The Code

Petrify

Korra fidgeted beside Bolin and Mako, her Ferret uniform abnormally tight and uncomfortable. Bolin gave her a quick jab in the ribs with his elbow.

"Quit that," he hissed out of the side of his mouth. From atop his shoulders, Pabu squeaked at her with annoyance. Korra glared at the little fire ferret.

"She should be here by now," she hissed back.

"Shh," Mako snapped from the other side of Bolin. Korra shot him a scowl too, but returned her attention to where Butakaha strode down the center of the pro-bending rink, arms high as he announced the ceremonial opening of the arena. Beside him, Shiro the announcer held his arms high as he laughed and chatted with the handful of die-hard fans that had paid their way to the forefront of the grand opening of Republic City's arena. They giggled and squealed with excitement as they skittered down the lines of teams, greeting and shaking hands with all their favorite stars. The stands were packed with fans, waving the colors of their beloved teams, cheering and chanting in a mad din.

All the pro-bending teams were lined up along the edges of the pro-bending rink, some Korra had fought before, others she'd only seen in the gym during joint training sessions. The Red Sands Rabaroos, the Makapu Moose Lions, the Golden Temple Tigerdillos, the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps, the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles... Korra felt a strange twinge somewhere in her chest when she noticed the absence of the White Falls Wolfbats. Even though they'd been the utmost of jerks, no one deserved a fate like theirs. That old anger and fear stirred in her towards Amon, but she beat it back down. He'd changed, she reminded herself. He was no longer the terrifying monster of her nightmares.

"This day stands as a testament," Butakaha proclaimed, lifting his hands high. "To the ingenuity, to the progress, to the grit and determination of this city. The re-opening of this arena marks our resolve to move forward, no matter what obstacles we may face. We may be knocked down, but we will rise with more ferocity than any adversary can take. This city stands united! Benders and nonbenders. Together!"

The teams lifted their fists in the air and cheered. The crowd screamed with frenzied passion. Korra raised her fist in salute, yelling along with the rest of them. She had to admit, Butakaha knew how to rile up a crowd. Bolin hollered along next to her, pumping his fist in the air. But out of the corner of his mouth, he muttered to her over the racket,

"I don't see her."

"She's got to be here," Korra growled. "She's the bloody sponsor. How could she not show?"

But the afternoon wore on, and there was no sign of Sakura. Butakaha paraded the Fire Ferrets around with the rest of the teams, before finally dismissing them to the changing rooms. Then he summoned two of the teams: the Red Sands Rabaroos and the Mutaka Moose Lions up for a spontaneous battle to delight the crowd. Korra made her way down to the locker rooms with Mako and Bolin, a scowl deepening across her face.

"Why didn't she come?" she demanded of her friends, stomping down the stairs. "She was supposed to be here!"

"Calm down, Korra," Mako muttered, shrugging off his scarlet vest. Korra avoided looking at the taut muscles of his chest, instead moving to pull off her boots before heading to the girls' section of the changing stalls.

"Yeah," Bolin said. "Maybe she got held up. Satomobile jam or something?"

Korra growled low in her throat. But she said nothing else as she turned and tromped back to the changing rooms. Shrugging out of her already sweaty uniform, she slipped on her cool Water Tribe clothes and sealskin boots. Then she pushed her way past the brothers and stumbled back up the stairs, far too blinded by fury to bother speaking again. She made her way up through the lobby, passing the doorway to the arena. The crowd still hummed and screamed with glee as the two teams brawled out on the rink. But Korra didn't move to join in the celebration. Instead, she let her feet carry her toward Butakaha's office. She didn't know why. She pushed open the unlocked door and stumbled over to the big chestnut desk, collapsing in the high-backed leather chair. She didn't know what led her here. But for some reason, she felt, deep in her core, that this was the place for her to be, right at this moment.