Chronicle of Zhu: Book 2 - Reconstruction

by NewMystery356

From the ashes of war and conflict, something new, something better, can be built from it. In the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity, but only if the one, supported by the many, and the many, supported by the one, have the will to do find it. Of course, Republic City has a long way to go before it can regain, let alone surpass, its former glory.

7. Once in a Red Moon

To Many Faced Mage, it certainly helps that Varrick is throwing boatloads of money into it after Meifan's "Little Blue Pills" sold like hotcakes~
Just like how the hotcakes "sold like hotcakes".

To LoamyCoffee, while I'm happy people are getting invested enough in who Zhu, an OC, winds up with and even wants to include Opal, on that front, Zhu is meant to be "the one that got away" to her; a consequence of his nomadic lifestyle since in Legend of Korra, people seem to be more-defined "by their past" than the cast of Avatar the Last Airbender.
With the exception of Aang at least. And while the cast of ATLA most-definitely have backstories tied into their lives before they met the Avatar, I feel like it's more-prevalent in Korra because it isn't a bunch of 12 and 13-year-olds gallivanting about saving the world. The cast of LoK for the most part are young adults with young adult worries like romance, jobs, what they'll do in the future, etc.

Thefallenjedi66: Smell that? (sniffs real long before lookin at tenzin) SMELLS LIKE BITCH IN HERE

Re: To be fair, he probably doesn't want a repeat of what happened when he broke it off with Lin…

Onxio: Can mc use moves from Deadman Wonderland?

Re: I mean, the closest Zhu ever really came was with his "Fake Firebending" back in Book 1 of Chronicle of Zhu. What he did last-chapter could also be considered closer-to Deadman Wonderland, but his "Crimson Ice Flower" feat is more "Avatar-style" than "Deadman Wonderland-style".

To Blaze1992, I mean, yeah, pretty much. A lot of racism, or at least the motivations-for, falls apart in the face of critical thinking and empirical evidence. If you want to be prejudiced against someone because they're some kind of criminal, then sure, persecute away, but just because someone looks different, or talks different, or smells different or thinks different or worships different, doesn't mean you should go out of your way to… you know… lynch them.
And really, the whole "Black Lives Matter" thing is a complete sham, and the epitome of racism. It isn't only "Black Lives" that "Matter". All lives "Matter". But I'll cut off that tangent before I Trigger anyone too badly.

Now… Onto the first update of 2024!

*RECONSTRUCTION*

"Welcome back faithful listeners to the Shiro Shinobi Radio Show!" the familiar 'Voice of Pro Bending' announced in his usual bombastic tone. "Sitting in with me today is Grand Lotus Zhu, of the Northern Water Tribe."

"Considering I was more or less exiled and I have no real love for my homeland, that's Expatriated Northern Water Tribe," Korra's betrothed replied, and she was happy not to hear the same hurt in his voice as when he bore himself to her and the others that fateful day at Asami's pool.

"Ah, of course, my mistake," Shiro replied. "Now, I suppose the biggest question on everyone's mind is, have you made any headway to get the Bending back of those who were 'Equalized' by Noatak of the Northern Water Tribe, formally known as 'Amon' of the Equalists?"

"Well, Shiro, while admittedly some headway is being made on that front, it isn't nearly enough that I'd trust myself to give my beloved her Bending back," Zhu replied, Pema smiling as Korra's cheeks turned red. "Speaking of Equalists, though. After the dying gasp of the movement attacked myself and then-present company, including but not limited to two dignitaries from the Metal Clan, I made an interesting discovery about non-Bender anatomy."

"Oh, I see. And uh... What might that be?" Shiro asked, always a pinch squeamish about the topic.

"Simply put, after peeling back enough layers, I've discovered that there is literally nothing separating the two. No magic organ that handles Chi for use in Bending, and the Meridians themselves are immaterial; pure energy little different from the air you breathe," Zhu replied. "And if you think non-Benders don't have Chi, just ask my friend Ty-Lee; yes, that Ty-Lee from the history books. Ty-Lee has been following the same exercise regimen as Avatar Kyoshi, a woman who lived for more than two-hundred years without ever leaving her late-30s, and it shows that she's still as spry and energetic as when she was galivanting about the Earth Kingdom with Azula and Mei back forever ago. In fact, I think she still fits that same swimsuit she wore back on Ember Island during the war, but I never had enough of a genuine interest to ask outright."

"It feels kinda weird, hearing the same voice on the radio that's going to be joining us for breakfast tomorrow morning," Jinora hummed as her family and Korra ate the evening meal, Zhu and Shiro exchanging dialogue in the background, at-present moving on to less-serious topics.

"Well, I'm just happy he's coming out of his shell like this," Pema hummed as she cradled Rohan. "Back before, he used to be so reserved. And now look at him; co-hosting radio shows and swaying public opinion."

"Hey, speaking of which, how're things in office?" Korra asked.

"Dreadful," Tenzin sighed, even as Ikki tried to push his lips up into a smile. "That attack on your person the other day almost made them levy another crackdown on Non-Benders."

"'Almost' as in they didn't, I hope?" Korra inquired.

"Hm. Quite. All I really had to do was point them to Tarrlok's vacant seat to make them rescind the motion," Tenzin nodded. "Still, though, for all we know, Zhu's endeavor could be the work of years instead of the months the Council is hoping for."

"Well, whatever happens, happens," Korra sighed, exhausted by the state of things, but surprisingly 'un-burdened'.

Of course, this might've been because she'd been able to open the Earth and Water Chakras in a timely fashion that day.

The Water Chakra, dealing with Pleasure and blocked by Guilt, located in the Sacrum, was easier to unlock thanks to the ups and downs of her journey; the self-reflection she'd indulged in over the course of her time in Republic City and through unlocking the Earth Charka.

She was a little guilty about leaving the South, and stowing away to Republic City on the Aurora, but both of those instances were tempered by the fact that Republic City had ultimately needed her, and that Zhu had eventually paid the crew of the Aurora back for the trip. Ultimately, what she truly felt guilty about was casting aside the wise counsel of those around her. And even though Zhu being left for dead by the Equalists "as a message" had ultimately been a charade to teach her a lesson, it was completely possible that it couldn't have been one; that Zhu might've tried to save her despite all the horrible things she said to him, and that they used him as a way to strike against her without making "the Avatar" into a Martyr.

Of course, if that's what came to mind at the thought of "Guilt", then "Shame" might be a bit more nuanced...

At the very least, she wasn't on the same time crunch as Aang was, and all things considered, even if it was taking repeated attempts, it felt good to reflect and un-burden herself.

Even if it was annoying as hell that she had to restart from scratch every time.

"Hey Tenzin, have you ever opened your Chakras?"

"Many times. And even once you have, there's nothing wrong with sitting down and reflecting on oneself."

"Just don't fast for days on end like my husband did and you'll be fine," Pema hummed.

*RECONSTRUCTION*

"Ladies, gentlemen, welcome to my first Bloodbending seminar. I hope you leave tonight with a greater understanding of the craft, as well as yourselves."

Apart from Korra and Aki who were in attendance, three other White Lotus, all Southern Water Tribe, all stood at attention beneath the light of the month's full moon. Earlier that day they'd been instructed to power nap because Zhu's intent as a first-time teacher, was to have them practice until the sun rose and the Full Moon began to lose its sway over Waterbenders.

Of course, so as to appease Tenzin and Pema both, their Bloodbending was kept well away from Rohan and was instead being done atop the ASC. Thanks to all the money Varrick put into it when he first had it built, they were well away from any eavesdroppers on the street level, and since Zhu's "Pulse Detection" was even more potent on the full moon, it wouldn't be possible to eavesdrop anyway.

Doubly-so because of all the anti-wiretapping methods Varrick had installed in all his buildings to protect corporate secrets. As opposed to Hiroshi installing police radios in the majority of his Satomobiles, these defensive measures were perfectly acceptable given how much money companies like Varrick Global Industries, Cabbage Corp, as well as Future Industries made every day and how valuable any scrap of loose information could be.

Because while Zhu had audibly and on multiple occasions stated that he intended to give back people's bending for free, there was little doubt that anyone else who managed to make a cure wouldn't charge exorbitant fees out of it if they were able to get to that finish line first.

In fact, already there had been a half-dozen "Snake Oil Salesman" flitting about Republic City hocking their wares to the truly desperate. Very few people actually believed them, but the truly desperate with too much money on their hands were more than willing to part with their Yuans on a "maybe" they could attain immediately as opposed to a "possibly" they might get eventually.

But that's a story for another day~

"Zhu, why am I even here if I can't Waterbend anymore?" Korra asked a little somberly, nursing a mug of "coffee" (that was actually 50% hot chocolate) from the refreshment stand.

Back when she was still a Waterbender, she always felt at her best on the full moon. Without her Waterbending however, now, more than ever, she was aware that a piece of herself was missing. While non-Benders felt "soothed" by the presence of the full moon, in that it pushed back the darkness in a way artificial light could not, it was completely different from what Waterbenders felt.

From what she used to feel…

"Well, who knows, maybe there's a loophole for what Amon did and you can learn Bloodbending like you still had Airbending," Zhu shrugged. "That and I don't want to exclude you."

"Yeah. Real romantic," Korra said eyeballing their present company under the moonlight.

"Hey, at least he's putting in the effort," Aki chided her. "Not like that other boy."

"Who, Mako…?" Korra blinked. "Well, I mean, yeah, they've kinda drifted apart a little, but I mean… We did have more-important things to worry about," she said looking out at the bay.

With the last of the airship carcasses cleared out, the only indicator that anything was out of place were the United Fleet vessels in the harbor, and the odd Metal Clan airship overhead. And thank Spirits that Varrick invented those massive water pumps for the fire brigade's trucks after all their Waterbenders were "Equalized".

"Still though," Aki huffed. "Also… Sifu?"

"Hm? Yes?" Zhu hummed, finding the word oddly appealing.

"How come it's only the four of us and Korra here? Aren't there more White Lotus you could've taught?"

"Full disclosure? I picked you four out of the lot because you didn't cut and run 'just because' I'm a Bloodbender," he said making air-rabbits with his fingers. "Sure, the others had their own thing going on too, but it's the principle of the thing. That, and, we've been through the flames of a civil war together, so at the very least, I feel like I can count on you not to cut and run for personal gain once I've taught you something usable more than once a month."

"Oh, so it isn't all out of spite then; good to know," the Waterbender hummed.

"That and because none of you are from the North," Zhu added casually.

" . . . Good to know," Aki repeated with a nod.

"So then… How're you gonna go about teaching the rest of them Bloodbending?" Korra inquired, happy not to be excluded, now that she thought of it.

"Well, I considered replicating how Tarrlok and his brother learned, but after I thought on that for more five seconds I was like 'fuuuuck that'," he said making an X with his index fingers. "So, I'm basically going to play it by ear and teach you all my way," he continued. "Back before I met you… I didn't wish this curse on anyone," Zhu said brushing some hair behind his ear; crimson hair which practically glowed in the moonlight. "But after all that's happened, I realize that this cur-this gift… can be easily exploited if too few people know about it," he amended when he met Korra's eyes. "That's why I want this sub-element to spread out a little more. If it isn't this magical… thing that no-one else has, if there's more people that can fight it when it's being abused…"

He went silent for several long moments, those gathered before him giving him the time he needed. Clearly this was a very big step for the Bloodbender. What he considered a "curse", what he wanted to rid himself of, what Noatak feared taking in the event Zhu recognized his "touch" and ousted him as a fellow Bloodbender, he was about to teach to others. Katara could never un-learn Bloodbending after Hama forced it out of her, and now, Zhu was going to impart that dark gift onto them.

"If you want to step away, that's perfectly alright. I won't force it on you if you're having second thoughts."

"Sifu," Aki said as she stepped forward, back straight and arms crossed behind her back. "We followed you then, and we follow you now, because we believe in you. We trust you, just like the Spirits trusted you. Like the Av… Like Korra trusts you."

"Sifu. If another rogue Bloodbender appears, we'll fight them together. You won't be alone," another, a broad-shouldered man that was surprisingly soft-spoken, said stepping forward.

"Sifu. You placed your faith in us not to abuse this power. We have faith in you, and that you aren't teaching us this without a good reason," a tall woman with a handsome face replied.

"Mm," the last in the lineup, a man with a horrid scar around his throat, grunted.

" . . . Thank you. This means a lot," Zhu nodded, eyes misting before he wheeled away from them. "First thing's first! Blood isn't pure water like you think it is. That's part of the reason it took Hama so-long to figure it out, and why not just anyone can Bend it," he said walking over to a trough that'd been arranged beforehand. "I've combined the Four Elements into a medium that exemplifies this quality. I want you to reeeeally get in there, feel what's water, feel what's 'not water'."

"Soooo… mud, basically?" Korra asked, actually remembering that story about General Fong and trying to shortcut the Avatar State.

"I mean, if you wanna suck the fun out of it, sure," Zhu shrugged. "Blood is part-iron; the reason it's red. That iron in your Blood is what carries the Air you breathe from your lungs to your muscles. Way I figure it, before you can start Bending a slurry of Water and iron, you need to get used to the idea of Bending both. Since it's the Full Moon out, it should be really easy to Bend the mud without demulsifying it. The point is to bend the Water and the impurities, since that's basically what Blood is."

"So I just play in the mud then?" Korra asked standing at the head of the trough, staring down into the dark brown slurry that the others were Bending up and down, refusing to make eye contact.

"Well, I do have something else you could do if mud isn't your style," Zhu said sidling up beside her. "Something a little more… intimate~"

" . . . What do you have in mind~?" Korra grinned wolfishly.

*RECONSTRUCTION*

*Lub-Dub*

*Lub-Dub*

*Lub-Dub*

"I never put that much thought into this before, but the heart is really amazing, isn't it?" Korra asked as she sat beside a cot Zhu was laid out upon, his shirt open as his fiancé listened to his heartbeat with a stethoscope.

"That's right. Even when you're asleep, the heart still beats, sending blood to every part of your body and back again," Zhu returned, his heartbeat slightly higher than relaxed as Korra's fingers ghosted his skin. "Weapons chip and break, masonry crumbles, Satomobiles break down, but your heart is the one constant, always running from birth to death. It's why your ribcage and sternum form a fortress around it. Without your beating heart, everything else fails. It's why you can kill someone very easily if you Bend it the wrong way."

"Makes sense…" Korra nodded. "Still though, when you said 'intimate', I thought…" she trailed off, face dusting pink as her eyes darted.

"Maybe another time~" Zhu whispered with a finger to his lips, his eyes glinting playfully.

"Sifu, how long do we do this for?" Aki spoke up from the muddy trough, cutting into their quiet little paradise.

"A little longer," Zhu called out. "After that, we'll get out the stethoscopes."

*RECONSTRUCTION*

The next segment of the night's training was listening to heartbeats in different states of labor. One half of the class would listen to the heartbeat of the other at rest, and then the listening side would do sprints around the roof to get their pulse up so that those who'd been listened to could do the listening; and then vice versa.

Following this was a medical lecture on the circulatory system, the texts of which had been greatly elaborated upon compared to what was available in the public education system. There wasn't any sort of test, it was more so they would understand "the medium" of what they might someday control with one of the darker Bending arts.

Of course, the stuff of nightmares came about when Zhu took them inside to see one of the "Varri-Zhu Institute's" little side projects…

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Aki screamed as the lights in the room came on, revealing a macabre humanoid form made almost entirely of crimson threads in a huge casket of epoxy resin.

"An entire human circulatory system," Zhu hummed thoughtfully as the broad-shouldered man in his class ran to the nearest bathroom and upended the contents of his stomach. "Took quite a few tries to get this right, but eventually I was able to peel all the arteries, capillaries, and veins out while keeping them intact."

"Wh-Why would you do something like this?" Korra asked, only 70% repulsed by what she was seeing.

The remaining 30 was morbidly fascinated. Like watching a train crash. You knew what was coming, but you couldn't tear your eyes away.

"I mean, if I'm going to burn the bodies anyway, I might as well get the most mileage out of them as I can," Zhu shrugged. "That, and, it makes a great training aid for other researchers. Sure, you can draw something in books or take photos, but nothing beats the real thing."

"Well… I mean… I guess this explains how you can control an entire person with Bloodbending…"

Sure, when Korra heard about Bloodbending from Katara herself, she had some idea that blood went back-and-forth through the body; but she never thought the "infrastructure" of the circulatory system was soooo… extensive. By all the red threads alone, she could tell the general shape of… whoever the whole thing used to belong to, from the ends of their eyelids to their toe and fingertips.

"Yeah, the other researchers were shocked too," Zhu shrugged. "I've got entrails in jars if you wanna see that too."

"NO!"/"Maybe."

" . . . "

"I mean 'no'," the handsome woman amended.

*RECONSTRUCTION*

After giving everyone a snack break so they could pull the color back into their faces, Zhu took them once again to the roof, the light of the full moon helping wash the uneasiness away as they bathed in its pale glow, seemingly reinvigorating them.

In fact, it was clear that they weren't the only ones with the same idea, because down on street level, there were more people walking the streets than on other nights.

While it was true that Republic City "never slept", due to the current deficit of Lightningbenders, there had actually been massive cutbacks on how many lights were being allowed to run throughout the night, so as to reduce brownouts through the day to follow. Republic City was still being lit, but it was less like "night made into day" and more like a perpetual twilight. The Pro Bending Arena for example, once a gilded golden beacon shining like a mountain of gold, visible even from out at sea, was now only lit enough so passing boats wouldn't crash into its support pillars.

"So, what's next?" Aki inquired, noticing a tank that hadn't been on the roof before.

"Glad you asked," Zhu said dipping his hand into the water. "Behold! The humble Elbow Leech!"

"OH! GROSS! WHY DO YOU EVEN HAVE THAT THING?!" Korra squealed as Zhu held out a dark-green ribbed worm-like creature, fat in the middle with a circular toothed mouth.

"Well you see, the thing about Elbow Leeches, like other such invertebrates, is that their stomachs contain an 'Anti-Coagulant' which prevents blood from solidifying. I'm still working on a humane way to slow down the digestion process to increase the ease of transport, but for the time being, this seems like as good a method as any to let you practice Bloodbending without worrying about the samples turning into sticky goo. Nowwwwww…~"

The way he cooed that last word made shudders run up their backs.

"WHO WANTS TO JUGGLE SOME LEECHES?!"

With a wave of his hand, a dozen forearm-length invertebrates learned what it was like to fly.

*RECONSTRUCTION*

The panicked squeals that echoed through the night moments later would inspire multiple parties to call the police thinking there was some kind of serial killer on the loose.

*RECONSTRUCTION*

"No amount of therapy… will ever make this moment right…" Korra shuddered as she held the wriggling Elbow Leech in her hands, making sure more than anything else to keep its toothy mouth away from aforementioned body joint.

"Hey, why do they only go for elbows anyway?" the handsome woman inquired.

"Don't know, don't care," Zhu waved off dismissively. "Anyway, like I said, the anti-coagulants in their stomach will stop the Blood from turning sticky and harder to Bend than it normally is, so get used to the feel for a while. We'll move along to another part of the lesson in a bit."

"And what part might that be?" the broad-shouldered man asked.

*RECONSTRUCTION*

As it turned out, that was the wrong question to ask.

Next part of the lesson, after spending way too long for their liking "juggling leeches", was to let the toothy critters snack on them for a bit. Reasoning for this was, since it was their blood in the leeches they were holding, they might, key word "might", have an easier time Bending it for the obvious reason. Earthbenders for example, could more-dextrously manipulate a Rock Flail they'd been using for a long time compared to a fresh one.

And of course, just to prove that he wasn't fucking with them, he fed the invertebrate some of his own blood before making it zip through the air every which way like a runaway balloon, little more than a single finger extended whereas the others had to wrap both hands around their leeches to so much as feel their own blood swirl around in its digestive tract.

Then came the more lighthearted lessons, more like a game where they'd sit in office chairs and try to push themselves across the roof by pushing against the Blood in his body.

It didn't work, not on the first night of lessons, but having themselves moved about while sitting in office chairs let them experience the vibe of being Bloodbent without the general "wrongness" of it.

Korra for her part had been Bloodbent plenty of times, way more individually than anyone on the previous Team Avatar had likely been, but this was the first time she'd been Bloodbent by Zhu, and the differences were like night and day. Tarrlok and later his brother handled her roughshod, not caring in the slightest about her discomfort, but Zhu's Bloodbending Hold… She couldn't tell if it was because his power genuinely came from some obscure Spirit somewhere, or if it was just because it was "Zhu" doing it, but it definitely showed the vast difference in technique between the three. Tarrlok and his brother forced her Blood to move where they willed, but Zhu's guiding hand more "coerced it" than anything.

Of course, this might've been because they were allies, since from what she'd seen of him Bloodbending his enemies…

Honestly, Zhu's presence in of itself could become a deterrent to future conflict if she let it. And problem was, she didn't want to let it.

Not because she wanted more people to fight, but because expecting him to use something he viewed as a "curse" for the longest time, was like Tenzin getting her up at the crack of dawn but a million times worse. Zhu used it when it was necessary, but he took no joy in it, and it put a burden on his spirit that only Katara would recognize as someone who had to Bloodbend because the alternative was infinitely worse. To have that much power over another being, to wrest all control of their bodies from them, to imprison them in their own flesh…

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the unease they were feeling as he Bloodbent them, was so they'd never take it for granted. Never abuse it wantonly.

And that might've been exactly why Zhu was attempting to spread it around. Not so it'd diffuse the mistrust directed solely on him as the sole active Bloodbender around, but so that Bloodbending could be used, and shown to be used to help other people, instead of only for the user's singular benefit.

In fact, Zhu had made no secret of his eventual plans to let Bloodbending leak down into the police force as a way to incapacitate violent criminals with minimal risk to those around them. Chi Blocking and Shock Gauntlets with their "Fake Chi Blocking" could stop people up close and personal, Bender or Non-Bender, but there wasn't any guarantee that the bad guy wouldn't take a hostage, and a ranged method of incapacitating an enemy like Bloodbending might be the only way to resolve the issue without bloodshed.

Even further down the line, he hoped that Bloodbending would be accepted-enough of a technique that people might let Bloodbending be used in tandem with conventional medicine. The fact that Zhu had grafted Noatak's hand to replace the one Tarrlok had lost, was proof positive that Bloodbending could be used to heal wounds that conventional Water Healing and medicine in general could not.

But all of that was only possible if they themselves could make the first step a reality. The White Lotus were trusted because they looked after the Avatar, and the Avatar looked after everyone else. So, it stood to reason that if Bloodbending were slowly disseminated into the White Lotus ranks, and shown as something that wasn't the sole purview of criminals and crazy people…

But that was a story, for another day…

*RECONSTRUCTION*

With the literal rising of the sun on the horizon, those that could actively Waterbend felt the slight "upper" they received under the moon's full gaze waning.

That, or their mental exhaustion was just coming up on them after their bodies realized they had stayed up until "tomorrow".

"Good work, students. You'll probably need a few more all-nighters before you can actually Bloodbend anything all by your lonesome, but I think this understanding of the medium will help with the mental side of things as well as the spiritual," Zhu summarized, his long hair blowing in the winds coming off the sea.

"I just wanna sleep…" Aki groaned, rubbing at her eyes.

"I'd actually suggest powering through," Zhu hummed. "It's the only way to get back to a normal sleep schedule after an all-nighter like this."

"I take it you know from experience?" the stout-shouldered man asked softy.

Zhu's only response was to give her a flat look.

"Fair enough," the woman replied. "Let's head on back, leave the two lovebirds alone."

"L-L-Lovebirds?!" Korra squawked as the others gave her knowing looks before hastily, if not somewhat sluggishly, departing. "I mean… yeah, I know we're engaged, but… Zhu, we aren't as-sappy as Asami and Mako were… are we?"

"Not that I recall," Zhu replied before offering his back to her. "Come on, let's get you down for a quick power nap before we start the rest of our day. Varrick had quarters installed for overnighters."

"Yeah… Yeah, sure," Korra blushed at the somewhat intimate gesture, draping herself over him and more-aware than before of how this might've looked.

Or rather, how it felt. Her body pressed against his… his hands on her thighs… the scent of his hair… their bodies rubbing together…

"Zhu, don't take this the wrong way, but… Did we fall in love too fast?"

"Katara and Aang fell in love way younger than us, and over a period barely any longer than our courtship in the grand scheme of things," Zhu replied as he opened the door. "Of course, the fact that they were in the middle of a literal war made marrying young more acceptable than it is today."

"Right… Right… Aang only had about a year to get a grasp on everything before Sozin's Comet arrived, didn't he?" she hummed.

"Yeah, and talk about a time crunch," Zhu nodded. "For the Avatar that were brought up in times of peace, they could take their time about it, while those raised during wartime… The only sort of time crunches on them were self-imposed, honestly. It wasn't like anyone could really force an Avatar to fight for one side of a war they didn't want to. That was how-revered the Avatar was."

"Was, not 'is'?" Korra inquired tugging on his cheek.

"Well, you've only been out and about for a year, almost fully-trained before…" Zhu answered, Korra tightening her embrace to convey that it was alright. "This civil war… You'll definitely get into the history books for your part in it, given how-long it'd been since the last one. And really, if you're a health nut, you could potentially live as long as Kyoshi did. Hell, Ty-Lee's living proof that you don't have to be the Avatar to push a century and still look that good."

"Perhaps, but only if you're there with me," Korra returned with pink cheeks, pressing her lips to the back of his neck in a way that made Zhu jump. "Hoh~? Sensitive, are we~?"

"N-No, just… unexpected…" Zhu answered, happy she couldn't see him blush.

Joke was on him of course because Korra could see him blushing to the tips of his ears.

"Anyway, here's my room," he said opening a door with his own name on the plaque, the room itself furnished only slightly-better than on Air Temple Island, but still having the essentials.

"I'm guessing Varrick wants his people to spend more time researching than lounging around?" Korra inquired as Zhu set her down.

"In general, he just takes very good care of his employees," Zhu replied, a light blush on his face as Korra took off her layers leaving her only in modest undergarments. "It's why all his subsidiaries always make so much money; his employees are motivated to give their best, because they're given the best accommodations in turn."

"How rich is Varrick anyway?" Korra asked as she climbed into the soft bed, eyelids drooping the moment her head hit the soft pillow, filled with some kind of foam instead of feathers or cotton. In fact, the entire mattress was foam, a foreign concept to a girl who'd slept on beds of fur or spring mattresses.

"So rich that the exact amount has no real meaning to common plebs like us," Zhu hummed cordially as he tucked her in, heading for the door if not for the hand on his wrist.

"And where do you think you're going? Get over here," she said pulling him into the bed, quickly overpowering him and throwing his clothes to the side in a pile.

"K-Korra…?!" Zhu squeaked as he felt a muscular body against his back.

"What? We did way worse than just spoon in the South~"

"W-Well that is true…" Zhu stammered as Korra held him, her face buried in his crimson hair. "J-Just for an hour. After that, we power through and go to bed at the normal time."

"Sure, sure," Korra waved off as she secured her grip, the beating of his heart soothing her to sleep. "Love you... Zhuuuu..."

"Love you too, Korra," Zhu hummed contentedly as Korra's resting heartbeat pulsed against him.