AUTHOR'S NOTES: Despite the amount of stories she could tell in this regard, Korra's mercenary life is not a major focus of the story since there's very little actual growth and more just wild hijinks and shenanigans. There's definitely references to some of these tales later down the line, but for the overarching plot (especially with the Equalist crisis approaching story-wise), this is more of a timeskip chapter than anything. On the other hand, enter Mako and Bolin.
Happy Reading!
BOOK ONE: POWER
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: A NEW LINE OF WORK
With the high crime rates around Republic City, Korra figured it would be surprisingly easy to find work as a mercenary, a bodyguard, or other types of hired muscle. She sometimes went and covered her identity and comically, even posed as a man in several instances, donning Sokka's Wang Fire beard that he had bequeathed to her during one of their earlier meetings. Due to her growing figure, this became less and less prominent as she grew older. She and Naga took a little time browsing different places and options, also enjoying exploring the vast city, where something new seemed to be waiting for her every day. She spent a bit of her remaining prize money on a good solid bow, knowing that those skills would also come in handy if she didn't want to reveal herself as the Avatar to just anyone yet. Her headband covered her signature tattoo, but darker thoughts also crossed her mind as to what she could do with it.
P'Li had mentioned many times that 'assassin' was a common profession for the rare individuals who knew combustion bending. Korra was not entirely afraid of killing when she thought about how easy it had been for her to kill Nakkoa, but at the same time, she also didn't necessarily want to become a serial murderer. Perhaps sticking to more honest muscle-work would be better for her at the time, especially considering her fairly tender age. Ultimately, her main goal with mercenary work was not to try and earn money despite the lucrativeness of the career; but more to get her mind off of past events that had turned her life upside-down.
Asami did not seem overly convinced about this when Korra told her, for while she would be gone for days and sometimes weeks at a time, Korra made sure to drop by Sato Estate to ensure her best friend that she was still alive.
"Sometimes," Korra reasoned, "a dangerous situation can calm my frazzled nerves. I think it's a matter of being in control of the situation or not. I'm not sure."
"Just…" Asami took Korra's hands, "stay safe out there"
"Of course," Korra smiled, "besides, I think with how crazy things are around here, I could probably find plenty of work without even leaving the city limits."
Surprisingly, there was a lot of this kind of work to be had in Republic City alone, and while Korra put effort into making sure she didn't accidentally join one of the Triad groups who ran the undercity, she found that almost none of them cared about her age, either thinking she was much older than 15½ or simply not caring enough to say anything about it. When she wasn't masquerading as Wang Fire, Korra's appearance did her several favours in this department. Her barefooted vagabond-style appearance and her unkempt hair gave her the impression of being someone who was well-travelled, and her heavy eyes, muscular arms, and the bow and quiver strapped to her back made her look like a travelling mercenary on their own.
Of course, she was not about to reveal that the look in her eyes had come from her trauma, and so instead played off of people's perceptions and talked herself up. She was a much more talented liar now than she was before meeting the Red Lotus, but overall she liked to still consider herself a fairly honest woman. She didn't need to lie about her skills, and preferred instead to let her actions do the talking by showing off her physical prowess as well as her skill and accuracy with the bow she carried any time she was asked. She was picky with bending disciplines, not exactly wanting everyone to know that she was the same Avatar that had been playing Probending matches only a few months earlier.
Whatever the case, this was Korra's new line of work; and for better or worse, it took her places, with some of her trips and contracts even taking her out of Republic City on occasion. Most of the time when she did travel it was just to various parts of the northwestern Earth Kingdom, and while she thought it would be a boring trip protecting some merchant with more money than he likely knew what to do with, Korra quickly learned that bandits and raiders were commonplace out here. However, she and those she worked with generally made quick work of them, with Korra quickly proving that she was just as competent as she claimed she was. The fact that she also was backed by a fierce and loyal animal companion only helped in that regard.
Even around Republic City, she caused something of a stir among the different Triad groups, for better or for worse; and despite danger and threats, she stuck to her line of work all the way to and past her 16th birthday. She kept semi-regular correspondence with her parents throughout this time, although omitted the time she revealed to a client that she knew combustion bending, and thus had a brief stint as an assassin. She wasn't too proud of either of the two times it happened, but the amount of money it earned her… she could rent a decent sized apartment for at least two years with this much money. While remaining 'in control' of dangerous situations did feel therapeutic, Korra failed to mention to anyone—including Asami—that the nightmares, hallucinations, and flashbacks she had been suffering from over the last few months had not in fact gotten any better. Arguably, they had worsened further, but Korra felt that that was the last thing any of her friends or family needed to know.
It was only after taking another hiatus to return to Asami that Korra finally also got to more properly meet the Probending brothers Mako and Bolin in person. They sometimes dropped by to say hello to the family that had sponsored them, and while these times usually did not coincide with times this was one of those times.
"Heyyy!" Bolin exclaimed, "I remember you! You were that crazy Probending Avatar woman!"
"You were hard to catch, that's for sure," Korra shrugged, "I wouldn't have called it a fair fight though. Nakkoa and Kwan were veterans, and I'm the Avatar…"
"Still…" Bolin scratched the back of his head, "you're what Probenders should aspire to be! And you're the Avatar!"
"It's not as fancy as it sounds, Bolin," She reached up to ruffle his hair, "I promise."
"Oh don't say that," Bolin pushed her playfully, "you're still kind of my hero."
"So what else do you guys do besides Probending?" Korra looked curious, "I don't imagine you're a mooch like I am and just spend your time lazing around here."
"Would that we could be so lucky," Mako scoffed. "The Satos are generous folks, but we can't live off their coin."
"Don't worry," Korra shrugged, "I don't either. I mean I did for a while, but that was more just for the recovery before I went and found work."
"And what do you do for work?" Mako turned to her.
"I asked you first," Korra flashed a grin before filling her mouth with more candy.
"Look, we're not proud of it," Mako sighed. "Sometimes you've gotta do what you gotta do to make ends meet."
"Look hun," Korra tried to stay polite, with limited success, "whatever you've done, I guarantee I've done worse. Just lay it on me; I'm a listener."
"We've done work for the Triads before," Bolin blurted out, much to Mako's chagrin. "Mostly just running some numbers and that sort of thing; nothing too bad, I swear!"
"That's it?" Korra tilted her head, "here I was expecting something like grand larceny or assault or something. Maybe attempted murder? I dunno."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Bolin shook his head and hands, "no way; no way! What kind of monsters do you take us for?"
"Hold it," Mako suddenly had suspicions, "what kind of things have *you* done then, Korra?"
"Grand larceny, assault, murder…" Korra shrugged as if her response was completely normal, "in my defense, it was theft from the triads, and screw those guys. And all but one of the murders were contract kills—unless you count assassination as something different. Assault should be legal too if the person's a jerk, by the way. Other than that? Mostly just mercenary work. Why do you ask?"
Bolin and Mako were both dumbfounded and their expressions showed it.
"What kind of monster are you!?" Bolin hadn't meant for it to sound as rude as it did.
"Well, I was trained for almost two years under the watch of some people that turned out to be Red Lotus Terrorists," Korra began nonchalantly, acting as if this was a completely normal response to give, "after that one of them tried to kill me and so I ended up impaling her with an ice hook. She burned me real good though… I still have the scars."
Korra was not over that traumatic event yet either, but she could now at least talk about it without feeling like her emotions were about to become a pendulum—or perhaps her violent career choices had desensitized her somewhat. She proved her point by loosening her collar to show off the burn on the left side of her neck, also pulling up her right armband to show off the mean red burn on her wrist.
"The assassinations were more due to my archery skills and my combustion bending." she added, patting her trusty bow with one hand, and lifting her headband with the other, to reveal the intricate red third-eye marking.
"Holy crap!" Bolin was still baffled by all of this, "what haven't you done? How old are you again?"
"16," Korra shrugged. "Hey, I never said I was proud of everything I've done, but you answered honestly so I could at least humour you and do the same, right?"
"Does Asami know all of these secrets?" Mako looked accusingly at Korra as she fixed her arm band and refastened her shirt.
"Of course," Korra chuckled, "I told her before I even told my parents. I mean, before her my two closest accomplices were ex-cons, and so was I in a way. So we got along well."
The scathing look Mako gave her as well as the stunned look she got from Bolin made her add a few words a moment later.
"Hey, I've done a lot of things in my life that I'm not so proud of, and I'm not too happy about everything that's happened to me." She pointed two fingers at the brothers, "but it is what it is. If people weren't allowed to try and turn their lives around, a lot of good people would be languishing away behind bars or in graves right now."
"Hey, I'm just impressed," Bolin admitted, biting his nails, "...aaaand maybe a little bit nervous."
"Well, it's not like I just go around wantonly attacking and murdering people or anything," Korra lied, knowing that she was still sometimes prone to those bouts of anger that could potentially trigger either her trauma, the Avatar State, or both. "But yeah. If you're worried about me killing you, I can promise you that'll never happen."
There was a moment of awkward silence that Korra felt she had to fill.
"So… probending, huh?" her face lit up, "Surely more of a common ground than all the other violent shit we've talked about so far…"
"It makes me wish you were on our team," Bolin admitted, "nothing against Hasook; just that I bet everyone wants you after your little display. And sweet merciful Raava I've seen some expert Probenders in my day, but you are just so fast, Korra! How did you do it?"
"It's just kind of something I picked up along the way." Korra began, but paused as she watched Mako walk away.
"What's the matter with him?" Korra thumbed over her shoulder.
"I think he might have kind of liked you at some point," Bolin whispered, "but I don't think he took your revelations very well."
"I'm sorry?" Korra shrugged, "I mean, we've all got problems—I've got a lot more than most people—but people can change; people adapt and grow, and can sometimes overcome their weaknesses, I know it!"
She had basically consigned herself to believe it for her own sake more than anything, considering how much she felt like she needed to improve. The trauma that had flipped her mind upside-down half a year ago still affected her; Korra just knew how to bury it or cope with it more effectively these days, even if it had only worsened.
"Hey, I understand…" Bolin admitted, "I mean, sort of. You still kind of scare me—but like, not in a bad way? It's like, you're strong and could definitely kill me, but you're friendly and stuff too, and…" he paused, his cheeks reddening. "I'll shut up now. Foot, meet mouth."
"Honestly," Korra couldn't help but find Bolin's dorky friendliness to be somewhat endearing, "It's good to be criticized every now and again. The Avatar isn't any more perfect than anyone else in the world, and the world's just gonna have to deal with it."
"So hey," Bolin offered, "Uhh, this might be a little out of the blue, but you wanna hang out sometime or something? Not necessarily like a date… just, y'know…"
"I don't really know very many people my age apart from Asami," Korra smiled, "most of the mercenaries I travelled with were twice my age or older; and my only real friend was my polar bear-dog, Naga. The idea of dating didn't even cross my mind. Speaking of; what kind of hanging out were you thinking of?"
"Oh, uhh…" Bolin attempted to remain smooth, "it doesn't have to be a date or anything. Just like, maybe dinner some evening or something, I dunno."
"So…" Korra's lip stuck out in her trademark fashion, "a date then."
"Well it's not like one night's enough to seal the deal or anything," Bolin scratched the back of his head as he tried to laugh it off, "but yeah. Maybe afterwards you can show me where you get some of that candy you always have."
"Want some?" Korra procured a few colorful pieces of red, purple, and orange, brandishing them deftly between her fingers before leaving them in her open palm.
"Would I ever!" Bolin almost snatched the confections out of Korra's hand and nearly made the same catlike expression Korra did when she first sampled them.
"So…" He spoke as he chewed one of the larger pieces, "would tomorrow night work alright? I could show you one of my favourite joints; authentic Water Tribe food and everything."
"Now you've piqued my interest," Korra raised her eyebrows. "It's not some fancy uppity-doo-dah kind of place though, is it?"
"Do you really think they'd let a guy like me in a place like that if it were some fancy uppity-doo-dah place?" Bolin quipped. "Nah, just be yourself; maybe make sure to actually wear shoes this time, but otherwise I'd say you're golden."
"Later at night, right?" Korra thought about it, "I've got somewhere I need to be around midday, but after that I'm taking the rest of the day off."
"Yeah, evening of course," Bolin grinned, "hence dinner. So are you in?"
"Looks like I've got plans for the evening now," Korra smirked. "Count me in."
It would actually work out well that way. Korra had some important business she wanted to sort out before the evening, and so if things went her way, she'd have it figured out or denied altogether, and either way her evening would be open—for what would be her very first date.