hare, she stopped and looked out between the trees at the manor, which at the moment was only a speck on the horizon.
"Well, Naga, I guess we better be getting back, Katara said Tenzin would get here right before dinner. And we got a long walk, girl" Naga rubbed the top of her head on Korra's hand, and she gave the large dog an affectionate pat. "I'll race you." She laughed, and launched forwards towards the smell of cooking food.
When Korra pushed open the door to the dining room, she was greeted by an armful of hyperactive children. Korra stumbled back, barely stopping herself from falling, and couldn't hold back the smile that broke onto her face.
"Hello kids." She said to the three who were beaming up at her.
"Korra, Korra, you should of seen this, there was a huge whale in the harbor!" Jinora grinned up at her.
"Is that so?" Korra said, the side of her lips twitching up as she watched the kids run around. Obviously being stuck on a boat for days made them a little stir crazy.
"Hello Korra." She turned from watching Meelo try to bite off Naga's tail, and nodded her head at the tall man who had spoken.
"It's good to see you Tenzin" She offered a smile to the older man. He stood, rubbing the back off his neck awkwardly.
"How have you been holding up?" He asked after a rather pregnant pause.
"I've been fine, Tenzin."
"It's just, I know how hard it must be with Tahno gone..." Korra looked down at the floor.
"Tenzin, I'm not a child anymore, I can handle myself without him" Tenzin briskly nodded.
"Yes! Of course you are, Korra!" With that, he went over to join his wife and children, who were currently helping bring out large platters of food to the dining table.
Korra frowned at the plate of food before her, her previously growling stomach quiet and tied in knots. Why did Tenzin have to bring up Tahno? Even after a year, she had barely gotten over him leaving and now he had to break open the wound. She chased her food around her plate, then sighed and asked to be excused.
Korra mulled over what Tahno had said to her that day. He wanted a different life, he had said, away from them and the White Lotus. He didn't want to end up like their parents. Her brows furrowed. Did that mean he knew why their parents had been killed? Did he know something she didn't? She fell into her bed and let out a frustrated cry. She didn't want to think about her past before she went to sleep. Naga slinked over to Korra, nudging her hand and licking her face. Korra smiled at her dog groggily, her fingers curling in Naga's fur as she drifted off to into a fitful sleep.
Tenzin's visit flew by fast, Korra and Naga spent their time playing with the kids and using them in her devious pranks against the poor man. Even with all of her hard playing, Korra couldn't seem to get Tahno off her mind. How had she not noticed this before? If he knew something, why wouldn't he have told her? Was he trying to protect her? Each passing day made Korra more sullen, and she was soon unable to hide her mood. So, on the day Tenzin was to leave, Katara confronted her.
"Korra, you've been acting strange lately. Is there anything wrong?" Katara asked, her concern clear in her voice. Korra gave the woman an easily faked smile.
"Nothing is wrong Katara."
"I know you're lying Korra, I have lived far longer than you." Korra frowned. "You're thinking about Tahno, aren't you?" Korra hesitated, then nodded her head meekly. Katara sighed and placed a firm hand on Katara's shoulder.
"You have to stop worrying, dear, he's a grown man, I'm sure he's doing perfectly fine."
"But, we haven't heard from him since he left!" Korra exclaimed, her expression earnest as she pleaded with Katara. She bit her lip, and looked away from the old woman. "Katara...do you think I could go back to Republic City with Tenzin? I can even get a job and live on my own if I need to!"
"Korra. I-" Katara sighed, bringing a hand up to her face and rubbing her forehead. She grit her teeth and continued "It's fine with me. You have to make sure it's okay with Tenzin. He does have another child coming." Korra's face lit up, and she nodded her head eagerly.
"Thank you so much Katara!" She immediately rushed to Tenzin, and tapped his broad left shoulder.
Katara watched the girl with careful eyes, her gaze following her movements with close eyes. She really had no problem with Korra going to Republic City, as long as Tenzin kept an eye on her, and didn't allow her to get too ...'involved.'
"Oh, Aang, what have we gotten our family into." She muttered under her breath, giving her a head a slow, sorrowful shake.
Korra stared out in awe, her mouth agape as she laughed, taking in the sight of the gigantic city before her. She turned, eager to get off the ever-increasingly boring ship, and hopped down the gangplank, Tenzin's three children following close behind. Tenzin called out to her and the kids, warning them back. Korra rolled her eyes, but stood complacently as he, Pema, and the guards made their way down.
She walked beside Howl, who had come along, as they walked through busy cobbled streets, filled with the smell of fresh baked goods and produce, new ink on paper, and the cheeriness of the locals out to market. Her eyes eagerly took in all the sights and sounds of the new surroundings, and she stopped for a moment to quickly buy a still-steaming bun, and dropped a little bit for Naga as she trailed behind. Tenzin stopped suddenly, bringing Korra's attention away from her swiftly disappearing food and onto a small dock with a large, rather dingy ferry moored to it. She frowned at the boat, and raised a questioning look to Tenzin.
"We're going on a boat?" She asked with a small laugh. "Do you live in the middle of the ocean?"
"Actually, yes." Tenzin replied, helping Pema into the boat. "It's a small island that my father bought before he died. I was always fond of it, so I decided to build a home there for my family." Korra followed him on to the ferry, shifting around so the guards could squeeze in.
"Why didn't we just go straight there then, instead of going through the city?"
"There are mines that surround the side of the island that faces the open ocean. Apparently it had a very strategic navy base on it during the war. It's very difficult to navigate through without, well, getting blown to pieces."
"That's certainly an interesting piece of history." Korra smirked. She frowned slightly as something caught her eye, then gasped as a looming, temple-like building slowly but surely came into view.
"This is your house?" She said in wonder and awe. "This is like a palace!"
She climbed out of the ferry as soon as Tenzin tied it to the dock, next to two other boats. Korra's eyes raked every inch of the monstrous structure, moving out of the way subconsciously as Ikki and Meelo ran past her,raced up the small set of stairs and went through the entrance. Jinora hopped up to Korra, and tugged on her arm.
"Father said he wanted me to show you to your room!" She smiled, taking Korra by the hand. The girl led Korra up two flights of stairs, and they pushed through a door and entered a room. There was a large bed to the right, a wardrobe, and a desk. The wood of the furniture had a red tint, and was polished to a shine. Korra's eyes were immediately drawn to the Bay window that faced the city in the distance, the setting sun making the lights of the city more apparent. Korra turned around to talk to Jinora again, but was surprised when she was faced with Howl.
"I got your stuff." He muttered, pointing to the cases near his feet. "Pema said you should get settled in, and she'll get you when supper is ready." He shifted awkwardly. "I have to go help some of the other guards, so, um, see you later."
"Yeah." Korra replied, smiling at him. She watched him leave, then shut the door. He had been so unfamiliar with her since Tahno left, and she had no idea why. Korra really missed his company sometimes. She sighed, then brought a bag towards her and began rummaging through her stuff. She found what she was looking for, and sat on the window's ledge, her fingers tracing the shapes of her parent's profiles as she gazed out at the horizon and the setting sun.
4re: So sorry we took such a long time to update! I just have a lot of stuff happening right now and I wasn't able to write for a while, but updates should come rather regularly! Hope you enjoyed, reviews are nice, and now I'm off to start the next chapter!