The first two weeks of working with Korra were... strange, Ren thought to himself. She was a natural at bending, moving with grace and precision. She was energetic, cheerful, bright. Yet there was a haunted quality to her movements, as if she was constantly on edge, ready to fight or flee. She didn't really trust anyone. Even running errands was a challenge.
Arms full of heavy boxes, Korra and Ren trudged through the busy streets of the Industrial District in a rare fall heat wave. The sun beat down mercilessly, making the air thick and sticky.
"Korra, where on Earth are you going?" Ren asked exasperatedly. "We're supposed to be delivering this gear, not circling around the block!"
"Sorry," Korra mumbled, slowing down to follow Ren. "I guess I got lost in my thoughts."
Ren eyed her. "Your eyes are darting everywhere. You think we're being followed or something?"
"N, no," Korra denied quickly. "I'm just... not used to being out in the open."
Ren sighed. "Whatever. We're almost there. Let's just drop these off and get out of the heat."
Ren pushed the door to the shop open, and they both staggered inside. The coolness of an ice block used to chill the room hit them like a wave, and they sighed in relief.
"Mr. Lee," Ren addressed the elderly man behind the counter. "These are the parts you ordered."
"Excellent," Lee beamed, inspecting the boxes. "Thank you, Ren. Your service is always impeccable."
"Thanks, Mr. Lee," Ren replied.
Meanwhile, Korra had already gotten distracted, wandering over to a shelf displaying swords and knives. She picked up a sleek dao, examining its sharp edge with fascination.
"Is this a weapons shop? Cool!" she enthused with wide eyes. "I've never seen so many different kinds of blades."
"It's mostly for collectors," Mr. Lee explained. "But I also sell to local security firms and law enforcement agencies."
"Huh," Korra mused, setting the dao back on the shelf. She walked over to a cabinet, holding nondescript round objects. Then she opened it, and picked one up.
"Korra, be careful! Those are firebombs!" Ren grabbed her arm, and carefully removed the object from her fingers.
"Oops," Korra winced. "I didn't realize. Sorry."
"It's alright," Mr. Lee said kindly.
Korra noticed Ren's arms tremble as he set the bomb back on the shelf. He let out a sigh of relief.
"Are you alright?" she asked, concern creasing her brow.
"Yeah," Ren lied smoothly. "Just a bit jumpy, is all." He turned back to Mr. Lee. "Anything else I can get you today?"
"No, thank you, Ren," Lee replied, signing the delivery receipt. "Keep up the good work."
As they walked back, Korra noticed that same tremble in Ren's hands. It was slight... not something most would notice. But she spent years learning to recognize subtle body movement.
Back at the shop, she watched as Ren pulled a blazing hot blob of liquid metal from his furnace, pressing it into a mold shaped like a gear. Korra helped him cool it, surrounding the mold with ice and freezing it into shape.
"This is crazy," Korra marveled, watching as Ren examined the cooled gear critically. "I feel like a mad scientist."
Ren chuckled. "Mad scientists are cool," he quipped. "Besides, you're doing great work."
"Thanks," Korra replied, feeling oddly bashful. "I've never done anything like this before."
"I would never have guessed." Ren smiled. "You've got real talent, Korra."
"Thanks," Korra repeated, giving him a genuine smile. "I do enjoy praise."
Ren laughed. "Come on, let's get ready for the next part," he said, walking over to the furnace adopting a lava-bending stance.
He concentrated, lifting two blobs of different metals into the air, keeping them separated. Korra was ready with the next mold, and Ren quickly combined the metals and stuffed it into the mold before Korra froze the whole assembly.
"There we-" Ren started,
The ice popped, shattering into pieces with a deafening crack as bits of ice and hot metal went flying everywhere.
"Spirits!" Korra swore, ducking instinctively. "Whoa! Are you okay?"
"Uh... yeah," Ren groaned, sitting up. "You've, uh, gotta be careful not to let water into the mix."
"Sorry," Korra apologized, helping him up. Her eyes went wide. "Your arm!"
Ren looked down, and saw a big cut oozing blood. "Oh."
"Here, sit down," Korra instructed, guiding him to a chair. She bent over, placing her palm on his wound. A bubble of water formed around her hand, and Korra focused her chi, healing the cut.
As Korra held his arm, she could feel it trembling, harder this time. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked again, concern clouding her features.
"Yeah, I, uh... just give me a sec," Ren muttered. He put his hands on his forehead, closing his eyes.
Korra put a hand on his knee. "What's wrong?" she asked gently. Both his arms were shaking, and his face was pale.
"Nothing," Ren insisted, opening his eyes after a while. His gaze was distant, unfocused. "Just... bad memories."
"From the streets?" Korra guessed, her voice soft.
"Not exactly," Ren admitted quietly.
"Tell me," Korra urged.
Ren sighed. "Explosions, loud noises," he revealed. "I have a... bad reaction to them on some days. It's a long story, not really worth telling."
"I'd like to hear it," Korra said simply. "If you're comfortable sharing."
Ren hesitated, chewing on his lower lip. "I'm OK, really," he said, getting up and brushing himself off. "Thanks for the healing. And I, uh appreciate the support."
"You're welcome," Korra assured him, watching him closely. She wished she could do more, but she knew forcing someone to share their pain wasn't the answer. Oh, did she know.
After a few moments of silence, there was a knock on the door.
"I got it," Ren announced, heading over to the entrance. He opened the door, and found a Republic City Police officer standing there, in full armor.
"Lieutenant Fong," Ren acknowledged politely. "Come in, please."
Fong nodded, and entered, eyeing the damage caused by the failed experiment. "What happened here?" he demanded brusquely.
"An accident, nothing to worry about," Ren replied evenly. "What brings you here? Is something wrong with the armor plates?"
"No, no, everything checks out, Ren," Fong assured him. "In fact, my officers love 'em. They saved lives. I was curious to see if you had anything else in the works."
"We do," Ren nodded. "My associate and I-"
Ren gestured to introduce Korra... but she was gone. And the back door was swinging open.
Later, after he dealt with Lieutenant Fong, Ren went down to the beach where Korra usually hung out. The sun was low, shining into a drainage tunnel. He peered inside, seeing her leaning against Naga, stroking her fur absently.
"Korra?" he called out tentatively.
Korra looked up sharply, her expression shifting between surprise and guilt. Maybe even a little fear?
"Hey," she greeted him warily.
"This is your place?" Ren asked bluntly, gesturing at the tunnel.
"Yeah," Korra admitted reluctantly. "I'm, uh, saving up for something better."
"I see," Ren replied, nodding slowly. "It's better than anywhere I stayed when I first came to the city."
"Really?" Korra asked, looking surprised. "I thought it was a bit cramped."
"It's safe, isolated," Ren pointed out. "You even have a front gate," he added with a wink.
Korra smiled. "True," she agreed. "I like the view too."
He moved a little closer. "Why did you run earlier?" he asked, tilting his head.
Korra blinked, caught off guard. "I, um... I didn't want to meet any cops," she admitted, avoiding his gaze.
"Why's that?" Ren pressed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I, I don't have any ID. And I have a bad history with police," Korra confessed, looking down.
"I know what you mean," Ren said sympathetically. "But Lieutenant Fong's a good guy. His whole unit is. I wanted to introduce you, actually."
Anger flashed in Korra's eyes. "Did you tell him my name?" she snapped.
"No," Ren protested.
Almost faster than Ren could blink, Korra grabbed Ren's shirt and shoved him against the wall. "Don't lie to me," she growled dangerously.
Ren put his hands up. "Easy, Korra! I didn't tell him anything about you, I promise," he swore frantically. "I just mentioned you were a big help around here."
Korra released him, stepping back. She slowly sank down onto the floor, leaning against a wall, putting her hands onto her face.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's okay," he said, kneeling down beside her.
Korra chuckled. "I just assaulted my boss," she lamented. "It's no wonder I've been living on the streets."
"Hey," Ren said gently, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's fine, really."
She looked up at Ren, meeting his gaze directly. "So... I'm not fired?"
Ren laughed. "No. You're not fired. Just..."
"What?" Korra prompted.
"Look, if you're uncomfortable with things, like cops or deliveries, just let me know, OK?" Ren suggested. "You don't have to explain it. And I'd rather know than find out later."
"Okay," Korra agreed, nodding seriously. "You too. If you've got things that trigger you or make you anxious, let me know? I want to help."
Ren smiled. "Deal."
Korra returned the smile. Maybe Ren has secrets, just like she does. But maybe she could still learn to trust him a little, just like he trusts her.