( they are a meticulous duo. korra wasn't always that way - she used to like throwing herself wholeheartedly and entirely into a fight, exhausting all of her resources and being annoyed when it was over too quickly. it's why pro bending was so much fun for her, honestly. she couldn't just win right away, couldn't be the antithesis to whatever element her opponent was spouting. she was just the water one, needing to figure out how to make that work for her - it did wonders for her bending, siphoning off the other elements like lanced wounds, focusing on the one. having clear boundaries, pouring her all into one thing and reaping the grown fruits of that particular labor.
not all the fruits. they lost in the end, but. that ended up being a good thing, kind of.
she's a different fighter now. before it was all power all the time, like she had something to prove to whoever she was fighting against - hurling rocks and fire in every direction, talented yes, but undisciplined. an avatar without a cause, fighting for the sake of fighting. she's taught herself discipline in the last few years, lived with her own body weighing her down, fighting against her. her moves are all well timed and small shows for benefit more than showing off, mako and korra both moving in time together, like they both have the choreography of this fight memorized. mako moves here, korra moves there. they never touch each other's fire, because they're too in sync to be caught off guard - their flames just lick each other at the wisps of fiery tips, tasting, flirting. )
You look like a cop, if that's what he means.
( it feels good to stretch her muscles. mako, despite his reservations and pissy attitude when they first met, has this - almost childish excitement about him, that comes out in small ways, playfully, when the world is looking in another direction. but. korra's pretty much always looking at him, watching him enjoy himself, laughing, smiling through bending, getting to exert himself through something that actually challenges him. fire's history has always been twinged with the pain and suffering of older, ambitious men trying to upset balance, but. korra has hundreds of lifetimes when fire was fun and pure, and the nations living in harmony saw friendships form throughout the four kingdoms. avatar wan was a firebender by nature, and she's always thought of the element as - uncompromisingly fun, danger and excitement laced in every move. that was how wan embodied it. and honestly? that's how mako embodies it, too. korra can read him like a book, and where someone else would see the cool lines of hard determination, korra just sees. fun. and loves him all the more for it.
there's a basin of water, somewhere nearby. she knows that's how she'll win, at least on the first round. they flip and step and move with each other, drawing closer. at the right moment, the way her hands move changes suddenly, and - there's a burst of water kicking at mako's feet, knocking him off kilter. korra goes the rest of the way to knock him down, sitting on his stomach, one knee bent up, hand on his chest. )
Two out of three?
( she laughs. her chest is rising and falling with exertion, but - she's happy. she can see it on him, too. )
no subject
not all the fruits. they lost in the end, but. that ended up being a good thing, kind of.
she's a different fighter now. before it was all power all the time, like she had something to prove to whoever she was fighting against - hurling rocks and fire in every direction, talented yes, but undisciplined. an avatar without a cause, fighting for the sake of fighting. she's taught herself discipline in the last few years, lived with her own body weighing her down, fighting against her. her moves are all well timed and small shows for benefit more than showing off, mako and korra both moving in time together, like they both have the choreography of this fight memorized. mako moves here, korra moves there. they never touch each other's fire, because they're too in sync to be caught off guard - their flames just lick each other at the wisps of fiery tips, tasting, flirting. )
You look like a cop, if that's what he means.
( it feels good to stretch her muscles. mako, despite his reservations and pissy attitude when they first met, has this - almost childish excitement about him, that comes out in small ways, playfully, when the world is looking in another direction. but. korra's pretty much always looking at him, watching him enjoy himself, laughing, smiling through bending, getting to exert himself through something that actually challenges him. fire's history has always been twinged with the pain and suffering of older, ambitious men trying to upset balance, but. korra has hundreds of lifetimes when fire was fun and pure, and the nations living in harmony saw friendships form throughout the four kingdoms. avatar wan was a firebender by nature, and she's always thought of the element as - uncompromisingly fun, danger and excitement laced in every move. that was how wan embodied it. and honestly? that's how mako embodies it, too. korra can read him like a book, and where someone else would see the cool lines of hard determination, korra just sees. fun. and loves him all the more for it.
there's a basin of water, somewhere nearby. she knows that's how she'll win, at least on the first round. they flip and step and move with each other, drawing closer. at the right moment, the way her hands move changes suddenly, and - there's a burst of water kicking at mako's feet, knocking him off kilter. korra goes the rest of the way to knock him down, sitting on his stomach, one knee bent up, hand on his chest. )
Two out of three?
( she laughs. her chest is rising and falling with exertion, but - she's happy. she can see it on him, too. )