I have absolutely nothing to say for myself. I promise I haven't given up on my Tahnorra fic, but I've hit a rather frustrating block and Hasook took the opportunity to sneak in with this little story. I have absolutely no idea where this thing is going - aside from the South Pole - but hopefully it won't turn out to be total rubbish.

On a side rant - I can't stand that Hasook just dropped off the face of Republic City, never to be seen or heard from again. I mean, talk about plot holes. I'm hoping that he shows up again in the finale tomorrow - or today, since it's two-thirty in the morning - or at least in season two. I actually like Hasook and I demand closure!

I'm the only one who's beta'd this - not even Elise has read it! - so try to overlook any grammatical errors. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot. Korra and, unfortunately, Hasook both belong to Bryke.

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"Hey, you're Hasook, right?"

The voice had jolted him out of his reverie – rather rudely, he thought – and he looked to his left to see a girl of about seventeen standing next to him. Her aquamarine eyes shimmered, stark against the caramel of her skin; her brown hair was a mess of ponytails. It didn't take long for him to recognize her as Avatar Korra: waterbender of the Fire Ferrets and savior of Republic City. Upon first impressions, he thought she looked very young, though he wasn't much older. He wondered where exactly she had come from.

"Yeah." For his monosyllabic reply, he was rewarded with a smile. A nice smile.

"I'm Korra," she said, as though he wouldn't have known that from the tabloids. "I play for the Ferrets now."

"I know," he replied, more or less indifferent. He noted the guilty look on her face and couldn't help but reassure her, "It doesn't bother me. You did more for the team in your first match than I did the whole time I was there."

She was only slightly appeased. "I didn't mean to permanently replace you – it just happened that way."

"That's how things usually work," he observed. "The Spirits had it planned, so that's how it went down."

"Can I ask why you didn't come to that match?" Her eyes were unnervingly blue, he noted, swimming with the power of unintentional persuasion. He wondered how long it had taken Mako to fall under their spell; the firebender had always had a weakness for bright eyes.

Hasook sighed quietly through his nose. "I was going to just leave them hanging, honestly. But I couldn't really do that to them, as much of a jerk as Mako can be. When I had gotten ready, though, my little brother ended up getting sick. I called in a doctor and spent the rest of the day at home with him. By the time he was better, I had been replaced."

"Well, I'm glad to hear your brother's all good now." Korra paused. "Mako's uptight and controlling, sure. You weren't doing that badly, though. Your moves were awesome, just not fast enough."

He nodded. "I've had a lot of free time, so I've been down here most of the time practicing. I'd like to learn older, more traditional styles, though. Northern, Southern, Foggy Swamp. Maybe when I have enough money, I'll get Eska and we'll visit those places."

"I was born in the South Pole," Korra revealed, her eyes soft with affection. "It's beautiful. The Southern Lights are one of my favorite parts of living there. It's amazing to see."

"My parents are from the Poles," Hasook chipped in. "Mom left the North and met Dad in the South. They came here just after I was born."

"My parents grew up together in the South. I think they were born loving each other. Who were your parents? Maybe I know of them."

"Atka and Umi."

Korra thought for a moment. Hasook could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she struggled to remember. Then she had it. "Yeah, yeah – Dad used to tell me stories about the things he did with his friend Atka. Penguin sledding, snow-bending fights, scaring the village girls. He always griped that when Atka met Umi, 'all the fun got sucked out of him'." Korra laughed, and the homesickness underneath the sound was audible to him.

"Your dad must be Tonraq, then."

Korra blinked in surprise. "Yeah. Did your dad tell you stories, too?"

"He did." Hasook allowed himself a small smile. "My favorite was about the day he met my mom, but the story of Tonraq meeting Senna is a close second. Dad used to say he felt vindicated – after all the grief Tonraq had given him about Umi, now he could return the favor."

Korra laughed again, and Hasook decided it was a sound he wouldn't mind hearing often. "I know this is kind of out of the blue, but I'm going to back to the South Pole in three days, for about a month or two. You should come with me."

He looked at her, hard. He had known this girl – in person – for all of ten minutes and she wanted him to go to the other side of the world with her? Sure, they had shared some personal details and anecdotes, but what did that amount to, really? She was still a stranger, just some girl with too much weight on her shoulders and too much mischief in her eyes. He must have looked like he was going to refuse, because suddenly the unintentional persuasion was intentional and the full force of those eyes was unleashed upon him.

"I know we've known each other for ten minutes, but I feel like we'll be really good friends. And I'm the Avatar, so it's not like I'm going to mug you or throw you into antarctic waters or anything." Her pleading gaze intensified. "Please?"

He was silent for another minute or two, just stalling because even though he'd already given in he was reluctant to say it aloud. Finally, he sighed. "Alright. I'll go, but only because I sent my brother there. I need to bring him home."

Her celebration was put aside in favor of a curious look. "Your brother is in the South Pole?"

He nodded. "I sent him there a few days before Amon attacked the city. Once I heard about Amon almost capturing you, I knew things were going to get very bad, very soon. And I was right. A friend of mine is a sailor on a trade ship, so I called in a favor and got Eska passage with him."

"Wouldn't the Northern Tribe have been closer?"

"Yeah, but at the time I'd wanted him as far from Republic City as possible. Eska's a good bender, but I wouldn't risk his safety like that."

Korra smiled. "You sound like Mako. He always worries about Bolin." It wasn't long before her celebratory smile returned, her eyes dancing in the fading sunlight. "I'm so glad you're coming with me!"

"I'm glad you invited me," he returned.

"I'm glad I met you today." Her enthusiasm toned down. "I have wonderful friends, and I would love to share my home with them. But they have things to do here, rebuilding their homes and lives, and they just wouldn't understand or really belong there. I feel like Tui and La wanted us to meet today."

"The Spirits had it planned, so that's how it went down." His smile this time was bigger. Korra's was bigger still. "Yeah, I guess so. I have to get back to the island and finish up with some things, and start packing. If I don't see you again before we leave, I'll just meet you at the dock on the island, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay. Nice to meet you, Avatar Korra."

She grinned, and Hasook had the sense that she was reveling in some private joke. "Yeah, it's been a real pleasure."

Just like that she was gone, waterbending her way to the air temple. He watched her go, feeling like the last half hour had been a dream, but knowing that it was more than real. It was curious, the things that could happen when one least expected. And he had certainly not expected to meet and befriend the Avatar, then agree to a spontaneous trip down South, all within half an hour.

Tui and La, indeed, he mused.

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There you have it - complete and utter nonsense. This is what I get for immersing myself in LoK during the wee hours of the morning.

Don't forget to drop a review in my box - they're like magic for my soul.

~Anna