She had hoped she could have shown her bending at a later time as she had only just started to train, something her own father did not know, nor would approve of. Still, she wished to share something with Mako, tired of hiding who she truly wished to be. Asami sighed once more as Mako tried to reassure Asami that the kiss hadn't been his intention. Either way, his poor judgement had been costly and it was inexcusable. In her mind, she knew she would need to talk to Korra at some point, just as Mako needed to talk to his brother. Mako admitted he found Korra attractive but that feelings for Korra were not like those he had for her. 

[b][color=goldenrod]"I don't care so much that you have find her attractive. That's not a crime, just as it's not for me to find someone other than you, handsome. Being in a relationship doesn't turn off that kind of physical attraction or awareness to it. What I care about is you two being alone when you both are attracted to each other. The kiss was a result of you both having a mutual "thing" for each other. Even if you didn't intend to, that spark still ignited something inside both of you."[/color][/b] She said. [b][color=goldenrod]"I believe my concern for you and Korra is valid considering the both of you kissed even though she knew you were in a relationship and even though you knew she and Bolin were testing the waters. That serious oversight is a major red flag to me..."[/color][/b]

Dropping her hands, she took a step back and folded her arms across her chest, looking off. Asami felt very conflicted. Mako had cheated. Even if the intention hadn't been to cheat, it still happened. Mako had stepped forward to admit he was wrong and try and mend the situation. If she broke it off right now she would be justified in doing so. But she would miss Mako terribly. Her mind was telling he to be careful, to not get burned a second time. But her gut and heart were telling her to try one more time, that she and Mako could somehow accept the incident and move on. [b][color=goldenrod]"It's late, Mako."[/color][/b] She sighed.

[b][color=goldenrod]"I think you should go...tomorrow night at sundown I'll be at the park. We can talk more about where we stand and where to go from here, provided you're honest with Bolin. Please stay safe, goodnight Mako.[/color][/b] Asami turned and wiped more tears from her eyes as she retreated up the grand staircase, not wanting to bother to see Mako out, her heart far too tired, her knees far too weak to walk any further. When she got to her room, she collapsed to her knees and buried her hands in her face, her body continuing to shake, having no idea how her world could so suddenly be engulfed by chaos, flipped upside down. She felt betrayed on multiple levels and knew there would be little chance of sleep tonight.

The following day was a slow one. Asami helped her father with his company and in the afternoon she walked around Republic City with some friends, trying to occupy her mind with something other than Mako and the vision of him and Korra kissing. As the sun was beginning to descend over the city by the bay, Asami parted from her friends and walked back to her car. She drove towards the park and parked under the shade of a tree. Sitting there, she took a deep breath and got out, still not entirely sure what she was going to say to Mako. How could she look at Mako and not see Korra too? Her insecurities couldn't be fixed by a simple sentence.

No...

Time was needed. Asami walked into the park and saw many mothers and fathers ushering their children home as it was getting late. Some people were discussing the pro-bending match that was going to start soon and how it would be an intense match. Asami strolled along the curving sidewalk and made her way around the playground toward a white gazebo with a few benches facing it on the grass. The woman walked up the three steps and leaned over the white wooden frame that acted as a railing around the geometric dwelling. In her heart, she knew Mako would come and find her but she had to wonder how Bolin was doing. His heart had been unfortunate collateral damage and she was all the more upset at Korra for being so careless. 

[center][h3][color=peru]- [/color][color=goldenrod]-[/color] [color=peru]-[/color][color=goldenrod] -[/color][/h3][/center]

When Mako came back home, Bolin was already sound asleep. But when morning came, he and Mako talked about last night and what had happened. Bolin was thrilled to hear his intuition about something having happened last night but heartbroken that the incident had been Mako and Korra kissing. Bolin was confused as to why Mako even had feelings for someone he so often complained about. He was also mad that such an event had taken place when Bolin had been trying to 'woo' Korra. Still, Bolin was the kind of guy to carry grudges and explained he still loved his brother and wouldn't let a girl get between them.

Even so, Bolin had been firm in saying Mako's action had been very low and selfish. Even though Mako said he was trying to protect Bolin, he didn't want Mako to continue to protect him like he was a child. Bolin explained further that he wasn't sure where he and Korra even stood but that he would still go meet her at the arena to scope out the competition. The two brothers hugged, knowing this was just one of the challenges they had to get through together. Early afternoon came and Bolin headed off to find some part-time work, still hoping to make some extra cash since most of it had been spent on last night's outing.

Good fortunate had finally smiled upon Bolin as he found he could work part-time at a coffee shop near the arena. He was able to impress the manager by delivering a girl's cup of coffee via a floating bridge of small rocks, the cup effortlessly sliding along towards the customer. The girl clapped at the display and the job was Bolin's. Feeling much better than he had in the morning, Bolin headed over to the arena, wondering how things between him and Korra would be, given how he had left things. He didn't regret the words but he did wish things could have gone better. He also wondered if she would tell him about kissing Mako.