In Her Eyes, I See The Stars Dancing

Mirroring

"Steady! Steady!" Five earthbenders stood in front of a massive boulder hovering just above their heads. Their hands are up in the air using their strength, slowly maneuvering it to a truck with all the other gravel and roads sign that once lay along the city's streets.

Once it was situated on the back of the truck, a floating billboard sign followed by two other lamp posts were piled onto the rest of the junk. Korra patted her hands together, wiping away the dust and dirt as she walked a few steps in front of a shop where a window has been, now filled with a lone metal pole and pieces of shattered glass splayed on the floor.

"You might wanna slow down there, kid."

Korra turned to see Lin walking towards her, features hardened, and her metal armor making an array of clanking sound every step she took.

Korra shrugged and carried on with her work, "It isn't much of a strain to me,"

The pole hovered and flawlessly placed on the back of the truck as if to prove a point.

"You've done half the job my enforcers were supposed to do."

"All the more reason to help." When Korra was about to metalbend another pole stuck at the door this time, Lin held her shoulder, and she jumped a bit at the touch. The Chief wasn't one to be... affectionate of some sort, and so Korra stopped and looked at Lin, confusion painted on her face.

"Go get some rest. We've got this." Lin said. The tone of her voice was still somber, just like what she's known for anyway. But Korra caught a hint of softness in it.

In the last few days, Korra's presence has been demanded. From the citizens of Republic City egging her on what they're supposed to do next, the press urging Korra to speak about the fight with Kuvira, and to the President's office where Raiko was drilling her on the aftermath of the war. There was a time when they had said their thank-yous and pure relief that they were alive as Korra stopped Kuvira from wiping out the whole entirety of the land, just for her to conquer it. It was short-lived, of course.

Korra would try to be in all places at once. She would make an appearance in the evacuation center to calm the people down every chance she could or every chance she was asked to. She'd address the press and tell them of the plans of the now bulldozed city into something livable and functional at least. And she would stop by the city hall to speak unwillingly to Raiko to discuss the next steps.

She would do it quick, mindlessly, without missing a beat, and then she would come home to Air Temple Island, to Asami. Korra thought she might as well finish the Avatar duties first. So that nobody would bother her when she would be there in the small bubble that Asami would allow. She was, in retrospect, the only person permitted in Asami's space. And then she would just be Korra for her.

And now she was doing the same thing. Speed up with whatever was splayed to her during the day. That is, cleaning the main roads and the affected buildings along the way. Unbothered by the scorching heat, unfazed by the straining of her muscles, and couldn't care less with the use of too much energy to bend.

And then she would come home to Asami.

The way Lin looked at Korra made her think she knew too. And she understood. You're needed somewhere else.

Korra nodded and before she said anything, Lin was already walking beside her said, "Let me walk you to the docks."

If Korra thought Lin was acting strange, being nice to her and all (although it is the bare minimum, Korra thought Lin doesn't do the bare minimum), she didn't show it. Instead, she asked, "How is the evacuation center?"

"The people are okay for now. Though there are a few who wanted to speed up the process and demand answers," Lin shrugged, "nothing we can't contain."

"The other troops?"