AUTHOR'S NOTES: I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. the next one should still happen at the regular time however. That said... there's not much to say about this one other than a shameless reference, and that feedback of any kind are an author's lifeblood and so if you love it or hate it... let me know!
Happy Reading!

BOOK TWO: CHANGE

CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO: THE TAILOR

Korra's recovery took a total of two days, and Asami was with her for most of those two days. Mako and Bolin paid her a couple visits, and even Tenzin and Kwan dropped by to say hello. Lin did not show up, but Korra understood she was busy and didn't hold it against her at all when all was said and done.

None of her friends were too thrilled to see the lightning scar that now carved up Korra's right hand, taking its place as the 3rd major scar that Korra had obtained. A pair of large gashes from Tarrlok's ice shards—one on her left shoulder and the other on her right cheek—threatened to scar as well, but whether they did or not would be gauged after they had healed.

Ultimately, only the mark on her cheek stuck around, and soon Korra was back on her feet again. Despite her fairly upbeat attitude, however, both Asami and Tenzin noticed her usual habits returning, the most prominent of which was her neglect of basic care. She was often barefooted, leaving her hair unmanaged and hanging lank, an unfocused look in her eyes as she moved with a very slouched posture.

The summary of what had happened that fateful evening was not something Korra had expounded on while in the hospital, even to Asami. She only really breezed over the notion that she had been kidnapped, and that she had escaped. Once she was back at Air Temple Island and had been properly fed, she was a lot more talkative. It helped that everyone who had been on the search party apart from Kwan was there. Korra did ask about her.

"She went right back to her shop," Lin noted, "for how much trouble she's been in, it's almost unnerving to see her so adamant about staying out of trouble."

I'm sure you've seen worse," Korra pointed her fork playfully at Lin.

"I'm looking at 'worse' right now," Lin replied with a straight face, staring at Korra.

"Hey, fuck you." Korra laughed. "I'm the Avatar and stuff."

"I'm impressed you haven't slapped her across the mouth at least once, Tenzin," Lin turned to the old airbender. While Lin and Korra exchanged sharp, cutting words, there also appeared to be a level of mutual understanding between them that had existed since the attack on the Probending Arena. It was unorthodox, and not even Asami, Tenzin, Mako or Bolin really understood it, but suffice to say that neither Lin nor Korra took offense at these jabs.

"I'm impressed that she's still alive and only has one scar to show for it." Tenzin noted, glancing at Korra's right hand, her brown skin there now streaked with angry shades of red and pink in a remarkably intricate pattern.

"What exactly happened that night, Korra?" Asami was the one to ask, knowing that she'd be the most likely one to get anything out of Korra, "what did Tarrlok do?"

"It was a… scary night." Korra lowered her head, using the same fork that she had been jobbing at Lin moments ago to prod her food, which she was suddenly no longer touching.

"Korra, I realize you've been through a lot," Tenzin beseeched, "but we need to know everything that happened. You come back with lightning scars and half of your gear missing, wrapped in chains weighing more than you do. That's not by any means normal."

"These are just from some of Tarrlok's ice shards," Korra indicated her left shoulder and right cheek, "and the others are too small to worry about. We fought, and I was about to give him a blue fireball to the face, before… before..."

Korra's own words triggered a petrifying memory of that night where Tarrlok had stripped her of her own freedom, and she suddenly froze up, her eyes wide, and her mouth hanging slightly agape. The concerned looks all of her friends immediately gave her went unacknowledged as the scene swirled around her. Air Temple Island was gone, and instead she was in a derelict City Hall. She was back on her knees, her back arched and her arms spread, fighting against a malevolent-looking Tarrlok, who was trying to wrench her limbs apart.

Korra wasn't sure who snapped their fingers and said her name, but everything spun around in a blur of blue and grey once again and she was back at Pema's breakfast table.

"You alright there?" Korra recognized Bolin's voice, "You kind of blanked just now."

"Yeah, just…" Korra put a hand to her forehead, "a little fatigued; I kind of zoned there for a bit. But yeah—Tarrlok's a bloodbender and I was one of his victims. It… was not pretty."

"Is that what made you freeze up just now?" Asami turned to her.

"Part of it," Korra lowered her head, focusing on the fork that she was idly tapping against the food on her plate, "when it happened I saw Nakkoa—and then I kind of just froze up like I did just now. It… it was just so vivid! I could have sworn Tarrlok was in the room here right now and just…" Korra stammered, before grabbing her hair and rising to her feet.

"The metal prison was horrible, by the way," she called out as she dismissed herself from the room, "and then I blew up the shack I was in and came home."

There was an awkward silence as the others watched Korra leave. Bolin, as if it was his sworn duty, was the one to break it a moment later.

"Aww, man; not again! I hate when she gets like this!"

"We all do," Mako put an arm around his shoulder, "but it's not our fault—it's not even her fault."

"I recognize this particular behaviour pattern though," Asami pointed out, "When Korra does this, it means she's trying to dissociate from something—which means whatever Tarrlok and the Equalists did to her must have been really bad—especially if she's comparing it to Nakkoa."

"So let her dissociate," Lin suggested, "sometimes people can be exhausting, even if they're your best friends and mean well. Give the kid a chance to breathe and get her shit together, and maybe she'll be more open about it."

Unfortunately, it seemed that Korra had not gone to her room, but had flown back to Republic City to get lost among the crowds. The note on her door was proof enough.

"Asami:

I took a walk through town. I'll be back tonight or something probably; I just need to clear my head. Tell the others I'm not mad at them or anything. Love you,

~Korra"

With Sato Estate under Hiroshi's control and the Probending Arena closed due to damage, the only other place Asami figured Korra could have been was Kwan's mechanic shop, but when she and Tenzin arrived there, it was just Kwan and a couple of other customers.

"I haven't seen the kid all day," Kwan shrugged, "I know she likes running off to the Western Air Temple sometimes, but I don't think that's where she went."

It was not in fact where Korra had run off to this time. True to her letter, she was just wandering through town without a real destination in mind. Few people paid her much attention, and she paid little attention to anything either. She heard over a radio in a shop that the Republic City council would be meeting the following morning to discuss how to react to the Equalists and their capture of Councilman Tarrlok, but she wasn't even sure what to make of that herself. Her mind was so fixated on other things that she hardly noticed where she was going, and as she passed a particular tailor shop, she found herself face to face with an angry woman in navy blue and orange clothing holding a spear of all things—a real, expertly-crafted spear complete with the sharp metal end pointed right at Korra's neck.

"Whoa, whoa," Korra took a step back, bringing her hands into the air. "Sorry if I bothered you; what did I do and how can I make it right?"

"You…" the woman growled, her eye twitching angrily, "the Avatar… here to take what little I have left after all these years?"

"What are you talking about?" Korra frowned, "did Avatar Aang hurt you or something?"

"Benders are benders," the woman scowled, "they can go marauding through town destroying the lives of anyone they decide they don't like, and when we try to fight back, they go and outlaw our protests. It's no mystery which side the Avatar would choose in a bending/nonbending dispute, so why not get away from my store before I run you through?"

There was something about this young woman that struck a chord with Korra in the most unusual way. There was no mystery that she was a covert Equalist—for being one openly was unlawful and would mean prison unless Amon was there to come to the suspect's defense.

"What's your name?" Korra kept her hands where the woman could see them, and her eyes locked with the spear woman's brown ones, "and how old are you?" It was an odd question, but she didn't look much older than Korra which made the Avatar even more curious.

"I'm older than you," the woman answered, "and my name is Hara."

"My name's Korra," Korra introduced herself, "and I'm 17 years old. How about you give me a little more details about who you are?"

"I… am Oboro Fukuhara," Hara gave her full name, "Hara for short. I'm 19, and thanks to benders like you, I'm alone in this world!"

That fierce look Hara shot Korra with remained on her face.

"Wanna tell me what happened?" Korra tilted her head, "because I know what it's like to be alone. It's not fun—especially when you're dealing with other fights along the way."

"It's always benders…" Hara kept a strong grip on her spear, although pulled it away from Korra's face, "My family owned one of the finest tailor shops on the city. Business was booming, until we got caught in the crossfire of a turf war between some waterbenders and some earthbenders. They destroyed the shop, slew both my parents in front of me, beat me senseless and left me for dead. Do you know how old I was? I was 15 at the time!"

"The Triads are some nasty dudes…" Korra frowned.

"And that's who Amon took the bending from!" Hara pointed out, her black ponytail fluttering as she moved. There was a fervent tone to her voice.

"But now he's targetting people who have done no wrong," Korra reasoned, "people whose only crime was being born with bending powers. Trust me—I didn't even ask to be the Avatar. But it's not about me. I'm not perfect—I'm far from it. But I have friends—good people who couldn't commit a crime even if they wanted to. Do they deserve to be punished?"

"If it strips them of the inherent edge they have against people like me," Hara reasoned, "Then I see nothing wrong with it. Thousands of people go every day of their lives without ever bending. I think they can manage just fine without it."

"But whose right is it to tell them that?" Korra was once again reminded of lessons she had learned from Zaheer, "who gets to decide the fate of others like that? Are we dictated by the strong ruling the weak? A world where tyrants like Amon or powerhouses like the Avatar can do anything they please and roam free of any retribution? I'm not sure how closely you follow my life, but I've done a lot of stupid stuff, Hara. I'm not perfect, and I don't claim to be. I've been arrested; I've done time, and even after being reprimanded, I still mess up."

"All the more reason Amon's right about you, if you ask me," Hara gestured, her hands still keeping a firm grip on her spear, "Why should someone so reckless and so dangerous have that kind of power?"

"It's… really not that simple," Korra shook her head, "Look—I'm not asking you to support me or to join me or to throw all your beliefs away or anything. I think that at its core, the Equalist movement shows valid concerns. I was there when Councilman Tarrlok unlawfully arrested dozens of nonbenders simply for being outdoors. That was a blatant abuse of power, and he got what he deserved when the Equalists captured him. I was also there, however, when Equalist Leader Hiroshi Sato tried killing his own daughter. I was there when Amon tried stirring up crowds against the faces of people they had never met by slandering our names."

"And what's your point?" Hara still looked unconvinced.

"My point is that I think while the Equalist movement means well at its core, that its leader Amon is both a fraud and is corrupt." Korra declared, "I'm not trying to change your mind. You don't need to think bending is the coolest thing in the world; you don't have to think that the Equalists are corrupt; you don't even have to agree with me on Amon. If you take anything from my words today, Hara—just know that the actions of a few radicals do not and should not dictate the actions of the rest."

"Not gonna lie," Hara sighed, "You're not what I expected you to be, Avatar."

"In what way?" Korra raised her eyebrow, "my girlfriend says I lack subtlety at all."

"You actually sound somewhat reasonable," Hara answered, "I mean, I don't agree with you, but the fact that you were able to come at it respectfully without just shooting fire at everything like I've heard you do was a nice change of pace."

"Well, you don't have to agree with me," Korra shrugged, "just… please don't run that spear through my face, alright?"

"What, and face the wrath of the Avatar as she blows this whole block apart?" Hara quipped, "I'll pass. Besides, I kinda like you—or at least the way you think when you're not crazy."

"I… guess I'll take that as a compliment?" Korra gave a confused pout. "Anyways, just think about what I said, Hara. It was nice talking to you."

"You as well… Korra." Hara replied, giving her something of finger-flick wave as Korra walked off.

If nothing else, it gave her a lot to think about. Despite her trauma as well as her mental and emotional struggles, Korra felt remarkably stable at the moment, which surprised even her. The memories of Tarrlok and what he did to her were still fairly fresh on her mind, and yet for some reason, she wasn't gripped by that fear.

She knew it wouldn't last, but she was in fairly high spirits when she returned to Air Temple Island that afternoon without a word.

It was evening just after sundown before anyone saw Korra again, and when they did, she was dressed again, even doing up her hair. The only reason Tenzin realized Korra was happy again sooner than Asami was by the chance of him seeing her first.

"You look like you had a pleasant afternoon," He commented, "How are you feeling?"

"Better, weirdly enough," Korra shrugged, "I don't really even know why either. The highlight of my day on the town was running into an Equalist girl that probably still hates me."

"An Equalist?" Tenzin looked concerned.

"At least in philosophy," Korra shrugged, "But I think… I think part of the reason it made me happy at the end was that it was a peaceful resolution. I don't even know if it did anything, but the fact that I managed to keep my cool and not flip out and set something on fire feels like an accomplishment for me." She paused for a moment before lowering her head.

"And…" she sighed, "man, that's fucking pathetic, isn't it?"

"Hm?" Tenzin had an idea of what Korra was referring to, but wanted to make sure.

"The fact that I'm praising myself for acting normal!" Korra threw her arms in the air, "the fact that it's so rare for me to do that I'm celebrating mediocrity like it's some kind of achievement! Hey, congratulations Tenzin! You didn't blow anything up today! Hey, neither did Asami or Mako or Bolin, or even Lin, with how sour she is; or Kwan with her criminal past. And then there's me, getting excited over the fact that I'm not in fact a lunatic for half a day? Wow, I'm so special!"

Korra huffed as she swung her head around as if fearing she was being stalked. She sighed, sinking to her knees as she lowered her forehead into her palms.

"Why am I so hopeless, Tenzin?" she moaned.

"You're not hopeless, Korra," Tenzin's voice was firm but gentle as he took Korra's hand, coaxing the young Avatar to rise back to her feet, "You're hurt, and you're letting your doubts get the best of you. Don't let them try and convince you that what you went through was trivial—because it is far from being such."

"I wish it was that easy to just feel better," Korra lamented, "but instead I feel weak, and when I feel weak I get defensive and then I get angry and when I get angry so many ugly things happen and ugh; it's just so unbelievably fucked up and I hate it so much and I wish I could just make it all stop and go away…"

Korra sighed, leaning against Tenzin's chest.

"I'm so tired, Tenzin," she mumbled, her tone exposing her weariness, "I am so. fucking. Tired."

"Rest then," Tenzin rubbed her back in a gentle, reassuring way. "Your physical body might be raring to go again, but don't forget about your mental and emotional well-being as well, Korra. No one is going to judge you if you need more time to recuperate."

"I know," Korra sighed. "I know."

Although regardless of if she knew it, applying what she knew to her life was a different story entirely—as well as a completely different set of struggles.

AFTERTHOUGHTS: Hara might be important later down the line, or maybe she's just a one-and-done sort of character like others from different episodes of ATLA and TLOK. Time will tell.