Raava Academy

Nicknames

I slowly walk around the table, perhaps a little too quietly, because she doesn't seem to notice me. It looks like all she has for lunch is a flask of hot coffee, which she's sipping on whilst studying her notes, oblivious to her surroundings. I have second thoughts, and look back at our table only to see everyone grinning and sticking their thumbs up. Damn them. I'm just being friendly, they don't get it at all.

I take a deep breath, and gently set my tray down on the table. That's when she finally glances up at me, and that's when I feel like I'm drowning in her dazzling green gaze, for just one second.

"Oh, hello... can I help you?" she asks, brushing a strand of black, silky hair past her ear.

"I was wondering if I could sit here. I mean, if you want. Because you're new. And lonely. I mean not lonely, cos there'd be no way for me to know that, but definitely sat alone, so yeah," I realise I'm blabbering, and she's looking at me with a mixture of amusement and confusion, and I forget whatever else I was going to say because she's actually incredibly beautiful, and I'm an idiot, and I shouldn't even be here.

"That's very sweet. I'm not good company though, just so you know," she says, holding out a hand, "I'm Asami, and you're Korra, I presume?" she smiles as I accept her hand and lightly shake it.

"Wait, how did you-" I begin to ask, whilst taking my seat.

"The teacher stated your name, and your friend – Bolin. But that aside, who doesn't know the Avatar studies here? Your picture is always in the papers back home." she actually sounds excited at the last part.

"Ugh, don't remind me," I groan, taking a bite from my half-finished sandwich, and feeling a lot more relaxed now that we're talking.

"You don't like the attention?" she asks, and looks genuinely surprised.

"It's just... sometimes I want to be like everyone else. Normal powers. Normal responsibilities, or as normal as they can get for benders, anyway," I say, sighing and slumping my shoulders.

"That makes sense. I have quite a bit of extra nonsense to deal with too, being a Sato and all," she shakes her head and sips at her flask again.

"Oh, you're Yasuko Sato's daughter?" I ask. I know all about her, the CEO of Satotech - the biggest tech company in the world. They develop practically every computer component you can think of, in fact even my laptop is a Satotech.

"Yes. You don't seem surprised?" she asks, with an eyebrow raised.

"Jinora, uh, one of my friends back there, said you were a... um..." damn, me and my big mouth. Asami looks at me expectantly, and I sigh, "she said you were a rich bigshot from the city. Sato is an uncommon name, so I made an educated guess."

"Oh, so the mighty avatar is educated as well as powerful?" Asami says, chuckling.

"Don't tease me, I get enough of that from my so-called friends."

"I'll try not to," Asami says, smirking to herself whilst running a finger over a line in her notes.

"Wow, you wrote a lot," I say, glancing down and seeing she's a few pages into the book.

"Yes, I don't like to miss things," she explains, "I've always believed attention to detail is very important."

"Makes sense." I say, at which she nods, and returns to her studies, flicking yet another page over. "So, how come you've come to the academy? Did a scout find you?"

I refer to the bender-scouts, teams that scour the world searching for those with the rare ability to bend one element to their will – fire, earth, wind or water. I'm different. I can manipulate all of them, and if I could just figure the avatar state out, I'd be able to use all four at the same time.