"Pema!" Daiyu greeted cheerfully as she entered the kitchen that afternoon. She embraced the shorter woman as best she could while minding her swollen belly. Years had already past but it felt like it was only a short while ago when Pema had been pregnant with Meelo, and now she was ready to pop all over again. Children were blessings, but was Master Tenzin ever going to give this woman a break?

"Hi sweetie, it's been a while," Pema replied, squeezing the teen in return. "Thank you so much for spending time with the children, I know how much they enjoy your visits."

"It was my pleasure, really." Daiyu released the embraced and placed a gentle hand on the woman's pregnant belly. "How are you? I heard you weren't feeling well."

"Just the pregnancy getting the best of me, I'm fine now," Pema dismissed. "And you?"

"I've been better."

"Oh?"

"Some stuff's gone down at work and I'm trying to deal," The teen explained with a shrug and a small smile played on her lips. "Korra managed to distract me though, for a moment."

The air acolyte grimaced. "Right, the air gates . . ."

"You should've seen it Pema," Daiyu bit her lip to repress a giggle, recalling how the Avatar had destroyed the airbending artefact earlier that morning. When she rocked up to the Island that morning and joined the airbending family for Korra's training, the last thing she expected was to witness such a meltdown.

"It was quite the tantrum, and oh, Master Tenzin's face. He was so mad his cloak started fluttering behind him. Fluttering, I tell you!" The teen knew that might have sounded childish, but that did not mean it was any less funny.

"Now now," Pema scolded lightly, but her shaking shoulders betrayed the tone of her words. "It's not nice to laugh at their expense."

"I know, but I'm doing it anyway." Daiyu gave up and let out a few huffs of laughter as a result. "Although, we should really try and teach Meelo that." The teen suggested and recalled how the young boy had imitated Korra's outburst and ran around the fallen air gate panels, laughing all the way.

"Oh, I've tried." Pema covered her eyes like she was suddenly exhausted. "But you know Meelo,"

Daiyu nodded.

"He does what he wants." They said in unison.

The two laughed together before taking trays of food from the counter moving to the private dining area where the rest of the airbending family were seated. Da

"Okay! Everyone here?" Pema asked as she set a tray on the table. "Wait, where's Korra?"

The Avatar was indeed not seated at the table. She had not been seen since her tantrum that morning, but it had been a good couple of hours and Daiyu figured she would at least show up for dinner.

"Honestly, Pema, I am at my wit's end with that girl!" Tenzin griped. "I don't know how to get through to her!"

'No one asked you how you feel about her Tenzin,' Daiyu thought and placed down her own tray whilst she slid in to sit next to Meelo, tickling the bored looking boy before turning to the airbending master. "Maybe she's still cooling off; the girl did erupt like a volcano."

"Literally." Ikki agreed quickly, with Meelo adding his own eruption sound effects.

Pema rolled her eyes at them before she knelt down next to her husband. "Dear, the best thing you can do right now is to give Korra some space."

Tenzin's head shot up and he stared desperately at his young daughters. "You must promise me that your teenage years won't be like this!"

Daiyu scoffed just as Jinora lowered the book she was reading and met her father's eyes with a look of indifference. "I will make no such promises."

'Atta girl.' Daiyu thought and gave Jinora a wink before passing her a bowl of rice.

The sound of a sliding door caught everyone's attention.

In the doorway stood Korra, one arm drawn over her stomach to nervously scratch at the other. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late."

Pema shook her head. "Korra! Come, we were just starting."

Korra approached the table and sat opposite Daiyu, adjacent to Master Tenzin. She met his eyes with a steely gaze, obviously still not over her argument with the Airbender. Master Tenzin was not any better. He returned her look with one of his own, and he leant forward purposefully as if to begin a lecture.

"Korra—"

Daiyu, on the other hand, could see what was about to unfold and was not having it. It had been amusing that morning but she was not going to sit through another outburst from either party. And though what Korra had done that morning was brash and juvenile, she probably did not need a talking down to (Tenzin could become quite condescending when he wanted to), so Daiyu might as well lend her a hand.

So, as any young woman in her situation would do, she interrupted.

"—So I'm about to lose my job if anyone is interested in hearing about that," Daiyu announced, picking at her rice with her chopsticks.

All eyes were now on her.

Meelo on the verge of a freakout. "Does that mean I don't get any more free sweets!?"

Daiyu laughed and rubbed his head. "Meelo, you know I can just make treats any time you want? I don't have to get things from the bakery."

"Oh. Ok."

Pema looked on with worry from her seat next to her husband. "When you said there was some trouble at work, I didn't realise this is what you meant."

"Where do you work?" Korra asked, joining the conversation, ignoring Tenzin.

"I'm an apprentice pastry chef at this place called Ling's Bakery," Daiyu answered. "I was supposed to be working there until I was eighteen, but my boss decided the sell the store and I've got a little more than a month before we shut up shop for good."

"What a shame, Ling's is one of the oldest businesses in Republic City," Tenzin commented.

The tattooed teen swallowed a bite of fried tofu. "That's what I said,"

Jinora set her book down. "Will you be alright? Now that you're losing your job?"

"It's my coworker Khan I'm worried about, he's worse off," Daiyu uttered forlornly. "He and his wife are expecting their first child and she just left work on maternity leave."

Pema placed a hand on her own swollen belly. "Goodness, what bad timing."

Korra leant forward, curious to know more. "What are you planning to do then? Find more work?"

Ikki clapped her hands together excitedly. "Are you finally going to open the tea and cake shop you've always wanted?"

"That's in the plan, but not for a long while yet." The tattooed teen began to push around the remaining food in her bowl. "My Ma suggested I take some time off and go travelling."

Tenzin choked on the sip of tea he had taken, looking at Daiyu with disbelief. "I . . . I didn't realise Lin was planning to take time off work."

"She isn't, don't misunderstand." Daiyu clarified, knowing Master Tenzin might come to that conclusion. "I'm sixteen now, so Ma says I can travel on my own."

Korra was surprised. "Wow, that's really cool of her."

"Yeah, I've never left the city before, and there are so many places I want to go." Daiyu rambled on. "I want to tour the Earth Kingdom, not Ba Sing Se though, Ma and I always spoke of going there together. Then there's Ember Island in the Fire Nation, I hear the music festivals there are wild—oh! There's also the Southern Water Tribe."

The Avatar's eyes lit up. "You want to go to the South Pole?"

"Uh, yes. I hear it's absolutely stunning down there." The nonbender confirmed. "Hey, maybe when you're done with your training, you could take me."

"Really?"

Daiyu grinned. "Of course, who better than you?"

Ikki bounced in her seat. "Can I come too?"

"Maybe when you're older," Daiyu suggested and the little girl deflated. "After all, Korra does have to finish her training first."

"Yeah," Korra groaned, slouching down and resting her face in her hand. "Looks like it's gonna be a while before I go anywhere."

"Rightfully so," Tenzin jumped in, sounding as if he needed to prove a point. "You are here to train, the last thing we need is for you to go off gallivanting around Spirits know where."

With a frustrated pout, Korra crossed her arms and turned away. Her lips twitched like she wanted to say something more, but she held herself back. Daiyu's heart went out to her. She knew firsthand what it was like to struggle to learn those airbending basics, as well as what being reprimanded by Master Tenzin felt like.

Maybe . . . maybe she could help.

"Master Tenzin, I don't mean to overstep," Daiyu began. "But maybe I could show Korra a few things, to help with her airbending training."

Korra perked up. "Really?"

"I can show you some things." The nonbender answered and turned back to the airbending master. "It's just that I know that Korra is struggling to understand those fundamental teachings, so maybe a new perspective on them could help."

Tenzin looked tense as he mulled it over. "I . . . suppose."

"Great!" Daiyu climbed out of her seat and quickly walked around to Korra, patting each of the children on the head as she went. "Let's go."

Korra stared up at her. "You mean now?"

Daiyu practically dragged the Avatar out of her seat. "Yes, while it's still light out."

The tattooed teen began to shove Korra out the door, the two of them waving goodbye to the family as they left.

I've been watching you for some time
Can't stop staring at those ocean eyes

"Korra, give me your hands."

"Why?"

"Because we're going to dance."

"What."

Daiyu did not wait for the Avatar to say anything more and grabbed her slightly calloused hands with her own. She kept one of the water tribe teen's hands clasped in hers and placed the other on her arm just under her shoulder. Her now free hand moved around and landed on the Korra's shoulder blade and they stood in the perfect starting position for a ballroom dance.

Daiyu was slightly amused. Korra had such a strong frame and the type of personality that could fill up a room, but she barely came up to her nose. Combined with that flustered look on her face? With her cheeks so red, like she had never been that close to another human being before? It was downright adorable.

"This was how I learned to get through the gates," Daiyu explained, readjusting her grip. "The concept of letting myself be guided by air was something that didn't connect with me considering I'm not an Airbender. So, I had to find another way."

Korra, with her face still flushed, gave her a sceptical look. "And you connected . . . with dancing."

"Yes, it's not as weird as it sounds. Dance like the wind, right?" Daiyu gestured down to their feet. "Now follow my lead . . ."

The nonbender taught her the basics to the waltz box step. Step forward, step to the side, feet together. Step backwards, step to the side, feet together. Korra was a fast learner, and it was not long before they were dancing, Daiyu gently repeating "one, two, three, one, two, three," as they went.

"I've never danced like this before, I think I'm getting the hang of it," Korra announced while her eyes darted back to their moving feet, watchful of their steps. "But I still don't understand how this is supposed to be helping me with my airbending."

"When I was young, my mother took me to the park and there was a young couple dancing around a fountain," Daiyu explained. "They were so in sync with each other. They moved so beautifully that when they stopped I went up to them and asked if they would show me how to dance like they did. They taught me how to do this series of steps, and revealed to me that in these types of classical dances, someone always takes the lead, traditionally the man."

"The couple moved together, but it was the man who was leading his girlfriend in their dance, guiding her to move around in the directions they did. What made it look so in sync is that that it didn't look that way at all. She wasn't being dragged all over the place because she had learned to respond to the lightest of pulls and pushes."

"That's how you learned to get through the gates," Korra realised.

"Essentially." Daiyu agreed. "I practised dancing at some of the highest parts of the island or down by the ocean, places I could feel the wind. It became akin to a dance partner. You have to learn to work and flow with the air, to let it be a guiding hand, so when it changes—"

Daiyu began to lean to her left, and after a little stumbling on Korra's part, they began to waltz in a left rotation rather than the square formation they had started off with.

"—It'll show you how to change too."

Korra nodded, more determined than ever. They began to cover more ground as they waltzed around the courtyard. When she knew the Avatar had become comfortable, the tattooed teen switched the rotation of their dance, but this time there was no stumbling from Korra. She was focused. She no longer eyed their feet but concentrated on the movement of Daiyu's body and where she would take her next.

Daiyu did her best to make every switch of their movements as random as possible to challenge Korra, as well as loosened her grip little by little, forcing the shorter teen to be more aware of her. They had the idea of 'moving at a moment's notice when met with resistance' down, but Daiyu had to add one more thing.

Spiral movements.

With no warning Daiyu dropped her right hand which held onto Korra's back and pushed their still joint hands upward and outward, causing the water tribe teen to spin into an underarm turn before being caught and she returned to their box step. The nonbender did not wait for a reaction and hastened their pace before she threw her fellow teen out again, whirling her in two tight spins before she pulled her back in.

"Keep moving, be light on your feet, that's it!" Daiyu praised. She took a chance and spun the young woman in the opposite direction.

Korra returned to her arms with a sunny, crooked grin on her face. It was the kind expression that held a pride-fueled happiness that became infectious, and Daiyu felt herself grin back. They continued to dance, Daiyu spinning her in every way she could come up with, Korra adapted to them well. On the last few turns, Daiyu let go of her hand, letting Korra spin on her own accord before joining her again, only to be surprised when she was the one spun.

Daiyu laughed when Korra spun her over and over in mock payback, and she only laughed harder when Korra struggled to continue doing so considering she was so short. She gave up on trying to twirl the tattooed teen by the hand since she could not reach that far above Daiyu's head, and instead just grabbed her by the waist and spun her that way.

Somehow, they ended up a laughing heap on the ground, lying beside one another as they tried to catch their breath.

"I think I understand, or at least I'm starting to," Korra said, once they had both calmed down.

Daiyu turned to her. "Yeah? Keep this in mind then and you'll be flying through the gates in no time."

Korra rolled onto her side to face her. "You're a better teacher compared to Tenzin, that's for sure."

Daiyu snorted. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Are you kidding? We've accomplished more together in the last thirty minutes than Tenzin and I have in the last few days."

"He's not that bad, he taught me after all," Daiyu argued. "Plus, we don't know if any of this will pay off until you hit gates again."

"I guess."

"They say the best teachers adapt to the way their students learn, so maybe he hasn't found the best way to train you yet," Daiyu pondered. "Then again, Master Tenzin's a traditionalist, and he can be very "it's my way or the highway" at times."

Korra shoved herself off the ground. "Right? He keeps telling me this will all sink in, but it's not. He says "have patience", but I honestly think don't have any. I'm sick of it. It feels like I've been told to wait my entire life, that "my time will come", and for as long as I can remember I've been waiting for . . . something to happen. If I hadn't snuck away from the South to come here, who knows how long I would've been stuck there waiting."

Daiyu stared as Korra lowered herself back down to the ground. The young Beifong was coming to know the Avatar as an open book. Her emotions bloomed so easily across her face, and right then she had an incredibly vulnerable expression on her. A haunting kind of loneliness came off her, turning the air around them cold, and Daiyu hated it.

She reached out and grasped her hand. Korra turned to her then, her eyes the colour of the sea in winter.

"Hey, you're here now. No more waiting." Daiyu consoled, her voice gentle. "I know you're frustrated with your airbending training, and yes, things like this require patience that you think you don't have, but you know what? You're going to get it no matter how long it takes because despite how he feels right now, Master Tenzin believes in you. Pema and the kids believe in you, heck, the whole city believes in you. More importantly, I believe in you, so don't go giving up so quickly."

Korra nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Daiyu sighed, giving herself a mental pat on the for a well-done motivational speech. Her eyes landed on the darkened sky, and her body jolted upright.

"Shit, what time is it?" Daiyu cursed as she got up. "I've got a ferry to catch."

Korra seemed to be startled by how dark the sky had gotten as well, even more so than Daiyu.

Korra reached a hand up to scratch the back of her head sheepishly. "It's getting late huh? Ah, I'll see you later then, cause I gotta . . ."

Daiyu tilted her head, intrigued by the Avatar's sudden nervous behaviour. She looked like she wanted to run. "Do you have somewhere to be right now, Korra?"

Korra scoffed and looked away. "What, me? No, no, no."

Daiyu stared her down. "I thought Master Tenzin wanted you to stay on the island."

"Who said I was leaving?"

The raven-haired teen raised one of her sharp brows.

"Uh, well," Korra bit her lip. "I might've been planning on . . . sneakingofftheislandtowatchaprobendingmatchpleasedon'ttellTenzin?"

Daiyu blinked. She caught the gist of what the water tribe teen was asking, and her own reply came out faster then she expected.

"I won't say anything, but I get to come with."

Korra beamed, and Daiyu's body tingled with both anxiety and excitement.

What had she gotten herself into?

Song: Ocean Eyes | Billie Eilish