Korra Reimagined: part 5
Mako
"We need another player, anyone! Heck I'd even take Rono back."
"My friend will come through for us, man, you just gotta trust." Bolin spreads his arms wide as if giving the universe a hug. I glare at him as I pace back and forth in our small landing area on the edge of the arena.
A timid nock sounds and a small head peaks into the room, it's one of the boys from last night.
"Hi, guys," He flutters one hand in a half wave before bringing it back down. "Good luck tonight!"
Bolin goes over and squats near him, "Thanks bud, where's the rest of your possie?"
"Oh Korra had to distract the guard guy again so we're comin—" Another small nock and another boy enters. "one at a time" the first boy finishes with a sheepish grin.
"She said not to bother you so if you're busy, we'll go." The second boy says, a little out of breath.
"No it's ok, we're just waiting right now anyway" Bolin has a huge grin on his face and I cant help but smile too—I was wondering how she got back here last time. Looks like bending isn't the only thing she's good at.
"Wheew! That was harder than last time." And here she is sliding into our changing room without so much as a knock, a wild grin on her face, another boy in tow.
"Good to see you two again!" Her smile is so bright; I wonder what circumstances could give someone such a happy disposition.
"Ready to bust some balls?" she asks with eager excitement.
"Absolutely!" Bolin is a match for her enthusiasm, then he glances at me, "We're just… waiting for a friend"
"You don't happen to know a waterbender with fighting skills and who's also willing to join our team, would you?" I ask sarcastically, standing as well.
Rather than the flat refusal I was expecting, her expression shifts to a more serious curiosity. "What happened to yours?"
Glancing down, I try to find words for how stupid I was, chasing Rono off, but Bolin comes eloquently to my rescue, "He quit unexpectedly."
"Oh." There's a wrinkle in her forehead signaling her concern. "Do you need someone to compete with you tonight? Right now?"
Bolin's face is uncharacteristically thoughtful. "I don't wanna say he won't pull through for us but… if he was gonna come, he probably would have been here by now" He admits.
The kids are all oddly silent, glancing nervously from her to us, and down at the floor. She studies us, looking back and forth between the miraculously somber expressions on Bolin's face to the anxiety that is probably clear on mine.
There's another knock at the door as an arena worker sticks his head in, "You guys ready to play, or what?"
All eyes turn to Korra.
Her face breaks into a wide grin, "We're ready!"
"What!?" I yell. We are not ready!
"Yeah Korra!" "I knew it!" Chorus the younger boys.
"OK. You're on in ten then." The worker leaves, seemingly unaware of the uproar, as he lets the door slam shut.
Frustrated, I rush for the door, trying to catch the attendant before—
"You're the Avatar aren't you?" the more solemn boy says. I freeze as all eyes turn to the girl again.
"Yes." She confirms quickly and easily. She says it like it's not the most earth shattering news of a lifetime.
This random girl is the Avatar. I'm frozen as firmly as if ice were encasing my legs.
Pulling all four boys in front of her, she squats down grinning like a fiend.
"Yes and it feels good to tell you. But listen," Her smile drops and her face grows serious. "If anyone outside this room finds out I'm the Avatar, I would have to leave the city. Will you keep the secret for me?"
The one boy scoffs like that's a stupid question, "Of course we will, we've been keeping your secret this whole time."
Her grin returns, "Good boy," she says teasingly tousling his hair. Standing she turns to us and asks, "So we ready?"
"The Avatar," Bolin breathes, voicing the amazement I feel. "Wouldn't—Wouldn't it be, like, cheating for you to play?".
Korra's confident stance doesn't change, "Not if I only use waterbending."
Korra
Ugghh! There is no way I'm letting a bunch city slickers beat me, Master Katara trained me! I grind my teeth as I drag my body back into a fighting stance, dogging a ring of stone, only to get my upper arm singed by a long tongue of flame.
Ahhh! I'm dong so bad! It's bending! I'm supposed to be good at this. The confined arena is killing me; I can't execute half the moves I'm good at! Teamwork aspects are confusing, I don't know how best to help the boys and the rules are stupid.
"That sucked," I vent as we descend into their changing area. "I had no idea how different from regular bending that would be."
"Are you kidding?!" Bolin and his brother are looking at me in surprise, as Bolin continues, "Because you did great! That was SOOOO much better than fighting with Rono. At least you tried to work with us. And… the beginning may have been rough but you definitely got better." He gives me a winning smile and a pat on the back. Spirits, this guy is so nice.
"Wait, really?" I ask, looking to Mako for confirmation.
"Yeah, actually, this may have been your first time but you adjusted well. With a little more training you might actually be good." He says that with what I'm learning is characteristic half praise. That last comment stung but was not undeserved.
"Korra!" Shouts from the boys return some of the exhilaration I felt during the match. "That was amazing!"
"When you hosed that guy straight off the side like that? Classic!"
Tenzin
"Master Tenzin, a word?" The White Lotus representative stuck his head in the door with all the expectancy of one who is not often denied. And Tenzin wasn't one to break tradition.
"Yes of course, please have a seat." The lovely carved wood of the desk and chairs gleamed from their morning polish as Run Huk takes his place across the desk claimed by large stacks of paper.
"What can I do for you?" Tenzin asks without urgency.
"It's the matter of the Avatar. We've been expecting her to make an appearance in the city for sometime yet we've had no sign of her. We're wondering if she tried to contact you?" His tone is not accusatory but his eyes are piercing and direct, as if he suspects the truth already.
"No I'm afraid I haven't heard from Korra since my visit a few months ago." Tenzin answers calmly, not so much as glancing at the report on his desk about a certain earthbending woman teaching bending in the slums for free.
"Hmmm that is most unfortunate. Her parents are very worried." Run states, cold eyes lacking any real sympathy.
"Yes we all are." Tenzin affirms, his eyebrows lowering slightly. "I will let you know if I hear anything." A clear dismissal, and a rather more defiant stance then Tenzin normally took with the White Lotus.
Run's suspicious and logical nature was usually to be admired, but lately Tenzin had been considering different approaches. Korra's safety was the number one priority but maybe that could be achieved along with her happiness.
"That would be most appreciated," Run says standing, attempting at gracious smile that came across more as predatory as he leaves the office.
Tezin releases a long-suffering huff as he picks up a different report.
It was time to visit Korra.
Korra
A collective sigh was released from the boys and myself as Mako raised the temperature in the bath again. After another well-fought game and victory we came to the basement bathes of the stadium to relax and discuss plans.
Instead, we simply lapsed into a comfortable silence as our sore muscles unbound themselves under the soothing menstruations of the hot water. Naturally, Bolin broached the silence first.
"Soooooo… 100 yuans is a lot of money, I don't suppose you have a few extra laying around?" His well-muscled arms were propped on the rim of the small pool in a relaxed pose, and he was looking at me with a waggling of the eyebrows. I snort.
"I've got seven saved up right now so unless they quadruple their betting rates at my usual pub, I'm useless to you." Bolin slumps in exaggerated disappointment and one of his arms slips into the pool. At which point I tell myself to stop gawking and look over at Mako who's eyebrows are lowered into a characteristic frown.
"What?" I ask because it seems like he should be cheerier after our victory.
"If we don't come up with the money, we won't be able to play," He says looking at Bolin. Something passes between them that I can't understand and Bolin's mouth settles into a grim line.
After a few minutes of silent contemplation from all of us, Bolin breaks the silence again, tentatively.
"We could ask As—"
"No." It's not a shout, but the biting reply from Mako is sharp enough that Bolin flinches, but then looks down nodding to himself as if he expected no less. I'm intensely curious but I don't want to pry, I'll ask Bolin later, when things are less strained.
But then Mako does something unexpected; he sighs, all the tension leaving him and he says in a gentler tone,
"I cant Bo. There's no way I can beg. Not to her."
The vulnerability reviled in this simple statement was meaningful to both Bolin and myself, and emboldened me enough to ask gently, "Who?"
When Mako doesn't answer, Bolin's domineer shifts from uncertain to delight faster than our luck did in the last match.
"Asami is Mako's girlfriend. She almost ran over him a few months ago and it was love at first site."
A huge, goofy grin claims his face as he glances over at Mako who only rolls his eyes, then he adds, "Oh and her father owns about half the city".
"Oh. Is that who you waved to, right before our match?" I remember a beautiful woman seated next to an older gentleman. Mako nods.
Oohhh. Bolin wanted Mako to ask her for money. I can see how that would be hard for Mako's pride. "It's no big deal Mako, we'll find the money." I say flippantly, laying my head back against the side.
"Yeah? Where?" He asks irate, nostrils flared, giving me a hard stare.
"We'll figure it out. We have a whole week until the next match."
"This isn't that easy for us," he grinds out, "We cant just—just waltz around scamming people to survive. This place is our home and if we don't come up with the cash we'll have nowhere to live."
"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't—." I barely get out before Mako continues, "And I don't even want to know how you get all that meat."
"I wanna know!" Bolin jumps in clearly pleased by the change in topic. But Mako is staring at me again, "Wait, did you just apologize?"
"Haha." I lazily wave my hand at him before getting more thoughtful, "I didn't know how serious the situation was for you guys, don't you have anywhere else to go?"
They shake they're heads dejectedly, Mako looks at me with eyes that seem to swell with more anger than sadness, "No"
"Well you can always stay with me," I offer
"What?" They both look shocked, Bolin looks genuinely surprised and not making one of his goofy faces. "You want us to live with you?" he asks softly.
"Yeah I made this little earth hut outside the city, we could easily expand it for all of us." At my words, Mako's face goes from soft and, dare I say happy, to anxious again.
"Korra, you can't just make earth houses around, here that's illegal. You have to actually own the land. I thought you were just living on the streets." Mako seems really concerned, again.
"I've been there for weeks and no one's bothered me" I shrug looking at Bolin who shrugs back. "Ughh this is not going to end well." Mako says putting a hand over his eyes and throwing his head back dramatically.
"Whatever," I roll my eyes at his antics, "We may not even have to worry about that… There is a person I might be able to ask for money." They both perk up at that.
"I've been meaning to talk to him for awhile, so it'll be for the best anyway."
"Who?" Bolin asks the inevitable question.
Mako
"Ehhmm, at the risk of making a dramatic entrance I would assume Avatar Korra is referring to me." Startled, we all slosh around to see an older man in orange and yellow approaching the sunken bath at measured pace.
"Tenzin!" Korra exclaims, surging to her feet.
"Korra, welcome to Republic City," He says with a strained smile, "I hope you've enjoyed you're stint here, because it's time to leave."
Startled at first, Korra's face morphs quickly into the determined scowl I usually see before she K.O.'s an opponent.
"I'm not going back," Korra declares, chin up, back straight. In dripping underclothes, opposite a dignified and distinguished man, she should have looked ridiculous.
"I left the South Pole for a reason and ended up here right when I was needed." She folds her arms, words and voice leaving no doubt about the validity of her words. "I made the right choice. And besides, Master Katara agreed that I should come."
"Don't bring my mother into this!" Tenzin's calm façade practically evaporates at the comment, face reddening, hands clenched.
"I approved of what you were doing in the slum districts, but Probending? This cannot continue. It's unbecoming of an Avatar, and draws far to much attention to you."
"You knew I was here the whole time?" She says, face flashing from clearly startled to incensed. "And don't pretend like the Avatar is some special artifact that needs to be protected and secluded! Probending is amazing, it's making me stronger and I'm going to keep doing it!"
"Korra as the Avatar you have certain du—"
"NO. I refuse to go back and that's the end of it." She barks out forcefully, before quickly changing the subject, "What do you mean you approved of what I was doing in the slums?"
Tenzin with lips pressed together, looks like he's still ready to dispute the point but instead sighs, "My father believed there was great learning to be had in traveling the world and experiencing new walks of life. I believe for the Avatar this is even more important." His eyebrows furrow and his voice takes on a heavily disapproving note. "However, this Probending nonsense has drawn unwanted attention and the White Lotus will no doubt find you soon to protect you from… other threats you have most likely attracted." He finishes with a hint of fear, frustration and even a little exhaustion.
But if he was the picture of weariness, Korra was his polar opposite, growing more animated and fierce as her outrage swelled.
"HE'S IN PRISON! You all keep using him as an excuse to treat me like a child. I know I'm young but I HAVE to—to experience life. You can't just lock me away out of fear and hope everything works out! I'm the AVATAR. I get a say in how I live my own life."
"Korra," His brow is furrowed in displeasure out her outburst, as though she is being an unruly child. "You know the threat is very real, if you'd—"
"I'm not a child, Tenzin, I'm the Avatar." She says this so hard and firmly his mouth clams shout with a snap. The stony expression on her face is one I've never seen before and Tenzin seems as surprised as us.
"I was… the first time I saw him… I understood even then the threat he posed." Struggling for words now, she seems a bit softer. "But I've decided that what's most important is me learning to become a better Avatar, and I can't do that from the South Pole. I will not hide in fear and I will not wait my entire life to live it."
He's listening closely now, we all are. The two of us brothers confused on many points but wrapped up in the tension of the conversation.
"I'm staying Tenzin. You can either fight me, or… Teach me to defend myself better." She'd been standing in the water since he came in and now she moved forward closer to him, imploring, "Teach me Airbending".
Author's Note:
Hope you all are enjoying it so far! The chapters are going to start coming slower from now on but hopefully they're even better :)