A/N – Thanks for following the so far hope you are all enjoying it as much as I am. If you have any funny stories about your neighbors or ideas for chapters let us know in reviews and you might see it in a future chapter.

Chapter 7 - Korra

I held the garbage at arm's length, pulling the door closed behind me. I pause at Asami's door. I didn't hear her leave for work today. I couldn't sleep after hearing that noise. The grey expanse of the door loomed like a cloud. Come to think of it I had never seen anyone but Asami at that door. No friends… no family. Her words rang in my head. 'I broke a glass and overreacted.'

I drew away from the door towards the stairs. I worked in a diner; I had heard a thousand glasses break in a multitude of ways: dropped on tile, thrown against the wall, thrown at a person. I knew what a glass breaking sounded like. It didn't sound like that. I can't make her tell me so what's the point? I couldn't even get her to open the door. I don't know why it bothers me as much as it does.

I enter my apartment again surveying the mess, wondering if I should clean before Mako and Bolin arrive. Nah my thoughts reply. Even if I did clean they wouldn't notice. I settle for tidying the coffee table enough for food and drinks before kicking up my feet on it. I just get the TV onto ESPN when the door rattles and I know its Bolin's beast of a knock.

"Hey, let me in, food's getting cold." Bolin brushes past, dumping the pizza box on the table and his body on the couch.

Mako is slower than his brother, holding up three caffeinated looking beverages. "Hey, I brought coffee since we are all working later." Mako always knew how to bring the party. I smile at the thoughtful gesture.

I sit beside Bolin on the couch as Mako takes the lone armchair. Bolin begins to rub his greasy hands over the shoulder of my lucky jersey.

"Bo!" I slide away.

"I need some of the luck," he whines. "We have to win this game tonight." Bolin gestures to the TV.

My lucky jersey was well known for the fact that I couldn't wash it until they lost a game and I hadn't washed it so far this season. Yeah there were a few wayward mustard stains but that didn't mean I rubbed pizza hands on it.

"Mako could use some luck, too. For his detective exam," Bolin decides.

Mako was the sort of guy that didn't believe in luck. Luck was chaotic and unpredictable – everything Mako was not. "So, is Detective Mako gonna tell on me if we have a beer before work?" I raise an eyebrow at him.

"You guys aren't worth the paper work," he sighs.

I take a coffee, sipping it before realizing it's black. "Ugh, there's nothing in this."

Mako sips his own. "That's right, it's cop coffee." He grins, rather pleased with his own ability to drink the black bile.

"Mako was too embarrassed to order anything else," Bolin pipes up, not taking his eyes from the screen.

"Yeah, well… least I'm not too embarrassed to ask out the cute coffee girl that works there."

Bolin turns. "You wouldn't." His face drops.

Mako says nothing but sips his coffee and curves a pointed eyebrow.

"Come on, Bo, he wouldn't do that. Mako be a good detective and find me a beer."

"Find your own beer," he replies. I run to the kitchen and get two cold beers, placing one in front of Bolin. "None for me?" He adds. I knew even if I got him one he wouldn't drink it. Boy was so uptight I think he ironed his shoelaces.

I don't offer a reply as he heads towards the kitchen, "You got any decent food?" He calls.

"You're a detective, find it," Bolin calls as I chuckle. He better get used to this.

We settle into the game for a while, just quietly watching the players make their way round the bases, cheering and booing along with the crowd as if we were there. Bases are loaded and the Batter takes position. If he doesn't mess this up the game is in the bag. I shuffle closer to the TV, matching Bolin at the edge of his seat. I can see the sweat dripping from the guy's forehead as he tightens his hands around the bat. The camera pans out as he swings hitting the ball into the stands.

"Woooo!" Bolin yells, flying to his feet, and Mako punches the air.

"Guys, you have be quiet, I have neighbors." I pull Bolin back down as he gives a sheepish apology.

"It's only 8pm," Mako states.

I know Asami gets up early but I wasn't really sure what time she would be asleep. I was just trying to be a good neighbor.

"Yeah I know. I got to leave for work in an hour."

"Kai was round earlier. He was asking for you."

Kai was one of my favorite kids from the shelter. A bit of a loud mouth and too stubborn to change his ways. He reminded me a lot of myself at that age. "I bet he was just checking if Jinora was working."

"Kai likes Jinora?" Mako questioned.

"For a detective you aren't too perceptive when it comes to relationships," I add and he rolls his eyes. "He always shows up on the weekend when she's working and sits at the counter while she takes orders. It's cute."

The guys don't seem to notice. "Bosses daughter… he's got balls," Bolin adds. "Maybe when Mako passes his exam he can use his new detective skills to find a relationship."

"He would need to find a personality first." I nudge into Bolin as he laughs. No night was complete without Mako getting annoyed about something.

"Well, you guys are assholes," Mako stretches his arms above his head, "and we better get going."

"Yeah," Bolin accepts, while wiping crumbs off his pants onto the floor. "But Kai did say something about going surfing. He really wants us to teach him. I think it's a great idea. I haven't been surfing in ages."

Surfing was something we hadn't done in a while but with my hours it's hard. "I don't want to promise him something I can't deliver. Plus, he doesn't need more excuses to be missing school."

"We'll find time, don't worry," Bolin reassures me. "School's overrated. I hardly went to school and look at me!" Bolin widened his arms gesturing to his frame.

"Yeah, bro, a twenty-four year old waiter," Mako says, a little harsher than necessary but Bolin doesn't seem to pick up on it.

"Uh… twenty-four year old waiter/actor," Bolin adds and Mako ruffles his hair and pushes him towards the door with one hand.

I walk them to the door and they linger in the hall as we say goodbye. As we do, Asami's door also opens. She doesn't seem to notice us until she turns around. Taking her earphones out, she gives a small jump in surprise.

"Hey, Asami." I lean against my doorframe.

It feels different to see her in this light, to talk in front of other people. Not in our cocoon of early morning hours – instead it's the brisk light of day.

"Hi." She gives a small smile.

"So, this is one of the neighbors?" I can see Mako's thoughts tick over and I shoot him a look that says 'don't embarrass me.' He nudges Bolin with his elbow and it takes him a second to grasp. "Oh, so this is why we had to be–" I cut in, talking loudly over Bolin.

"Yeah, sorry, Asami this is Mako and Bolin. Guys, this is my neighbor, Asami." I gesture between the two.

"Hi." Asami speaks politely and they give a nod to say the same.

"Asami, do you like baseball?" Mako asks out of the blue.

Asami hums in response. "Never really watch it."

"That's too bad. I know Korra has an extra ticket for a game coming up soon because neither of us can go."

What? I look to Mako, acting as some sort of wingman. There was no extra ticket. We were all going together, the three of us.

Asami seems to fluster before flashing her trademark smile. Not the one I see sometimes, a different one, glossy and unaffected. "I'm sure you will find someone who likes baseball and wants to go." She flickers a glance to me before retreating towards the stairs. "Nice meeting you." Her tone is unaffected and I begin to wonder if maybe all the interactions we had were this forced.

"See you later," Mako says, heading in the same direction.

"See you at work," Bolin tags on, following his big brother.

I relax against the doorframe. My eyes followed her retreating form. She reminded me of the horizon line. A mysterious phenomenon of something that was there and wasn't there at the same time. Something that seemed further away the closer you got.

A/N Thank you for reading