Mako felt he had made some personal progress by Asami agreeing to share some dinner with him, but wasn’t counting any chicks before they were to hatched. He allowed her to step out herself before he entered inside and got a plate of his own. Just judging by the aroma of her meal he was certain it would be delicious, any he’d need any boon he could get to not mess this up further. With a modest amount of chicken and pasta on his plate, Mako had accompanied Asami into the living room. At the very instant he sat down, his former lovers punches weren't pulled. She spoke of the irony of his words, and it burned him inside to be unable to refute them. The fire bender wasn’t certain of when, but he had given up on being completely correct in anything. As expected of the guilty party, Mako frowned in response, and listened to her speak of Korra and the unfortunate truth that Bolin had revealed.

[b]“Well, that’s the thing. Korra being the Avatar wasn’t exactly what drove me to doing such a thing.”[/b] He was quick, very quick, in continuing without her finding a pause large enough to interject. [b]“But no matter the reason, it doesn’t make it right. I know what I said in the kitchen was bold, and you’re right, it really was rich for me to say that kind of thing. The truth is, me talking to you like this is for my benefit as much as I hope it’ll be yours. I can’t take the silence.”[/b] The feelings he had of her probably didn’t mean much to the Future Industries holder, yet Mako was truly surprised with how long she had to put up with his sudden disinterest. Things weren't going to get easier any time soon, but they couldn't possibly get any worse.

Peering down at her dinner, Mako dug into it with heavy interest in putting something into his stomach. What he had expected was a bland taste as a result of his anxiety towards this conversation, but the textures and flavors he was feeling brushing along his tongue did almost ease the awkwardness of all this. To think that a few weeks back they would have been much closer on this couch, and she’d still love him.

Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat to catch her attention, but kept his eyes averted. 

[b]“This may be bad timing, but this has to be the best meal I’ve had in a long time. No offense to Tenzin’s mother.”[/b]

~-~

Bolin had always seemed to know just what to say to cheer a girl up, but perhaps unintentionally knew what to say to make her feel just as guilty as she was happy. Just when things were starting to look up for her in her mind, she was being reminded every time she heard him, or looked at Mako, and even thought about Asami, just how much she had screwed things up for what was humorously referred to as ‘Team Avatar’. The meeting with Aang did more than just restore her potential with channeling the power of water, earth, fire, and air. It was a reminder of how she nearly decided to leave this world so soon, when she had so much more to do, and needed her closest friends to forgive her at last. Weakly smiling, the Avatar’s cheeks turned a light pink. [b]“Thanks.”[/b] Was all she could manage before her cheeks tightened up too much from this flattery.

Letting him lead the way, the first order of business was ensuring that Pema was taken care of entirely and keeping the kids as content as they could manage. With a little Rohan to take care of, the hands of the mother were certainly full, and the responsibility was now doubled for Tenzin himself. After the chores were taken care of and Pema thankfully allowed them to do what they pleased before dinner, Korra had returned outside with Bolin who was prepared to help her relearn some crucial lessons. Earth bending was a considerable test of one’s boldness and inner strength, and just so happened to be the second of the elements she had learned. If it was going to be as easy then as it was now, she’d soon find out. With the slab of earth just in front of her, Korra bent her legs evenly and took a deep breath before seeing her own inner victory before her. She would move this earth, relearn fire, properly come to master air bending, and in the course of that right all the wrongs she had committed. 

With that inspiration in mind, she thrust her arms forward, fists balled. It wouldn’t be very surprising given her nature as a bender, but that earth ran itself through the ground quickly with minimal chance of stopping. A precise stomp of her foot caused a sudden interception of the fast-moving slab of earth, as a pillar similar to the one that launched Bolin in the air almost an hour ago appeared below the first slab. Effortlessly the pillar launched that slab into the air and across a long distance, before finally it crashed into the sea. Thankfully, no one was sailing by at that period.

[b]“YES!”[/b] Korra pumped her fist into the air in victory. No matter how minor it was, it had meant that her second chance wasn’t just an imagination any further. If she kept up like this, it would be almost as if she had never lost anything to begin with. [b]“I could do that all day, you got anything harder in mind, teacher?”[/b] winking at him, Korra relocated her hands to her hips in ultimate confidence. 

~-~
Always the serious one, but in this situation Tenzin couldn't fault her for being serious as matters were nothing but serious for the city now. She had confirmed that the rest of the representatives were scattered, and given the Equalist movement being at its strongest mere days ago going into hiding wasn’t exactly a surprise. He would believe that perhaps they had gotten somewhere safe and hadn't been caught by Amon, but the resources of the Equalist leader were at their peak before Korra had managed to beat him back somehow. Their safety had to be the concern for him, as the more brutal matters were for Lin now. Getting them together was to be the priority. Speaking the honest truth of his uselessness in matters such as clearing streets of rubble and debris, her mention of earth bending brought Bolin to mind. Perhaps tonight, something could be arranged to keep the young man busy. 

Following her motion, Tenzin followed her quietly towards one of the cities plentiful back alleys, making mention of how a criminal element originated from locations such as this. He looked around as she did, but couldn’t maintain his serious demeanor at this sudden stakeout. [b]“Oh come now Lin. What exactly are the odds of some criminal element just happening to pop—“[/b] a sudden scream, and the appearance of a young woman being chased and harassed by two young men who appeared anything but innocent in this situation. [b]“I take it back.”[/b] Tenzin ate his words quietly, the woman taking notice of the pair and requesting help. Tenzin beckoned her over to them and urged her to get somewhere safe, which meant that they were to deal with her attackers personally.

[b]“Alright. There won’t be any stealing on our watch, so just surrender yourselves quietly and-“[/b] cut off once more, Tenzin sought to avoid combat because a trip as long as the one he had still hung on him like the slimy saliva of a bison’s tongue on his face. Lin was physically stronger than him and had the stamina to manage criminal activity with ease, and this entire fight was beginning to convince him that perhaps he should’ve taken a nap first. He had unintentionally followed Lin’s movements and duck low to the ground, avoiding the long trail of fire that soared over his head. [b]“Lin, I’ll handle—“[/b] Today just seemed like ‘Let’s not let Tenzin finish his sentence’ day, as not a trace of hesitation were in her moves. The gentlemen in him wanted to handle these ruffians himself but the dominant spirit of Lin would always prevent her from letting a man defend her. The rules of survival and sex didn't apply to her, and shame be to those that ever tried to force it. Maybe, just maybe, he could thank her focus on the task at hand instead of chiding him for forgetting who she was. So enthralled in her physical ability and experience, Tenzin had almost forgotten that this was a team effort. Lin was by no means weak, but her lack of bending may still pose a problem in this situation.

Having jumped atop one and swiftly dealing with him, Tenzin brought his attention to the other who still stood, and having watched as Lin quickly dealt with his partner, he had decided that it was every man for himself. At least that made this much easier on him. Bringing one hand hovering over the others, Tenzin quickly rotated the top one and generated a sphere of air similar to the ones his children rode. Instead of rapid transportation however, this was launched from Tenzin and sped along the ground. Coming around the fleeing assailant, Tenzin manipulated it to return towards him, hitting the thug square in the gut and knocking the wind out of him. With enough force to send him flying back just at Tenzin’s feet, he shook his head at the downed criminal. [b]“Don’t try that again.”[/b] 

This brought him back to days in their youth, whether sparring against one another or dealing with unruly punks Tenzin found that Lin and himself had always held some uncanny ability to work well, even after being apart for so long. Reminiscing wasn’t the best thing he could be doing right now, as he had originally come here with an invitation. Clearing his throat as he watched Lin take pleasure in cuffing the unruly criminals, he rubbed the back of his neck and casually placed a foot on the thug he had downed. The little punk thought he was clever, subtlety moving his hand to perhaps attempt a lucky blow towards Lin or himself. The soles of his feet rid him of such thoughts.

[b]“Lin, might I ask what you are doing tonight? It’s really nothing important, but ..it’d be nice if you could ..”[/b] In typical Tenzin fashion, when it came to Lin he was always struggling to find the proper words for requests. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, and his eyes didn't remain in one position for too long [b]“Would you like to have dinner with me and my family this evening? And before you say anything I didn’t come here for a wrong answer.”[/b]