Remember when I said five was soon to follow? ahahahahaha oh man, guys, I'm really sorry.

On a better note, new title! Infinite thanks to Steve (a lovely guest reviewer) for the inspiration.

Metalbending lessons went well, though Korra had honestly made little progress. She was at least going about it in the right way, but the task seemed all the more difficult for it. Her muscles, unused to holding the strange stance, ached insistently after the first hour, dragging her out of the earth and away from the metal more than once. However, Lin still patted her on the back proudly when they were done.

"At this stage, it only gets harder once you know what you're doing. You're holding up well."

Even the small compliment made Korra blush, and she kept her eyes trained on her feet as they made their way back to the showers. They had sparred today, and Lin had shown Korra more of the stances and movements used in metalbending. They were both ready for a hot shower and a good night's rest.

When they reached the locker room, Lin began to strip down, much to Korra's surprise.

"Well, come on," Lin said, when Korra did not follow suit. "The sooner we finish up here, the sooner we get to go home." Lin was already naked by this time, and Korra did her best not to look at Lin's body as she undressed as well. The shower came on with a hiss, the hot water a relief to Korra's sore muscles. She kept her body turned away from Lin, too nervous to do more than glace occasionally over her shoulder. Lin didn't seem bothered by the situation, standing with her eyes closed and her face turned up toward the spray. She massaged her muscles methodically, and Korra couldn't help but follow the lines of Lin's shoulders, her thighs, her hips her waist her breasts and suddenly Korra was dizzy, her breath ragged, her belly burning with something Korra couldn't name but knew meant that she wanted her hands on Lin's body, wanted Lin's hands on her own.

She shook her head with a quick jerk, as if to shake the thoughts out of her mind. She felt dirty but exhilarated. She couldn't think about this now, not with Lin so close and wet and warm and naked. Korra's breath caught as she was suddenly presented with the thought of what it would be like to be pressed up against one of these slick walls by Lin.

Korra yanked the ties out of her hair and massaged soap into her scalp furiously, doing her best to banish any inappropriate thoughts from her mind. She let the soap scrub her mind blank, sighing as the warmth of the water sunk into her sore body. Closed eyes lent her the calm she needed, and she soon almost forgot that Lin was there with her. That is, until a finger tapping her shoulder jerked her out of her reverie. She turned without thinking, then jumped back and tried to cover her body with her arms.

"Wha- Lin!" Lin blinked, confused. Korra gestured speechlessly, hunched over to shield herself from Lin's eyes. Korra saw Lin's eyebrows raise slowly as it dawned on her, and she blushed in embarrassment as a small smile quirked the corner of Lin's mouth. With a barely noticeable sigh, Lin turned her back.

"Sorry. I didn't realize this was your first time using a communal shower. I just wanted to ask if you were done with the soap."

Korra handed Lin the soap over her shoulder without a word, feeling childish and ashamed. Now she looked like an idiot, and in front of Lin of all people. She couldn't stand to be here next to Lin anymore. Finding her way via the tiled floor, Korra padded to the bench where her clothes lay, shucking droplets of water like shed skin as she went. She dressed in the heat of shame, fumbling as she did her wraps, stumbling as she stepped into her pants. She didn't even bother to put on her boots, grabbing them along with her furs and escaping from the steam out into the evening air.

The sun was setting behind the cityscape, but the heat of it still lingered in the stone under Korra's feet. She sat on a low brick wall outside the police station and bent the water from her hair, twisting it carefully back into the ties. She stood to tie her furs around her waist, feeling the rough of the cobbles under her weight again. She could feel the city through the stone, could feel it in a way that she would never be able to see it or hear it. It was at once terrifying and comforting; terrifying in its largeness and loudness but comforting in its solidity, its reality. She closed her eyes and gripped the stone with her toes, letting herself seep comfortably out through the soles of her feet. It was not as complete a surrender as required for metalbending, but it still gave her a heightened sense of the earth and, more importantly in this moment, drew her into the earth's calm.

She felt her body slowing and cooling, her heartbeat steady as if in sleep. She did not have to draw her focus as she normally did in earthbending; each vibration simply was and she felt it in its entirety. It was calming, yet she could suddenly feel the earth itself shifting and rocking beneath her skin. She realized in a slow rumble that perhaps this was what Tenzin meant for her to do when he asked her to meditate.

She allowed herself to dwell on Lin's footsteps before pulling away from the earth and opening her eyes. To her surprise, she was met not with Lin's face, but an icepop held in Lin's outstretched hand.

"There was a vendor at the corner," she said simply. Korra took the icepop gently, as it was already beginning to melt, and Lin immediately set off in the direction of her apartment. Korra followed at a distance, but found after a few minutes that the two of them were slowly drawing closer. She couldn't help but smile as she watched Lin's drawn-out strides and realized she was doing it on purpose. Korra quickened her step and soon they were side-by-side again, their footsteps adjusting to each other until they matched. They walked in silence, and every time Korra looked over at Lin she was looking away. Finally Lin split the tension with a sigh.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't even think. All my other students have been police force, so there was never an issue. We have individual showers – next time we can use those."

"No, I-I-" but Korra couldn't muster a protest and had to settle on a quiet, "Thank you."

The sky was darkening as they rounded the corner near Lin's apartment. Summer meant late sunsets and later curfews, dinner in the evenings and clubbing until early in the morning. Streetlamps were slowly flickering on, and Korra stared down the lamp across the street with a scowl as Lin unlocked her door. Inside was cool and dark as Lin went around the house and lit the gas lamps. The warm, red light accompanied Korra as she wandered into the kitchen, where Lin joined her shortly.

"Dinner?" Lin asked simply, and Korra nodded sleepily as Lin began banging about the cupboard. The sounds of Lin's preparations faded in and out as Korra's vision blurred, the table suddenly leaping towards her face as if possessed. Korra only heard a thump and felt a dull pain in her temple before her eyes drifted closed, her last sensation Lin's voice reaching after her into the darkness.