Author's notes:Thank you TheToasterMarketingBoard for your wonderful editing!
It was a little after high noon when Asami brought her satomobile to a stop at the city docks. Korra sprung out of her seat, not bothering with the door, and dashed around the vehicle to the driver's side.
"Will I see you tonight?"
Asami slid a hand onto one of Korra's that was resting on the window frame. "Of course, I'll come around dinner time. I just need to make an appearance at the office and attempt to get some work on the reconstruction blueprints finished before the business day is done."
Korra swiveled her head around to see if the anyone else was nearby. Once she was satisfied that they were alone, she bent down and pressed her lips to Asami's. After a few moments, she moved away, just to duck back down for a few more kisses.
"Korra…" Asami giggled.
"Okay, now I'm going," Korra murmured between pecks. Eventually she backed away from the satomobile. Asami gave a wink before driving off.
Korra sighed contentedly before expanding the wings of her staff and taking to the sky. It was a quick flight to the temple. She felt like she had just left the ground when she was touching down again.
The courtyard appeared empty, except for a small figure shakily running towards her. Korra grinned, recognizing it to be Rohan. She crouched down and extended her arms out towards him.
"Here comes a big boy!"
"Korwa!" he called back.
Pema and a few acolytes were on the grounds hanging out laundry. They were draping fabric from ropes of wire that hung between one of the buildings and a row of wooden poles.
"Looks like Avatar Korra has finally returned to us," one of the male acolytes commented, pinning up a sheet.
Pema, who was bent over a wicker basket of her children's clothes, straightened herself up. She turned around to see Korra walking towards them with a grinning Rohan sitting upon her shoulders. His little hands were clinging to the Avatar's forehead, almost covering her eyes. Korra occasionally moved them back up, only to have them slip down dangerously close to blinding her.
"Hi Pema."
"About time you showed. One more day and my daughters would have been breaking down Asami's mansion door."
"I hope no one was worried, we just got a little caught up…" Korra said, as a faint blush cropped up on her cheeks.
"I take it you two figured it all out?"
Korra's face quickly turned from pink to tomato. Rohan started to fidget, so she moved to pull the small child down from her shoulders. "Thank you Pema for… being such a cool mom-person."
Pema's face softened, and she pulled Korra in for a hug. Rohan wrapped his small arms around both their legs.
"And let's pretend that conversation never happened," Korra added.
Pema chuckled and gave Korra a squeeze before letting go of the embrace.
"So has this little guy started showing signs of bending yet?" Korra asked, crouching down to Rohan's level.
"He's at that age. It's starting to feel like he is toying with me. Rohan will make what looks like bending motions with his hands, then, nothing."
"Hey Rohan, do this," Korra asked, making a pulling and pushing motion with her hands. The young boy giggled and tried to mirror Korra's actions.
"First pull," Korra commanded in a mock strained voice. "Then push!" she said, making a 'whooshing' sound to follow.
"Puwll. Poooosh," Rohan parroted.
The Avatar's brows furrowed and she shifted in her crouch. She moved closer and laid her hands on the small boy's shoulders.
Korra closed her eyes. "Push… Pull…"
Rohan obeyed for a few more moments before losing interest and tottering away. Korra's eyes opened to watch him chase a lemur that was scrambling along one of the laundry lines.
"See what I mean?" Pema said with a sigh. "Personally, I'd be happy if he was a non-bender. Katara however, quite firmly told me he was going to be a bender when I was pregnant."
Korra rose from her crouch. "I think she might be wrong. I didn't feel anything when he did the movements."
"What do you mean, feel?"
"When I took…" Korra anxiously rubbed the back of her head and lowered her voice. "When I took Kuvira's bending away I reached inside her spirit and felt the source of the bending energy. I held her essence of bending in the palm of my hand. I had never felt anything like it."
"So you know what the presence of bending feels like inside a person?" Pema asked tentatively.
"Yeah. Since then, I've felt more attuned to it in others. Like another sense was woken. I can't say for certain… but I don't think he's going to bend."
Pema watched her youngest son try to jump to the lemur that was now actively taunting him from the safety of the laundry line. "Let's not say anything about it for now…"
"It's nothing to be ashamed of-" Korra started.
"I know. I just need to warm Tenzin to the possibility…"
"You really think he'll take having a nonbender that hard?"
Pema chuckled. "Oh no, it's not that. It's his mother being wrong."
On the other side of the island Jinora and Zhou Rhen were sitting by the gazebo, having just finished a meditation session.
"When did you start your training?" Zhou Rhen asked, giving his glasses a wipe with his robe, before sliding them on his face.
Jinora shrugged. "As long as I can remember… I guess when I was a baby Dad would have me sit in his lap while he meditated. Ikki and Meelo were too fidgety to ever do that."
"Your siblings do seem to have a wild streak."
"I guess grandpa Aang was like that too. And my uncle Bumi. Seems like in my family you're either serious or a wildcard," Jinora said, leaning back on her hands. "When did you start training with the White Lotus?"
"Around the age of twelve. I grew up in the Fire Nation, in North Chung-Ling, so I was fortunate to live in a place of opportunity. My uncle is a member, and he started bringing me around their compound. The organization is a bit of a fraternity, they prefer inducting members' family over outsiders."
Zhou Rhen paused for a moment, looking away. "You really should give some consideration to joining our organization."
"I told you, my place is here," Jinora said with a huff.
"Your father lives here, and he is a member," Zhou Rhen pointed out.
"But I'm sure he spent several years training at some compound."
"Of course, likely he did it when he was young and unmarried. This will always be your home, but there is a big world out there. What is so strongly keeping you here, that you can't ever leave?
"I know there is a big world out there. I've traveled throughout the Earth Kingdom with my father to find new airbenders. And then with my sister and brother to find Korra when she was missing." Jinora snorted. "Is talking to Korra just a cover for you to recruit new members?"
Zhou Rhen's cheeks flushed. "No! No. We just don't get a lot of young people interested in the organization these days."
"Well maybe you all shouldn't be so choosey," Jinora replied, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Our selectiveness is what has kept the White Lotus alive. Surviving the hundred year war is a testimony to our members' integrity. Many were captured, tortured and executed by Sozin's regime and none ever gave away our secrets. That takes a special kind of integrity and loyalty."
The sound of a screen door zipping open drew their attention towards the house. Ikki flung herself out, one arm clinging to the frame anchoring her body. "Korra's back!" she hollered across the courtyard. As soon as the words were out she swung herself back inside and slammed close the door.
A wave of nervousness washed over Jinora. She took a deep breath and rose from her seated position. "Okay, we should just give it a shot and get it over with."
Zhou Rhen stood up as well, and took a few moments to brush the dust and wrinkles from his robes. The pair headed towards the door Ikki had just appeared from, when Jinora stopped.
"Let me do most of the talking."
Zhou Rhen gave a nod. "Good idea."
After scrambling away from the prying eyes of Shey and her camera crew, Bolin found himself wandering around the city.
"I do need some lunch, but I won't make it to the temple and back in time..."
He eventually found himself outside Little Ba Sing Se Fashion Mall. The large circular structure seemed unharmed by Kuvira's invasion. A banner was hung outside the gates stating "Mall open - hours vary."
Bolin shoved his hands in his pockets and walked inside. There were a good amount of patrons, mostly well-dressed people he assumed to be business persons or politicians. They were the people whose lives were largely unaffected by any type of disaster.
The sound of sizzling drew Bolin into the middle ring. He sniffed the air and breathed a sigh of relief. "Fried food!"
He ambled his way around the ring to stop in front of the food vendor's service bar. Green and gold paper lanterns were strung from the ceiling, providing a soft Earth Kingdom-tinted glow. A few other patrons were seated, a stool or two respectively between them.
"Good afternoon," the gruff looking middle-aged chef called out as Bolin sat down.
"And good afternoon to you!" Bolin said with a flourished wave of the hand.
The chef rolled his eyes and made a slight groan before turning back to his griddle.
"Bolin?" a very familiar male voice asked.
Bolin looked down the bar to see a surprised Mako at the very end. The earthbender hopped off his stool and scampered over to the empty one next to his brother.
"Hey bro, getting a little lunch too? What did you get by the way, I can't make up my mind?" Bolin asked, grabbing a menu in hopes of identifying his brother's dish.
"Just a bowl of picken fried rice. What are you doing in the city?"
Bolin turned to wave at the chef. When he had his attention, he pointed to the picture on the menu. "Hey, I'll have a bowl of picken fried rice too. Can you make that spicy?"
The chef grunted. Satisfied, Bolin turned back to his brother. "I'm working for Asami doing clean-up, remember?"
Mako gave a hesitant nod. "Oh yeah, that's right."
"Hey man, where you been? I haven't seen you at home or the temple the past couple of nights."
"Well you know I went back to the beat… I'm trying to make up for lost time I spent fooling around in the Earth Kingdom," Mako replied, poking at his rice with his chopsticks.
"Don't sell yourself short like that. You were helping Prince Wu and not to mentioned we wouldn't have been able to save-"
Bolin was quickly silence by Mako's palm over his mouth.
In a harsh hushed tone, "are you crazy?" Mako asked. When he could see understanding pass across Bolin's face, he let his hand fall.
A steaming bowl clanking on the bar paused the conversation. Bolin grabbed his meal and drew it towards himself. He broke his chopsticks apart and began shoveling the hot rice into his mouth.
Mako sighed watching his brother's meek display. "I'm trying to throw myself into my work here, okay? Going to another country wasn't the solution to my problems, but I still need some space."
Bolin sighed dramatically, heaving his shoulders up then down. "It's never going to be like it used to… Is it? I thought it kinda felt like old times when we were in the Spirit World this week… But I guess… I dunno…"
"It probably won't, but we're getting older too you know? We got different jobs to do now."
"Yeah..." Bolin sighed between bites.
Mako pursed his lips, and looked down at his own food. "I'll admit, it was kinda fun working as a group again. But what we were doing in the Spirit World seemed pretty pointless. What I need right now is to work on my career. I will make sure to make time for you, and the gang. And when I'm with you, know it's because I want to be."
Bolin looked to his brother, studying his face. He could see Mako's sincerity, and something else. He squinted his eyes and moved closer. "Are you growing a beard?"
Mako flinched and pulled his face away. His cheeks pinkened. "I don't know. Maybe. I'm trying something new. Does it look bad?"
"Naw, just a little sparse," Bolin said, grinning. He reached a hand out to touch his brother's face, but Mako swatted it away.
"It's my first real attempt. Give it time!" Mako protested, rubbing his chin protectively.
"Why were you guys gone so looong? Things are so boring here without you!" Ikki whined as she followed Korra to her room at the temple.
Korra stopped at the door, and turned around to face Ikki. "I'm gonna change, be right back."
Ikki nodded as she watched the sliding door close. She threw her back to the wall next to the door, and let her body slide down until her rump hit the floor. "Were you at Asami's mansion the whole time? What did Asami need to do there anyways?"
"She's only curious because were gone so long," Korra thought to herself once the door was safely shut. She rummaged through her clothing trunk for replacement underclothes. She could hear the younger girl chattering on, but couldn't quite make out all the details. "Gotta set some boundaries…"
Korra soon heard a second, annoyed-sounding voice outside her door. She quickly finished getting dressed and stepped out of her room to find Jinora waiting.
"Hi Korra," Jinora said with an awkward smile.
"Hey," Korra replied distractedly. She looked down the hall catch Ikki storming around a corner. "You didn't have to send her away like that."
Jinora shrugged. "She's fine. Listen, there is something important I need to talk to you about."
"Me too," Korra said, fishing out some folded papers from her pocket. "Asami wrote down instructions for the tests we can run in the Spirit World."
"Great. And everyone else is still busy, right?" Jinora asked, putting her hands behind her back so Korra couldn't see them fidgeting.
"Yeah, just going to be you and me for this one."
"Well actually, I have someone else that is interested in helping…"
"Who?" Korra asked.
As soon as the word was out, Zhou Rhen appear from behind a wall. He started to bow but Korra interrupted by waving her hands. "Oh no. No way! Did he put you up to this?"
"It was my idea. Zhou Rhen genuinely wants to help. He has a skill to offer. He's an excellent note taker. We need that for this mission," Jinora urged.
Korra folded her arms across her chest and pursed her lips as she considered the offer. "What would a mature Avatar do? They would take the help. Plus, Asami will appreciate notes she can actually understand…"
"Alright, Zhou Rhen you can join."
The young man beamed and then threw his body into a deep bow. "Thank you Avatar Korra."
"Yeah, yeah. And you don't have to do that 'Avatar Korra' stuff. Just Korra is fine."
"So when do we go?" Jinora asked.
"After lunch? Unless you guys have plans for the rest of the day."
Jinora shook her head. "Nope. We're all yours."
After eating, the three made their way into town and to the site of the spirit portal. The glowing spiral could be seen pretty much from anywhere in the city, but the sight of it up close was still awe inspiring.
As Korra and Jinora started to navigate their way over the knotted valley of vines, Zhou Rhen stayed put admiring the view.
"It's incredible!"
"Yup, she was a real doozy to make," Korra joked proudly. "Wish I had gone bigger, you know? Something real flashy."
Zhou Rhen shook his head. "No… it's perfect."
"She's teasing," Jinora called back to him.
When the two women were significantly farther ahead of Zhou Rhen, Korra took one quick look back to make sure he was out of hearing range, and then poked Jinora.
"So what's with the change of heart over Zhou Rhen? You two buddies now all of a sudden?"
Jinora almost tripped on the root she was stepping over, but caught herself. "It's not like that. He's genuine in his desire to help, so I'm trying to show him how."
"Alright, but I reserve the right to send him away if he tries anything like before."
"Of course."
They eventually arrived at the outside of the portal, which was now completely barred off. It appeared that earthbenders had pulled rock from the ground beneath the vines to make six twelve-foot towers around the portal. Then metal fencing was wrapped in the gaps between all the spires except for one. It was a full sheet of rock, with two White Lotus sentries standing stone-faced in front.
When they recognized Korra, they both placed a fist to their chest and bowed. Korra gave a slight nod and then looked back for Zhou Rhen, who still a ways behind them.
"I still can't believe this got built so fast," Korra said with a shrug. "Raiko must really need something from me, or Tenzin or Asami."
"I think he just wants everyone off his back and for things to go back to normal. He seemed really distracted and eager to get through our meeting."
Korra wrinkled her nose. "I know his presidency hasn't been a breeze, but neither has my job."
"I mean he's doing what you want, so what's the problem?"
"No problem. It's just, I dunno, annoying he's finally being helpful, after all these years," Korra said gesturing to the structure in front of them.
"I think you need to stop questioning why someone wants to help, and just accept it."
Korra looked at Jinora and squinted, trying to look annoyed, but a smile creeped from the corners of her mouth. "You ever get tired of being so smart?"
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Zhou Rhen called out, his breaths shallow. "Navigating through those vines is a real workout…"
"And we're only getting started. So, what do the notes say?" Korra asked.
Zho Rhen riffled through his pockets and pulled out his notebook. The papers from Asami were folded and tucked inside it.
"Initial test. First note the time in the physical world, then go into the Spirit World for a few minutes, please note how many, to determine any initial discrepancies. Then perform the outlined tests below…" Zhou Rhen unfolded the sheet a few times. "Oh, there are a lot…"
"Asami has an eye for detail." Korra turned back to the sentries. "May we enter the portal?"
Wordlessly they gave another bow, then stamped their feet apart to reveal they were barefoot. With a thrust of their arms the rock wall sunk back below the vines. The glow of the portal spilled out, making them all squint to adjust.
Korra pulled out a watch from her pocket. The silver chain reflected the portal light, making it glitter. "Asami gave me two of her father's pocket watches to use."
Zhou Rhen reached in his pocket and pulled a gold watch out. "I have one too."
"Great. Let's synchronize," Korra turned to Jinora and grinned. "New term I learned."
Once the three watches were synced, Korra passed one to one of the White Lotus sentries. "Can you hang on to this for me?"
The three walked through the opening and into the portal. Korra breathed a sigh of relief when they stepped through and saw an open and empty field before them.
Zhou Rhen dashed ahead of Korra and Jinora into the field. "This is the Spirit World? I never thought I'd be given the chance to see... " He reached into his pocket and pulled out his notebook so haphazardly it caught in the fabric. With shaky hands he started scratching away at the pages.
Jinora chuckled, and she and Korra gave each other a knowing smile as they slowly moved towards Zhou Rhen.
"Never gets old showing a newbie the Spirit World…" the Avatar murmured.
Zhou Rhen looked back to his companions, pencil and book still poised to take notes. "Master Jinora, Avatar Korra, this place is…"
"Amazing? We know," Korra chuckled. She kept moving towards him when she saw Zhou Rhen's grin had fallen from his face. The young man's body had gone stiff, his mouth agape.
Korra quickly spun around to see the tigerpillar spirit looming behind them. His long body moving to wrap around the portal.
"Oh come on!" Korra moaned, stamping her foot.
"He must have been hiding on the other side!"
"Let's grab Zhou Rhen," Korra barked and Jinora followed her. They ran to the young man's side and each grabbed an arm.
Once they made contact, Korra closed her eyes and warped them to another part of the Spirit World.
Jinora breathed a sigh of relief and let go of the still-stunned Zhou Rhen. "Where are we?"
"Xai Bau's Grove…" Korra muttered. "It was the first place I could think of..." She looked to Jinora for reaction, but then recalled this place had no meaning to her.
"Zhou Rhen, it's okay. We're safe," Jinora urged.
"I've never been so scared in my life!" the young man finally blurted. "Was that a spirit?"
"Yeah, we have uh, some history. Long story," Korra replied, waving a hand.
Zhou Rhen let out a breath and threw himself down to the ground. "Wait, did you say Xai Bau? He left the White Lotus and started the Red Lotus. There is a place in the Spirit World named after that traitor?"
"Apparently," Korra groaned. "Is it okay if we stay here for a moment? You won't burst into flames?"
Zhou Rhen pursed his lips, and started making marks in his notebook.
"Can we just try talking to the spirit?" Jinora suggested.
"I did last time, and we just barely got out."
"He wouldn't actually hurt us, right?"
Korra shrugged. "I am the Avatar, but the mileage of that seems to vary among the spirits. I came to ask for help when Kuvira was going to attack, and the spirits brushed me off."
"They probably see you as replaceable. Since spirits are timeless, how many Avatars have come and gone?" Zhou Rhen commented, not looking up from his notebook.
"Well since my title isn't even a bargaining chip we need to play it safe and exit through the southern portal. We can go to my parents and find a ride back to Republic City."
"But that could take days!" Jinora whined.
"I don't see a better alternative. A vindictive spirit is not worth risking any of our lives over."
The rest of Bolin's work day went by fast, and he found himself climbing up the steps from the Air Temple docks not really knowing where the day went.
The sound of a boat motor winding down caught his attention and he turned around to see Asami docking her Satoboat.
She waved with one hand and cut off the engine with the other.
"Hey!" Bolin called out, waving back. He took a few steps back down the stairs to hear better.
"How have your first couple of days been at work?" Asami asked, reaching back into the boat and grabbing a shoulder bag from a seat.
Bolin's stomach fluttered as he recalled his day on the clean-up site. "Great being back out there! Thank you again for hooking me up."
Asami was just a few steps behind Bolin. He waited so they could climb together.
"Please, no need to thank me. You're helping me and the city by doing such a dirty job. I won't forget once that's over to get you into an apprenticeship."
Bolin grinned. "You're the best. So, you think our girlfriends are waiting for us at the temple with our slippers and a warm meal?"
"Have you forgotten who we're dating?" Asami replied with a scoff.
"I wouldn't have them any other way. Just knowing I have her to come back to each night is all I need."
"What do you mean she's gone?" Bolin asked exasperatedly.
"My dad sent her and about twenty other benders to help escort the rest of the evacuees home. They should only be gone a day or two," Ikki replied meekly.
Bolin's shoulders fell as he took a seat on the temple courtyard steps. "I mean that's fine, but it would've been nice had she at least said goodbye."
Asami rested a hand on his arm. "I'm sure she should would have if she could."
"I knooow… Well since she's not here, that means I can talk to you about Saturday. You remember that thing I talked to you about outside the portal?"
Asami thought for a moment before nodding.
"I want to do it, Saturday night."
"Do what?" Ikki asked eagerly.
Bolin scrunched up bashfully. "Ask Opal to marry me."
Ikki jumped up from her seat, her mouth agape. "Aww! She's gonna say yes, no doubt about it."
"Will you guys help me plan?" Bolin asked earnestly.
"Of course!" Ikki started to jump up and down. Her clenched fists scrunched up under her chin. "Another wedding! This is so exciting!"
"Bolin, are you sure you don't want to ask your brother to help plan?" Asami asked, shifting in her seat. "Isn't this a sibling thing?"
Bolin looked down at his hands.
"Does he at least know you're going to ask Opal?" Asami pressed.
Bolin shook his head. "I've… been afraid to tell him. I've hardly seen him alone since he's come back. I actually saw him this afternoon, we had lunch together, not on purpose, we just kinda ended up at the same place." Bolin pressed his palms to his brow. "I shouldn't say this, but he's still kinda having trouble with you two and I don't want to rub my relationship in his face."
"I think leaving him out will make him feel worse. He's going to find out at some point."
"I knooow…" Bolin moaned. "But I'm doing it on a double date he's not invited to."
"Why not do it another time? Say, when it's just you and Opal, or here at the temple?" Asami suggested.
"Do it here! I wanna see!" Ikki added with a squeal.
"Whatever you do, we should maybe give Tenzin a break and have a party at my mansion."
"Yes! That's it!" Ikki announced pointing to the sky. "We do both! You four go out to diner Saturday night, to distract Opal, and then bring her back to Asami's mansion. Everyone else will be waiting there. Bolin asks the question then when she says yes we all pop out and it's a surprise engagement party!"
Bolin beamed. "Ikki that's such a good idea!"
The young airbender nodded proudly. "Mako and I can be in charge of the party."
A door slid open and the three youths turned to see who it was. Tenzin hastily stepped from the door, and moved towards them.
"I just got off the phone with Korra. She, Jinora and Zhou Rhen are with her parents at the South Pole."
Asami jumped from her seat on the steps. "What! How?"
"I guess they had another run in with the tigerpillar spirit. They had no other choice but to take the long way out," Tenzin replied, tucking his hands into his robes.
"Well, looks like we're both flying solo for a few days," Bolin said with a mischievous grin.
Ikki squealed and bounced up from her seat. "That means all the more time to plan the party!"
Tenzin flinched and looked between the three anxiously. "No more parties. This is a temple, not a venue!"
"Daaad, we won't do it here. We're having it at Asami's! Bolin's gonna propose to Opal!"
"Congratulations Bolin," Tenzin said with a slight bow.
Bolin blushed and scratched the back of his head.
"Well no sense in waiting around anymore for them to come back for dinner. Let's eat," Tenzin said, waving the three inside.
Ikki dutifully followed her father inside. Bolin moved to follow, but noticed Asami was hanging back so he stayed too.
"Something wrong?"
Asami sucked in a long breath, and then shakily let it out. "I'm going to miss her tonight."
Bolin smiled and put an arm around her. "Aww, is it going to be long night without your Avatar cuddle muffin?"
Asami snorted at his comment. She reached up and wiped at the tears that had snuck out of the corners of her eyes delicately with the sides of her pointer fingers. "Yes, I am," she said, trying to be stern, but ending up giggling. "Stupid. I shouldn't even be crying."
"Naw, you're just in that wonderful honeymoon phase of your relationship. Where even their drool covered face in the morning is cute."
"But it is! And her stupid cheeks get puffy because she sleeps so hard on them," Asami whined.
"I'll remember to picture that next time Korra is mad at me. She'll never be threatening again!"
"Oh please don't say anything. She does have a reputation to maintain." Asami took a few more swipes at her cheeks, then checked her hand to make sure she didn't wipe off any eye makeup. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go before Ikki panics."
"She does to seem to be quite attached," Bolin said, extending a hand down to Asami, helping her up.
"Well I'm all hers for a few days."
To be continued….