Because it's funny.

[browbeater]

Who: Mako (firethepolice) and Korra (alphatar)
When: December 5th
Where: Llllandfall.
What: Mako got a car. He didn't realize the car belonged to Korra.
Warnings: None. I lied, because teenagers. Which means NSFW, on the safe side. for sure

[Mako hadn't been expecting to see a Satomobile when he looked at the auction area-- but there it was, and still in mint condition, too. He didn't think too hard about the particulars of how it got there (by some long, convoluted process? Something had to happen, at least. It wasn't like Future Industries was in this area), and instead did the first thing he could thinks of when he had money to burn.

He bought it, for a bargain of about 200 juulan.

He'd prefer something a little lighter-- and looking at this car, it was your standard, if one of their higher end models, satomobile. There was nothing on it that would let it do the tricks that Asami had pulled off in her custom model.

And he wouldn't even know where to begin.

But he had it-- a piece of home. So, who cared about what he'd do with it so far? He could probably talk to someone at Stark Industries. They might know how to custom-- no. Noooo, that would actually be a bad idea, never mind.

But he was driving it back to Keeliai either way.]

Comments

[browbeater]

[he noticed her affections for the sky bison plush, and instead of prying into it, he decided he'd comment a little later. Her question was easier to answer than prying into the meaning of a plush he'd never seen before.

He wasn't sure if this was just residual awkward or-- if there was more. He closed the trunk once her stuff was loaded.]

About 200 juulan, which is a lot cheaper than it would've been in Republic City. So you saw it up for auction too?

[alphatar]

[Walking back to the car door, she asked while getting in:] Yeah. You think I wouldn’t notice my car going up for auction? I can’t believe they didn’t even take off the ribbon…

[Once she was inside, Korra closed the door and sat in the passenger seat, looking down at the plushie in her lap; waiting for him to get in as well.]

[browbeater]

[... since when did she have a car.

He watched her get in and scratched his head trying to puzzle that one out-- but he'd never seen her with this thing in his life. Hell, she couldn't even drive, if the lightpole and the parking tickets were any indication.

So, he was still stuck on that for a moment before he followed her inside the car]

I had no clue this was yours. When did you get a car...?

[alphatar]

[That tears her softened look from the plushie over to Mako and she blinked a few times before finally speaking.]

When Tarrlok was trying to get me to join his task force, he kept having gifts sent to the island. This was one of them. Made me so mad… [She really did hate getting the stream of gifts just so the councilman could get the power of the Avatar on his side.]

Mine wasn’t the only car up for auction, but yeah, it was a big surprise to see it there.

[browbeater]

I only got it because it was from home...

[he shut the door, now that he was in, but he still looked back at her. He wasn't sure what to make of this entire mess. He could offer the car to her, but he wasn't sure she actually wanted it. It almost seemed like she didn't-- but that really wasn't his call to make.

He sighed.]

It's yours if you want it. Plus... [a glance at the plushie] ... Whatever was already inside.

[alphatar]

[It was a piece of home. As much as she didn’t like it back then, or even have a use for it, this satomobile was one of the few precious slivers of their world.

After a moment’s consideration spent on the plushie, wherein she tilted it so it almost seemed like it was looking at her, Korra nodded and looked back to Mako.]

Yeah. I’d like that. I can pay you back, I have money at home.

[browbeater]

[he shrugs-- he didn't need the money. He had more than he'd ever even knew what to do with. Today was a kind of exercise in... having money and wanting things. So, when Korra offered to pay him back, he was inclined to just treat it like a gift.

How did that even work, did friends give gifts like this when they could afford it?

So, he hedged, instead.]

Sure. But I'm not exactly hurting right now.

[finally, though... he had to ask about the plushie]

So... where did you get that from? [a small motion at the plushie, though he turns his attention back to the road.]

[alphatar]

[Two hundred juulan is a lot to Korra, so she was ready to insist when he said no. Only, he didn’t. Blinking in surprise at the answer, she just nodded. Of course she’d give him money if he ever needed it.

It was the first thing she offered him the day he arrived, along with food and a place to stay. Something that would never change, because she needed as much of her home here as she could get; including the people from it.

-then her mouth fell open.

They had been doing so good of just keeping it casual, being two friends who were just helping each other out. Instinctively, Korra squeezed the plushie tightly to her chest. Lying is her best option here, but that’s one thing she hates doing.

Worse when it’s being done to her.]

I- we, won it. At the Glacier Spirits Festival.

[Beat.]

…on our first date.

[browbeater]

Oh.

[it was a simple response.

It was the only response he could give. He just stared at the road, hard, trying not to think too hard about what she'd just said. Something they won together, on their first date. And he didn't remember it.

There was something sinking in the pit of his stomach, but he ignored it.

He glanced back at her once, not sure what he should say, and that apparent in his expression, before looking back at the road.

He didn't want to crash.]

[alphatar]

[She had no idea how tightly she was holding it to herself until Mako glanced at her. The quiet frustration that was there hit her, how could it now when they've spent all this time on Tu Vishan.

Together.

Easing up her grip, Korra set it on her lap with one hand around it and looked out the window at the falling snow. With the top up, the space in the car felt confining. Before, she would have liked that because it meant she would be that much closer to him.

After a few moments of silence, Korra looked up at the dashboard. It's the first time she's even been inside the satomobile. There was so much about what she saw at the palace that she wanted to tell him, but that wasn't entirely fair. She didn't see anything outside of what she herself would see in the future.

For all she knew, Mako's work at the police and living in Republic City is a factor to helping him understand why they don't mesh.

A scream from her chest almost makes it out, almost reaches her lips to say 'I miss it' and she even looks at him as she feels it rush up. At the last instant her shoulder signal its defeat, and all she can give him is the same silent frustrated look.]

[browbeater]

[this was going to be the most silent of car rides. Mako didn't want to just say nothing, but he was hitting a wall on what he could say, versus what he wanted to say. There were so many questions reeling in his head about why.

Why did they break up? Why were they doing this?

He was gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were white. Silence was easier than trying to maintain a conversation when he was discovering how raw his feelings still were, after their breakup.

He shouldn't have offered the ride, not yet.

Getting into the coast, and then to Keeliai. That's the easy part.]

Hey...

[alphatar]

[At this point, Korra would have preferred that Mako drove past her and let her walk the rest of the way. The cold was never a problem for her and neither were long trips. What she held in her hands was a link to something they severed and yet its mere presence caused the overwhelming silence.

There had been enough time for her to let any deep, lingering attachments to erode away. That was what she told herself each night before she went to bed, as if consistently telling herself that would make it come true.

This was a piercing grip around her heart that was a stern reminder that what she told him I'll always love you was a promise, not a lie to comfort him or her.

Hearing the silence break away under the surprising weight of the one word, Korra stirred suddenly as if she had been asleep and looked over to him.]

Yeah?

[Were they really reduced to one worded conversations?]

[browbeater]

[They were so happy. And then, suddenly they weren't.]

Did you have anywhere you needed to be? Or did you want to be dropped off at your suite...?

[alphatar]

No. Nowhere...

[Her hand ran through the tuft of fake fur atop the sky bison's head.]

Just my suite.

[browbeater]

[a simple nod.]

Sounds good. I'll drop the stuff I bought off back at my place, and walk home, then.

[this was way too clinical. He gripped the steering wheel again, and glanced back at her. It was way too frustrating-- and yet he couldn't, wouldn't say what he wanted to.

He didn't think it would make any difference, either way. But He wanted to try and reassure her... somehow.]

Hey, Korra, another thing... [a sigh]

[alphatar]

[Korra opened her mouth, simply to offer that he ride Naga hoe and just send her back once he got there. But talking seemed like an effort that she couldn't manage, so she just nodded slowly and looked out at the familiar streets of Keeliai.

They had spent practically the entire ride in silence.]

Hm? [The low hum left her throat before she turned her head to look at him, her blue eyes flicking between his face and the empty air before it. Unsure of which to look at.]

[browbeater]

... I guess, today got really awkward.

[to say the least. He still loved her, and he was trying to be just a friend. To just help her out, and then that came up. Maybe this time was the fluke. Maybe they'd be better in the future.]

Sorry about that. I wasn't sure what to say.

[where was he even going with this... he wasn't sure, so he left it off there.]

[alphatar]

[If anything, Korra wanted to commend him for pointing it out. She was still working on formulating more then two words, and that was during the entire trip.]

Yeah, it did. [The tall buildings she could see through the windshield let her know they were in the Metal Sector.]

Don't worry about it. [Easier said than done. For both of them.]

W- I'll be fine. [She couldn't speak for him. Not anymore.]

[browbeater]

[when he stopped the car, he looked back at her and tried to pinpoint some way to make the weight in his stomach life. But he noticed her instead. She wasn't looking at him, about as hard as he hadn't been looking at her only five minutes ago. And they were right next to each other, but there may as well have been a wide canyon between the driver's and passenger's side seats.

He furrowed his eyebrows, when he caught what would have been 'we' in any other situation, and he tried to fix that hard stare to something else, but he was drawn to her.]

Yeah.

We'll be fine, Korra. Maybe I should tell you not to worry about it, too, huh?

[he leaned toward her unconsciously for a moment-- but eventually, the only thing he could manage to bridge that gap, even though he wanted to do so much more... was place a hand on her shoulder, briefly, before getting out of the car.]

[alphatar]

[She let his agreement wash over her, the way the waters of the ocean crashed upon rock and receded just as quickly.

But that only last for a moment. Then he said what she avoided saying, because to her it had meaning and carried more weight than the words did with anyone else. Even when they were separated, he was still there for her when she didn't even know that she needed his support.

Looking down at the plush in her lap may have looked like a single nod, and when his hand touched her shoulder; Korra bit her bottom lip. Once he was out of the car she felt the corners of her mouth erratically twitch downwards.

A few moments, the passenger car door opened and she was met with the cold winds. Once she mastered herself, Korra made her way to the trunk. All she had was one task before her. Get her belongings and go inside her suite.

If she could switch it out for fighting Amon to exhaustion and near death again, she would.]

[browbeater]

[he already had the trunk open, and was waiting on her. Despite his words to her, he didn't feel any better, and he didn't feel any more comfortable.

He really wished he hadn't done this, hadn't thought he was ready to talk to her.

He still loved her-- and he felt totally useless about it.]

Need some help?

[alphatar]

[Immediately Korra wanted to say 'No', just make it go as quickly as possible. Just like the way she killed that buck the other day, but that's in a perfect world where she could have her way.

In truth, she had to put her sling bag and the bulging sack filled with her traded goods on the sled just for the trip. Now, now she had a stuff sky bison under her arm whose tail was moving gently and quietly along the wind.]

I can get the sled, unless you want it and I can take the rest. [Cold. If he asked, she was coming down with a cold.]

[browbeater]

[he nodded at her instructions. The cold was biting there-- and she was struggling as much around him as he was around her. Actually, there was a sinking feeling she was struggling more.

This is such bullshit.

But instead, he answers back to her.]

I'll let you get the sled, and I'll get the rest, then. It'll be quicker.

[alphatar]

[Quicker. Her hunch was right. He wanted this to be over as soon as she did.]

Sure thing. [Pulling the sled out from underneath the punching bag and her things, Korra hooked her arm underneath it. After she got it out of the trunk, she waited for Mako to get the rest.

Avoiding eye contact isn't something she's used to. Korra always faced anything head on, but this wasn't like anything she's used to being able to handle.]

[browbeater]

[he grabbed the other things that were left, helped her to carry them up to her suite. Still quiet, still mulling things over. What was he doing? He just told her he wanted to end this.

Maybe it was true, but you didn't say that... did you? Honestly, it was a lot simpler with Asami than Korra.

But he'd never tell her that.

Instead, he waits for her to open her suite, almost awkward, and definitely silent.]