Chapter 4: Pro-bending
Normal POV
After the Gala, Femke and Tarrlok agreed to meet up several times, much to the annoyance of Korra, who saw Tarrlok as the corrupt man he was.
"Femke, he is using you to get to me." Korra told Femke after three days of having Femke go away during the day to see Tarrlok and being shown around town by him, enjoying his presence.
"He isn't, Korra. He's just showing me around town, teaching me what I need to know to blend in with the crowd for the time being." Femke said, sounding insulted as she sat across Korra in the living room, while Tenzin and korra sat across her.
"Femke, he wants to use you to get me to do his bidding and you're falling for it hook, line and sinker. He is corrupt. You should stop seeing him." Korra said angrily.
"That is the same as asking you to stop see Mako, Bolin and Asami. Korra, he's my friend. If you were more like Aang, you would see he might be a little harsh on the outside but inside he is good and gentle and kind." Femke started as she looked to the side with a smile on her face.
"Aang has nothing to do with this. Why do you bring him up all of a sudden?" Tenzin asked, sounding annoyed as he looked at Femke angrily, not liking to get his father involved in a case he had nothing to do with.
"Aang was a good person who always listened before he judged and knew what mercy was. He didn't kill ozai. He spared Yakone while he had the power to destroy them both, knowing they might just need a second chance and the right guidance to turn away from the dark inside them." Femke said. "I just want to ask you both to ease up on him. Give him a chance to explain himself and why he does what he does. Maybe he isn't so bad after all." Femke continued as she looked from Tenzin to Korra with a judgemental look.
"I'm not Aang! And your boyfriend will not get any slack from me if he crosses the line!" Korra said as she smacked her hand on the table firmly, at which Femke got up and turned away.
"If you knew him like I did, you would understand." Femke said as she walked to the door.
"Well then. Don't expect me to trust you, ever again!" Korra yelled at her, which made Femke turn and look at Korra with cold eyes since she had just meant to tell what she knew about Tarrlok and now she had thrown away her last chance to rejoin the new Team Avatar as she had before.
"I wish I had been back in time. When Aang was still here. He would have at least understood me. He was a true friend." Femke said coldly as she opened the door, smacking it closed behind, before she ran off wailing in the garden, running into Tarrlok, who had just come to see her.
"What's wrong?" Tarrlok asked the brunette as he saw she was crying but Femke pushed him to the side and ran further into the garden, hiding in a treetop.
"Femke? Where are you?" Tarrlok called out, searching for the upset brunette, finding her after a short while in the treetop because she was singing to herself
Tarrlok's POV
"Time will fly, days will pas. But i will be with you and someday you will know, love will bring us together. How far I will be, I will always be close, in your hearth is the song of love and forgiveness, let it set you free, let it give you wings." I gasped as I recognized the song as the song from my dream.
'How does she know that? She hasn't been here for so long.' I thought as I climbed a little clumsily in the tree and got on a branch near Femke.
"What's wrong?" I asked as I looked at her worriedly. I hadn't seen her this sad before.
"Korra and I had a fight. I tried to make them ease up on you a little but she got angry at me because I compared her to Aang." Femke said as she sniffled a little.
"Big mistake. One I made as well but I am sure she will ease up on you at some point." I reassured her as I wrapped my arm around her.
"I hope so." Femke said as she looked down sadly.
"Don't worry Femke, it will take time for them to get used to you. They will warm up to you, you'll see. That said, I advice you stop comparing her to Aang. You should not compare people to others. That's cruel." I said as I looked at Femke , whom smiled at me.
"You're probably right but Aang was my very best friend. It is hard not to do so." Femke said as she looked at me smiling.
"Just try." I reassured her as I looked down with a shocked look, realizing how high up in the tree we were.
"I will try. Thanks Tarrlok." Femke smiled as she jumped on another branch and held out her hand for me.
"Let's get down. You wanted to show me Pro-bending tonight, right?" Femke smiled at me as I nodded and took her hand, letting her guide me out of the tree before we headed to leave the Air Temple.
"Femke. About that song you were singing, where did you learn it?" Tarrlok asked as they boarded the boat that led to the other shore, Tarrlok helping Femke step into the boat before he got in himself.
"It was a song my mother used to sing to me. Why?" Femke questioned as she looked at Tarrlok strangely. Tarrlok looked at her with widened eyes as she said this, not understanding how it was a song from her world if he had heard it somewhere as well.
"Because I know it from somewhere though I don't recall where." Tarrlok said as they headed off the boat after they had reached the other shore, Tarrlok wrapping his coat around Femke, who was shivering from the cold.
"Well, it's possible. I don't know where my mother picked up the song so it could be from this world and that that is why you know it as well." Femke said as they locked arms as to not lose each other in the crowd as they approached the Arena. A journalist who just happened to see them walk in together quickly made a picture of the Councilman holding Femke close as they walked in, clearly having a good time.
"Have you been to this matches on your own before?" Femke asked as the two of them were halfway past the match. Tarrlok had been awfully silent, only talking to explain the rules to Femke.
"Not really. I know the rules but that's about it. This is the first time i see it live."
The Councilman said as he looked at the brunette next to him with a sheepish smile. He had lived in Republic City for a long time. But because he had always been so busy with his duties this was the first time he took a day off to relax and see a pro-bending match live.
"Actually, I read them in yesterday after offering to take you here."
He admitted with a small smile as he rubbed over the back of his head with a blush on his face.
"Me too. I asked Tenzin's eldest daughter Jinora if she had the rulebook somewhere by any chance and she had. I didn't want to go in completely unprepared. That must hurt." Femke winced as she watched Bolin got hit hard in the stomach before he turned over the side of the ring and threw up.
"And Bolin loses his noodles. Which reminds me; this match is brought to you by our sponsor, Flame-o Instant Noodles. Hottest Noodles in the United Republic in all ways you can imagine." The commentator yelled through his microphone as Femke looked away in sympathy.
"I hope he'll be alright. Getting hit so hard you throw up is very painful." Femke smiled at Tarrlok when the match continued. Tarrlok nodded a bit absent mindedly now, fully taken by the way the three benders of the Fire Ferrets were playing. They played in total union with each other. In the end it were the Fire Ferrets who where victorious and this went to the finals. Femke smiled, cheering for them since she was very happy for them, now they could make their dream come true and get toe to toe with Thano the Wolfbats in the finals.
"Want to go and see the finals with me as well?" Femke asked after they had managed to get out of the Pro Bending stadium together. Again some people of the press took pictures of them. Popping up before them, taking a picture and leaving too fast for any of them to react. Not that either of them minded. They knew the press was under command of the Republic City Council and Tarrlok was in that Council. He would make sure no weird headlines would pop up in the press.
"Sure. I will see if I can get another day off. I would love to come with you again. I had a good time." Tarrlok admitted with a small smile on his face. This was one of the things that had always been denied to him. Having fun. Being normal. Femke saw he was distracted by something and gently took his hand on her own.
"That's good. After all, you deserve to have fun as well."
Femke said as she gave him a meaningful look. At which tarrlok smiled thankfully as the two of them walked to his house. As the two of them walked there, Femke felt something move behind her. At first she thought it was just someone else who needed to go the same way as them but as they turned a few corners, they were still behind them. Feeling trouble, Femke started to speed up trying to sign Tarrlok to do the same because she had the feeling something was up, which he did. Somehow trusting her instincts. As she turned another corner, she saw what her senses had picked up;
Equalists.
Femke's POV
"Femke! Run!" Tarrlok exclaimed as he stood before me. I looked at him with surprise. I hadn't thought Tarrlok would be willing to protect me.
"No. We're in this together. Let's get them!" I smirked as I stood next to him and gave him a small smile before I got into fighting position as well.
"Both want to die for the other. You must think you're so selfless while not giving a second taught about non-benders." A deep voice said from out of nowhere.
"That voice!" I exclaimed. That was the voice of the radio. Which meant... I gulped as I looked at the place the voice came from and there, in the shadows, he stood.
The leader of the equalists.
Amon.
"What do you want from us you monster?" I snapped at him angrily, trying to keep the fear from my voice. Even if I was shaking with with fear internally now that we stood eye to eye with the feared Equalist Leader.
"To know that the Era of Benders is coming to an end. You and your love will soon beg for my mercy." Amon said and as he spoke a shiver went down my spine. Tarrlok felt this and gently gave my hand a little squeeze. After that I watched Tarrlok strike some nearby Equalists with his waterbending. I saw Amon dodge in a shadow as we started to fight the Equalists together. It was going great at first. I had never been so in sync with someone as with Tarrlok. That was, until I was struck from behind and smashed against a wall. Hard.
"Femke, no!" I heard Tarrlok exclaim before everything went black around me.
Tarrlok's POV
Fighting the Equalists was going great at first. Femke was extremely capable. Maybe I should ask her to join my task force as well. Those were my thoughts as I took a few Equalists out and helped Femke by taking one out that wanted to strike her from up close but as i did I saw one came up behind her. I wanted to exclaim for her to watch out, but it was already too late. He struck her in the back hard, and before I could do something she smacked against a wall and blacked out.
"Femke, no!" I exclaimed as I ran towards her and kneeled down by her side to check how she was doing. She was still alive.
"Give up or join her fate." Amon said as he came closer, looking at me with what I assumed was hatred. I looked at Femke with a worried glance before I got up and got in front of her with my arms spread wide.
"Stay away from her." I firmly said. Repeating what Noatak had done for me all these years ago. As I did so I felt warmth spread through my body. And as I struck them again a radiant light struck them instead of my usual waterbending.
"Good going Tarrlok! Come on!" I heard Femke call from behind me as she suddenly started to use a combination of water, earth and firebending on the Equalists. a radiant light shined all around her as well as we managed to drive them away and as I fell to the ground, I saw in my last flash of consciousness that Chief Beifong and Tenzin arrived
Normal POV
"They're unconscious, but doing fine otherwise." A doctor told Lin and Tenzin a few minutes later as he stood next to the hospital beds of the unconscious Councilman and his friend.
"Any idea how this could have happened?" Tenzin asked the doctor as Floxy sat on Femke's chest and looked at his bound Fairy with a worried expression. Even though he was a elf, he did care about Femke, and he was very worried about her.
"They have used up a lot of their energy. But I have no idea how." The doctor replied as he looked at Femke and Tarrlok just as Tarrlok started to wake up.
"What happened? Where am I?" Tarrlok asked weakly as he sat up and took his head in his hands, looking around somewhat confused.
"You're in the hospital, Sir. Your colleagues found you on the street. What happened?" The doctor asked Tarrlok.
"Some Equalists attacked us. We managed to drive them away but we were both struck by their gloves. That must have knocked us out." Tarrlok said as he looked at Femke with a smile on his face, not mentioning their new powers because he knew they would not believe him if he would mention what happened.
"Are you alright?" Tenzin said as he eyed Tarrlok worriedly, who nodded and got up.
"Amon was with them. He warned us that he would soon end this war. We have to stop him before it's too late." Tarrlok said firmly. To him, this had been an act of war. Striking him while he wasn't on duty.
"We will put extra security at City Hall and on the homes of all the Council members, including you from now on to make sure you will all be safe."
Tenzin replied with a stern look on his face. Tarrlok nodded as a sign he understood before both men looked up as femke started to groan. She was waking up as well.
"Femke? Can you hear me? Are you alright?" Tarrlok asked Femke as he leaned brunette, who was groaning as she was waking up.
Femke's POV
"Femke? Can you hear me? Are you alright?" I heard a voice call from above me as I started to wake up. I groaned in reply as the world around me started to clear again after that last blast of my Voortrix powers that had managed to drive away the Equalists but had also knocked us both out.
"I'm fine. I can take a few bumps. As long as my bending stays intact I will be fine." I smiled as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. As I looked up I saw that I was in the Republic City hospital. Floxy was sitting on my chest and looked at me relieved as I woke up. That was when I started to recall the scare I had been through just now and wrapped my arms around Tarrlok.
"That was one of the scariest things I have seen in my life." I told him shakily.
"I'm glad to see you safe. For a moment I thought we were losing, Too bad they underestimated us." Tarrlok smiled as he winked at me at which I replied with a thankful smile. Thankful he wasn't going to tell the doctor I was a fairy since I was quite sure he wouldn't believe me anyway. This world didn't believe in the same magic as from our world. It was so different.
"Well, it was a good thing Femke was there to help out." Tenzin replied as he gave me a stern look "But what was she doing so close to your home?" He asked Tarrlok. I gulped and looked at Tarrlok a bit nervous since I hadn't thought about that question.
"She was bringing me home because she wanted to." Tarrlok answered for me, smiling at me as a sign he would take care of this.
"How were you planning on getting home without any Equalists seeing you?" Tenzin asked, at which I shrugged.
"Magic, of course. I could perform a teleportation spell to get home safe." I replied to Tenzin, who nodded in an understanding way.
"Well, it was good you were there but nevertheless I want you to be more careful." Tenzin said as he looked at Femke with a firm look, who nodded in reply.
"I will, but I am a Rekampmolk so don't expect too much of it." I grinned, which was the honest truth. The Rekampmolk family and especially my mom and dad had a reputation to always find and get in trouble, wherever and whenever possible.
"Why is that, if I may ask?" Tenzin asked me as he plucked at his beard in a pondering way.
"My parents had a reputation for always managing to get in trouble. Let's say it still runs in the family." I told Tenzin with a grin, before I looked past him at Tarrlok and gave him a wink, that made him nod in return.
"So I'm not going to make any promises. I'm bound to break them at some point, which is something I don't really like." I concluded slyly.
"I appreciate you're at least being honest about this. For now Chief Beifong will escort Tarrlok home. You can go back to the temple with the reassurance he will get home safe." Tenzin told me as I nodded at Lin, who nodded back.
"Well then, thanks for a wonderful evening. Hopefully until soon, Tarrlok." I smiled as I walked to Tarrlok and gave him a firm handshake before I quickly bended towards him and gave him a kiss on his cheek when no one looked. After that I bid everyone a farewell and disappeared into nothing. Back to the Air temple.
Normal POV
After femke had disappeared, Lin took Tarrlok to his home. What none of the people saw was that Tarrlok had a slight blush on his cheeks as he held his hands on the place were Femke had kissed him while he carried a big grin on his face, knowing phase one of his plan had worked perfectly. She fully trusted him. Now she was sure to help him in his goals to become the most powerful man in Republic City.
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And with that I end the chapter, I hope you all liked it!
A/N:
The whole point of making Femke spend so much time with Tarrlok now is because the two have to bond before the rest of the story. Since we aren't entirely sure how much time passed between one episode and the other I thought there would be some time to space out some bonding time for the two of them which is going to play a part later in the story.
Keep in mind that Tarrlok has already used his powers once now, it is going to play a part in the remainder of the story.
That was all for now, keep reading and don't forget to review!