AN: Oh my god, I'm so sorry! D: This only took forever to write. I didn't want to have such a big gap between chapters. I hope you'll forgive me.

Enjoy :)

"So what's this all about?" Korra questions. The four teens step off the ferry from Air Temple Island, glad to be on solid ground again after the twenty minute ferry ride.

Bolin bounces around in a circle. "We're taking you out for a day on the town!" he exclaims, practically bursting with excitement. "I mean, you had to get out of that stuffy temple sometime and away from you-know-who." He pauses and does a double-take as Korra shoots him a look. "I didn't mean it like that! I just thought you could maybe spend some time with your friends!"

"What makes you think they're not my friends?" Korra asks him.

Korra can see Bolin's mind backtracking again. "No! No, no, that's not what I meant! I just thought, y'know, that since they're war criminals and all, and considering everything they've done…" He trails off, trying to think of something to say that won't upset Korra any more.

"Bolin, you're just digging your own grave," Mako tells him. "You should stop now."

Bolin slumps. "You're right." He looks shyly up at Korra. "Are you really friends with those guys?"

"Of course not," Korra admits. "It's just fun messing with people every once in a while." Maybe she has been spending too much time with Noatak. She's starting to pick up on his methods of deception.

"…Oh," Bolin says quietly. He straightens himself back up. "Okay, then." There's a beat of awkward silence before Bolin's giant grin is back on his face. "Well, what're we all standing around here for? Let's go!" He spins around and takes off running in the other direction, not bothering to check and see if his friends are following or keeping up.

Asami laughs. "We should probably go after him and keep him from causing any accidents." She waves at Korra and Mako, then takes off in a sprint after Bolin.

"Aww, you're no fun!" Korra yells after her, chuckling softly to herself. If Asami heard her, she makes no indication of it. Korra turns back to Mako, still smiling, but pauses when she catches the firebender staring at her strangely. "What?"

"Was that really necessary?"

"Yelling after Asami?" Korra knows exactly what he's talking about, but she doesn't want to talk about it.

Mako responds with a glare. "That whole thing with Bolin," he clarifies tightly.

"What, that? That was a joke!" Korra defends. "What's wrong with a little joke now and then?"

"It wasn't funny."

"Spirits, Mako," Korra growls angrily. "It was just a joke. Get over it."

Mako opens his mouth and closes it again. Instead of arguing, though, he changes the subject. "You want a joke?" he asks slyly. "Go ask Asami about that General Iroh guy. That's a joke."

"I'll keep that in mind," Korra replies with a smirk on her face. "Come on, let's go. We're not getting anything done while we're standing here chatting." Korra grabs Mako's hand before he can say another word and drags him after her.

Bolin and Asami are waiting for them when Korra and Mako finally catch up. Bolin is panting heavily from his sprint. "About time you two slowpokes showed up," Asami teases. "I'd almost thought that you two would head off on your own." The word date is implied, but neither Asami nor Korra feels like saying it out loud.

"Pfft." Korra waves her hand dismissively and rolls her eyes. "What, us? Why, we would never!" Asami looks skeptical, but teasingly so.

"Come on," Asami changes the subject, "we should probably go find somewhere to eat, before it gets too busy."

"What?" Korra scoffs. "We just got here! I've been stuck on the Island for months; let's go do something fun!"

Mako shoots her an amused look. "It is breakfast time, Korra," he reminds her.

Korra crosses her arms and pouts. "You guys are no fun."

"Yeah, we're totally ruining your life," Bolin teases. "You're just downright miserable right now, aren't you?" Korra snorts and glares at him, sulking.

"Well, if you insist..." Korra sighs, "...then we're going to Narook's." It's the first place that comes to mind, but Korra doesn't care; it's been too long since she's had anything authentic Water Tribe.

Bolin punches his fist into the air gleefully. "Yes! I love Narook's!" He takes off in a sprint again without another word. Asami heaves a sigh at the though of having to chase the earthbender down again.

Korra rubs Asami's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry; Mako and I'll catch up with him this time." Asami smiles gratefully at the offer.

"Wait, what?" Mako stutters. Korra doesn't respond and just grabs his wrist again, dragging him along. She can almost see and hear his annoyed aura.

She glances over her shoulder at Asami's shrinking shape. "See you at the restaurant!" Korra calls, waving her free hand in farewell. Asami waves back and starts to follow at a slower pace. Korra can tell that she's laughing.

Mako and Korra don't catch up with Bolin until they reach Narook's, and Korra wonders how the earthbender is so energetic this early in the morning. Bolin has all but collapsed on the ground by the door in a panting mess, wheezing and choking on nothing. He hazily lifts his arm in a greeting wave, but the hand flops back down to the ground immediately, too tired to keep it up. Korra laughs breathily, slowing to a stop in front of Bolin. "Remind me to never let you take off like that ever again," Korra snips lightly.

"Agreed," Bolin wheezes. The word is followed by heavy hacking, and Mako has to kneel down and sit his brother upright, slapping him heavily on the back. Bolin coughs up a ball of spit and mucus. "Thanks, bro," he murmurs quietly and gratefully.

"Gross," Korra sneers, hopping backwards to avoid the sticky substance. "We're just about to eat breakfast, thank you very much." She hopes that, in his dazed state, that Bolin can tell that she's joking.

A mischievous glint finds its way into Bolin's green eyes. Korra almost feels relieved. "Well, here's your appetizer," he snarks.

"Spirits, Bolin," Mako lectures, but he's got that same light in his eyes. Korra smiles; it's great to see her friends so happy.

Asami comes up behind Korra a few minutes later, and Bolin, still on the ground, stares over Korra's shoulder. "Well, you only took three years to show up. What kept you?"

"I have self control," Asami responds coolly. "Something that you seem to lack."

Bolin nods in agreement. "You have a valid point."

Korra can start to hear the hustle and bustle of city life rising to awareness. "We should head in, if we want a table before the crowds get here," she tells the small group. Mako nods and rises from the ground, extending his hand to heave Bolin up after him. Once the earthbender is steady on his feet again, the four teenagers enter the restaurant. Korra takes a deep breath and sighs. "It's been too long since I've had any Water Tribe food."

"You were just back home a few weeks ago," Bolin reminds her, sounding confused. The four of them choose a table and seat themselves, taking some menus on their way. Mako sits against the wall next to Korra, while Asami and Bolin sit across from them.

"A few months," Korra corrects him.

Asami blinks in surprise. "It's been that long?" she asks. "It only feels like a few weeks."

"Well, at least you guys had stuff to do; all I got to do was look after a couple of unconscious terrorists. Have you ever tried that? It's not fun."

"You could have called one of us," Mako tells her. "We would've been more than happy to get you off the Island."

"Tenzin didn't want me leaving," Korra groans irritably, her temper rising. "Especially after they woke up. He wanted me to see if I could jog their memories. It just ended in a bunch of wasted hours!"

"Korra, calm down," Asami says calmly. "We're here to have fun; let's keep it that way."

Korra is still fuming, but she takes a deep breath, sighs, and lets her shoulders slump. "Sorry. You're right." She picks her menu up off of the table and scans it, not really paying attention to the words.

After a few moments of silence and staring at anything but each other, a voice speaks from over them. "Good morning. Welcome to Narook's Seaweed Noodlery. I'll be your waiter this morning." The voice sounds bored, but Korra can recognize the deep baritone.

Her head darts up. "Tahno?"

Bolin makes a noise of shock and backs into the wall as much as he can. It doesn't really work, so he leans across the table closer to Mako. "What's he doing here?" he not-whispers.

"Well, if it isn't my former rivals," Tahno sneers. "I almost didn't recognize you not getting blasted off the ring." He glares at Korra. "And how are you this fine morning, Uh-vatar?"

"Shut up, Tahno," Korra snaps.

"Touchy, touchy," Tahno responds, but complies. "Are you ready to order?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Korra snips.

The four teens place their orders, and Korra can tell that Tahno doesn't really care about his job. The minute that the former waterbender is out of earshot, Bolin leans across the table. "Man, his life really went downhill after that whole thing with Amon, didn't it?" he hisses.

"It's kind of pathetic," Mako agrees.

"Pro-Bending was his entire life," Asami reminds them. "Losing his bending must've seemed like he lost all sense of purpose."

Korra nods. "He was so broken last time I saw him." She remembers seeing Tahno at the police headquarters, depressed and miserable over his loss of bending. "Honestly, I'm surprised he's come this far."

"Hey, maybe you could give him his bending back, like you did with Lin," Mako drawls. "Then he can go back to his happy-go-lucky life as a cheater again." The sarcasm is thick on his voice, but the sentence gets Korra thinking. Mako seems to notice, and his eyes widen. "Korra, you're not really considering it, are you?"

Korra shrugs. "Why not? You see how ridiculous he is right now." She gestures toward Tahno, but pauses and snaps her hand back when she notices him looking at them. She can't tell if he heard anything they said, but Korra tells herself he didn't. She lowers her voice. "And it's not like he's evil."

"He's just a bad person," Bolin counters nervously. He looks at Korra curiously. "What's with you, Korra? You're usually not this friendly."

"Hey!" Korra snaps, sounding offended.

Bolin backs off into the seat and raises his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean it like that! I just meant... you seem to be a lot more..." he searches for the right word, "...more lenient."

Korra blinks in surprise. She wasn't expecting that. "Am I really?" she asks, scanning her friends' faces. "Well, I blame it on having to deal with two amnesiac criminals. I can't exactly hold them responsible for crimes they don't remember. I guess it's carrying over here." She shrugs absently.

Mako snorts in amusement. "Who are you and what have you done with Korra?"

"I'm serious!" Tahno appears at their table again, this time holding a tray of bowls. His mouth opens to say something-probably some snarky comment-and Korra glares at him. "You keep your mouth shut," she snaps. Tahno's jaw immediately snaps shut, an audible click when his teeth click together. He doesn't linger, just hands the correct bowls to the appropriate customer. He nods courteously with a quiet Enjoy your meal and quickly steps away. Korra watches him go, curious at his sudden change in mood.

Korra turns back as Asami takes a sip from her drink, and an idea pops back in her head. "Changing the subject, hey, Asami! What's this I hear about you and that General Iroh guy?"

Asami sputters on her drink, and Korra has to keep back a cackle at the clumsiness. "Wh-what?!" Asami stammers, trying and failing to wipe spilled juice off her face. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she denies. "No idea at all."

Korra grins slyly. She shoots a look at Mako, who wears a similar expression on his face. Asami notices and glares ferociously at Mako. "You traitor," she snarls. Korra doesn't remember ever hearing her friend sound so vicious. "How dare you tell her-I trusted you!" Bolin actually has to hold her shoulders down to keep her from leaping across the table and strangling Mako there and then.

Mako leans into Korra, feigning innocence. "Who, me? I would never lie to my girlfriend."

Well, that wasn't the right way to word that sentence. The implications are lost on neither Asami nor Korra, and the former immediately stops struggling against Bolin's hold and sits back on the bench silently. Mako leans away from Korra again, straightening himself out. He's realized just what he said, and Korra can see the slight horror cross his face. "Asami, I didn't mean-" he tries.

Asami cuts him off. "Of course, Mako," she says curtly. "I understand perfectly." She adjusts her hair back into position and turns her attention to Korra. "It's nothing, really," she responds, and Korra almost forgets the question she'd asked. She knows Asami's covering something up. That reaction was too strong to just be nothing. But Korra doesn't say anything more and drops the subject, allowing silence to fall over them. It's not a comfortable silence, either; it's the kind of silence that falls when there's still something to say but no one's willing to say it.

Korra sighs heavily. "Well, this outing is going great," she says too cheerily. No one responds or even looks up, and her shoulders slump. "I'm starting to think that Tahno would be better company than you guys." Still nothing. This seems awfully familiar.

"What does?" Bolin asks. Korra glances at him, confused, before she realizes that she must've been thinking out loud. She dips one of her chopsticks into her tea and starts absently doodling on a napkin.

"This happened last week at the Island," Korra tells him. "Except, instead of you guys, it was Tarrlok and Noatak." Next to her, Mako sniffs in contempt, but doesn't say anything.

Bolin, however, does. "Why do you call him that?"

"Call who what?" Korra asks.

"Call Amon... that." Bolin waves his hand vaguely. So specific.

"Noatak?" Korra clarifies. "Why do I call Amon Noatak?" Bolin nods in confirmation. "Because that's his name. His real name."

"It sounds odd," Bolin says bluntly. He shrugs and goes back to his noodles.

Korra stares at him. "It is his real name," she repeats. Even she has no idea why she still calls him Noatak, even if she isn't speaking to him. She knows that, in the long run, she shouldn't. Giving him a name gives him an identity, a personality. Someone to bond with. Someone to befriend. Eventually, that someone would be put in prison, and then where would she be? Left alone in the dust, that's where.

"Still weird," Bolin enforces, then goes back to his noodles. Korra sighs and leans back in her seat, not touching her food again. No one says anything for the rest of the meal, preferring to eat in awkward silence over angering each other further.

After finishing his bowl, Mako leans over Korra's shoulder and peers at her napkin. "What're you doing?" he asks, his voice still tense but curious.

Korra stares down at the picture. "Don't know," she responds with a shrug. She does know, though: the doodle looks a bit like Noatak, attentively leaning over his sketchbook and drawing something. The beginning of another doodle is to the left; Korra thinks it must be Tarrlok, or would be. For once, Korra's glad she's a crappy artist. Mako seemingly can't really tell what the scribbles are supposed to be. Mako keeps staring at the lines, then backs off again.

Bolin leans over and looks at the picture, too. "You should take some art lessons," he suggests. "You might be terrible right now, but I think you've got potential." Leave it to Bolin to be blunt like that.

Korra gives a slight grin. "I do try." Being completely honest, Korra does think she's improved in the past few weeks. Not much, but enough to be noticeable. Enough that Tarrlok doesn't leave some stupid note about how terrible she is when he finds one of her doodles.

"I didn't know you liked to draw," Asami says kindly, also inspecting the picture.

"Not many people do." Korra dips her chopstick in her tea again-the drink has long since gone cold, not good for drinking anymore-and goes back to her picture.

Tahno reappears again, this time with their bill. As Mako and Asami argue about who gets to pay, Tahno glances down at Korra's sketches. "Your artwork is fucking terrible," he criticizes.

"Why, thank you," Korra drawls sarcastically. "So I've heard. I'm sure you would do so much better." Tahno glares at her again but doesn't respond. Korra glances at Mako and Asami and rolls her eyes. "Okay, here's what you'll do: Mako, you can pay for yours and mine. Asami, you pay for yours and Bolin's. Sound good?" Neither of them seem happy about it, but they comply and sort out their respective payments. Korra hands the yuans to Tahno. "Keep the change."

Tahno takes the money. "I hope you enjoyed your meal," he says tersely, and heads back to the front desk.

"Thanks for that," Bolin says, having stayed out of the squabble.

Korra smiles. "Avater business, it's what I do. Solving problems and keeping the peace. Ready to go?"

Mako nods. "Whenever you are." Korra slides out of the booth and stands, and her friends follow suit. Before they leave, however, Korra lingers back and hesitates. She snatches an actual pen from the front desk and a loose piece of paper and scribbles a quick note down. She hopes Tahno understands what it means. She'd be surprised if he didn't.

I'll think about it. -Korra

AN: Enter Tahno. He'll be showing up again.