The air between them tightened and tensed, almost thinning in a way that made it difficult to breathe. Bolin, not being one for a lot of conflict or animosity, found his own patience being tested as he listened to Korra defend her actions. She didn't regret what she did, even if it was morally questionable. He was rather torn in regards to her actions and her adamant stance in doing what she thought was right. A small part of him admired her guts as she acted on impulse, something he never did. But ultimately he was disgusted by her selfish and narrow-minded behavior, her inability to think of the consequences to her actions. She was clearly not the woman he had admired and it was all the more clear that she thought so little of him to voice her distaste for refusing to be a so-call groupie of his. He never once wanted her to be some groupie and was insulted she would insult him when she was the one wrecking relationships she had no business passing judgement on.
Bolin's heated glare followed her as he remained silent, watching Korra get up to go.
As an earth bender Bolin prided himself on being level-headed and able to withstand attacks in both the physical and verbal sense but he had heard enough of Korra's childish whining, as if she was somehow both a victim and a hero. "I am not going to forget it Korra!" He got up after her, trying to slow down his thoughts so he could sort through them. The boy moved after her, not in a heated rush but in an attempt to wade through the crowd. He gazed up at her, his heart having splintered and then shattered as his image of Korra had been completely destroyed. "You don't know me at all if you think I'm upset because you don't want to hang off my arm!" He scoffed.
By now the people around them had turned from the pro-bending match to watch two-thirds of the Fire Ferrets getting into a fight of their own. "I have been nothing but supportive of you and for you to question my friendship is a goddamn insult. I don't care that you like my brother, I can't change how you feel but honestly right now, any attraction I had to you is gone. You're not the girl I thought you were. I thought you were someone responsible and though you can be impulsive, I always valued that your heart and intentions were always good. But the fact you would selfishly act without concern for Asami is disgraceful. You have no right to judge his relationship with Asami. Are you that self-centered and arrogant that you think he went to see you so he would cheat on Asami?"
Bolin paused for a moment to collect his breath, his chest tightening as he found himself all the more upset and disappointed in Korra. "If you had any respect for Mako or Asami you would have thought before you acted. You have no idea how Mako and Asami feel about each other but the only thing you seem to care about is yourself. If you cared about Mako you would have talked to him instead of kissed him. And if you cared about Asami you wouldn't have even thought about kissing her boyfriend. Who cares if you think they're not right together? What makes you some expert on love all of a sudden? You can't even air bend. Maybe you should focus on that instead of shoving your tongue down the throat of someone who already has a girlfriend. A girlfriend I might add, who has been nothing but generous to you!"
It seemed the arena fell silent as the massive collection of spectators were focused on Bolin and Korra. The broadcaster in his booth was now commenting on the argument as opposed to the match, which had at this point, stopped for the sake of the two on the stairs. "You don't know me or Asami and you certainty don't know Mako. He told me he regrets the kiss ever happened and right now he and Asami are trying to fix the mess you caused." By now the anger had fallen from his words as he looked to Korra feeling almost sorry for how delusional she was and how foolish he had been to think she was this special girl who he had connected with. Just as he was about to voice his desire that they no longer remain friends, there was a loud crash from the ceiling.
The arena filled with smoke and Bolin coughed and turned to the platform in the middle of the venue. Many of those in the crowd rushed up to the exits and barricaded them shut. Bolin looked and saw a large metal cable descend and saw Amon holding onto it as it lowered him onto the pro-bending platform. "Amon!" Channeling his anger, he used nearby slabs of rock used during matches to create a pathway towards Amon. Before he could reach the sinister man, one of his henchmen had swung down on another cable and distracted him with hand-to-hand as Amon addressed the fearful crowd.
"Pro-bending may be a beloved sport of Republic City but it illustrates the cruel divide between benders and non-benders. I am here tonight to even the scales. Bending is a privilege abused. Why should those without bending be forced to sit on the sidelines and cheer for those who pride themselves on being better than everyone else? This city reeks of arrogance and I will bring justice to the people who deserve it. Avatar Korra, your presence here is most opportune. I will make an example of you right here in front of everyone." Amon promised.