To Many Faced Mage, admittedly, that one would've been funnier in a visual medium, but the imagination is it's own powerful studio, and it just seemed too funny to pass up~
To LoamyCoffee, yeah, the whole "adulting" thing isn't really something we got to see with the Gaang, and that I can actually tell the interim between Books 1 & 2 has been a lot of fun.
As for the Chakras, Korra and Aang would have different hangups, hence why Korra could only unlock a single Chakra on her first day, whereas Aang mostly powered-through; at least before the delay and the bum-rush.
And yeah, I feel like there would definitely be some Snake Oil Salesman floating around if Korra wasn't able to give people's Bending back right away.
Goren (Guest): Yo Question.
Now that Zhu has found the way to reconnect/reawaken everyone's bending, is it possible to awaken a non-bending person, like Bumi, to the elemental bending within them with Blood-bending?
Re: The real issue is, who would volunteer to have their Chakras messed with if they weren't already a Bender?
The fact that Zhu made a guy's head explode would be the sort of thing to follow him around.
To Hadrian9867, if I was ever going to Abandon a story, I'd have the decency to tell people upfront. That and slap a (Discontinued) label on the Title like I did with all my old "Phase One" works.
To IS6A6E, the [Blood Armor] was fun to put in, and not too out-there because I believe other benders have done the same with Water and Earth. As for the "success"… I mean, the guy still kind of "exploded", soooo…
*RECONSTRUCTION*
Following "The Combustion Incident" at the ASC, a renewed interest in "Internal Water Healing" was brought about at the lab when word got around that Zhu was able to get himself back on his feet so rapidly. Sure, he had to be carted out in a wheelchair, but that he could still stand under his own power was the important detail.
Of course, given the fact that Zhu almost died, [Blood Armor] or no, the other researchers insisted that he take a few days off.
Not that Zhu had any trouble making that decision. Before everything else, before anyone else, he answered to his fiancé. And screw being the Avatar; what Korra wants, Korra gets.
And it wasn't like they could continue Zhu's line of research without a Bloodbender anyway. While the recording device Zhu had used for his experiments had been irreparably damaged in the explosion, Varrick's momentarily insightful fits of paranoia made it so the recorder was wired to a backup on the other side of the building, meaning none of Zhu's research for the day was actually lost.
And regardless of the fact that a room had exploded, what was taken away from the incident filled the Bending population with renewed hope after weeks of ongoing research with no results in sight. Zhu had made a death row inmate Combustionbend; this meant even if things had gone horribly, horrendously wrong, that tangible progress had been made. And the Council made no secret of their elation as they came by to visit the island on Zhu's first morning off in a long time, thanking him profusely for the work he'd put in thus-far and wishing him a speedy recovery.
If you weren't listening too closely, you could almost miss the impatience in their tone.
Make no mistake, there were still people in Republic City who wanted Zhu to keep on with his research, or even start burning the candle at both ends until his research bore fruit. But those naysayers were quickly put down by all the people whose lives he'd touched, and for those he hadn't... Most-everyone in Republic City had been to a Pro Bending game at one point or another, and even from the nosebleed section, when someone "got their bell rung" down on stage, even up there you could feel it.
So suffice it to say, while the rest of the Korralition continued on with their own work, Zhu was able to rest, recover, and turn his attention back to something he'd been putting off for too long.
*BONDS*
"Korra, can I have that necklace back?"
"WHAT?!"
"Bad lead-in, let me rephrase," Zhu reiterated when she panicked. "I have your new choker ready, the one I made with my own hands for you, but I still want to put that Black Star Sapphire on it."
"OH! Right…" Korra blushed at her outburst.
It was rare, but not nonexistent for the pendant on a betrothal necklace to be passed down the family line from a mother down to her marrying son. In a way, it was the soon-to-be mother-in-law not only giving her blessing to the relationship, but also wishing for a long-lasting marriage, "passing down" that same love she herself had found, as well as creating an "unbroken line" down to one's ancestors.
Of course, one reason this tradition wasn't a mainstay in Water Tribe culture was because a mother didn't always have a son to pass the pendant down to. Another was because the mother didn't always like who her son was marrying. Not to mention, not every son lived to a marriageable age, or a son simply never got married, either by choice or because he wasn't selected by a matchmaker.
In most cases, a "passing down" of three generations was the limit. Anyone claiming four or higher was usually a damned liar.
What made Zhu's case different was that his mother had passed the necklace down wholesale in her final moments. Thus, while she was passing down what the pendant represented as well as the pendant itself, she would have no way of knowing who or even if her child would find a nice girl to settle down with.
Of course, the unconventionality of the whole thing was also slanted by the fact that the betrothal necklace was made by an Earth Kingdom citizen conforming to Northern Water Tribe customs. In the Earth Kingdom, engagement rings were the norm, but a ring wouldn't really convey the needed message in the Northern Water Tribe because women were most-always wearing gloves while out of the house due to, obviously, the freezing cold.
"So I take it that's what you've been spending so much time on the loom for?" Korra asked as she handed it over.
It'd been great having him around again like back before, before everyone's responsibilities pulled them in different directions, but a part of her had been worried with how-secretive he'd been.
"Yes. Now that I have the free time, I was finally able to complete your choker," Zhu nodded as he put the necklace back in the box he'd been keeping it in before.
"Well, if it was made by you, I'm sure it'll be lovely," Korra smiled. "Can I watch you put it on?"
"I don't see any reason to refuse," Zhu smiled as he held out his hand, Korra lacing her finger with his and enjoying the ambiance.
*RECONSTRUCTION*
Walking into the workshop where Air Acolytes made their clothes, blankets, and tradeable wares, Korra followed Zhu to the workbench he'd been occupying the past several days where her new choker was waiting for the final piece to be added.
The choker was a middling shade of blue with darker-blue piping along the edges, but what drew the eye most was the colorful four-stand macrame braid running across the centerline, colored in vivid tones of gold, orange, white, and crimson.
Zhu, seeing Korra's eyes trailing along the choker's most distinctive -as well as non-conformist- feature and the question behind that caze, he cleared his throat before speaking up, hoping he didn't sound too preachy.
"The golden strand represents the Pro Bending Arena, the place where I seriously fell in love with you for the first time," Zhu began, Korra's memories of her first real breakthrough in her Airbending training lifting her spirits. "The orange represents your Airbending training, the very thing that brought the two of us together in the first place," he continued, reminding Korra of the fact that, if she'd left a day later, or got on a different boat, the two of them would've never met. "The white represents Amon, the hurdle that tested your mettle as the Avatar. The hurdle you overcame to save Republic City," he continued, and Korra nodded resolutely at the fact that, despite all the setbacks, despite what she'd lost, she did save Republic City. She averted a civil war built upon a lie, just as Aang had done before her in this very city. "The red-"
"Represents you?" Korra asked as she rolled a loch of his hair around her finger. Obviously, the hair that had been scorched had to be trimmed down, leaving it uneven in places, but it still ran long down his back, giving him a distinctive silhouette that was impossible to miss in a crowd.
"It represents our connection," Zhu answered as he turned to her, the intensity of his gaze making her heart skip a beat. "Korra, you accepted the fact that I was a Bloodbender without a second thought. You reciprocated my feelings in spite of my Bloodbending," he said as something in his gaze softened. "Not only that. Before the Hundred Year War, the color red symbolized luck, joy, happiness, and was believed to ward off evil. More than that, it's associated strongly with authority, strength, and sacrifice. And when paired with white, it's regarded as an auspicious color over in the Fire Nation."
"It's beautiful," Korra smiled.
"I'm glad you think so," Zhu nodded, letting out a relieved sigh. "And maybe this was subconscious on my part, but little pieces of all Four Nations came together when I made this. The dyed threads and piping came from the Water Tribe, the star sapphire from the Earth Kingdom, the red strand in the braid came from the Fire Nation, and the person who taught me how to use the loom, as well as the loom itself, were Air Nomad."
"Wow. That's deep," Korra hummed appreciatively. "Certainly better than what Aang tried pulling off with that one general~" she grinned as she laid her fingers on the choker.
"Yeah, those colors really did clash," Zhu hummed, also familiar with the story.
While no actual photographs of the event in question had been taken, given cameras hadn't even been invented yet, the ceremonial garb from that episode in Aang's journey had been kept together as a set, being associated with The Avatar as it was. In fact, for a time it had been a museum piece on Aang Memorial Island before being relocated deeper into Republic City where it was better defended. There wasn't anything inherently magical about the articles even though Aang had worn them, and in fact a couple of the mud stains had persisted even to this day, but it hadn't stopped people from trying to abscond with them under the pretense that there would be some sort of "Avatar-ly" power at their fingertips if they wore them.
"Well, let me transplant the setting, and you'll be able to try it on," Zhu said as he took a couple jeweler's tools and got to work.
From where Korra stood, her husband-to-be's surgical hand was understandable. The choker he was removing the Black Star Sapphire from belonged to his mother, and he wanted to cause as little damage to it as possible. On the other side of things, the intricate choker he'd made for her was practically a work of art, and he wanted it to be absolutely perfect, the Bloodbender carefully measuring everything out before he got to work with the tiny hammer to pin the setting in place.
*RECONSTRUCTION*
All other sound in the workshop seemed to be tuned out for Korra as she sat off to the side, watching her husband-to-be work. His gaze was intense, as focused as a sunbeam through a lens, and while she didn't know the first thing about working with hand tools, she figured Zhu might've worked part-time during his travels.
There was still a great deal she didn't know about his journey, but she was looking forward to finding out over the rest of their lives together.
"There… It is done," Zhu said as he set aside his tools with an air of finality, allowing his shoulders to slump and the tension leave his body moments later.
"Help me put it on?" Korra asked as she stepped up to his side, offering the nape of her neck to him.
"Forever and always," Zhu smiled as he stepped up to her back. Lowering the choker over her head, Korra brushed her ponytail out of the way, giving Zhu the space he needed to draw it around her neck, clipping it perfectly at the back.
"A perfect fit," Korra nodded as she fingered the Black Star Sapphire at her throat. "The setting is different from before," she hummed, realizing it didn't have the same 'bounce' as when the two of them had fled from the police on their first day in Republic City.
"Yes, well, I figured since you were going to be doing 'Avatar stuff' while wearing it, that you wouldn't want it flying around and smacking you in the throat," Zhu hummed as he brushed her hair back into place.
"Hey, what're you going to do with the ruby?" Korra asked turning back to the workbench, really noticing for the first time that the ruby hadn't been on the same mounting as the sapphire, but just mounted behind it on its own V-shaped chain so it could dangle freely.
"I'll save it for something special," Zhu replied, happy his new office came with a floor safe made of Platinum.
"Well, I'm sure whatever you use it for, it'll be just as lovely," she said taking his hands and holding them up to her chest.
"Ahem."
"We should probably go," Korra hummed when some of the Air Acolytes gave them sour looks.
"Yes, lets."
*RECONSTRUCTION*
The two of them leaving the workshop hand in hand, on their way to take a walk around the island, just the two of them, they passed by Ikki.
By the time they finished circumnavigating the island and got back to their starting point, Ikki had told anyone and everyone that would listen about Korra's new betrothal necklace and how-pretty the woven-in macrame braid looked.
Under ordinary circumstances, one person on the island proposing to another would be little more than the subject of idle gossip. Back before Aang reformed the Air Nomads to be co-ed, the monastic custom was for the Northern and Southern temples to house the monks, while the Eastern and Western temples were home to the nuns; though this separation wasn't universally enforced. What made the soon-to-be-newlyweds the subject of such scrutiny, apart from the sheer energy Ikki brought to the table, was the fact that Korra was involved, and they were curious to see what their world-traveled Bloodbending compatriot had created for his bride-to-be.
There was also the fact that whomever the Avatar chose to marry would greatly impact their international policy and the reception from whichever nation's "representative" was becoming wed to the Avatar, but that was neither here nor there at the moment.
While Korra received heaps of praise for bagging herself such a good man and compliments about how-lovely her betrothal necklace looked, Zhu was lauded by his fellow men who gave their congratulations on "locking that down". Asami only found out about the seemingly pivotal moment after Ikki somehow got her hands on the landline and the number to the heiress' private office phone, and once her work day had come to an end, she was quick to make her way over and join in on the festivities, humble as they were.
While the Bending Brothers were incapable of pulling away, Opal for her part could, and her brother Huan was interested in the one-of-a-kind Water Tribe art given it was much more indicative of the Four Nations brought into one corporeal form that wasn't mud. Suyin wanted to but could not, while the twins weren't as-interested as their siblings.
While not up to the level of a festival, Korra's "re-betrothal party" definitely lifted everyone's spirits; especially those whose Bending was still in absentia.
"It's so good to see you smiling again," Pema hummed happily as she held Rohan.
"How could I not? I'm the luckiest girl in the world~" Korra preened, the familiar weight of the gemstone at her neck like a comforting touch.
Even Huan repeatedly sketching her neck from various angles like a total weirdo couldn't damper her good mood~
"You know, I never really understood the saying about someone going 'green-eyed', but I think I do now," Asami hummed as she gestured to the side, the Avatar turning her attention towards Opal who was staring longingly at Zhu from a small distance away at the edge of the crowd. When the Metal Clan "princess" felt their eyes on her, she spared them a minute glance before whirling away at being caught.
"It must be so hard on her," Pema hummed sympathetically. "Losing out on the one you love, I mean."
"I wonder what things would've been like," Korra mused. "If she'd told him how she felt, I mean."
"Don't even go there, Korra. You'll drive yourself up the wall and lose sleep over it," Asami said knowingly as she shot a discrete look at Zhu, who at the moment was still being lectured by Tenzin about being married to the Avatar and what sort of responsibilities that priveledge entailed.
To Zhu's own relief, they didn't talk about sex stuff.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Korra hummed before something wafted over her nostrils. "OH! The heck is that?!"
"Ah! Pizza's done!" Zhu grinned as he ran for the oven.
Whether it was to remedy attention to his latest culinary concoction or just to get away from Tenzin's nagging, no-one but him knew.
*RECONSTRUCTION*
"Agh! My eyes! They burrrrn!" Meelo cried as he clamped his little hands over his eyes as everyone stared warily at what Zhu had laid out to cool.
"Well, that pizza definitely looks… auspicious…" Jinora hummed warily as she took a step back; and not because it was topped with meat.
"My tastebuds are burning just looking at it!" Ikki squeaked as the Airbender Kids, and everyone else for that matter, warily eyed the blood red pizza from what most would consider 'minimum safe distance'.
Like his "Avatar Korra Special", the dough was colored, but this time a bright eye-burning shade of red compared to a nostalgic seaweed flake green. The center of the pizza itself, bubbling under its own mysterious power, made the air ripple like a mirage, and the crust was decorated with sizzle-crisps. Those from the Fire Nation grew nostalgic at the blend of many spices mixed into the sauce as it rose through the white cheese in places, as well as the savory scent of Komodo Rhino sausage, Komodo Chicken, Ash Bananas, chilies, smoked sea slug, and other such ingredients.
"So um…" Korra hummed as she ventured a step closer to the flaming circle of death. "What do you call this concoction?"
"Thought I could run it by Varrick as a new special at Pizza Palace; I call it, the 'Sozin's Comet'," Zhu nodded appreciatively.
"As what? Some kind of penalty food on dine-and-dashers?" Tenzin winced through a pinched nose.
"Lightweights," Zhu huffed as he bisected the crimson-colored piece of flatbread, the broken toppings causing a wave of scented flavor to wash over them, tears from both joy and pain gracing many eyes.
"Wahhhhhh~"
"Rohan, no, sweetie, you don't want that," Pema shushed as the newest Air Nomad reached tiny hands forward.
"At least someone around here has a bit of class," Zhu harumphed as he took a bite. Apart from his red-tinted exhale and a slight moistening of his eyes, he looked largely unperturbed.
Korra's own competitive streak, once again getting her into a bind, prompted her to cut out her own wedge alongside the White Lotus who wanted a spicy taste of home.
With the way she bulldozed through the wall between herself and the refrigerator a few seconds later, some would've thought she became an Earthbender again.
"So um… What exactly inspired this?" Asami asked.
"Well, other than bright red and white being a lucky color for Fire Nation weddings, Varrick also likes to slam spicy chilis for his infamous 'brainstorming sessions', so I thought he'd enjoy something a little more palatable than raw veggies," Zhu answered as he took another slice, this time sprinkling a crumbly white cheese that Varrick was trying to repurpose as an auxiliary topping. "Also, copious perspiration comes with a number of health benefits, so some could even consider this medicinal," he said opening up his midriff and fanning himself, Asami's eyes lingering on his flat stomach and its decorating scars before tearing her gaze away and getting herself a thin slice. "That or just a 'gimmick' like the Avatar Aang and Avatar Korra specials."
"Well…" Asami hummed as one of the White Lotus made the mistake of rubbing at his eyes with spicy oil on his fingers, rolling painfully on the ground as though he'd been hit by teargas. "To an 'auspicious' day," she hummed raising her slice in a toast.
"To an auspicious day~" Zhu grinned as he mirrored the gesture.
*RECONSTRUCTION*
Later that evening as things were winding down and everyone either returned to their dorms for the evening or prepared for their night shifts, Korra spied Opal meekly gesturing for Zhu to follow her.
While she doubted he would ever cheat on her, that same measure of trust didn't quite extend to Opal, who'd been making Cat Doe eyes at the red-head as often as she was able to manage. And some of those times Korra didn't even catch it, but she knew it was still happening.
Tailing behind them at a discreet distance, something she normally never would've done before Zhu becan to smooth out her rougher edges, Opal and Zhu's little foray eventually took them to the edge of the island's dock, well away from prying eyes and attentive ears.
There was almost zero cover between the island and the end of the dock where the two were standing, so Korra had to sidle along the edge while dangling above the water. Though she didn't have her Bending to make herself new footholds, or freeze the water if she fell, she was certainly confident-enough in her physical strength.
"So, what did you need to tell me?" Zhu asked as he and Opal sat on the end of the dock, legs dangling out over the water.
"Zhu… I love you," Opal confessed after a long moment, Korra on the verge of exploding from her hiding place, and almost falling into the water after jamming a knuckle into her mouth to stop herself from exploding. "And it's because I love you… that I'm letting you go," she continued, the Metal Clan princess' words hitting Korra like a soothing balm.
Or at least it would've if the girl didn't sound so completely and utterly heartbroken…
"Maybe if I'd fought harder for you, if I'd just gathered up my courage and asked you to stay in Zaofu or maybe just… take me with you when you left… maybe we would be betrothed right now," she said as her hands went to her throat. "But I didn't. I let you go, and a part of me will always regret that… But even if we can't be husband and wife like you and Korra… I want the two of us to be friends! Best friends for the rest of our lives! I don't...! I don't want us to drift apart..." she said meekly.
Zhu sat there, taking in Opal's earnest confession and words of parting before he sidled over to her, embracing her and laying her head on his shoulder.
"Of course we'll always be friends. Best friends," he said soothingy as he rubbed circles on her back, the Metal Clan girl tightening her grip on him.
" . . . I love you but I'm letting you go. I love you but I'm letting you go. I love you but I'm letting you go," Opal sobbed quietly as she held fast, Korra awkwardly scratching at her cheek as she overheard everything.
" . . . OPAL!" she said suddenly pulling herself up.
"ACK! KORRA!" Opal yelped as she flung herself away, stumbling on her feet and almost falling into the bay had Zhu not caught her and raised her back up with Bending.
"Opal. Love is a form of energy," Korra began, causing the girl to blink. "It swirls around us, and even though his swirls around me, that doesn't mean your own love is gone. It's still inside your heart, waiting to reborn into a new love."
"She's right, Opal," Zhu nodded, catching onto what she was peddling; another example of how in-sync he and Korra had become. "Someday, you'll meet a guy or girl out there who will be perfect for you. Perfect and completely yours. So don't give up on finding that love."
"And it isn't like Zhu doesn't love you anymore. He just… loves you for different reasons than he loves me," Korra added.
Were Lin in attendance, she'd have been proud of how Korra laid down the law, even if it was against her own niece.
"A great love is a lot like a good memory," Zhu spoke up, something in his tone drawing the girls' undivided attention. "When it's there, and you know it's there, but it's just out of your reach, it can be all that you think about. And you can focus on it, and try to force it. But the more that you do, the more you seem to push it away. But if you're patient, and hold still… Maybe. Just maybe, it'll come to you," he said as his expression softened, a smile tugging at Korra's face and happy tears leaving Opal's eyes before she suddenly leapt forward and hugged them both with deceptive strength.
" . . . *Sniff* . . . I wanna be the godmother."
"What?" Korra blinked, wondering if she'd heard right.
"Y-You heard me!" Opal squeaked, cheeks reddening in embarrassment as she pulled away. "I wanna-I-I mean, I wish to be the godmother of the child you'll have together!"
"Whoa, wait a second! I mean…! I haven't thought that far ahead yet, but…" Korra said rubbing at the back of her head awkwardly as she imagined little half-her/half-Zhu clones running around, pestering Tenzin's kids the same way they'd pestered her, terrorizing her own parents after being offloaded onto them while she and Zhu slinked off to do... things, giving the White Lotus a hard time like she had as a child...
A tiny thrill of excitement actually went through her at the thought, actually~
"You wouuuuld need someone trustworthy to watch after our kids if we both had to run off and do 'Avatar Stuff' at the same time," Zhu said making air quotes.
"Yes! Exactly!" Opal beamed eagerly, all bright eyes and bushy tails.
" . . . I kinda wanted to make Asami the godmother though…" Korra hummed awkwardly, in that moment realizing just how far their relationship had come from her first impression when all she knew about the heiress was how she'd hit Mako with her moped.
"She can be the backup. Or the understudy. Or whatever it's politically-correct to call it," Zhu replied.
"I guess I can work with that," Opal hummed as she let out a tired sigh. "But seriously, Korra, if you hurt this boy, I will destroy you!" she promised in a tone like a razor's edge.
"Man, you really are Lin's niece," Korra gulped at the withering look the pretty Metal Clan girl was leveling at her.
"She might not be a Metalbender, but she still has steel in her spine," Zhu complimented, causing Opal to blush girlishly and preen at the praise.
"Still, how do I break this to Asami?" Korra asked worriedly.
"She can be your choice for godmother, and Opal will be mine," Zhu answered.
"Oh… Well that solves two problems~"
"I don't appreciate being called a 'problem'," Opal pouted.
"Says the girl who confessed to my fiancé."
"Hey, I agreed to let him go, didn't I?!"
"Deciding not to be a 'homewrecker' isn't something to be proud about!"
Zhu could only chuckle lightly as the two continued to banter, and while a small part of him did wonder if he and Opal could've ever been something more "in another place, in another time", he was completely at ease with the way things were now.
And he wouldn't have it any other way.
*AN*
While having Zhu get a harem of every eligible bachelorette in Legend of Korra would be the easy way out, you know I'm not nearly that straightforward when writing Harem plotlines. In fact, I didn't actively consider a harem for Zhu until I started getting so much positive feedback for the idea. Normally harem stories are treated as "wish fulfilment", but I think that only counts with Self-Inserts or Blank Template characters.
You know the kind. The Japanese guy with black hair and they all have the same haircut.
Also, for those of you who've read my other works, you'll know that I love to make Red vs Blue cameos and references. That I got to make one of my favorite line drops here was just the best thing ever... Of all time.
Anywho, another small slice-of-life, a little smaller than I'd have liked, but things should pick up again soon. Don't have a definite number of chapters for "Book 1.5" in mind, I never do really, but I have a definite conclusion planned for the whole... Let's call it a "Bender's Draught" for the time being.
But anyway, I'll see you next time on Giant-Slayer, for what I hope is another double-release!