Staring at the sack full of food she was purchasing, Korra wondered not for the first time what had been meant when she was told not to let the vendors pull a fast one on her. As best as she could tell, there was nothing wrong with any of the food, and no one was trying to play any games. Reaching in the pouch of coins she was given, she was about to hand over the money when an arm was slung across her shoulders and a smooth voice drawled amiably, "Now, come on, you know it's not worth thatmuch. Can't you lower the price a bit?"

The shopkeeper sighed and shook her head with a rueful grin, "You swooping in to the rescue again, Bolin? All right, all right, the price is seventeen yuan."

Confused, Korra looked back and forth between the two. The shopkeep didn't seem at all upset, and Bolin gave her an encouraging nod. Shrugging, she recounted the coins and handed it over, receiving the bag in return. Leaving the stall, she cocked her head to the side as she looked up at her teammate, "What was that about?"

"Don't pay full price, Korra. You can always haggle, and you should." They came to a pause and he pointed down a few stalls to where Mako stood, talking something over with another vendor. "Mako is ruthless when it comes to haggling. Most of the owners don't even bother trying anymore, but that guy likes the challenge. You don't have to get as good as him, just don't get suckered into paying the base price."

"I see...," she murmured, finally understanding what she had been warned about. Watching Mako debate price on, well, whatever it was he was buying, she wondered at what exactly they were saying. Neither one of them was particularly animated, but there was something in their body language that let her know it was a rather intense discussion. She liked watching Mako compete in pro-bending, and as she stared at him now, she didn't even realize how much she liked watching him compete in this way as well. Unaware of the fact that she was being led, a few guided steps later and she was within ear shot, able to listen in on how a master negotiated the best price.

It was just her luck that the discussion was pretty much over, however, as a few quick words were traded before coin and product were next. Mako turned around and seemed surprised for a moment to see her standing there. He brushed it off quickly, and looked over at his brother, "We're all set now, Bolin."

"Great," grinning, he nudged Korra with his elbow, "You all set, too?"

Bringing herself out of her daze, she nodded emphatically, "Yup! Got everything we needed right here."

"Awesome. We have to go by the docks, so why don't we all walk together?"

"Sounds great!"

Bolin positioned himself on the opposite side of Korra, turning a knowing smirk on his brother, who was forced to take up the spot on her other side. Sighing quietly, Mako shook his head and scowled over Korra at Bolin, not understanding just what it was his brother was trying to accomplish.

As they left the market area, Korra looked up between the two, "So, how exactly does this haggling thing work, anyways?"

"Haven't you ever gone shopping before?" Mako muttered, incredulous.

She shook her head, frowning up at him. "Would I ask if I knew? No, I haven'tgone shopping before. We don't really have markets in the South Pole, and definitely not in the White Lotus compound. And beside that, I was always told I shouldn't worry about such things, that my training was more important, so I never had any opportunity to learn."

"Must be nice." There was enough contempt in his voice that Korra shot him a glare for his response.

"Ahah," recognizing the signs of a brewing fight, Bolin tried to calm the two before they could erupt. "Making sure our new Avatar can handle all of her responsibilities is more important than knowing how to get the best price. I bet you were kept busy, Korra."

She shrugged, brushing it off nonchalantly. "Eh. I was bored, most of the time. Hardly anything to do. Don't get me wrong, I love training, but I was stuck in a compound with a bunch of people older than my parents. They said they promised Avatar Aang that they'd protect me, but they took it too far, I always thought." It was obvious what she thought of that, exasperation clear in her tone and in her body language. "I'm so sheltered, I don't even know how to do something as simple as buying food." Lifting the sack she carried, she looked at it distastefully, thinking on how much she missed out on, being held on such a tight leash for so long. "But!" she did an abrupt about-face, her scowl turning to a grin as she stretched an arm out over her head. Dashing ahead of the brothers a few feet, she turned to face them and slowly walked backwards, "I'm here now, in Republic City! There's so much for me to learn and experience! And I'm lucky enough to have made two friends to help show me around and to share these experiences with, right!"

"Absolutely!" Bolin laughed, finding her good cheer infectious. He looked over at Mako, who seemed to be lost in thought and entirely too serious for the moment. Digging an elbow into his side, he drew the young man out of his thoughts.

Clearing his throat, Mako nodded stiffly, shoving his free hand into a pants pocket, "Yeah. Great. We get to babysit the Avatar, a real honor."

"Hey!" Stepping in front of him, Korra leaned up, getting in his face. She scowled up at him, gritting her teeth together, "I can take care of myself, I don't need any babysitting!"

"No? Then what was that about us helping you out?"

"I said as friends! And if you don't want to show me around, then don't! I can find my way around the city just fine on my own, I just thought it'd be more fun with a couple of pals!"

"We'd be happy to show you around the city, Korra. Just, you know, maybe when Mako's feeling a bit more friendly," he gave his brother a look, wishing the guy would pick up on the hint and be more polite.

Shrugging, Mako scoffed quietly and walked past the two, muttering under his breath, "Whatever."

Watching him walk by, Korra glared after him for a moment before turning to Bolin with a sigh. "Is he ever friendly?"

Bolin laughed at that, grinning ruefully, "He is. He just takes some getting used to, that's all. You'll see."

"Whatever." She didn't look convinced, though she turned and started walking after Mako, staring at his back as she wondered what it took to get on his good side.

Left behind, Bolin rubbed the back of his head, unsure of just how to proceed with the two. It wasn't often anyone put up with Mako for as long as Korra already had, though he wasn't sure just how much more she would take. As for his brother, Mako had the bad habit of saying what was on his mind, no matter how rude it was, and for always keeping his positive emotions in reserve. It left people thinking him to be a lot more cold than he really was, and Bolin just hoped Korra would put up with it long enough to get past that and see his good side.

If nothing else, though, even when they were arguing, they looked to be having at least some fun. Their verbal spats seemed to entertain them on some level, though it didn't seem either one would admit it. Anytime Mako fought with the Avatar, he looked like he was in a good mood. Not that Bolin would call him out on it anytime soon. No, he was hoping the two would figure it out on their own. As long as he could keep them from each other's throats long enough, that was.

Author's Note: This is mostly a bit of test-writing, feeling out the characters. I didn't really edit it at all, either. I hope to write a lot more of Korra when there's more official material to work with, I'm just practicing a bit with the fandom before diving into it. I welcome all criticisms, positive or negative, about all aspects of my writing. Hope you enjoyed this ficlet, thanks for reading!