"When did you finally get back?" asked Mako when Korra came into the dining room. Was it her imagination, or was his tone a bit… sour?

"Around midnight, I think. Maybe one." She shrugged and sat down on the pouf beside Bolin, immediately grabbing a large breakfast roll.

"Have fun with Tahno?" he asked. He spat the other man's name like it left a bad taste in his mouth. Bolin glanced sideways at her, but wisely said nothing.

Korra frowned. A little animosity she could understand. After all, Tahno and his team had been their rivals during the Pro-bending season, and the Wolfbats had not played fair. They had paid off the judges every match so that their cheating would pass. But the season was over, and that team hadn't done anything to them since. Wasn't it about time to just forgive and forget?

"Yes, actually, and I don't understand the problem," she said, her lower lip jutting out the way it sometimes did when she was being stubborn. "He's really not so bad outside the arena. Especially since he's not a Wolf-bat anymore."

"I'm with Korra," said Asami, who sat closely beside Mako. "Tahno really seems like an okay guy. I think the other two on his team were just bad influences."

Mako snorted.

"Whatever. The guy's a cheat, and he's with a new chick every Saturday anyway."

"No he isn't," Korra sighed in exasperation. "He barely leaves his house anymore after the disaster with Amon. He's not rich and famous anymore, Mako. The only girls he was ever with were only there for the money."

"Personally, I don't see how it matters," piped in Bolin. "Whether he is or not, Korra can take care of herself. And I don't think he's going to try anything with the Avatar anyway."

"Thank you Bolin," Korra grinned, bumping her shoulder against his.

Mako grumbled but said nothing else, picking moodily at his plate. Asami looked amused at her boyfriend's behavior. Bolin went back to stuffing his face with everything in reach.

"Where's Tenzin and the Airbenders?" Korra asked, looking over at their empty spots.

"Tenzin's over at the council meeting," said Asami, plucking delicately at a bowl of porridge. "The kids are outside training. I think Pema and the baby are still trying to sleep."

"The kids got up this early without Tenzin?" Korra asked, amazed. Asami laughed, bright and chipper.

"Pabu made the mistake of going into Meelo's room. He woke the kid up with his bushy tail in Meelo's face. Then he was chased around the whole temple. Nobody could sleep through that racket, except you, I guess."

Korra snorted with laughter. "I can sleep through Naga's roar when I'm tired."

The Avatar was wearing her normal clothes, and had scrubbed all of the makeup off of her face before she collapsed on her bed the previous night. However, by the covert glances thrown her way when the boys thought she wasn't paying attention, they were remembering how great she had looked that night. Korra felt her cheeks warm up a little, and she stared fixedly at her own plate.

"So, what's the plan for today?" asked Asami when no one else made attempts at conversation.

"I was gonna meet up with that lovely lady from last night," Bolin said importantly.

Korra snickered. "Did you even get her name, Bo?"

Bolin flushed bright pink.

"Well I…ah, no."

"It was Sara," offered Asami. "And Bolin?"

"Hm?"

"She's engaged."

Korra burst out laughing at the priceless look of disbelief on her friend's face. Even Mako cracked the hint of a smile at that.

"Huh?!"

"Figures," she chuckled, swiping at tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. "Bad luck, Bo."

"How about we all do lunch?" Asami suggested. "This great new steak restaurant just opened up downtown. I could make some reservations for around twelve thirty."

Korra swallowed her mouthful of toast so that she could decline.

"I can't."

Three pairs of eyes fell on her.

"Why not? You love steak."

Korra rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but I kind of already have a lunch date."

"WITH WHO?!" the entire table thundered in unison.

After all; Korra dating? It was unheard of. The Avatar's laugh was loud and long. When she was able to breathe again, she realized that they were actually waiting for a response. She glanced down at her plate again, feeling her face grow warmer until she just knew that even with her dark skin, the others could see the darkened pigment. Bolin stared at the color in her cheeks; Mako blinked, as if trying to make sure he wasn't just imagining things. Asami, however, gave a knowing smile and winked at her discreetly.

"I think we'll find out later," she said. "When is he picking you up, Korra?"

"Uh, one?" she answered.

"That sounded like a question," laughed the black-haired beauty.

Korra joined in with her amusement. The two boys seemed just a little lost, as if not sure even of whether or not the world turned. Since when did Korra date? Since she showed up at a party looking like the Moon Goddess herself, apparently. Mako had a sneaking suspicion that he knew who Korra's lunch date was, and fury boiled, low and wicked, in his chest. Bolin was as charmingly clueless as ever, and just went back to eating his breakfast.

By the time they had all finished their food, it was half past ten.

"Do you guys want to do a little training?" Korra asked eagerly, leading the others outside.

"Don't you have a date to be getting ready for?" Mako grumbled grouchily.

Korra stuck her tongue out at him. She really didn't understand what his problem was. He had made his choice, and he had chosen Asami. He needed to grow up and stick to it, and keep his drama with her to himself.

"I've got plenty of time before he gets here. Now come on. We haven't sparred in ages."

"Fine," Mako consented.

"Asami, ready to watch your boyfriend get his butt handed to him?" teased the younger of the two brothers, grinning like a goof.

"Twenty yuons says he beats you, Bolin," laughed the woman.

"Deal!"

"Thirty says I beat both of you," Korra grinned.

"No deal!" Bolin laughed. She stuck her tongue out again.

"You boys ready?" she checked.

By way of answer, a jet of fire was shot her way. With an anticipatory grin, she caught it and sent it back at Mako, who dove straight through it without pause to send two more quick shots. One hit the ground at her feet, and the other would have cooked Bolin to a crisp if he hadn't raised a wall from the ground. When the fire ball dissipated, Bolin let his wall drop in favor of making the ground beneath Mako and Korra's feet rumble and quake.

Korra leapt into the air, pulling water from the wineskin she'd taken to carrying with her and sending it down at Bolin. It hit the dirt beneath him, and froze into a slick puddle of ice. The brother lost his concentration on the mini earthquake, scrambling to try and stay upright. The Avatar flicked her fingers, and a little pebble hit Bolin behind his left knee, unbalancing him just enough that his feet slid out from under him, and he fell flat on his back on the ice.

"That's twenty yuons, Bo!" Asami called.

"No! You were betting that Mako beat me. That was Korra!" Bolin argued, scooting himself along until he was off the ice and could stand.

Asami's lower lip jutted out in a pout, but then she smiled and shrugged. They both chuckled, then turned to watch Mako and Korra as their match continued.

The two knew each other too well. They could predict the movements and the tricks of the other, anticipating attacks and either dodging or blocking them. Korra had the upper hand, because of her ability to use all four elements, but Mako held his own surprisingly well. She nearly got him with the ice trick, but he was quick and managed to melt it before it knocked him flat on his backside like it had his little brother. He refrained from using his lightning, which was too dangerous for one on one practice. It was too easy to make a mistake with it.

Korra finally managed to penetrate his defenses, though, when she lifted the ground beneath just one of his feet. He was only off balance for a second, but it was all she needed. A sharp jet of wind pushed that foot forward, while a stronger gale pushed the rest of his body back. The result was that he tumbled through the air like a flying lemur-bat for a moment, then somehow ended up face-down in the dirt. It was a similar trick to the one she had used on Tahno in their one-on-one in the arena, albeit that had been with water.

With a laugh, Korra went to his side and held out a hand to help him up. Mako rolled onto his side and reached up to take her hand. When his fingers closed over hers, he gave a sharp jerk, and brought the mighty Avatar tumbling to the ground, laughing. He whipped around, and pinned her to the ground, his legs on either side of hers, and his hands trapping her head. He was putting all his weight into keeping her where she was, too, their chests and hips pressed together.

"Looks like I win this round," he smirked.

Then he glanced down, cheeks flushing with pure mortification, and Korra raised an eyebrow.

"Didn't know you enjoyed sparring that much," she commented, pushing at his chest for him to get up.

The growing bulge at the front of his pants was pressed against her thigh, and Korra felt seven kinds of embarrassed. She could only imagine how Mako felt as he rocked back and tried to hide the prominent tent in his pants from Asami.

A large stone hit Mako in the small of his back as he tried to stand, knocking him flat on his face once more. Korra wasn't being entirely spiteful; she was actually trying to help. To her knowledge, her friend was no masochist, and pain should be a turn-off. She hoped.

"Don't pull another cheap trick like that," she warned, standing and brushing the dirt off of her clothes. Then she turned to Asami, hoping to distract her. "What's my time?"

"Twelve minutes. Wow, Korra, you know how to get it done." The woman shook her head.

"I say we all go visit my favorite hobo," said Bolin. "I haven't seen him around much since the whole Amon business."

The group laughed, but shrugged and agreed.

"As long as we get Korra back here by twelve. She'll need time to shower, because you guys already got all dirty, and it'll just get worse after visiting that guy," said Asami, making a face at the memory of the dank, smelly underground system beneath Republic City.

~…~

It was twelve forty-five, and Korra was just coming out of the bathroom after a long, hot shower. It had actually been kind of nice to see the hobo that had helped them out so much when they were on the run from the anti-bending Equalists. They had offered him a place at the Air Temple, but he was adamant in his refusals. The other people in the underground needed him far more than he needed plush surroundings.

"Koooorrrraaaa!" someone called from the front of the house.

"Here Ikki!" she answered loudly, pausing in towel-drying her hair.

Moments later, the excitable girl bounded into view, positively jumping off the walls in her excitement. Actually, she was literally bouncing off the walls, using gusts of air to keep her off of the ground as she jumped from one surface to the next. Ikki was giggling loudly.

"Your boyfriend's here!"

"Ikki, he isn't my boyfriend," Korra said. "This is our first d—"

"Have you kissed him yet? Huh? Huh? Have you? If you have, then he counts as your boyfriend!" She said all of this very fast.

"Hush, Ikki," Korra sighed. "Where are the others?"

"Asami and Bolin were talking to him in the front room. Mako was sulking outside. Why is Mako so mad? Does he still like you? I thought he liked Asami. Did they break up? I don't think they did; I saw them kissing this morning."

"Ikki!" Korra exclaimed. "Calm down! Tell him I'll be right out. I just need to find my hair spools; I think I left them in my room."

"Okay!"

As the girl sped away, Korra thought she heard Meelo's voice as well, and she looked up to the ceiling. Spirits, please don't let them run him off. She had thought the biggest problem would be her friends. She'd forgotten about the Airbender kids. She rushed to her room, throwing the towel on her bed and raking a brush through her hair. Her hair spools were on her nightstand, and she pulled her hair back as fast as she possibly could. Then she hopped out of her room, tugging her boots on as she went.

Before she entered the front room, she made sure she looked entirely presentable. She was confident when she walked in, but she stopped in her tracks when her gaze rested on the people in the room. It took a moment to digest what she was seeing.

Bolin and Asami were laughing like maniacs, clutching at each other with tears streaming down their faces. Tahno stood a little ways off from them, wearing a martyred expression but not complaining at all. And he had plenty to complain about. Ikki was latched onto his left leg, asking him questions in the rapid fire way she always did. Meelo was climbing on Tahno's head, his hands messing up the hair that the Waterbender loved so dearly. He was also asking many questions.

Korra felt it bubbling up in her throat, and tried to stifle it, but found that it was impossible. The sight was too amazingly funny, and it just got worse when one of Meelo's tiny little toddler hands got stuffed into Tahno's nose. Her laughter exploded out of her, coming in great peals. Tears gathered in her eyes and streaked down her face as she clutched at her stomach, laughing until her chest hurt.

The others looked around when they heard her laugh. Tahno gave a self-deprecating smile and tried to tug Meelo off of his head, but the toddler grabbed two tiny fistfuls of his raven hair and refused to let go.

"Meelo, Pabu is asleep in your room," Korra said between laughs.

And just like that, Meelo vanished. The group could hear him barreling down corridors to get to the boys' building.

"Why did no one else think of that?" Korra wondered.

"Because I wasn't going to sacrifice Pabu!" Bolin cried indignantly.

"Bo, relax, Pabu isn't really in Meelo's room. The fire-ferret actually is kind of smart. He wouldn't go in there again."

"Still got one," Tahno noted dryly, lifting his foot a couple of inches in the hopes that Ikki might take the hint and get off. She didn't.

"Ikki, I'll let you ride Naga when I get back, if you let go of Tahno."

Ikki thought about it, and shook her head.

"Nope. Not until he answers my questions."

"What are your questions?" Korra wondered. Pink dusted Tahno's cheeks.

"Does he really really like you? Are you guys gonna get married? Have you already kissed? How many kids do you want?"

Korra blinked.

"Ikki, is that really necessary?"

The girl nodded vigorously. Korra gave a long suffering sigh.

"Yes, don't know, and yes. And after hanging around you, I don't want any kids."

"Aw, so you guys have kissed?" said Ikki, before thinking about the rest of Korra's response. "Wait…Hey!"

"Hay is for poodle-ponies. Now, we answered your questions. Let go of his leg."

Pouting, Ikki did, and left the room, grumbling. Laughing, Korra caught Tahno's hand and started to lead him out.

"Where's councilman Tenzin?" he asked, resisting her.

"He's at City Hall," said Korra. "Why?"

He shrugged.

"Just thought I should…you know, meet him."

"Have fun you two!" Asami called as he allowed Korra to pull him outside.

"Be safe!" Bolin added.

Korra laughed and shook her head. She loved her friends. Those two, at least, were so easy-going and accepting. The real challenge was lounging on the stairs. Mako was her best friend; she loved him like her very own brother. He was strong and loyal and usually was a pretty good judge of character. But, he was also extremely protective, and not very quick to forgive. That was not going to earn him any brownie points today.

"Knew it was the Wolfbat," Mako growled, standing as the two attempted to walk past him. Korra took a deep, measured breath, and exhaled slowly.

"Mako, you can lecture me all you want, later."

"Korra, you can't seriously want to go out with this creep?" Mako snapped in outrage.

"I can and I do," she growled. "You have no right to tell me who I can and can't date. You lost that ability when you picked Asami. No," she added when he opened his mouth. "I am not doing any of this to get back at you. I want to go on a date with Tahno. You chose Asami. You don't get any say in my love life, Mako."

Indignation colored Mako's cheeks blotchily, and his amber eyes flashed.

"This guy's dangerous, Korra!" he practically shouted. "He's only going to hurt you. That's just what he does. He'll be with some girl for maybe a week, then he tosses her away without a second thought in his damn head! He's just trying to use you to get some attention again, and dating the Avatar is the perfect way to get attention, isn't it?"

Korra scowled, but Tahno beat her to the response.

"Getting your bending away changes a lot of things, Mako," growled the Waterbender. "One thing is that it makes you appreciate who was really ever there for you. Who really liked you for you, and who only liked you for the props that came with your power. It feels like damn and wow when you lose your bending, and everything else falls away, because for your whole life, you made everything about your power. I'm well over wanting any and every girl I see. I don't care about any damn publicity stunts any more. You're just angry because I'm dating the girl that you gave away." His voice was a soft hiss, like the sound of a weasel-snake prepared to strike.

He didn't move from his spot beside Korra, but his presence had grown tenfold, until it felt as though he towered over the other two. His expression was bland, but his eyes were dark. The tension crackling between the two men was thick enough to cut with a knife. If either of them had been the Avatar instead of Korra, she guessed they would have already entered the Avatar State. They were that furious.

Mako, apparently, didn't know what to say to Tahno. He had no retort, so he settled for glaring balefully at the Waterbender.

He was right, though. Tahno, for all his faults, was a changed man. Mako could see that much already. He carried himself differently, and when he talked, it was without that arrogant, superior tone that he used to use. And, when he looked at Korra, Mako could see genuine caring in those pale eyes. And that was what truly bothered Mako. Yes, he had chosen Asami, but he still cared about Korra. A lot. He had chosen Asami because he thought it would be simpler with her. Mako hadn't considered the dozens of other guys Korra could have, once she was sure where she stood in Mako's life. She was an amazing, beautiful woman, and only a fool would think no one else would notice.

Part of the consequences of Mako's decision was that he would have to sit by while Korra moved on. There wasn't anything he could do now. He had made his choice, and in respecting it, Korra allowed herself to branch out. It was his fault, this self-inflicted torture, but Mako's stomach boiled with white hot fury at the thought of seeing her with any other man.

However, in making his choice, Mako had made his own worst fears come true.

"I'll see you later, Mako," Korra said stiffly, and steered Tahno away, toward the docks.

"Well," Tahno commented once they were out of earshot. "That was fun."

Korra rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry about that, Tahno. Mako's my best friend, but sometimes he can be a little…"

"Controlling? Possessive? Jealous to the point where steam starts coming out of his ears?" Tahno suggested.

"You saw that too?" Korra laughed. "That happens when he gets really mad. Sometimes, Firebending makes it really easy to read a person's emotions."

Tahno smiled.

"What do you want for lunch, Uh-vatar?" he asked, linking their elbows as they walked right out over the water. It froze beneath them, making a path of ice all the way to the mainland. Korra shrugged.

"Narook's is always a good option," she suggested.

"That's where I first met you," Tahno added.

"You were so arrogant, it drove me nuts," Korra laughed.

"Short drive," muttered Tahno.

"Oh, shut up!" Korra stuck her tongue out. "You came right up to my and Bolin's table and offered me private lessons." She mimicked the low, seductive tone he had used when he made the offer.

Tahno gave her a wicked grin.

"By the way, you never did give me a proper answer. You just set your polar bear-dog on me."

"I thought that was a pretty clear response," she said, tone wry.

"Yeah, I guess it was. But, what say you to those lessons now?"

"A little one-on-one? Sure. I still need to get you back for all that cheating you did in the arena."

Tahno raised an eyebrow.

"You can try," he purred.

"So, did we agree on Narook's for lunch?"

"I think so."

"Then let's go. I'm starving."

~…~

An hour later, Korra had amazed Tahno with her ability to scarf down more food then should be humanly possible. He had been all set to pay, despite Korra's many objections, but Narook was either impressed, or he took pity on Tahno, because he told them it was on the house.

They had made meaningless small talk over their meal, cracking jokes every now and then, and just enjoying each other's company. More than a few strange looks had been cast their way, but they ignored the onlookers. It was nice, to just go out without the threat of Equalists looming over their heads, or the pressure of a Pro-bending tournament smothering them.

Tahno hadn't been back to Narook's since his bending had been taken away. After his initial meeting with the Avatar, he would go regularly in the hopes of running into her again, even if all he would have done was needle her. He'd forgotten how great the food was. Forgotten what it was like to be with someone for the fun of it, to share laughs and small stories with. He'd forgotten a lot of things, but it seemed that Korra was there to remind him of them one by one.

"Where to now?" Tahno asked as they left the restaurant arm in arm.

"I should probably head back," Korra said regretfully. "Before anyone decides I've been gone too long and they call Beifong."

"That might turn out to be interesting," Tahno conceded. "So, the Air Temple it is."

They walked in companionable silence down to the docks, but since they didn't feel much like bending their way across—it looked like a storm was brewing—they waited for an Air Acolyte ship to make its daily trip. The ship usually arrived around three, and it was two-thirty. They had half an hour, give or take. Tahno led Korra to a large, sturdy looking crate, and sat down beside her, sliding an arm around her shoulders and tucking her into his side.

"So, should I leave you with the ship, or do I get the pleasure of kissing you goodbye in front of Fire Boy?" Tahno teased.

Korra laughed.

"No, you should come with. I need to give your jacket back anyway."

Tahno smiled and turned so that his lips brushed her ear when he spoke.

"You can keep the jacket, Uh-vatar, for all I care. But I would be happy to accompany you to the island."

He leaned down and, turning her face with his hand, captured her mouth. The kiss was short and sweet, lasting just a few seconds, and yet it still left him feeling warm and breathless. Korra leaned into him, resting her cheek against his hard chest. He tightened his hold on her, and tucked her head beneath his chin.

They passed the minutes in comfortable silence, basking in the other's solid warmth. Tahno's mind wandered in that time. He thought back to the first girl he had ever been with. He had thought himself in love. But she had been a phony, only after his money and glory. Nobody liked him for him. For a long time he told himself it didn't matter. He had convinced himself that he didn't care when the girls he was with circled through his team. And there were many girls. It got to the point where he thought that, if all of those girls wanted him, any part of him, he may as well enjoy giving them what they wanted. They had all satisfied him for a short while, but he had only wanted them for a short while.

Korra…Korra was different. It was more than just simple want, what he felt for her. It went beyond a desire for her body, or the status he could gain from her. Need. That was the only thing he could think of that came close. He didn't want her; he needed her. Needed her compassion, her unfaltering honesty. She was the embodiment of things that had been missing from his life for years. Things that held meaning. His life had lacked any semblance of meaning for a very long time, and he felt that, somehow, Korra could bring those things back.

While Tahno wrestled with his pathetic past, Korra was wrapped up in her own thoughts. Tahno made her feel important. Like she really meant a lot to somebody. Mako had, in his own way, tried to make her feel that, but something always managed to screw it up. She was always so self-conscious around Mako, worried about how she looked, what she said. It was more comfortable around Tahno. She found that she was more focused on their conversations, on the fact that he was simply there, than whether or not she was doing something wrong. She felt at ease around him.

"There's the ship," she said quietly, pointing.

Tahno's eyes followed the gesture, alighting on the relatively small Air Acolyte ship.

"We can help them load everything," she said, standing and stretching.

She held her little hand out, and Tahno took it, allowing her to pull him up.

"Well, then, let's get to it."