She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous. Korra heard the raucous excitement pouring into her team’s dressing room, the energy seemingly shaking the very walls around her. Lost within the roars and cheers was the commentator’s voice, crackling noises that could almost be deciphered. Korra could still feel the overbearing drum beats from earlier thrumming in her blood, and her ears still tingled from the harsh voices of some of the performers as they mangled their attempt at singing.

  But all that screaming and raging, along with the discordant guzheng and erhu and flute accompanying it did rouse her spirits somewhat. Korra was far too deep in the arena to hear the exact words the ‘singers’ were screaming out, but there was no mistaking the angry denial and belligerence in the twisted parody of music.

  “We’re finally here, huh?” Bolin sighed out, drawing Korra’s attention to the earthbender who was shuffling about with excitement. “The championship tournament… It’s our big day,” he continued, with his big and adorably goofy smile.

  “Our first big day,” Mako added a little less enthusiastically as he shadowboxed in the corner, lowering the mood a little. “Let’s not make it our last either.”

  Korra pushed down her annoyance and nodded resolutely, tightening the last strap of her shin guard. “We’ll win this whole thing,” she declared in full confidence with a matching grin. “Let them try and stop us.”

  “Yeah, that’s the spirit,” Bolin replied, offering a glance at his brother before exchanging a fist bump with Korra. “First the championship, then the Equalists!”

  She smiled at the support, and was reminded again of her growing…fondness for Bolin. Admittedly, while she had initially been attracted to Mako for his dashing looks, his aloof, ‘big brother’ attitude, as Bolin put it, had slowly eroded her interest.

  The whole tough guy act had too many similarities with Xing’s buzzkill behavior.

  Mako wielding his authority as the Fire Ferrets’ captain to keep everyone strictly on schedule for training and merchandise signing further dulled Korra’s keenness. While the team getting their own private gym below their apartment was convenient, it was maybe too convenient for Mako to ensure the three of them spent as much time exercising or flinging elements around as possible, reminding Korra of the old days of Xing trying to hone her firebending.

  In contrast, Bolin has been nothing but supportive, especially ever since Amon’s ambush. He was also less curt than his older brother, providing helpful explanations about the intricacies of pro-bending tactics and arena life without Mako’s exasperation or condescension. Being free from the constant negotiations and meetings with Hanh as Mako was, Bolin also ended up having more free time, which meant that over the past weeks he’d been the person Korra had most frequently interacted with, Tenzin and his family included.

  And Korra had recently come to realize that the cheery earthbender was the peer she had wanted all this time; A true companion to join the Avatar’s adventures, providing the kind of support that only friendship could offer, someone to share honest smiles and laughter with. Not the aloof shadow that Xing was, who only offered cold, impersonal competence. Xing was competent, Korra could admit, but he had been nothing more than a living, shadowy, nagging shield, always so stiffly acting to the letter of his orders.

  So stiff that he eventually snapped, because the guy didn’t know how to loosen up a little.

  Bolin might not have Xing’s (annoying) precognitive sense for trouble, or the martial arts mastery to beat back an ambush, but the earthbender was a solid friend that Korra was slowly opening up to. He was not preternaturally surefooted, nor could he simply melt into the shadows, but he was amiable, and always gave his best unlike some former minder Korra knew. And perhaps most importantly, Bolin cared, not because it was his job to, but because he simply did.

  There was something in his unabashedly fond smile that beat the hopeful and awestruck ones everyon- well, almost everyone else usually gave her. It was not burdened by the expectation of being the Avatar, nor was it colored by the ties to a past life.

  Bolin liked Korra…and that was nice.

  It took Mako’s grouchy nudging for his younger brother to finally stammer it cutely to Korra’s face, but the fact remained that he’d admitted that he ‘like’ liked her, because she was pretty, strong, and…something else that she couldn’t catch as his words trailed off in embarrassment. Cynical Xing might have said that Bolin’s actions up until now was solely motivated by the affection, but so what? There wasn’t any other ulterior motive to it; Bolin liked Korra, and sheepishly showed it by being a good friend that respected her thoughts.

  She thought it was a rather sweet thing.

  But they had agreed to let things be for the moment, at least until after the tournament. Mostly to shut Mako up.

  “See how he’s smiling right now? Bolin is barely thinking about anything else right now. You two start going on dates, and we might as well forfeit the championship.”

  Korra was prepared for a sharp rebuttal, but the fact that Bolin barely reacted to the words and remained grinning happily proved Mako’s point. So the talk about exploring the whole liking thing would have to wait until after they won the whole tournament.

  It’d make the celebration more memorable anyway.

  “Hey, you alright?” Bolin asked, pulling Korra out of her thoughts.

  She gave him a smile and reached out to give his forearm an affectionate squeeze. “Yeah. I’m ready to win this.”

  They exchanged grins for a few seconds, before Mako had to ruin the moment again. “Stop staring at each other and start warming up already. We’ll be up soon.”

  And as if on cue, the door to the meager room opened, and Hanh’s head popped in. “You’re up. Ten minutes.”

  While Korra stuffed away her annoyance to get into a more fitting competitive attitude, Bolin was the one to ask, “who won?”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Xiao Yao Zebra Frogs,” the team’s manager answered before retreating out of sight, no doubt rushing off to handle one form of administrative task or another. At least Hanh was a tolerable spy for Xing; despite the constant running around and answering phone calls and disappearing off to meetings, he was a hard worker who got things done on time, was polite and deferential (unlike some former minder) in his persuasions to get the team to stick to their schedule, and he knew how to bend around some rules to accommodate them.

  Like the security that was attached to the Fire Ferrets; they were supposed to shadow the team members everywhere they went with the exception of Air Temple Island, unsubtle hulking goons that loomed just behind or beside Korra, Bolin and Mako whenever they went out for so much as a stroll. It lasted all of four days before Korra kicked up a fuss, and Hanh quickly had a call with Xing and Asami.

  The security detail was loosened the next day, so that the goons mainly kept watch over the apartment, and only a couple of bodyguards trailed at a greater, more breathable distance away from the Fire Ferrets whenever they went out.

  Hanh also filtered Korra’s fanmail while she…rested in Air Temple Island after Amon’s ambush. Not only did he help organize and deliver the letter to the temple, he also prepared thoughtful responses to them that Korra only needed to copy instead of having to wrack her brains figuring out the words by herself. In the same vein, the manager handled all official responses to the reporters, at worst providing an easy script for Korra or the brothers to recite before the increasingly annoying lion vultures.

  So while Hanh ultimately answered and probably relayed every action back to Xing, his diligence more than made up for that. Besides, it’s not like Korra had anything to hide from Xing anyway, and he’s not interfering too much with the Fire Ferrets. She was mature enough to not care if her former aide wanted to enjoy the smugness about his superior position as sponsor to the team.

  As long as he didn’t gloat about it to her face, anyway.

  “Come on, let’s go.” Mako herded her and Bolin out, and they slowly shouldered their way through arena staff, infiltrating reporters and other teams to get to their designated gate into the playing field. Korra was still getting used to the looks she and her team were getting, no thanks to the whole spectacle Future Media had pulled off before the game. While the envy was undeniable, it wasn’t all laced with hostility and dislike.

  A pro-bender from a team Korra didn’t recognize suddenly got in their way, with a pleading look on his face. “Uh, hey, Mako.”

  “Guo,” Mako greeted back with a curt nod and a querying tone.

  “Hey, d’you think that Future Industries is open to sponsoring another team? We’re fine if they want us t-”

  Hanh cut in with a blank, polite smile, ushering Guo aside to allow the Fire Ferrets to resume their short journey. “You’re free to submit any queries and requests to Future Media, who is in charge of Future Industries Group’s sponsorship dealings. Queries and requests may be delivered by mail, telephone, or arranging an appointment…”

  “That’s the second time already?” Bolin asked, glancing back to the manager who was still rattling off his prepared speech.

  Mako nodded wearily. “We might have to get the business cards Hanh was talking about…”

  *****

  As one of the many perks of her job, Ren was watching a pro-bending game from the arena’s front row seats. It was another experience she never expected to have, alongside earning a living that didn’t involve crime, shopping for houses, and working for people who genuinely cared for her wellbeing. It spoke volumes when the biggest problem the girl was facing now was finding a fitting present that she and Kai could give Xing and Asami. The two young aides pretty much owed everything to the former, and they were not so ungrateful as to ignore the latter’s contributions in the vast improvement to their lives.

  But what do a couple of kids get for a couple who made way more than they did? Unless Asami got pregnant, which opened up clearer options…

  It was a problem for another time, though, as now Ren and Kai had a job to do as they enjoyed the luxury of watching a big match from the edge of the arena.

  “Introducing…the Future Industries’ Fire Ferrets!”

  The two aides, dressed in far more casual attire now as part of the Fire Ferrets fanclub, led the cheer as the spotlights all focused on the team being carried to the playing field by the mobile platform.

  “Let’s go Fire Ferrets! Let’s go Avatar Korra!” Kai yelled through cupped hands, and a trio of factory workers beside him wearing Fire Ferret headbands and armbands picked up the call with equal gusto, waving about small flags with Korra’s grinning face, and eventually starting a rhythmic chant that almost drowned out the announcer’s next introduction.

  “And their opponents: the Red Sands Rabaroos!”

  The Rabaroos’ less numerous and organized fans raised their own respectable chants and cheers, and Ren and Kai kept an eye out for any unwanted responses. Xing did not want any notoriety attached to the Fire Ferrets’ nascent fanclub, so they had to keep an eye out for any heckling, just in case someone missed or forgot Hanh’s briefing. The lucky fans who won their seats tonight (Ren and Kai being the exception) would only offer support to their team, there’d be no taunting or insulting the opponents. This was just a game, after all, all done in the spirit of sportsmanship and good fun.

  And it’s not like the Fire Ferrets were going up against the Wolfbats.

  Ren almost giggled as she remembered the little reconnaissance Xing had tasked her and Kai. Compared to snooping on triad holdings, digging up any dirt related to the tournament was almost insultingly effortless. It helped that Ren now had more than enough money to painlessly buy the information, something that was almost as helpful as the lack of discretion practiced by the Wolfbats and the referees.

  As none of the people involved were related to the triads, the restaurant waiters clearly remembered the faces of the Wolfbat players and the four separate referees they met with. For a small tip, they even recalled names and key phrases, and gave referrals that made following the dirty trail easier.

  Other urchins provided more details on the Wolfbats’ in exchange for tickets to a bathhouse, a week’s worth of meals in select stalls paid for, and in a few cases a new set of shoes. Nothing flashy that might get stolen or worse, get you marked, just simple stuff that Ren once sought for herself. For all that, newspaper boys pointed out the players’ usual routes, shoe shiners offered the interesting bits they remember eavesdropping, and off-duty scouts confirmed the addresses of each player.

  For buying out the day’s goods, a dried shark squid vendor near the arena happily gave out the names of the referees who patronised his stall. As a bonus, Asami’s engineering team really liked the salted, chewy snacks so much that Ren referred them to the vendor.

  Scouting out the referees’ homes proved to be the most expensive part of the whole operation, as Ren’s friends had to be paid extra to stop themselves from stealing the evidence. Buying answers from tea parlors, gambling dens, and rice wine stalls was far cheaper in comparison.

  All the sneaking about resulted in a discreet meeting between Xing, Butakha, the Wolfbats, and the bribed referees, which itself resulted in the pro-benders being quietly dropped from the tournament, the referees being fired, and Butakha hiring Future Media to help with damage control when the story inevitably broke out later.

  Ren had orders to wait until after the whole tournament was over before offering clues to the pro-bending journalists who were already curious about the Wolfbats’ sudden disappearance, and Kai would be sowing rumors to rile up the Wolfbats’ rabid fangirls to start something called the ‘Su Trai Seng effect’.

  Not for the first time, Ren wondered what sort of trouble Korra got into for Xing to be able to consider such things. The guy must surely have buried a few bodies already…at least twice, Kai and Gramps agreed.

  Ren pushed aside the unnerving thoughts aside, and remembered that, professional troubleshooter or not, Xing was on her side, and that she had a job to do.

  “Let’s go Fire Ferrets!” she yelled, joining the crowd as the teams lined up and prepared for the first round to start, going back to her rather enjoyable work.