[b]“If you can’t help but feel that way, then there’s definitely something still there Bolin. It’s just a matter of confronting it together.”[/b] Mako was the last person to give his brother advice for dealing with his feelings for the Avatar, but that level of confusion was something the both of them shared. He loved Asami deeply but had yet to really understand what drew him to Korra. The qualities she had were easy to name, as were the flaws, but what necessarily drove him to leave Asami so harshly? The easy answer would have merely been ‘hormones’ which would lead any male to try to get with as many women as possible, and that wasn’t the answer he was looking for. Hoping it wasn’t down to DNA coupled with instinct and instead wishing for it to be a lot less complicated and perverse in sound, he’d need to do what Korra and Asami were doing right now. An outlet for the talk was right beside him, but Mako himself knew he was the root cause of the misfortune Bolin and Asami had dealt with. [b]“I don’t know what went wrong for me. First Korra kisses me, and I started doubting my feelings for Asami the minute I saw how happy you two were. I’ve never been the jealous type, so nothing really adds up.”[/b] Maybe, just maybe, he relished in the thought of the Avatar wanting to know him and be close with him. No, perhaps instead it was just the fact it was a girl itself, and not just any girl, but the Avatar. He didn’t eat up the fame as well as Bolin, but something just triggered in him when he saw those two so happy, and he didn’t like the feelings that emerged from it. They were going to be together a lot more when it came to working for the police force, and as brothers they should perfectly understand what’s going on in their heads. That little pep-talk during the pro-bending competition simply wasn’t good enough for him anymore, and it never should have been good enough for Bolin. [b]“You though,”[/b] Mako glanced to Bolin again, before once again diverting his vision to the streets ahead. They were all but clear and those fortunate enough to still have transportation were speeding by. This pocket of the city was the very least wounded as a result of Amon’s war.[b] “You’ve always been a magnet for girls. I never thought Korra in particular would have wound you up like that …I guess you wanted to get pretty serious, huh?”[/b] - Asami was starting to push into what Korra called her ‘tolerance’, and it was no secret that she could be impatient when it came to sitting still and listening to something for long periods of time. She had failed as a friend, she knew that much, but the situation with Bolin was …delicate. Bolin was a great guy and she did wrong him, but there was just that nagging in the back of her head that urged her to clear the air with it once and for all. Patience was a virtue she still had to grasp and tightly. So taking a silent deep breath, the Avatar used her ears rather than her mouth and took in the rest of what Asami had to speak on. To better keep silent she had eaten larger portions of the muffin she had eaten to better show self-control. Asami had a right to speak about her feelings, especially after what had happened to the relationship she’d describe as ‘perfect’. Hot young pro-bender meets gorgeous daughter who would inherit a powerful company, where did the Avatar from a modest little pole down south come in on that perfect picture? Then it was starting to come down to Asami looking back at her own faults, and even though Korra had some jealousy to her she wasn’t sure she could think of a legitimate one to use against Asami without spite behind it. Rich, beautiful, sweet, and that’s ignoring her usefulness in a dangerous situation. Unfortunately Korra wasn’t comfortable enough to really talk about how Mako really made her feel deep down, because like Asami she was confused as to what ‘went wrong’ with all of this. Maybe forgetting the guys wasn’t a bad idea after all, but Asami hadn’t exactly hurt either of them, she did. [b]“Well… I’ve messed up, we know that. Getting my bending back changed things, helped me stop myself from making a pretty big decision. You don’t know what I was willing to do to stop feeling so hopeless and worthless Asami, and I hope I never have to go through something like that again.”[/b] It might have made more sense to her now that until she cleared everything with the boys, she couldn’t just ‘forget’ about them after all. That still left Asami’s relationship too, and she was the only ‘girlfriend’ Korra ever had. Well, unless Naga counted, but this wasn’t really the time or place to get into specifics. [b]“I did hurt Bolin, I did make Mako confused, and I did destroy your otherwise happy, perfect relationship. I’m sorry, and I’m going to make sure I fix things for everyone, and I can’t rest until I do.”[/b] Without even being aware she had finished her muffin right on time, and had resisted the urge to try and put the Bolin situation to rest. Maybe with a level head she could try to clear it now, at least a little. [b]“And in all fairness I had no idea Bolin was that ...well …I just wasn’t thinking about him like a boyfriend. As far as I was concerned, the term ‘date’ meant ‘hang out’ at that point. I’m new to the whole relationship thing. So, I don’t know, maybe try to ease up on that subject a little bit?”[/b] Korra frowned and stared at the ground beneath her. Acknowledgment of hurting Bolin was one thing, and they had a great time together, but it was hard enough looking back to the moment she broke his heart without being reminded of how great he was to her. [b]“I’m not the first girl he’s ever looked at anyway, at least I shouldn’t be. So I messed up, but how was I meant to know how far he’d go on a single night together? And then Mako confronted me …”[/b] Holding her head in her hands, Korra began to groan as all her thoughts began to overlap. It was her fault, but not all her fault, but sort of all her fault. There was no ground she could stand on and she knew full well she had her part in this. She was starting to wish Amon showed back up to distract all of them again. ~ The presence of Lin had been pleasant in such a harsh time, but Tenzin regret to feel that it didn’t change anything for him. The same concerns were present, all that her presence here meant was that she cared and wanted to aid him however she could and it was certainly enough for him. He only wished he was more presentable than he was now, clearly exhausted with small bags under his eyes didn’t quite sell just how exhausted he was across all fronts. His emotions were up and down, sleep was an afterthought these days, and the girls were in distress as well. Rohan was also difficult to keep an eye on, and Pema had grown so weak she could no longer safely hold him for extended periods of time. In response to her hand on his shoulder, Tenzin placed his own on her hand in a gesture of thanks. Lin’s presence was not unwanted and because of their close history he felt he could open up to her unlike any other person, exception being his own mother. [b]“Thank you, Lin. I'm glad you could find time to come.”[/b] Expressing gratitude for her thoughtfulness, the airbender would examine her care package and find that all items could certainly be useful. Jinora was the reader, and could do with a good distraction. Ikki enjoyed her share of food and would love a good meal and a dessert to go with it. The first response was to refuse any help, but the reality of his own weakening state of mind and body was overwhelming that possibility. He DID need Lin, having already refused the aid of the air acolytes and promising to call on them should he need anything. This was his family, and it was his responsibility to take care of them. Leading her inside, what was once usually bright and lively was now dim and silent. Ikki and Meelo were no longer running around playing together, Jinora wasn’t going over what she had read recently, and Pema and Rohan together weren’t … A buildup of tears were felt, but did not leave the ducts within his eyes. Not in front of Lin, Tenzin promised himself that much. Now to distribute the meal Lin had brought, and it was perfect timing as well. No one had eaten since breakfast, and Tenzin hadn’t eaten at all despite encouraging his daughters to. [b]“I apologize if the welcome isn’t as lively as usual, but as you might have guessed their condition hasn’t improved. Still unable to identify what is causing them to feel so weak and drained, still …still powerless to do anything myself. Mother is coming, but I fear not even her skills will be enough to fight what’s afflicted Pema and Meelo.”[/b] Inhaling sharply, Tenzin had moved to get the children for a meal, but had discovered that Ikki had already entered the room and looked to Lin immediately. Being able to do little more than offer the Chief a wave of the hand, Tenzin’s youngest daughter hurried over to her father and hugged him tightly. [b]“Mommy wants to see you, she said it was important.” [/b] [b]“I’ll go right now, and you can help Lin get the table set up to eat. Where’s Rohan?”[/b] [b]“Jinora’s reading to him in her room.”[/b] Tenzin could smile at that thought. Jinora was adapting to the role of big sister well, and had begun to take over most of her mother’s duties when he wasn’t there. Making sure everyone was able to eat, drink, the simple things that he shared with his wife as parents. Hugging his youngest daughter tightly, Tenzin quietly nodded to Lin with a quiet assurance that he would return shortly, leaving Lin and Ikki alone. Ikki’s usual bubbly personality had dimmed as a result of the sickness afflicting Meelo and Pema. She did not share her father’s immediate ability to hide emotions, and was quite clearly unhappy with the way her life was changing. Mouth dry and eyes half-shut, she had made the approach into the kitchen and with a little help from a generating air ball, reached up high to retrieve the bowls they’d use for the soup. [b]“How’s your life going?”[/b] The tone was surprisingly bitter, as opposed to the slight cheer of hugging her father. It seemed that Lin’s presence was not exactly the jump for joy by all parties in the home.