From this point onward, the story will be more cohesive and linear with the introduction of Korra. (Yay)
Jumsum made you feel like you were dreaming.
The Phoenix made you fly.
Mako had seen them both. He could define every member of the Triad by what they preferred. Shady Shin liked the Phoenix, it brought him money and made him feel on top of the world. Hiroko, Shady's girlfriend, liked Jumsum.
The people on the streets could be defined the same way. The richer folks could afford the Phoenix and the poor ones wanted to escape their horrible reality through false dreams.
The rich people were the type who didn't want to be seen on the streets, and that's where Mako's job came in.
When Mako turned sixteen years old, Shady Shin bought him a motorcycle. It was red and silver, polished to the point of showing his reflection. It was fresh off the lot, he explained, and Mako could use it whenever, just so long as he got the job done.
Delivering wasn't hard. Most of the time, Mako waited for them at the back door of their home. They thanked him and paid him, occasionally offered him food, and sent him on his way.
Mako wondered if his parents would be proud or ashamed. His father had told him to provide for his family, but his mother had made him swear to stay off the streets.
He strapped the case onto the back of his motorcycle, securing it with a thick band and pulled his helmet over his head. He tucked his scarf under his chin, feeling the fraying yarn. If he smelled it, the scent would still linger, even though it had been ten years.
Mako started the motorcycle.
Hiroko, who at times seemed to be more level headed than Shady Shin, had organized for him to deliver a sample. She told him it was a new customer, who hoped to cash in by giving them a cut.
Balancing the motorcycle between his legs, Mako warmed his palms using his bending. The Republic City winter was beginning to set in, something that Mako knew and understood all too well.
Mako absently decided that he would go to Narook's Noodle Shop and get Water Tribe noodles for Bolin. They hadn't had those in a while and the cold weather seemed to fit.
He donned his helmet and steered the motorcycle onto the street. He knew every dirty back alley and side street by memory, having driven through them since he was ten.
Buildings had been plastered with posters and signs. "A revolutionary movement" they said, "Join the Equalists and get what you deserve."
Mako had heard the sentiments. Some non-benders claimed they faced discrimination, but Mako knew nothing about that. He was a firebender and had grown up around the Triple Threat Triads, a diverse swarm of benders that seemed to be on its way to taking control of the city underground.
Jumsum and the Phoenix did not discriminate.
The motorcycle rolled evenly over the pavement, a hum that somehow seemed beyond Mako, somehow went over his head.
There were times when Mako felt like he was five hundred years old. The Triads would throw lavish parties and the Jumsum and Phoenix would flow freely and Mako could almost imagine his mother bursting in and sweeping Mako and Bolin up into her arms and taking them back home. He could almost imagine his father raising the earth and burying all the Triads and bas memories, and then there were times when Mako felt as though he was the only sane man.
The road before him was open.
There was a large blur of white and a shout. Mako felt his body fly from the motorcycle, felt the cool air whispering over his skin and then the hard slam of his bones against the concrete.
Mako groaned and lifted his head, only to find a massive white paw pressing down on his chest. He looked up into a snarling canine face and sharp black eyes. Mako wondered if he should scream or be quiet.
He chose to be quiet.
A girl slid down from the back of the white beast's back and knelt down, eyes wide and blue, and full of concern. She pushed the animal's paw from his chest, apologizing profusely as she did so. "Sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, I'm new here and-"
" My motorcycle," Mako exhaled and shrugged the girl off. She had the typical Water Tribe features: brown skin and hair, blue eyes. "Where'd it go?"
The girl pointed and Mako saw that his motorcycle had spun away from him, idling on its side. The case had been thrown loose and was lying open, exposing the purple and red bags that he had to deliver.
"I was running from the cops- long story," the girl said and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him up to his feet. "I didn't see you..."
Mako nodded absently and dashed to the case, shoving the product back inside. "I figured as much," he said and groaned as the girl knelt to help him, tossing one of the silk bags into the air. Mako snatched it away from her. "Don't touch that. Please."
The Water Tribe girl raised her brow and watched his hands. Behind them, her vicious steed began to snarl and howl. The girl cursed and Mako caught the sound of sirens rapidly approaching. "Sorry," she said again.
A shadow fell upon them and Mako looked up. A police airship hovered over them, sirens blaring. The white beast began to run in circles and the girl grabbed Mako's hand. "Come on!" She cried and dragged him towards the animal.
"Naga, down!" The white beast, the "Naga" bent and the girl climbed onto its back. Mako scrambled on after her, clutching the case to his chest. The girl snapped the reins on the canine's harness and the great animal began to run.
"My name is Korra, by the way," the girl said to him, looking over her shoulder. "Sorry about all this."
Mako forced the ill feeling in his throat down and shrugged. "It's okay," he whimpered, "you can call me Mako." He wondered if telling her his name was a good idea.
Korra pulled hard on the "Naga's" reins and they turned into an alley, tearing down the paper lanterns that had been hung between the buildings. The police sirens began to grow more distant and the animal began to slow into a fast trot.
Mako realized he was shaking.
The girl, Korra, commanded the animal to halt and slid from its back in one graceful movement. She opened her palms and Mako saw fire spark from her fingertips.
"You're a firebender?" Mako asked as he leaped from the canine's back, forcing his legs to stop trembling. She looked stereotypically Water Tribe.
Korra grinned. "Uh huh. And a waterbender and an earthbender, and I'm trying to become an airbender." She put one hand on her hip.
"Oh kill me," Mako said and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're the Avatar and I'm an idiot."
The Avatar gestured to his case."So what's in it?"
Mako froze. "Some people would say the key to happiness, " he answered and Korra looked confused. "You're not from here, you wouldn't understand."
After a long pause, the Avatar's eyes lit up. They dimmed just as quickly and a deep frown marred her face.
"You're a drug dealer?"
"I'd prefer something less harsh but I suppose."
She came at him with fire at her fists, eyes glowing. She nearly landed a punch on him, the fire licking at his hair. "You're hurting people!" She screamed and Mako ducked as her fist slammed into the wall behind him. She seemed unfazed.
Mako deflected her next blow, closing his fists around the fire and dousing it. "I'm just the middle man," he said and the earth beneath him began to ripple and crack. "Do you think I like what I do?!"
"If you didn't, you'd stop!" She stomped her foot and the ground threw him across the alley, smashing against a dumpster. "If you really cared, you'd stop."
Mako conjured his own flame, swinging his leg in an arcing kick that sent fire towards the girl. "Some people don't have a choice," he growled, "If I could get out, I would. If my brother and I could put this behind us, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
The Avatar paused, dropping her hands. "What do you mean?"
"Once you're in this business, the Triads don't let you out. I owe my life to them and if giving people an addiction means a safe place for my brother then...then," Mako looked at the Avatar and she looked at him, her glare softening and Mako figured he had never seen someone so vicious yet so intriguing.
Korra looked at the case, lying between them. She flicked her fingers and a small burst of flame set the case alight, causing its contents to go up in foul black smoke. She made a face. "Go get your brother, " she said to him, "and I'll prove you wrong."
Sidenote:Jumsum comes from the Chinese god Jum Sum, the god of sleep and dreams.
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