Hi everyone,

Sorry for such a long wait between updates. I've entered the highly stressful world of college applications, and it's really taken away a lot of my time that I used to dedicate to writing.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! I will try to be swift with the next one!

~Mako~

Mako didn't stop running until he reached his apartment building. Hand outstretched and leaning against the brick wall, Mako tried to catch his breath and clear the thoughts that were swimming around inside his head.

You just got tackled by the Avatar, was the first coherent thing that crossed his mind. The Avatar's in town, she hates your guts, and she just tackled you to the ground.

Mako groaned inwardly, resisting the urge to bang his head against the wall. The next meeting with the boss wasn't going to be pretty once he found out that three of his workers were arrested.

Sighing, Mako stepped into the building and waved to the landlord behind the desk, Kweh. He was nice enough, though he was sure the old man had an inkling of what Mako was involved in. There'd been too many nights where he'd come home bloodied and battered. It was hard not to notice.

Mako trudged up the stairs to the second floor of the building, his limbs starting to ache from the previous fight. When he reached room 206, he didn't even bother to fish out his key. Mako simply knocked, waiting for his roommate to open the door for him.

"Who is it?" A muffled voice called out from behind the door.

"Use the peep hole, you idiot."

"You know I'm too short for that, Mako," Renshu pouted, unlocking and swinging the wooden door open. Mako looked down at the young teen, trying his best not to break out into a smirk despite his bad mood.

"What happened to you?" Renshu asked, his eyes widening as Mako let himself in.

"What do you mean?" Mako questioned, flinging himself down onto their worn out sofa.

"You've got a bruise forming on your cheek…"

Mako's eyes widened and his hand flew to his face, prodding the tender cheekbone. Shit. So the Avatar had gotten a pretty good punch in during their scuffle.

"I thought you were just going to collect some rent," Renshu said, taking a seat beside the firebender. "I didn't know the old man would resist that much…"

"It… wasn't Mr. Chung," Mako groaned, rather reluctant to explain the situation to the mousy, brown haired boy next to him.

"No way! Then who – "

"Unit 327 reporting from Omashu Lane. I repeat, unit 337 reporting from Omashu Lane, over."

"Ohh, the radio's acting up!" Renshu jumped up gleefully and ran to the battered machine that was propped up on the window sill. Mako and Renshu had bought the old piece of junk at a pawn shop a few months back. They had tinkered with the thing for hours, trying to tap into the police's specialized radio line. Eventually they got the thing to work, but the signal only picked up on a mile radius or so. Hardly enough to cover the entire city.

Still… it had gotten them out of a few scuffles with the police, that's for sure.

"We have three unidentified Threats in custody. Bringing them over to the station now."

Renshu's mouth dropped open and Mako cringed. "What?! Oh man, I wonder who they got. Zolt's not gonna be happy…"

"We also have a… bzzsst… Water-trible clothing… bzzst bzzzzsst… claims she's… bzzstttt…"

"Aw man, it's fading out," Renshu groaned, fiddling with the dial. "What were they saying? She claims she's the what?"

"I'm sure it's not important," Mako said a little too quickly. Renshu shot him a curious glance.

"Bzzztt… bzzsssst... Avatar Korra… bzzzzzssssssssssttttttttttttttt..."

Renshu let out a yelp and fell from his perch on the window sill, crashing to the floor.

"Renshu…"

"Avatar Korra?!" He shouted, jumping to his feet. "No way! She's supposed to be training in some compound or something, what's she doing here?"

"Beats me," Mako muttered bitterly, remembering the Avatar's cocky smirk and bold cerulean eyes. The though irritated him and made his cheek hurt.

"I can't believe Korra's in the city!" Renshu nearly squealed.

"Don't call her that," Mako snapped. "You've never even met her."

"And what? You have?" Renshu laughed sarcastically. "Do you think I'll get to meet her?"

"No."

"Aww, why not Mako?"

"Just because…"

"Maybe she could teach me some waterbending moves!"

"Renshu…"

"It'd be so great – "

"Shut up!" Mako groaned, his patience fried. "You're never going to meet her because you're a criminal."

Silence enveloped the pair, and Mako quickly felt a guilt drop and settle into his stomach.

Renshu stared up at him for a quick second, his expression blank. Then, slowly, he turned to the window sill and leaned against it, staring out at the city streets below.

"I…" Mako stammered nervously, racking his brains for a way to apologize.

"Do you think I don't know that?" Renshu muttered bitterly. "I don't like the fact that I am, Mako. I don't like that I live in a one-room apartment either, but it sure beats starving out on the streets, doesn't it? You should know. You were there once."

Mako nodded slowly, sighing and taking a spot next to the boy.

"I'm sorry," Mako apologized. "You're right. Neither of us made these decisions purely out of free-will."

"You were the one who got me into this business, you stupid hypocrite," Renshu chuckled lowly, nudging the older boy in the arm.

"Yeah, well that soggy box I first found you in hardly looked comfortable, that's all," Mako grumbled, a small smile splitting his features. The gesture made his bruised cheek ache.

Another round of silence passed between the two, but it was less awkward, less tense. Renshu continued to look out the window thoughtfully.

"Do you really think Korra's in the city?" Renshu asked innocently.

"She is…" Mako sighed miserably, pointing to his face. "You didn't think I wasn't going to explain this, did you?"

~Korra~

"You know, I reeeaally didn't do anything wroooong," Korra sing-songed from the back of the police truck, trying to convince her captors for the millionth time that she was innocent.

One of the metalbender cops poked her face through the bars that separated the mobile holding cell from the front of the truck. "You really don't know when to give up, do you?" She laughed, at this point amused by the waterbender's constant pleas.

"Look, if you just uncuff me I can show you that I'm –"

"The Avatar," the cop drawled sarcastically. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."

Korra clamped her fists over her mouth and screamed in frustration. "You guys are the worst cops I have ever seen!"

"Always a pleasure," the cop winked, drawing her face away from the bars.

Korra huffed and slammed back down onto the metal bench. "What a load of crap," she muttered angrily to herself, glaring down at her cuffed wrists. First that stupid firebender, and now this. Was everyone in this city seriously rude or what?

He is not what he seems.

Korra blinked, recalling the old man's words before she was carted off. Why was that vendor sticking up for that jerk, out of all people? It didn't make sense. Innocent old men just don't defend gangsters that try to kill them. Simple fact.

Still… Something was obviously different about… what was his name again? Mako? He was so young. Probably only a bit older than Korra herself. Did people in Republic City join gangs that age?

Maybe he was roped into it somehow… Korra thought to herself. It was a definite possibility. Not all guys joined gangs purely for the thrill of illegal activity, surely.

Korra, deep in thought, failed to notice the truck's lurching stop and was thrown to the ground, her cuffed hands stuck underneath her at an uncomfortable angle. The back door was thrust open and blinding light spilled into the holding cell. Korra squinted and cursed.

"Take her to Interrogation Room 313," the female cop ordered. Two other guards clambered inside the truck and yanked the Avatar to her feet.

"Hey, watch it," Korra grunted, elbowing away from the men. "I can walk fine on my own, thanks."

The two guards shot her icy glares, and followed Korra out of the truck and up the stairs into the police station. Korra's eyes widened at the sight of the looming statue above the stairs. The woman depicted stood with her hands clasped behind her back.

"Is that…?"

"Toph Beifong? Yeah," the female cop answered, climbing up the stairs in front of Korra. "Tough lady. Wait until you meet her daughter."

"Her daughter?"

Korra was escorted through the bustling lobby and into a back hallway, where metal doors lined the walls. They walked quite a ways until the guards abruptly stopped, slid open a door, and pushed Korra inside. She turned, but the door was shut quickly behind her.

"Sit down," a cold voice sounded from the back of the room. Korra whipped around again and found an older women glaring at her with hardened emerald eyes.

"I… I uh…"

"Sit down, now."

Korra stumbled over to the open seat. The women stood over her and motioned to Korra's cuffed wrists. She held them out silently and the women used metalbending to unlock them.

"Hands on the desk, palms face down," the woman instructed. Korra did as she was told. Two cuffs snapped up from the table and confined her wrists once more.

"Hey!" Korra protested, tugging against the restraints. "Just who do you think you are?!"

"Who do I think I am?" The woman drawled, circling the table slowly. "I think that I am Lin Beifong, Republic City Chief of Police."

Korra's mouth dropped open. "Beifong?"

Lin grunted in reply.

"That's great!" Korra laughed. "Your mother – Toph – she was best friends with my past life. See, not to brag or anything, but I'm the Avatar."

"I know exactly who you are," Lin responded, her voice icy. Korra faltered.

"Well… that means that we can be friends too, right?"

"Not interested."

Korra blinked rapidly and felt her cheeks start to heat up with anger. "Excuse me?"

"Listen here, Avatar Korra, and listen well," Lin said, her hands slamming down onto the table quite forcefully. "I do not befriend trouble-making teens who evade police and cause a disturbance in my city, regardless of titles."

"Cause a disturbance?" Korra cried, tugging on her restraints. "I beat up a bunch of thugs for you, that's not a disturbance!"

"It is when you destroy public property in the process," Lin barked. "Since it's your first time in the city, I figured that I wouldn't throw you in jail for this… yet."

Korra felt heat bubbling up in her throat and held back the urge to spew fire at the woman through her mouth.

"However," Lin continued, taking a seat across the table. "I have contacted Tenzin. He will arrive shortly."

"Oh… crap," Korra realized, deflating. She was hoping for a quiet reunion with Tenzin and his family on Air Temple Island; not him bailing her out of jail on her first day in town.

"I hope you're good at listening," Lin smirked. "You're going to be getting quite a lecture."