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Jun 30

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔 ◦ hate to wait so long

I Left My Heart in Republic City - The Legend of Korra Fanfic

Mako x oc x Bolin

Word count : 4362

Warnings : mentions loss of sleep

15, 16 (you are here), book 2, contents

"What do we do now?" Bolin asked Mako.

The sun had begun to turn gold over the bay. Dusk was approaching, and it was never smart to stay out late. But the boys had found themselves staying there for far longer than they should have.

Mako's eyebrows knitted together as he took one last tight look out on the horizon, before he blinked and turned his gaze back to the ground, "You need to go back to headquarters. Get a good night's rest."

Bolin blinked and took Mako's hand, "Where are you going?"

Mako sighed, "Police station. Gotta see if Beifong was being honest."

"Really?" Bolin grinned, "Ohohoh, Mako, please let me come with you. I don't wanna be stuck at home while your dreams are coming true!"

Mako scoffed, "This is hardly my dream, Bo. And what if it is just a setup so she can bust us for theft?"

"At least let me walk to the station with you. We can ask the statue of Toph for good luck," Bolin gazed up at his brother with his signature puppy eyes.

── ⋅✾⋅ ──

"I'm gonna watch you leave, okay?" Mako ordered his brother once they arrived at the station.

"Whatever, Mr Future-Lieutenant, sir!" Bolin giggled as he walked away, jumping as he bumped into an officer before dashing off.

Mako shook his head with a smile as he watched his brother, before turning his head towards the very imposing stone building. He couldn't remember ever coming here of his own volition, which made it feel even worse once he was alone.

There was an officer at a desk just past the front entrance, who looked Mako up and down, his expression hardening before either of them said a thing, "You looking for something?"

Mako glared back at the man, "Captain Beifong. She told me to come down here so we could talk."

The officer blinked slowly at him, "Right."

Mako folded his arms, "My name is Mako."

A look of recognition flashed across the officer's face before he lowered his gaze and nodded, rising from his desk, "Follow me."

The fear of getting busted rose within Mako's stomach as the officer led Mako up several flights of stairs until they reached an office full of detectives with a door at the other end with translucent glass. Mako felt the gazes of every cop in the room on him, and he had to shove his hands into his pockets to remind himself to stay cool.

The officer knocked on the door once, listening until they both heard a "Come in" from a familiar, perpetually unamused voice from the other side, and opened the door.

"Captain. The boy you asked for," The officer introduced Mako to the woman, who clearly knew exactly what was going on from the moment she caught sight of that bright red scarf around his scrawny neck.

Beifong nodded, "Thank you, Shong."

As the door closed behind them, neither Mako nor the captain moved their eyes from one another.

"I'm glad you decided to take up my offer, Mako," she began, "You'll do well in our academy. Sure, you have a lot to learn, but if you're willing to put in the effort, you could be a valuable asset to the force."

Mako shook his head, "Hold on. I haven't just accepted your offer right out the gate. We need to talk things over first."

Beifong raised her eyebrows at him, "You're hardly in a position to negotiate the terms of your acceptance into the academy. But this will be very interesting to hear."

Mako gulped, "Look, all I wanted to talk about was you letting my brother in, too. He's a good kid. He does what he's told, he loves helping people, and... you're his hero. He deserves this way more than me."

Beifong tilted her head, "And where is he now?"

Mako sighed, "Home. I didn't want him getting caught up in any trouble I was in."

Beifong exhaled, "Mako, when I watched you in that fight, I saw something interesting. Your brother held his own perfectly well, but you didn't even give Rogo a chance to get back up. How old are you exactly?"

"Fourteen," Mako frowned.

"How many other fourteen-year-olds are capable of taking down a violent criminal that quickly?" she pressed her hands together on her desk, "Mako, you have an understanding of criminals that many others seem to lack. More than that, you know how to protect people. I found out about your parents, and I'm very sorry."

Mako turned away and growled, "What do you have to be sorry for?"

Beifong took a deep breath before telling Mako, "We'd be able to start paying you the moment you join the force."

Mako's head flicked back up, and he turned back towards the captain, "You would? Prove it."

Beifong pursed her lips and pulled out a thick binder from her desk, flicking to a page detailing the terms of trainees and the starting wages of uniform officers. "We don't normally do this with minors, but I would be willing to make an exception for an independent youth. Depending on how quickly you pass your training exams, you could join the force as soon as a year from now."

She then slid an application form and a pen towards Mako.

His gaze flicked between her and the form, "I'd be earning that kind of money? Real, honest to goodness, yuans?"

"I'm no liar, Mako. You've been told enough lies," Beifong told him.

With a clammy palm, Mako picked up the pen.

── ⋅✾⋅ ──

As he walked back to headquarters, Bolin noticed how comparatively grey the day had turned. The sun was still in the sky, and the sky was still blue, but there seemed to be a haze dimming it all ever so slightly.

On his way, Bolin heard a familiar boisterous cracking voice hollering at him.

"Bo! Hey, where were you and Mako heading just now? Where's he gone, huh?"

"Mind your business, Fe. I'm just heading back to headquarters," Bolin tried to brush him off.

The boy came right up to him, though, and kept asking, "Come on, seriously, Bo. What's he doing? Is it for that pro-bending training he's doing?"

Bolin folded his arms and bit his lip, frowning at Fe.

This only goaded him on even more, "Come on, I won't tell. You know I've got a mouth like a steel trap."

"You've got a mouth like a sieve, Fe. I'm not telling," Bolin put his foot down, until Fe started literally yanking his arm and pleading with him, "Okay, but you know I'm gonna beat you to a pulp if you tell anyone."

Fe shrugged, "I can take a hit."

Bolin raised an eyebrow, "You bruise like a peach, that's why you're such a fast runner."

Fe scoffed, "Says who?"

Bolin paused a moment before raising his fist, making Fe run back nearly a meter in a second.

"Just tell me!" Fe stomped his foot.

Bolin shook his head, "Fine. Mako's leaving the Triple Threats."

"What?!" Fe gasped, "Did Rogo finally poach him for the Agni Kais?"

Bolin scoffed, "No! He's going straight. He's got a scholarship to an academy so he can get a good job."

"Oh, neat," Fe immediately calmed down, "What's he gonna do?"

Bolin paused for a beat, "Uh, Varrick Industries. He's gonna be an... engineer."

"Really? Huh, you think you know a guy," Fe shook his head, looking up at the sky before heading back on his way, "Well, I'll see ya, Bo. Hey, good luck breaking the news to Shady Shin, huh? Guy's gonna be crushed!"

Bolin gulped before heading back in the direction of headquarters, but he kept his head held high. Shady Shin shouldn't really be that upset that Mako's gone. Sure, Mako was his pro-bending champion-to-be, and the one that wouldn't run his mouth, and the one that could hold a straight face, and a lot of things Shady Shin liked that Bolin just wasn't... But Bolin was completely certain it would be fine. He could become just as good a pro-bender as his brother, and he could learn how to get tough. That's what growing up was all about, wasn't it? Getting tough and getting strong.

Bolin's eyes went to the fading blue of the sky as he thought of all he wanted to do when he finally grew up.

── ⋅✾⋅ ──

The day Zialla arrived back in the Southern Water Tribe was a miserable one. The sky was bright and blue, but so was everything else. Zialla didn't even have Korra to confide in about her misery. She simply meandered about the estate, trying to find little things to do that would stop reminding her of how stagnant and quiet her life had become.

The nightmares returned the night she spent on the boat back, and they hadn't subsided at all over the following year.

Every room and hallway felt silent and hushed, like any and all life was hiding just around a corner, beyond any actual reach. Nobody wanted to disturb the ever-busy Kosuna, so Zialla took the place that she had been sitting in by her mother's side three years ago. The perfect quiet little girl who followed her mother only when requested.

Kosuna would ask Zialla to join her for galas and soirees now and again, a way to get her out of the house and partially brighten her permanent gloomy expression. One of said soirees was a gathering to discuss the tribe's economic future.

"It's mostly just for me and Tarrlok to get a chance to discuss with Varrick the future of Varrick Industries. He's planning on expanding greatly in... other nations, but we know he can let his ambition get the better of him. He ought not to forget his roots," Kosuna explained, caressing Zialla on the head.

Zialla hummed, "I don't exactly have anything better to do. I'll prepare an outfit for tonight."

Zialla got dressed up in one of her older blue gowns that wasn't particularly fashionable anymore, but she had accepted that she had become invisible by now, and that was for the best.

The event would be hosted at an estate near the western peninsula of Wolf Cove. When their carriage was making its way over there, Zialla couldn't help but look up from her lap as her eyes were captured by bright shining lights that lit up the top of the cliffs of the peninsula. When they arrived, it only grew more impressive. The building looked very modern and didn't follow any of the tribe's architectural traditions. It almost looked like one of the places on the outskirts of Republic City.

"Goodness. I'll be honest, I've only ever seen pictures of Varrick's estate before. I hadn't expected it to be so big," Kosuna gulped as she and Zialla stepped out of the carriage, "Stay close to me. I don't want you getting lost."

Zialla took her mother's hand, still gazing up and around at all the brilliant sights.

It was a marvel of modern culture. Zialla hadn't had many chances to visit the modernised parts of Wolf Cove, being cooped up in her mother's estate most days, but she was sure she'd get out more with the knowledge that there were more places like this waiting for her. Near the entrance, there were several satomobiles parked between grand topiaries.

"Mother, how are those bushes still green? Its far too cold to grow any non-confierous trees here," Zialla glanced up at Kosuna.

She shook her head, "They're synthetic, dear. They're made of polyethylene. It's just for show."

Zialla nodded, "And what a spectacular show it is."

The spectacle only continued as they followed the dotted crowd inside. The main festivities were held in a ballroom, but there were a few guests who seemed to be lingering around the corridors and staircases. They caught Zialla's eye briefly, but no amount of curiosity could have encouraged her to see what they were up to.

The entire atmosphere was very overwhelming, and while that would have usually put Zialla in a good mood, she felt utterly pathetic attached at the hip to her mother, not to mention the lack of sleep had really been putting her in foul moods when the sun went down, so in an attempt to get out of there as soon as possible, the princess did her best to scan the expansive and crowded ballroom for the man himself as she moved with her mother towards various officials who were vaguely interested in the happenings in her mother's life.

Truth be told, Zialla didn't know exactly what Varrick looked like, but from context clues given mostly from her mother over the years, she was looking for a man who would call attention to himself in any way possible. Brightest outfit, loudest voice, craziest body language. But all the people who seemed to carry those features weren't Varrick at all. How could Zialla tell? All their loud voices blaring on about their various opinions on the man. And honestly, would a self-respecting businessman like Varrick really talk about himself in the third person?

As she realised that the annoyance was starting to show on her face, and also that it wasn't just annoyance but a rather splitting headache, Zialla excused herself, "I'll be over by the refreshments, I won't be a minute."

"Good, dear," Kosuna nodded, returning her attention to one of the many people who were craving hers.

As Zialla got herself a glass and served herself some of the chilled beverage that was sitting in a large crystal bowl, she flinched as something seemed to bang into the table. She checked on the other side before she saw movement coming from beneath the tablecloth.

Fearing an unpleasant encounter with an unseemly individual, Zialla was surprised when, upon lifting up the tablecloth, she found a man with big hair a moustache, and a woman with glasses lying down beside each other, drawing on a large poster stuck onto the bottom of the table.

"Zhu Li, I don't think you're considering my artistic vision," the man argued.

"Sir, with all due respect, neither did any of your investors," Zhu Li responded dryly.

"Oh yeah? Let's see what an honest-to-goodness member of the public thinks," the man gestured to Zialla before picking up the poster and shoving it in her face, "What do you think, kid? If this isn't the face of innovation, I'll eat my waistcoat."

Zialla snickered at the logo, forgetting the company name but remembering her biting comparison from months ago, "Then you had better start chewing. I saw this once on a sign in Republic City with my friends, and I never thought this was meant to be your face! I'll give you this, it was eye-catching, but we couldn't stop laughing once we thought of the perfect comparison."

The man looked rather insulted but asked, "Oh yeah? What exactly was this oh-so-biting comparison?"

"A hogmonkey bleeding from the face," Zialla couldn't hold back a grin.

"A... Bleeding hogmonkey?!" The man blinked, pulling the poster back towards him and looking between it and Zialla before whining in defeat, "Darn it, Zhu Li! My ambition remains my ultimate foil."

"It's what I always tell you, sir," Zhi Li emerged calmly from the table.

The man then turned towards Zialla, "Alright, kid, I'll give you this. That was a pretty biting comparison. It hurt because you hit the nail right on the head. But Varrick never trusts a critic, so I challenge you to come up with a better logo."

It turned out Varrick did refer to himself in the third person.

"Who's the decider?" she raised her eyebrow.

"Zhu Li!" Varrick proudly exclaimed.

Zhu Li then whispered briefly into his ear.

"I mean, everyone else at this party!" he corrected himself.

Zialla smirked, "Hm. You're on."

Zhu Li gave Zialla a chair, a paintbrush, and a fresh poster to draw a new logo. After giving it much thought, Zialla decided on a minimalist design, similar to the Future Industries logo, yet in keeping with the company's Southern Water Tribe identity, a traditional fishing boat, sailing towards a blank open sea of opportunity.

She described it as such to Varrick, but after a brief moment of hesitation, he scoffed and told her, "We'll see what the audience prefers."

They approached a group of business owners who were hobnobbing amongst themselves until Varrick announced himself, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention for just a moment? I was just having a friendly challenge with this young lady right here, and we were hoping it could be settled by some of the finest minds here."

They all grinned and chuckled and told Varrick, "Oh, do go on," causing the businessman's smirk to grow even wider than Zialla thought was humanly possible.

"Which of these two logos captures the spirit of innovation that Varrick Industries embodies so well?" He asked the group as Zhu Li put the two posters on easels.

After a few moments of impressed murmurs, one voice spoke out, "Oh, Varrick, yours certainly."

"Yes, of course. It's no competition."

"Exactly! I see this, and the first thing I think is 'That's Varrick!'"

Varrick tilted his head towards Zialla, a sort of preemptive gloat before he addressed the crowd once more to assert his victory over her.

"It's so tasteful as well. The whole company started with fishing boats just like it," one of the many enthused businessmen spoke.

The smirk vanished from Varrick's face, and he blinked at the crowd, "I'm sorry, what?"

"We were just discussing how perfectly your logo reflects the history of your company," the businessman said.

Varrick pursed his lips and nodded, "Yes, exactly, the history of the company... Just to be clear, a laugh, if you will, which design do you fine people believe I made?"

The crowd chuckled merrily before a cacophony of voices replied, "The boat!"

"Why, the boat, Varrick."

"What a laugh. Of course, you did the boat, old boy."

"Only you could have come up with that fine boat design, Varrick."

"Naturally. The child's drawing is... charming, but you'd never actually make that the company's new logo."

Varrick took a long breath in, "Yes! Well, thank you for your wonderful feedback, you're nothing but sheer helpfulness, every one of you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some very important business matters to attend to."

Varrick walked off and disappeared back under the punch table with Zhu Li carrying the posters in tow. Zialla followed him, checking to make sure her mother wouldn't catch her, and sat on the floor next to him.

"Bested by a child, Zhu Li! We're lucky I'm so good at regulating my emotions, otherwise I would've made a real fool of myself. But what are we to do now?" Varrick ranted, his hands running up and down his legs that he had folded into himself.

"Sir, I told you we shouldn't have put up that sign in Republic City before approval from the board," Zhu Li shook her head.

"It was for feedback, Zhu Li! Now, we know the logo is a bad idea, and it's all thanks to this random kid... who is at my party for some reason," Varrick trailed off as he turned towards Zialla with a stern expression.

She raised her eyebrows at him, "Excuse me, 'random kid'? With all due respect, sir, I am not a child with nowhere else to go. I am here with my mother, Princess Kosuna. I suppose now is as opportune a time as any to introduce myself. I am Princess Zialla of the Fire Nation, and I'd appreciate a little more respect put towards my name, especially after having designed a new logo for your company," she gestured towards the poster

Varrick seemed to be zoning out of her words until she mentioned his company, "Ah, yes. The logo. Of course, your grace, I have nothing but respect for you and your family. Love family, greatest thing in the world. And since you have such a wonderful, wealthy family, I'm sure you wouldn't have much need to hold onto something as silly as a logo, right? You're a child princess, what would you want with that? You ought to be going off, meeting princes and dancing and whatever else kids do these days," Varrick started reaching for the poster with her logo on it.

"Now hold on a minute. How do you know I have no use for this?" She grabbed onto the poster, holding it out of his reach, "I could sell this as art and make my own money from it. But you need this design. And I'm not giving it away for free."

Varrick raised an eyebrow as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips, "Anyone ever told you you ought to go into business?"

── ⋅✾⋅ ──

"So do you work for this guy now?" Korra asked Zialla once she had finished regaling her with that evening's events as they walked through the training compound's stables to take Naga out for a ride.

"Not yet," she giggled, "I doubt I ever will. I mean, industrialists are a tricky sort, and mother would have a fit if I got involved in all of that. But it is something to keep in mind," Zialla added with a small smirk playing at her lips that Korra found quite infectious.

But as her eyes stayed on the princess's face, Korra noticed a faraway look in Zialla's eyes that only came from a bad night's sleep.

Korra pursed her lips before asking, "And, the nightmares?"

Zialla glanced at Korra, her eyebrows flaring for a second, before she turned her gaze away from her again, "It's fine..."

"Is it really?" Korra folded her arms.

Zialla rolled her eyes, "What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me what's been keeping you up at night," Korra stepped towards her, "You don't have to if you don't want to, but maybe I could help if you tell me?"

Zialla's lips tugged slightly at her friend's compassion for her before sighing, "It wasn't like the last ones. She's saying she's going to find me and bring me where I belong. It felt so real, I don't know how to explain it. Oh, and at one point, I saw all this giant forest with little lights all around it and strange creatures. It looked like it was day and night at the same time. There was a glowing hole, a portal, in the middle of it that led somewhere. And, oh my, a few days ago, I recognised where the portal led. I think it was the top of a hill on Ember Island. I'd only ever been there once, but I saw it clear as day in that portal."

Korra stared at her, "Ember Island?"

Zialla blinked, "Yes. I know it's strange but... what is it? Is something wrong?"

Korra shook her head, "Nothing, I just... I might tell Katara about it. Sounds like it could be spiritual."

"Do you think so?" Zialla grabbed Korra's arm.

Korra shrugged and gave her a small smile, "Well yeah maybe, but I'm not surprised. You've always had spirit-y dreams. It shouldn't be anything to worry about, and hey, maybe Katara could help us come up with a solution."

"You were right, you did learn a lot on Air Temple Island. You're practically a spirit master already." Zialla chuckled, gazing at Korra with her tired eyes before pulling her into a hug, "I really do appreciate this, Korra. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Korra chuckled and wrapped her arms around her, "And you never will, grace."

Before she could hold Zialla a moment longer, the avatar was pounced by her beloved polar bear dog, "Aw, I missed you too, girl!"

Naga then set her eyes on Zialla, making the prim and proper girl put her guard up before she succumbed to the force of Naga pushing her muzzle into her middle and wrapped her arms around the great furry beast.

"I don't know how you do it," Korra shook her head as she jumped on top of Naga.

"Do what, cuddle Naga?" Zialla chuckled, reaching her hand up to Korra "I'm not evil, I love her."

Korra snorted as she took her hand and helped her onto Naga, "Not that. I meant just dealing with all these fancy pants folks all the time. Every time I try and talk to them, they stick their noses up and ignore me. The only way you can talk to those types is if you walk, talk and act like them, and you can."

"Yeah, and I didn't even have to sell my soul," Zialla joked as she sat herself behind Korra, wrapping her arms around Korra's waist.

"Yeah. You're still... you. It's what I love about you," Korra turned her head back towards her slightly.

Zialla grinned and rested her head on Korra's shoulder, "I'm glad you learned so much about airbending since you've been gone, but I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Korra whispered before Naga bounded out onto the snowy fields of open glacier.

As the biting, frosty air whipped against Zialla's cheek, she found herself closing her eyes and focusing on the warmth coming from Korra, and that little moment of weightlessness between each bound Naga made against the ground. It was moments like this with Korra that made Zialla feel like she could fly.

── ⋅✾⋅ ──

"What do you think it could mean?" Zialla asked Katara once she'd finished explaining her nightmare with Korra's help.

The three were sitting inside the meditation room in the compound. Zialla gazed at her great aunt's wisened face that was knitted deep in thought.

"Hm. I'm glad you told me. There's a good chance this has something to do with the spirit activity on Ember Island last week," Katara rose to her feet and took the girls to another room where a large map was laid out.

The map had pins in it from Ember Island to the Forgetful Valley and even in the mountains near Republic City.

"Somehow, wild spirits have been appearing in the material world and wreaking havoc. The White Lotus is getting new updates every day, they seem to be appearing all over the place, but it's hard to manage ourselves. We're planning on travelling to the Northern Water tribe to consult with Master Unalaq in a few days time. It would be wise for you to come with us," Katara told the two girls.

They both nodded, "Of course."

Katara then put her hand on her great niece's shoulder, "And Zialla, next time you have a dream like this, please let me know. You know where to find me."

Zialla nodded, giving a thin-lipped smirk, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

#fanfiction #writing #legend of korra #atla #avatar the last airbender #legend of korra oc #lok #mako x oc x bolin #mako x oc #mako #bolin x oc #tlok bolin #bolin #i left my heart in republic city #mafia #childhood friend to lovers #childhood

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