Chapter Text
“What is that crazy girl doing?” growled Toza. “Aren’t you three supposed to be practicing? This gym isn’t for you to sit around in the dark and moon in, you know!”
Mako and Bolin exhanged glances. Those kids really never stopped being nothing but trouble, no matter how much they grew up and insisted they were doing fine on their own. It was Bolin who finally spoke up, as always.
“Well y’see,” he said. “Korra was basically wiping our asses-“
“Cause she’s a waterbender and it’s full moon,” growled Toza. “I got eyes. I’m a waterbender. It ain’t sato-science.”
“And so she started meditating while we took a break and when we finished, she was still here and…” Bolin trailed off.
“And what,” Toza said.
“I can see the moon,” said Korra, softly. She’d positioned herself out of the way, under the window, facing out away from Air Temple island. The white light of the full moon streamed through onto her- which was weird, now that Toza thought about it. The light that came through that window was usually orange, from flame and lamps. “She’s beautiful.”
A shiver shimmied up Toza’s spine, despite himself. “The moon- that old story? That’s-“
“The moon?” said Mako, focusing on the Avatar. He had great focus, that kid. It was what made him such a good pro-bender in the ring, and such a pain in the arse outside it. “You mean, the story of the Northern Water Tribe Princess who-“
“Princess YUE,” said Bolin. “Yeah, yeah, I remember! Remember Toza, you told us, that story, when we were kids!” He sighed. “Man, I loved that story. Hot girl in the sky, excellent.”
“You still look like kids to me,” growled Toza, but looking at Korra, he felt, really felt, for the first time, that this girl who’d come out of nowhere was the Avatar, this girl who could see the goddess in the moon.
“Princess Yue,” repeated Korra, and the white light around her swelled and shone. She closed her eyes, and maybe all three of them would have said that the moon’s light was someone’s white hair, pooling around her, and that a hand brushed her face, soft and gentle as a kiss.
Then she opened her eyes and the light coming in through the window was just the light of the street outside again, the golden glow of the arena. She blinked. “Hey,” she demanded. “Is practice over already? I wasn’t done kicking you two around the gym yet!”
To the sound of the kids beginning to bicker like- well, kids, Toza looked out at the moon and scratched his head. The girl in the moon was maybe a little clearer tonight, as though she had turned her face towards Republic City.