Another week passed. For most of that time, Korra was a nervous, awkward roommate. She knew nothing about domestic life, and she had lived alone for so long. But one day, after many mistakes... it just clicked. She found a routine, with breakfast, cleaning, laundry, groceries, everything. And Ren was so easygoing. It really wasn't that hard.
It seemed so stupid, but this is *why* she came to Republic City. Korra wanted to have a normal, boring life, just for a bit. And she finally had it. So when something came to interrupt that life, she was not pleased.
A thunderstorm was approaching, and rain was starting to fall. Korra could see lighting flashing in the distance as she stepped out of the shower.
Korra walked downstairs to the sound of an argument. Qwen had a shit eating grin on his face, standing in the middle of Ren's workspace, while Peng leaned against a wall nervously.
"I'm not paying you again. This would be the third time this month," Ren growled, crossing his arms defensively. "I don't owe you squat."
"Oh really?" Qwen sneered, sauntering forward.
"I could burn you alive, Qwen, you know that," Ren threatened lowly, gently heating the metal beneath his feet. "Stop messing around."
"Hey!" Korra intervened, stepping between them. "What are you two doing?"
Qwen smirked. "Nothing much, just collecting what we're owed, doll face."
Qwen approached Korra, but she smacked him in the gut, sending him stumbling backward.
"Get out of our home!" Korra shouted, her eyes filled with anger.
Qwen rubbed his belly, glaring at her hatefully. "We only let you do that once, sweetheart," he warned. "The Red Monsoons have a long memory, and people who cross us tend to regret it."
Korra stepped forward, putting her face directly in front of his. "Are you threatening me?"
"Maybe," Qwen drawled, grinning maliciously. "Or maybe I'm just reminding you of who runs this district. Zei doesn't tolerate disrespect."
Korra was anticipating how good it would feel to smash Qwen's teeth in, when she heard the workshop door swing open.
"Miss Korra!" Phoebe called out, running straight into Korra's leg. "The mean man came by today. He says I need to go with him, that I would be a good member for his team."
Korra's blood boiled over. That was the last straw.
She knelt in front of Phoebe. "I'm glad you came to me, Phoebe. That was very brave of you," she praised. "Now go wait in the kitchen. You don't have to go with anyone, but the grown-ups have to talk, OK?"
Phoebe nodded, skipping away.
"You're making a mistake," Qwen warned.
The moment Phoebe left the room, Korra lunged at Qwen, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him into the nearest wall. "A mistake?" she seethed, her grip tightening.
"Uh, Korra," Ren interrupted nervously. "Maybe we should calm down a bit?" Peng was fidgeting nervously as well.
"You should listen to your boyfriend," Qwen wheezed, struggling weakly. "We're coming for you, and that little brat. Mark my words."
Korra slammed Qwen's head against the wall, knocking him out cold. "Next time he threatens us, I kill him," she vowed, tossing him aside, walking over to Peng.
"Take it easy, Korra!" Peng yelped, backing away hastily. "I don't want to mess with kids!"
Korra grabbed Peng by the shirtfront, lifting him clear off the floor. "You're taking me to Zei. Now."
Peng squeaked helplessly, but nodded frantically. Ren, on the other hand, was not so eager. "Korra, what are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed?"
"No," Korra bluntly answered. "Now move it!"
Korra dragged Peng outside, and all but threw him into the gangster's car. He drove them to a mansion at the edge of the district, surrounded by a tall iron fence.
The rain was falling harder now, soaking the three of them to the bone. But Ren swore he could see water boiling off Korra's skin.
"Korra, you really shouldn't be doing this," Peng pleaded, as Korra marched them inside. "Zei doesn't like surprises."
"Oh, I'm counting on it," Korra quipped, following Peng through the grand entrance hall.
Zei's office was a huge suite, filled with expensive antiques and artworks. Korra almost knocked the wooden doors off its hinges as she stormed in, with Peng and Ren nervously trailing behind her.
The older Water Tribe native was at the head of the table, discussing contracts with several men in suits. When he saw Korra enter, he raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Can I help you?" he asked disdainfully.
"Yeah, you can start by telling your lackeys to leave me and my friends alone," Korra retorted, pointing at Peng accusingly.
Zei looked at his fellow gangsters, and everyone in the room burst out laughing.
"That's sweet, honey," Zei mocked, folding his hands together. "But I don't think you understand the situation. You see, I own this district. Everyone here pays me tribute. If you don't like it, you're free to leave."
"Really?" Korra challenged. "I think I won't."
Zei scoffed, and stood up from his seat. He walked around the desk, towering over Korra. "You know, I respect courage," he began silkily. "I like your spunk. Tell you what. I'll go easy on you. I'll let you walk out of here alive, and we can pretend this conversation never-"
Korra interrupted Zei by spitting straight onto his face, staring him right in the eyes.
Zei slowly wiped the saliva from his cheek. Thunder boomed in the distance, and lightning illuminated the room briefly. Most of the room was shocked, but Ren was utterly mortified.
"Duel me," Korra demanded. "Unless you're too much of a coward to face me."
"You wanna be serious?" Zei asked, fuming. "Fine. Let's be serious."
Outside, Korra and Zei faced each other in a dueling circle, styled after ones from the Northern Water Tribe. Even with the rain pouring down, a crowd of gangsters gathered around the circle, eager to see their boss eviscerate this insolent bender. Water, after all, was the Monsoon's element.
"Don't worry, I won't let you suffer for too long," Zei promised ominously, drawing water from the surrounding puddles into a long whip. "This should be quick."
Korra narrowed her eyes. "Ladies first."
Zei smirked, whipping the water around in a circle. He shot it forward, aiming for Korra's torso. But Korra sidestepped, easily avoiding the attack as the whip slapped against the ground.
"Is that the best you've got?" she taunted.
Zei growled, launching a torrent of water at her. With a slice of her arm, Korra cut it in half, sending the streams flying harmlessly to either side.
"Not bad," Zei complimented sarcastically. "Shame I have to ruin your fun."
Zei pulled water into razor sharp spikes, hurling them straight at Korra. She leaped backwards, somersaulting into the air. Zei caught sight of her midair, and fired another blast of water at her.
Korra landed deftly, twisting her body to avoid the water. She whipped her foot around, deflecting more icicles with a powerful kick.
"Are we fighting yet?" Korra asked impatiently. "Let me know when you decide to actually try."
Zei's eyes flashed dangerously, and he sent a tidal wave crashing towards Korra. She held her ground, digging her feet in, simply letting the water wash past her like it was a gentle current.
Lightning struck again, closer this time, illuminating the battle as thunder rolled overhead. Ren had a worried look on his face, but the Monsoons were snickering and cheering, clearly expecting a swift victory. After all, the girl was barely even fighting back.
"I'm gonna gut that dog of yours like a fish," Zei promised darkly, pulling more water into a ball.
"What did you say?" Korra snapped.
Zei smiled. "Naga, right? I hear the Earth Queen pays handsomely for polar bear dog. She likes it cooked rare."
Zei got the reaction he wanted. Korra charged right at him, and he was ready, hurling a huge ice spike straight at her torso. But Korra punched it, shattering it with her bare fist. He summoned a wall of ice spikes to skewer the young woman, but Korra jumped through them, smashing through the ice and landing right in front of him.
Zei already had his arm encased in water, and he plunged it into Korra's chest, aiming for her heart. But Korra grabbed his wrist, pulling his arm over her head and slamming him into the wet concrete. Zei saw stars, and before he could even blink, a boot was standing on his throat, pinning him to the ground, face down.
"I'm sorry, *what* did you say you were going to do to Naga?" Korra repeated, leaning in close. "Didn't quite catch that."
Zei tried to scream in rage, but Korra pressed on his throat, cutting off his air supply. He struggled feebly, but she kept her weight steady.
"I can't hear you," she cooed, pressing down harder.
Lighting flashed again. Zei's face contorted in pain. Finally, he started tapping the ground repeatedly, signaling surrender.
The gangsters gasped. Korra sat there, pondering whether to break his neck or not, until she finally lifted her boot.
Zei gasped in relief, coughing violently as he wheezed for breath, his eyes red and puffy.
Korra looked around the dueling circle. Some of the gangsters looked impressed, but others were angry, clearly wanting revenge. She closed her eyes, turning her focus to the rain washing over her.
She could feel the drops running over her skin, the wet wind lapping at her hair, the mud pooling around her boots, like it was all connected. All part of her. Water was her native element, and she would show these fools exactly what that meant.
Korra stretched her arms wide, and the rain around the arena stopped dead. Water droplets hung in the air as if frozen in time.
The bubble got bigger and bigger, encompassing the spectators, the yard, and then the entire mansion, like gravity had suddenly ceased to exist.
Korra let out an icy breath and clenched her fists. Every single droplet froze into a tiny, razor sharp spike, all aimed directly at the crowd of Monsoons.
Korra opened her eyes, and lighting ripped across the sky, illuminating her fierce expression and the sea of daggers that hanging over their heads. The Monsoons looked around in terror. Even Zei had fear etched across his face.
"If a Red Monsoon ever threatens me or anyone I care about again," Korra warned, "It will be the last thing *any* of you do. Got it?"
Everybody nodded vigorously.
"Good," Korra declared, releasing her hold on the water. The drops melted and fell to the ground, disappearing into the earth.
The Monsoons gave Korra and Ren a wide berth as they exited the compound. Nobody said a word, but the message was as clear as day.
Ren was trying to form words, figuring out how to process what he had just witnessed. "Korra, that was incredible," he finally blurted out, unable to contain his awe. "I was going to nag you about how dangerous that was, but you scared the entire gang into submission."
"It was just waterbending," Korra dismissed.
"Just waterbending?" Ren repeated incredulously. "Look, Korra, I don't want to pry. But how can you expect me to blow that off?"
"I... I can't explain it," Korra stammered. "It's nothing you have to worry about."
Ren grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him. "Korra, I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about you," he argued passionately. "You're brave enough to face down a dragon, with the skills to back it up, but whatever this is... I can see the fear written all over you. It's eating you alive. And if *you're* scared of it, it must be horrible," he accused softly.
Korra stared blankly at Ren, unable to respond. She couldn't deny it.
"Please," Ren begged her. "You don't have to tell me everything, but just give me something. Anything."
Korra sighed heavily. "I'm not a fugitive, but I'm running away from something," she explained cautiously. "I'm hiding from a group."
"A dangerous group?" Ren guessed.
"Yes. No. I don't know," Korra hedged. "They're not violent. They technically don't have any authority over me. But... they did a number on my psyche," she admitted with shame. "I'm scared of them. I've been trying to pull together some semblance of sanity since I arrived in Republic City, and it's not been easy."
Ren nodded. "Then we'll keep you safe," he vowed. "I don't care who they are. I don't care what they told you. They're jerks for making you feel that way, and you don't deserve one bit of that anguish."
Korra smiled sadly. "I know that, I guess. But it's nice to hear it out loud."
Ren placed his arm over her shoulders, leading her away from the estate. "Come on, let's grab a bite to eat. My treat."
(I have more chapters on AO3, but they are finicky to repost/edit here. If anyone is actually reading this and wants more, just ask).