Chapter Five: A Change in Perspective
Halfway through! I am so sorry I haven't been on! I went down to visit my friend in VA and I couldn't work on the story! LHopefully this will make up for it. It's a little smaller than the others, but I hope it's good. JChapter Five up!
Korra grunted as she tried to reach the top shelf of the kitchen.
"Do you need some help, Miss Korra?" the White Lotus Sentry stepped forward. Lately, they had trailed behind her everywhere: in the kitchen, listening to the radio, even in the stables feeding Naga (who had to be kept on Air Temple Island for now since she couldn't ride the polar bear-dog anyway). There was always a healer present, too, just in case something went wrong. The Sentries were around even when Mako was home, which made everything more awkward.
Korra was in a constant state of irritation, as if she just couldn't get comfortable, no matter how hard she tried. The bump below her chests (which had grown quite sufficiently over the past four months) was getting in the way a little too much for her liking. It made her frustrated and she sometimes just wanted to slap it to make it stop bothering her.
The morning sickness had progressed from bad to worse. She woke up nearly every morning with an achy, putrid feeling bubbling in her stomach. Her mouth was sore from clenching and her chest was tired of lurching forward to release the little amount of food she could force down. Mako stayed home a few times to make sure she was alright, but he soon ran out of vacation days and was forced to stay at work.
Korra shook her head and struggled to stand on her tippy-toes to reach the medicine bottle. Her fingertips grazed it just enough to let her feel it, but not grasp it. The Avatar, feeling like the bottle was taunting her, kicked the cupboard below it, causing the entire shelf to wobble. The pill bottle fell towards her and landed right on her belly, bouncing off and landing on the counter on its side. The Sentries gasped and rushed to her, exclaiming hurriedly.
Korra, growing irrationally furious, shook them off, the flare of aggravation in her heart fanning into a slow flame. "I'm fine! Jeez, people, back off! The baby's fine, I'm fine, we're all fine!"
The Sentries, at first stunned by the outburst, backed away respectfully, bent in a subtle bow. Korra huffed and did a quick calculation in her brain. Five. Only five more months.
She stared at her stomach that seemed to always be shifting and stretching. "You'd better come out by then, you little pest," she grunted in her mind. "I'm sick of waiting for you to come out."
-
"And they're around me constantly!" Korra fumed to Mako that night about the pesky guards.
The sentries had exited the house at seven o'clock. Instead of going home, however, eight Lotus lookouts positioned themselves around the apartment building, two for each corner. They stayed all night long, and then swapped shifts in the morning.
"If I reach up to grab something, BAM, they're there! If I try to pick up around the house a little, BAM, they snatch it away! If I try to cook something to eat, BAM, I'm force-fed some soup crap they made themselves! It's humiliating!" She pounded her fist on the couch so hard that the pillows jumped.
Korra turned to see Mako staring at her with a shy grin on his face. She blushed a little before demanding, "Are you even listening?"
"How could I not? You've been ranting for at least an hour." He tilted his head. "But I think you're giving them less credit than they deserve."
"Why? Because they're trying to help? If anything, they're messing everything up!" The Avatar huffed.
Mako sat down beside her. "What if I told you I could change your perspective, maybe even make you appreciate them?"
Korra raised her eyebrows. "Mako, I know when you have something up your sleeve and it's not always something good. What are you planning?"
"Just a little rendezvous," Mako smiled and reached out his hand.
Korra pouted at the outstretched hand. "Mako, I can't go anywhere past seven. You know that."
"We can bend the rules a little."
"Says the so-called captain of police."
"We won't get caught."
"How do you know that? There are guards everywhere."
"I took care of it."
"Mako, we can't—"
"Take my hand, Korra."
Korra sighed. She took his hand and he hauled her up. Her little mama belly poked him in the stomach. She flushed. This wasn't a good idea. She was almost five months pregnant! She shouldn't be sneaking around like this.
"C'mon. We have to take the back stairs, though." Mako led her down the winding staircase and Korra felt a surge of guilt. Well, maybe this could be fun. She was really bored up there with the sentries all the time. The nineteen-year-old mother sighed. Maybe this could be helpful after all.
They approached the door to the outside. Four white lotus guards stood outside, looking glum and tired. "So what's your plan, Mr. Ninja?" Korra whispered sharply. "We're not gonna fight the white lotus guards."
"Of course not. This is going to be quite civilized." Mako raised his fingers so they could be seen past the transom's glass on top of the door. He flashed a small flame twice, and then quickly lowered his hands. He watched through the window and nodded. He turned to Korra. "Would you like to see your husband's genius at work?" He asked smugly.
Korra peaked through the mail slot. One of the guards nodded towards the door. He stealthily shot a single flame into a bush on the other side of the house.
"Hey! There's a fire in that bush!" He yelled a little too loudly. The guards startled and ran towards the fire. "I'll stay behind and guard the house." He called after them. They all disappeared around the corner. The young guard motioned for the two teens to exit the house.
They opened the door and ran across the backyard into the street. Mako turned and mouthed to him, "Thank you," then turned and ran after Korra.
They reached the park with air-deprived lungs and achy legs—especially Korra. The bent over and panted for a few minutes before the exhaustion began to wear off.
"Who was that guard?" Korra asked as she looked back towards where they came.
"His name is Howl, I think," Mako replied. "He's the youngest White Lotus recruit. He takes his job pretty seriously and he's always reading something, but he totally understood your want to get out of the house. He said it was a personal favor to the Avatar. Did you know him when you were at the compound?"
"Yeah, a little…," Korra blushed and looked down. When Mako didn't press, she looked up and smiled. "So where are you taking me?
"Nowhere special," Mako smiled as he led her over to the gazebo in the center of the park. It had a bouquet of snow poppies, fire lilies, and blue bells on the seat. Three night lanterns burned brightly in the sun set. Korra gasped. It was beautiful.
"Mako, this is wonderful! But what are we going to do here?"
"Watch and see."
Mako a small portable radio out from behind a bush and set it on the seat. Korra laughed. "So you had this whole thing planned ahead of time, huh?"
"Maybe," Mako winked. He turned on the radio and a slow ballad began to stream through the speakers lazily. He handed her the bouquet with a flourish. "I figured since I'm a firebender and you're a waterbender, I could make it a theme."
"Mako, they're breathtaking." Korra sat down and smelled the beautiful flowers. She looked at her husband thoughtfully. "Did you really bring me here to bring me flowers?"
"That was part of it, but I have another plan." The firebender held out his hand for the second time that night. "Dance with me."
Korra blushed. "Mako, I can't dance. I'm four months pregnant!"
"And I've never danced before in my life. I think that's even." Mako replied, his hand still extended.
"You've never danced before?" Korra's eyes widened. "Like, ever?"
"Like, ever." The firebender said sheepishly. "I was hoping you could teach me."
"Well, I'm not very good…," Korra began, but she stood anyway. "But I suppose I could try."
She positioned them in the center of the gazebo, oblivious to the people still walking around outside. "So, you put your hand on my waist like this," Korra demonstrated with his hand. "Then you put your other hand out like this with mine in yours." She grabbed his hand and lifted it as she placed her own hand on his shoulder.
"Now what?" Mako asked, genuinely interested.
"Then you just sway back and forth to the music." Korra instructed.
Mako nodded and began to move in steady circles. Korra followed. He was a natural, knowing exactly where to place his feet. Korra leaned her head on his shoulder. Their hearts thumped to the steady rhythm of the radio.
"I've seen people twirl around when they do this." Mako said.
"Want to try it?" Korra asked.
Mako nodded. He raised his arm and she ducked beneath it. She landed back in his arms and he dipped her a little.
"So you've never danced before, huh?" Korra smirked.
"Well, not with someone." Mako pulled her back up and smiled.
The two danced for who knows how long. They were lost in time and their partner's eyes. Korra's belly ungracefully bumped Mako a few times and every time she apologized only to be kissed on the forehead and told it was alright. Some people stopped and watched the couple twirl to the music, smiling appreciatively, but the teens didn't notice, nor did they care. All they knew was the slow beat of the radio and the warm autumn wind blowing.
They arrived back at the house and entered the same way they came in, with Howl directing them safely into their domain. Korra avoided eye contact with him. They went up their stares, changed, and slipped under the covers of their bed.
"So how was your first time dancing?" Korra asked her husband.
"Fantastic," Mako replied with a kiss. "And do you appreciate the Lotus Guards a little more?"
She snuggled into Mako's chest (as best as she could with her stomach). "Absolutely."
That's chapter five! I will try to get this done soon, but there's five chapters left so who knows when. I'll try to be up to date. Comment your thoughts! I love to hear from you! Until then, Keep Calm, Leaf On.