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Something about Tarlokk always put Korra on edge, maybe it was his very Northern Water tribe attitude, something her father had told her to be wary of. It was that smug look he gave whenever something went his way and that voice of his that just oozed suspicion. Of course she couldn’t just say no to the invitation to the gala, after all, he was throwing it in her honor.
“I can’t believe this is all for me” Korra says, still unsure how to feel about all the positive attention, after all, she hadn’t made the best first impressions when she arrived. Even Tenzin was looking more apprehensive than usual, and it didn’t help Korra’s nerves. While her anxiety could be observed to be the reaction to the unfamiliarity of the gala, it was really Amon and the equalist movement that was getting to her. Terrible nightmares haunted her sleep nowadays, so vivid and real Korra would wake up in a cold sweat, usually accompanied by panicked screaming.
“I’m not sure what Tarlokk is plotting, but keep your guard up. It’s not like him to throw a party for the fun of it” Tenzin says carefully to Korra, who didn’t need any reminder that the Northern water tribe councilman wasn’t to be trusted.
“So glad you could make it Avatar Korra,” Korra’s attention turned to the approaching figure. It was Tarlokk, still exuding that arrogance that put Korra on edge. He nods at Tenzin before turning the young water tribe girl toward the larger crowd. “If you would excuse us, the City awaits its hero”
Korra looks back to Tenzin, subconsciously wishing that he would accompany her as she is paraded around the room. Even if they didn’t always get along, Korra always found some comfort in Katara’s son. Unfortunately, Tenzin’s attention was pulled away as he spots Meelo beginning to use one of the decorative pieces as a toilet.
“Korra, it is my pleasure to introduce Republic City’s most famous industrialist, Hiroshi Sato” Tarlokk says, gesturing toward a gray haired man in spectacles.
“Nice to meet you” Korra says, as the businessman bows in respect.
“We’re all expecting great things from you” Hiroshi says, smiling kindly.
“Right… Greatness” Korra says with a hint of sadness and shame in her voice, averting her gaze from the older gentleman. She knows he didn’t mean it, but she can’t help but think over all the mistakes she’s already made in her short time here. The city wasn’t at all what she expected it to be, but she hopes he’s right, and the last couple days have just been a fluke. Only time will tell. Her thoughts are interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Hey Korra!” Mako says, approaching with a beautiful raven-haired woman in a red dress beside him. Korra stares at the woman silently, her mind trying to think of some words to say, but completely enamored by her fair skin and light green eyes. The young woman’s red lips parted slightly, as if to say something, but was interrupted by Mr. Sato.
“This is my daughter,” Mr. Sato says, gesturing proudly to the women in red. “Asami”
“It’s lovely to meet you,” Asami says warmly, then looks over to the young firebender. “Mako’s told me so much about you”
“Really? Because he hasn’t mentioned you at all” Korra says sharply. She didn’t mean for her words to come out so harsh, she corrects herself, and tries to sounds friendlier, “How did you two meet?”
“Asami crashed into him on her moped” Bolin interjects, she hadn’t even noticed he was there before he said something.
“What?” Korra says, her voice now filled with concern over the firebender. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” He says, reassuring her, he then gestures to the older Sato “More than fine, Mr. Sato agreed to sponsor our team, we’re back in the tournament”
“Isn’t that great!” Bolin exclaims, wrapping his arm around his older brother.
“Yeah, terrific” Korra’s face displays excitement before turning a bit sad realizing that Asami could become a regular around their practices and games. It wasn’t so much that she disliked Asami, but just a little hurt that their trio was getting another member. She liked the group dynamic they had going on the past couple weeks. Tarlokk’s attention was then drawn to the metal-clad police chief who had been roaming around the large room, no doubt scanning for trouble.
“Chief Beifong!” The Councilman gestures for her to come over. Korra silently glares at the older woman. “I believe you and Avatar Korra have already met?”
“Just because the City’s throwing you this big to-do, don’t think you’re something special” The Chief narrows her eyes at Korra, who is still glaring. “You’ve done absolutely nothing to deserve this”
With that, the police Chief turns coldly and walks away, causing Korra to scowl intensely. Her expression softens as she takes a deep breath in and exhales. She’s right though, I really haven’t done anything worthy of praise since I got here. I’ve always heard stories of Avatar Aang stopping bad guys and kicking ass, but when I do it, all I get is scolding and bad press, Korra thinks to herself.
Without a word, Tarlokk leads Korra down a large staircase, where men and women with cameras are just waiting to swarm them. Tarlokk tries to look innocent. “If you don’t mind, they just have a couple questions”
“But-“ Korra tries to resist before the councilman puts and arm around her shoulder and practically forces her down the stairs toward the clicking cameras and eager notepads.
“Avatar Korra, you’ve witnessed Amon take people’s bending away firsthand,” A dark haired reporter starts, pen in hand. His tone darkens. “How serious a threat does he pose to the innocent people of Republic City?”
“I think he presents a real problem” Korra says after clearing her throat to sound more official. A sly smile starts to form across Tarlokks face, he shoots a knowing look to a different reporter.
“Then why have you refused to join Tarlokk’s task force?” He says, raising his pen in the air. “As the Avatar, shouldn’t you go after the Amon?”
“Well, I-“ Korra struggles to come up with a response, cameras continue to flash, blinding the young Avatar.
“Why are you backing away from this fight?” The second reporter pushes, he clearly has a mission to aggravate Korra.
“What? No,” Korra, expression turns to a mix of disgust and anger. The older councilman smile grows bigger as Korra’s voice grows louder. “I’ve never backed away from something in my life”
Korra took the meticulously placed bait, just as Tarlokk had planned, and now the questions just won’t stop coming. Questions accusing her of going back on her promise to help the city, questions if Avatar Aang could be doing a better job than her, and if helping the city is taking a backseat to her pro-bending career. As their voices begin to overlap with each other, one question rises above them all, “Are you afraid of Amon?”
“I’m not afraid of anybody!” Korra suddenly bursts out, the reporters go silent. “If the city needs me then… I’ll join Tarlokk’s task force and help fight Amon”
“There’s your headline folks” Tarlokk says, rejoining Korra side, putting an arm around her. Korra looks up at his grinning face, slowly realizing that this was the whole point of the entire gala. She looks out into the crowd and spots Tenzin, his head hanging in disapproval. She notices the shocked look on Mako and Bolin’s faces as they look between each other. She lowers her head in shame and turns away.
~~
“I can’t believe I got baited like that!” Korra yells, kicking a newspaper that was laying on the meditation grounds of Air Temple Island. They had just got back and tensions were high. “He just hung me out there like Seal Jerky and the press just ate me up”
“It’s not your fault,” Tenzin says, eyes still closed, his body completely motionless. “Tarlokk had that entire gala planned out, he knew exactly what you were going to do if you were cornered. I never should have let you out of my sight”
“Well you didn’t really have much of a choice,” Korra says, sitting down next to Tenzin to cool off. “Meelo was determined to take that dump”
“Yes, well you can best believe that Pema and I will be reinforcing Meelo’s training on what is proper bathroom behavior” The airbending master chuckles lightly. He opens his eyes and turns to face Korra. “When is the task force’s first assignment?”
“Not sure, all he said was ‘be on standby’” Korra says, trying to mimic Tarlokks voice. She starts waterbending a nearby puddle with no real direction. “I really messed up didn’t I?”
“Just be on high alert, even though the task force is full of expert benders, you can’t afford to be caught unaware” Tenzin says with a tone of seriousness Korra hasn’t heard yet. She nods but that’s not what she was talking about.
“I meant with the Fire-Ferrets” She says, sounding defeated. Tenzin’s taken aback, he hasn’t heard Korra sound so beaten before. “It’s not fair of me to keep putting Mako and Bolin on hold. It’s their dream to be pro-bending champions, my outburst tonight pretty much closed that door for them”
“Oh I’m sure they’ll understand,” Tenzin says, putting his hand on Korra’s shoulder. She can’t help but feel the stark contrast between the two councilmen’s body language. Tarlokk’s overly aggressive arm-around-the-shoulder made her skin crawl, a feeling that she could go the rest of her life without experiencing again. Meanwhile Tenzin’s gentle hand was more like that of an uncle, or what Korra approximated an uncle to be like, after all, her father avoided her uncle Unalaq at all costs. “Those boys are very resilient and smart, they know that as the Avatar, your responsibilities go beyond that arena”
“Thanks, still doesn’t change the fact that they might be down a waterbender now” Korra says, still absentmindedly waterbending the puddle, its ill-defined shape eluding Tenzin’s desire to understand her thoughts. “Can I go see them tonight?”
“I think they might have beaten you to it” He says, gesturing to the small Fire Ferret who was scampering over to them at speed. Korra leaps up and holds her arms out, allowing Pabu to jump up and scurry around her arms. Seconds later, the brothers emerge from the staircase that leads to the Ferry dock, two White Lotus members flank either side of them.
“Councilman Tenzin, thank you for letting us visit so late” Mako says as the two brothers bow, Tenzin returns the gesture and silently dismisses the Lotus guards.
“It’s my pleasure, Air Temple island is always open to you” Tenzin says warmly before turning to Korra. “I’ll leave you to it then”
“Thanks Tenzin, see you tomorrow!” Korra yells after him. With a somewhat hesitant smile, she turns back to Mako and Bolin, who both have uneasy looks about them.
“So were you planning on joining Tarlokk’s task force or was it just a spur of the moment thing?” Mako says, his tone was a little bitter, but mostly sad.
“I’m so sorry, I was just getting so frustrated up there with all the reporters and the pressure just got to me,” Korra says, looking exhausted. She still hadn’t taken off her formal attire and the dress was killing her. “I’ll figure it out, I’ll try to come to practice as much as I can, I know how much you guys have worked for the championship, I won’t let you down”
“Yea Mako, I’m sure Korras got it sorted out, she’s the Avatar after all” Bolin says enthusiastically, trying to reassure his brother. There’s a rustling in the nearby bushes, causing Korra to assume a fighting stance, the puddle she was once playing around with now became her weapon.
“Whoa there hot shot” Mako says, putting a hand on her arm. She shoots him a confused look. “It’s just Asami, she wanted to tag along and see the Island”
As if on cue the raven-haired woman emerges from the shrubbery, brushing off the lingering twigs and leaves from her elegant dress. Water splashes on the ground as Korra’s arms relax, her face still full of confusion.
“Sorry if I startled you, I just wanted to explore the island a bit while you guys talked, there’s trees here I’ve never seen before” She says, her red lips forming an innocent smile. “This place is fantastic, I’ve never been around authentic Air Nomad culture before!”
“Oh, yea its great here,” Korra says, a little disheartened that the trio was practically extinct now. “It was my first time around it all too not so long ago”
“You mean you never came to visit before?” Asami asks in disbelief, she had heard of Avatar Aang’s adventures when he was a kid, traveling the world with team Avatar. “I thought you would’ve seen a bunch of places when you were mastering the other elements”
“Hey! Speaking of Air Nomad culture, Pabu and I smell something delicious around here!” Bolin interrupts, his eyes closed while sniffing the air. Korra manages a small laugh.
“Yeah, Pema is probably cooking a late-night dinner for the family” Bolin’s eyes light up and Mako raises an eyebrow, showing the slightest bit of excitement. “Tarlokk wasn’t really serving vegetarian at the gala tonight, so I bet they’re starving”
“Ooo Ooo, can we get some? Mako and I didn’t eat much because we thought it would be very formal of us to pig out in front of the fancy folk” Bolin pleads, his hands clench his presumably rumbling stomach.
“Sure, the dining room is right through that door,” Korra laughs, pointing to the wooden door across the courtyard. “You guys can go ahead, I’m not really that hungry right now”
Korra had barely finished her sentence before Bolin speeds away, dragging Mako by the sleeve. Korra turns away, looking out across the ocean, letting her thoughts run. Maybe I was wrong to come to the city this soon. I could probably have been a better help if I had more time preparing. Also learning the rules of the city would have been a good idea. The only person who even wants me around is Tarlokk, and he just wants to use me as some prop for his career!
“Feeling homesick?” A soft voice interrupts her train of thought. She spins around to see Asami, walking up to her. She notices Korra’s surprised look, and stops short. “Oh, you were probably going to meditate or something, I should leave you alone”
“No, no, I do enough meditating when Tenzin’s around” Korra says with a smile. “It’d be good to have some company. You didn’t want to go with the boys?”
“Naw, I don’t think they’d make good conversation, I’ve seen them eat before” She says, joining Korra by leaning on the wooden railing. “Plus, I want to hear more about you, Avatar Korra”
“Please, just Korra is fine” Korra says with a laugh, the tension between them begins to melt away.
“Okay then Korra” Asami says, nodding with a grin on her face. Her face softens and takes on a serious look as she turns her gaze back to the vast ocean. “You’re worried aren’t you?”
“Worried? About what?” Korra says, her tone growing more defensive. Asami puts her hands up in surrender.
“Sorry, I just…” Asami looks down at her hands, nervously running her fingers together. “Amon scares me too”
“He does?” There’s a hint of vulnerability in Korra’s voice, her wide eyes full of confusion. “But you’re a non-bender, he isn’t going after you”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t be scared for other people ya know” Asami says with a little ‘dontcha-know’ attitude. “I mean sure there’s always been some disagreements between benders and non-benders, but he’s turning the city against itself”
“I guess I haven’t been here long enough to know what it was like before all this started…” Korra says softly, realizing that she could learn a thing or two from her. The two sit in silence, Korra deep in thought and Asami wondering if she’s talking too much. The young socialite decides to push further and clears her throat.
“So where did you master the other elements?” She asks carefully while watching Korra’s expression closely.
“In the Southern Water Tribe,” Korra starts, bending a little stream of water between them. Asami’s been around benders her entire life, but the way Korra does it mesmerizes her. The fluidity, the calm, the power behind it. She saw her bend in the arena before, but never in such a casual way. “Basically from when I was a kid, the Order of the White Lotus had me training in a compound, both in bending and some cultural stuff too. It was my first time leaving the South when I left to come here”
“Why didn’t they let you leave to travel the world?” Asami asks gently, she can sense some built up frustration around the topic. “Isn’t that what all the past avatars did?”
“Yeah, but then something happened when I was a kid, some people tried to kidnap me so they decided that it would be safer to just bring the masters to me rather than me seeking them out” Korra says, rubbing her arms. Despite coming from the Southern Water Tribe and the Asami’s warm voice, something about the conversation makes her feel colder than normal.
“Sounds lonely” Asami says compassionately. Noticing Korra’s slight shivering, she takes off her shawl and drapes it around the Avatar’s muscular shoulders.
“Aren’t you going to get cold now?” Korra says, somewhat concerned. Asami gives a caring smile.
“No, from the looks of it, your dress is made of considerably thinner material,” Asami notes, looking up and down the Avatars body, noticing how the thin fabric bunches up easier around her midsection, the fur lining looks like its just for show. She tries not to stare too long at her muscular figure. “Plus, I can’t have the Avatar freezing on my watch”
“Thanks,” Korra says, pulling the shawl together with one hand while the other continues to bend the small ball of water. A reluctant smile forms across her face, “I’m glad Mako found someone nice”
“I wouldn’t say ‘found’,” Asami says with a laugh, “More like he was lucky to run out in the middle of the street”
“Yea I was meaning to ask,” Korra says between breaths, “What exactly is a moped?”
“Oh, ummm it’s like a motorized scooter you can sit on basically” Asami says, not sure what she could relate the vehicle to. A snowmobile maybe? Would that be demeaning to assume that’s all she knows? “I can give you a ride sometime”
“That would be awesome!” Korra exclaims, her eyes lighting up from the suggestion. “The only thing I’ve ever ridden is Naga”
“Naga?” Asami says curiously. Was that a kind of snowmobile? God, Asami, enough with the snowmobiles!
“Oh sorry,” Korra apologizes sheepishly, “Naga’s my Polarbear-dog, we’ve been friends since… well forever. After that moped ride, you can meet her! I’m pretty sure she’s asleep at the moment”
“Sounds like a plan” Asami says, wondering why her heartrate had been steadily climbing. She decides to change the subject. “I hope tonight hasn’t soured your taste for City life, I promise that not all high society events are like that”
“What’s done is done I suppose,” Korra says with a sigh, her face lowering in embarrassment. Even if she were invited to another gala, it’d be unlikely if she went, she couldn’t risk a similar situation. “And its mostly the dress I can’t stand, I don’t know how socialites like you can wear them all the time”
“Lots of practice at an early age,” Asami says with a chuckle, it was funny to see the Avatar complain about something as simple as a dress. Her eyes begin to trace her muscular figure once again, her eyes catching themselves on certain curves. Absentmindedly she lets her thoughts escape her lips. “You do look fantastic though”
“Thanks…” Korra says, her cheek flushing into a deep red. Asami, realizing what she said, opens her mouth, but can’t find any words to save herself. She can feel her face heating up. Suddenly, the wooden door across the courtyard burst open, and Asami can’t decide if she’s been saved from her slipped comment or if she’s permanently made their relationship an awkward mess. The sight of the happy brotherly duo eases the tension a bit, Bolin raving about something, flailing his arms to prove a point while his older brother carries a small bamboo basket. The steam rising from the basket billows into the night sky, illuminated by the light of the courtyard’s many candles.
“Looks like you guys made it big” Korra says, her cheeks returning to her normal shade. Asami, still trying to recover from her slip up, runs over to Mako’s side and gives him a little side hug. Hopefully this will make my comment less weird Asami says to herself. She’s not even sure why she’s so embarrassed, its pretty normal for girls to complement each other right? “Pema packed you guys some stuff to go?”
“Oh yea!” Bolin says, snatching the basket from his brother and holding it up high, “Korra, you are living the dream out here”
“Yea the Tenzin and the family are pretty great,” Korra says with a smile before her face turns. She crosses an arm around her front, and holds her forearm, a position that Asami would expect to see a little kid do when they broke something. “So… practice this week?”
“Of course, we’ve got a big game coming up,” Mako says, his tone completely different from before. It makes sense that Airbender cuisine would help lift some spirits Asami muses to herself. “Not even Amon will be able to stop us from taking the title”
Asami notices the slight shiver that ran through Korra as Mako said the Equalist’s name, she couldn’t even imagine the kind of stress the young woman was feeling. Korra takes off the maroon shawl and hands it back to Asami with a warm smile, warmer than how she looked anyway. Seems like she hadn’t ruined a potential friendship after all.
“You guys should probably get going,” Korra says, accompanying them to the staircase that led them to the dock. “I have some Airbender training bright and early tomorrow, Tenzin won’t be happy if I’m late again”
“Okay, see you at practice!” Mako says, turning toward the docks with Asami at his side.
The raven-haired woman looks back and gives Korra a tentative smile and wave with the shawl. The silly little goodbye gesture forces a little giggle out of the young Avatar, she turns to go back to her quarters. The smile lingers on her lips as she slides open her door, already undoing the formal bun her hair has been trapped in. She slips out of the dress and slides the lightweight garment back into her small wardrobe. She barely manages to put on her pajamas before collapsing on the bed, letting out a deep sigh before closing her eyes. As she drifts off she reflects on the green-eyed woman she just met, maybe her addition to the team won’t be so bad after all.
~~
Years Later
~~
“So, when do we want to set the reservation for tonight?” Asami calls from the bathroom, no doubt putting the finishing touches on her impeccable make-up. “Remember, Opal isn’t going to be available until after 6, she’s running point on the mediation between those shop owners”
“Right, how long do you think she’ll need to get ready after?” Korra says in the middle of her morning stretches. Spirits knows she needs them, after what Asami did to her last night, it’s a miracle she can walk straight. “I’m not very good at ballparking that sort of stuff”
“Let’s say 8pm,” Asami says, walking out into the living room of their apartment. She takes a second to admire the muscular figure on the ground. “You never know how long mediations can take, plus it’ll give her plenty of time to change clothes if she wants. I heard those Air Nation glider suits are pretty comfortable”
“Wait you haven’t tried one on yet?” Korra says in disbelief, she sits up straight. “Didn’t you design the things?”
“Well I had no reason to,” She simply states. “I’m not an Airbender, I just went off of Jinora and Ikki’s suggestions”
“I guess that’s fair” Korra says, dropping the subject as she goes into a downward facing dog position. “I think I’m going to try something new off the menu, I’m getting kind of tired of my usual”
“Isn’t your usual the entire menu?” Asami snickers while pouring two cups of tea. Korra sticks her tongue out at her. The young engineer puts her hand to her chest and makes an exaggerated gasp. “Well that’s not a very Avatar thing to do”
“Take it up with the White Lotus” Finally finished with her poses, Korra leaps up and joins her girlfriend in the kitchen. Asami hands her tea. They’ve only been living in the new apartment for a couple weeks, but Asami learned how Korra liked her tea a long time ago, no milk and a little sugar. Asami liked hers much sweeter. “Whatcha got goin on today?”
“Eh it’s a pretty light day,” Asami says, watching Korra’s rippling muscles relax as she drinks the warm drink. “Mostly finalizing some deals, maybe looking over some prototypes. What about you?”
“Just the usual, meet with Raiko, get annoyed, have you talk me down. Meet with Tenzin, annoy Tenzin, Pema talks him down, ya know the usual” Korra says, trying her hardest to hide her devious smile. Today, in fact, was not just some usual day. Asami may not even be aware of it, but exactly four years ago is when they had first met. She sometimes wishes that their first time meeting each other was somewhere better than Tarlokk’s stupid gala but hey, what can you do? Surprisingly, the dinner was nothing special really, just their weekly get-together with Opal and Bolin, but afterwards Korra had something truly special planned. There was only a couple things left to do today before it was all ready.
“Sounds like a blast, I look forward to your call then” Asami says with a little laugh, giving Korra’s hand a squeeze. “Or you could stop by the office later too, I don’t have any meetings after 1pm”
“We’ll see where I’m at,” Korra says, trying to guesstimate where she’s going to be in the afternoon. “You never know with Avatar stuff”
“Wanna drive with me to Future Industries?” Asami asks, cleaning up the table. Korra senses somethings up, Asami’s morning drives are usually her time to think and settle her mind before the work day. Korra learned pretty quick that Asami likes her thinking time.
“Sorry, I forgot that I’m supposed to be meeting with Ikki this morning and I’m already late” Korra says quickly. It wasn’t the best excuse. Asami just looks at her with a raised eyebrow. “Apparently she’s having boy trouble, something about an air acolyte she likes? I can always send her to Mako if you think he’ll do a better job…”
“Ah, no.” Asami says with a laugh, stopping Korra short. The Avatar suppresses her smirk. “The last thing Ikki needs is to get relationship advice from Mako”
“Oh yea, I see the problem once I say it out loud” Korra says, knowing full well that the little Mako bit would distract her. “I can meet you at the office later though, spend some time together before heading to the restaurant?”
“That would be lovely,” She says with that voice that just melts Korra. “I’ll get to show you some of the stuff I’ve been working on too!”
“I better be off” Korra says as she glances at the clock hanging on the wall before picking up her glider. She gives Asami a crooked smile before pulling her in for a kiss. She’s wearing that cherry lipstick I like, Korra thinks to herself as she gently bites Asami’s lower lip before pulling away. Spirits that was hot. “I’ll see you later!”
“Fly safe!” The raven-haired woman calls out to her as Korra leaps off the balcony, and gliding away toward Air Temple Island.
Korra wasn’t exactly lying when she said that she needed to talk to Ikki about some relationship stuff, but it just so happens that the relationship stuff she was talking about was the little surprise for Asami. On the way to the island, Korra glides by some of the new city blocks that have been built to replace the ones destroyed by Kuvira’s attack. Most of the citizens are settling in fine, a dispute here or there, but the majority are just happy to get some stability back. Down in the streets she can see that the food carts have made their reappearance, reminding her of when she first came to the City, penniless and naïve. She still is pretty penniless, but it’s a good thing her hotshot CEO girlfriend is kind enough to give her an allowance, most of which is usually spent right back on Asami in one way or another. Her arrival to the Air Temple is greeted by several Air Acolytes, Korra notices a lot of new faces, and a dwindling of familiar ones.
“Hey everyone!” Korra says with a smile. “Is Ikki around?”
“Yes, I believe she’s in the Sky Bison stables” One of the Acolytes says kindly before Korra bolts off in that direction. By the time she reaches the stables, she’s practically skipping with excitement. Something about surprising Asami was turning her back into a little girl.
“Ikki!” Korra yells into the stable. “You around here?”
“Over here!” A voice yells back from deep inside the barn. Korra wanders in, giving the sky bisons a little scratch as she walks by. The young airbender is feeding the smallest bison, who doesn’t look like it’s doing completely fine. Ikki looks up from the animal with a caring, but somewhat concerned face. “He must’ve eaten something bad, we try to keep only safe food on the island, but these young ones just seem to get into everything”
“Aww…” Korra moans sympathetically as she gives the bison a good scratching behind the ears. “I know what you mean, Naga had a rough couple of days when we were figuring out what she could eat here in the city”
“I’m sure this little guy will get better soon, they all do eventually” Ikki says, feeding the last of the fruit she has to the bison. She wipes her hands on a nearby rag before turning to Korra. “Everything is pretty much ready, the Acolytes know to keep the courtyard empty tonight, well except for that one thing”
“Awesome!” Korra squeals, giving Ikki a ginormous hug. “I knew I could count of you!”
“It’s going to be hard getting Meelo to stay away,” Ikki says, squirming in Korra’s tight embrace. “He’s turned into quite the romantic lately”
“Well just try your best okay?” Korra pleads. She’d rather not be blushing from embarrassment tonight. Ikki smiles and nods vigorously. “Is your dad around?”
“No, he left pretty early to talk to Raiko,” Ikki says, tending to the little sky bison again. “I think they’re trying to discuss property boundaries around the spirit portal”
“Oh okay, I’ll just catch him later then, thanks again!” Korra pets the bison one more time before she leaves the stable. Tenzin probably doesn’t want my temper getting in the way of progress, Korra thinks to herself as she makes her way into the Air Temple dining rooms, hoping to get some of the leftovers from their morning meal. Her stomach grumbles on her way in, luckily there’s still a couple plates of rolls and fruit out. She holds an apple in her mouth as she fills her satchel with enough to get her through the day, at least till she gets to Asami’s office later.
“Oh good morning Korra!” She turns and sees Pema teaching little Rohan to clean up after himself. She can’t help but look a little sheepish with a whole apple still held in her mouth. “You’re out here early”
“Um, yea” Her words are a bit muffled as she takes out the apple. “I had some stuff to discuss with Ikki”
“Would it happen to relate to the giant crate of candles and why the courtyard needs to be empty tonight?” Pema says gesturing to the massive wooden crate sitting in the corner of the room. Crap! Ikki was supposed to hide them!
“Uh, well yea, I mean-“ Korra struggles to find an excuse but Pema starts laughing.
“You don’t need to tell me anything, just focus on making this the perfect day for you two” Pema says with a kind smile. “Tenzin always gets a little flustered whenever he puts together a romantic gesture too, I get it”
“Thanks Pema,” Korra sighs in relief. She takes a seat next to them. “Do you think she’ll like it? I mean is it to cliché?”
“Honey, your life has been everything but cliché, you deserve a simple romantic night” Pema says, taking on of Korra’s fidgeting hands. “I wouldn’t worry about tonight, she’ll love anything you put together”
“How did Aang and Katara make it work?” Korra blurts out, taking Pema by surprise. “I mean, Aang was the Avatar and had to travel the world constantly, I can’t expect Asami to put her life on hold and go with me every time I need to travel around”
“I know that the past couple years have been non-stop when it comes to world-ending threats, but that wont be how it is all the time” Pema says, soothing Korra’s hand. “Aang and Katara had decades of relative peace once the immediate aftermath of the 100 year war was dealt with, they had a family too ya know. Asami’s a very mature woman, she understands that being romantically involved with the Avatar isn’t always going to be a picnic”
“I know, Asami’s great isn’t she” Korra says smiling to herself. Pema gives her a sympathetic look.
“You’re pretty great too,” Korra gives Pema the biggest hug. “You girls just have to live in the moment, don’t worry about what tomorrow could bring, focus on today”
“Thanks Pema” Korra give Rohan and little hug too. The Avatar dusts herself off as she stands up. “I guess I’ll see you tonight then?”
“Maybe… we figured you and Asami wouldn’t want a crowd so once Ikki sets everything up, Tenzin and I are taking the family to a mover, those kids love that nonsense” Korra gives Pema one last hug before running off.
A couple more errands later, Korra finds herself gliding toward the newly built Future Industries Tower. It’s a little earlier than she had planned, she had expected at least one of her errands to turn into a disaster, but of course, the one day Korra leaves time for mistakes ends up being pretty much perfect. It’s not even a bad thing, after all, that just means more time with her beautiful girlfriend. As she gracefully lands on the CEO office balcony, she can hear Asami’s soothing voice on the phone. Quietly, she opens her satchel and pulls out the neatly wrapped arrangement of flowers she had just picked up. She leans against the frame of the balcony doors and silently waits for her girlfriend to hang up the phone. As Asami hangs up the receiver, Korra clears her throat and lowers her voice to try and sound more masculine.
“Excuse me Miss” The young business woman nearly leaps out of her seat, her hand darting to the drawer with the shock glove inside. She stops cold when she sees who the intruder is. Korra squints at an imaginary clipboard. “I have a delivery here for an… Asami Sato? You wouldn’t happen to know where she is would you?”
“Spirits Korra!” She puts her hand to her chest, trying to catch her breath. “You know I hate it when you do that!”
“What?” Korra says, looking innocently down at the bouquet of flowers held out in front of her. “You don’t like when I bring you flowers?”
“Next time I’ll have security throw you out” Asami says, trying to put on her serious face. No matter how riled up Korra gets her, that goofy, crooked grin always softens her right back up. “You’re here early”
“Yea well, turns out I had a pretty light day myself” Korra says, walking over to the seated CEO who has turned back to her desk to finish looking at the papers sprawled out in front of her. She leans down and gives her a light kiss on the cheek before grabbing the angular glass vase on her desk. The flowers still looked serviceable, but were clearly showing signs of wilting. She tosses the old flowers in the nearby trash can and replaces them with the fresh ones. She turns back to Asami, noticing her furrowed eyebrows. “Something wrong?”
“Oh just business stuff,” Asami says, faking a smile. She didn’t like to worry Korra about the menial day-to-day of the company.
“C’mon” Korra says, clearing a spot on the large desk before promptly sitting down. “Tell me what’s up”
“It’s just a contract with this buyer,” She starts out with a huff. Korra takes out one of the bread rolls from her satchel that she took from Air Temple Island and starts munching. “This is the third time they’ve asked to renegotiate at the last second, I mean at some point I’m just going to have to call it off, I can’t keep focusing on this one deal forever”
“Yea, that sucks,” Korra says, she can practically see the frustration seething out of Asami. “Is the buyer anyone I know? Negotiating is one of the Avatar’s primary purpose in life”
“You’re very sweet” Asami smiles, holding Korra’s hand. “But this is just business, not really worth your time. Plus, aren’t you supposed to be impartial?”
“We can just pretend I don’t know you” Korra says, handing Asami half of the bread. She takes it graciously as she rolls her eyes.
“That’s going to be pretty hard considering the press caught us kissing the other day” Asami says, nodding over to the nearby newspaper. The picture was dark, but both of them were easily recognizable. They made the front page with that one.
“Oh yeah,” Korra says, wincing at the memory. They had told all their friends and family about them dating, but decided to keep it from the press for various reasons. In short, they had just gotten out of the bar where they had drink night with Mako and Bolin. Korra thought that Asami just looked ‘so damn cute’ as the engineer stumbled down the street and when she went to her side to stabilize her, Asami landed on one her as a thanks. Who knew the press would be just lurking there? “Well I hope it all goes okay, I’m sure you’ll figure it out”
“Yeah, well I’ll figure it out some other time,” Asami says, tossing the papers aside. She leans back in her chair and tries to pull Korra by the hands. “Right now I just feel like holding you”
“Is that such a good idea?” Korra says carefully, resisting her girlfriend. “Last time we broke your chair”
“Don’t worry, I commissioned this one myself” She says, pulling Korra in harder. The Avatar finally gives in and gently sits down on her lap. Korra rests her head on Asami’s shoulder, the rising and falling of her chest soothing her.
“You have the comfiest lap, did you know that?” Korra says softly, her fingers twirling in Asami’s raven-black hair. The engineer sighs in agreement and she traces Korra’s biceps with the tip of her finger, causing the Avatar to let out a tiny giggle.
“Do you mind if we reschedule dinner with Bolin and Opal?” Asami says abruptly. Korra lifts up her head to look into her green eyes. Her plans have suddenly been compromised. She clears her throat.
“Um, sure” Korra says, carefully. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah, I’m feeling fine, I just…” She pauses for a second. “I don’t think I’d be very good company tonight, kinda feeling stressed out”
“Okay, no worries” Korra says, trying hard to not let her disheartened feelings escape into her words. Looks like my little surprise will have to wait, Korra says to herself. “We can just pick up something on the way home”
“Thanks, can we stop by Air Temple Island first? Kya told me she had this all natural de-stressing tea from one of the Air Temples” Asami says, Korra’s heartrate picks up. She can feel the beads of sweat forming on her temples. I guess I can try to call the Island quickly after calling Bolin to cancel, Korra thinks to herself, desperate to find a way to call off tonight’s grand gesture.
“Sure thing, if you just want to head back home, I can just glide over there real quick and pick it up” Korra offers, brushing Asami’s cheek with the backside of her hand. Asami shakes her head.
“No it’s okay, I’m sure walking about the Island would do me some good” Korra silently curses to herself. Asami notices the slight frown and takes Korra’s hand.
“It was a very sweet offer though” She says smiling. She checks the clock, its barely past 5pm. “We can head over now if you like, I’m pretty much done here for the day”
“Of course!” Korra says, kissing Asami softly on the cheek before getting up from the engineer’s lap “Let me just ring up Bolin so he doesn’t think we stood them up”
“Oh I can just have my assistant call them up, I’ll tell them to pay their bill for tonight if they want to eat at the restaurant anyway” Asami says and before Korra could say or do anything, the young businesswoman turns to the intercom on her desk and relays the message to the assistant outside. Dumbstruck and trying to gather her thoughts, Korra just stands there, desperately calculating what to do now. Asami takes Korra’s limp arm and gives her hand a little squeeze. “Ready to go?”
~~
The car ride and subsequent boat ride to the island wasn’t a pleasant one. At least not for Korra. The whole time she was worrying about how they would be catching Ikki in the middle of preparations and Korra’s eventual embarrassment as she tried to explain everything. But whatever was going to happen was going to happen because the couple had just arrived at the dock.
“Are you sure you don’t wanna stay in the boat?” Korra desperately asks, Asami laughs it off.
“Yea I’m sure, I’m stressed not sick, Korra” Asami says, leading her worried girlfriend off the boat. “You’ve been acting so weird lately”
“Yea well, despite the lack of things to do today, it hasn’t been without its normal… Eventfulness” Korra says reluctantly, silently hoping that Ikki hadn’t done anything yet. They make their way up the staircase to the courtyard, Korra trying to figure out what to say, but eventually resigning to the fact that there’s really nothing she can do at this point. They ascend the staircase, Korra looking directly at the stone masonry, dreading the sight that was awaiting them. The loud gasp from Asami causes her to wince as she looks up. As it turns out, Korra’s special occasion had surprised her as well. With soft music playing, the courtyard was decorated to perfection, every candle placed, every bundle of Fire Lilies had been absolutely, positively perfect. As Korra scans the beautiful display in front of her, her eyes land on Ikki who has been trying her hardest to not jump up and down in excitement. The Avatar shoots the little airbender a quizzical look, who in turn gives her a thumbs up accompanied with an ear to ear grin.
“So…” Korra begins, shifting her gaze to the starstruck woman beside her. “I don’t know if you realized, but today is the anniversary of when we first met”
“It’s beautiful Korra” Asami says, her eyes welling up. Korra wipes the tears away with her hand, careful not to smudge Asami’s immaculate make-up.
“I had a whole thing planned out, but I know you’re stressed so we can just do this another time” Korra says caringly, her hand still cupping Asami’s cheek. The raven-haired woman lets out a small laugh. Now Korra’s confused again. “What’s so funny?”
“I might have exaggerated my stress levels a bit,” She says, pointing over to a blanket and picnic basket a little distance away on a patch of grass. Korra hadn’t even noticed the it. “I had planned something for today too” Korra spots a tuxedoed Bolin trying his best to hide behind a tree trunk, somehow not realizing that a 6 inch wide tree stood no chance at concealing him.
“Wait so you knew dinner was going to be cancelled this whole time?” Korra says, taking a few mental steps back. She then gives Asami an impressed smile. “You’re a fantastic actress, it should’ve been you in Varrick’s movers”
“Well my surprise for you was a picnic dinner, what did you have in mind?” Asami asks, Korra’s cheeks flush red.
“Um… A dance” Korra’s cheeks flush as a sheepish grin flashes across her face. “I had been practicing with Opal in my free time for a while now”
“That’s so sweet Korra!” Asami says, tilting her head to the side slightly, more tears forming in her eyes. “Last time we danced was…”
“Varrick’s wedding,” Korra answers for her, running the night over in her head. “But we weren’t a couple yet, so I figured we never had an official dance. But before we get to that, I’d love to know what meal you had planned for this evening”
“Lets go over and find out shall we?” Asami says, taking Korra’s hand and leading her over to the basket. “It’ll be a surprise for me too, I didn’t give any specifics”
“Ah, Good Evening Miss Sato, Avatar Korra” Bolin greets them formally, bowing to each as he says their name. He’s even put on a fake mustache to look more like a fancy waiter. He dramatically opens up the large wicker basket and pulls out several steaming bamboo baskets and a couple small bowls. One by one he removes their lids. “For the appetizer, we will be traveling to the Northern Air Temple where you will find their signature vegetable soup to be light, but simply delightful” Bolin says, placing a bowl in front of each of the women. He picks out the largest basket next, inside laid several slices perfectly seasoned meat. “Next, we will be flying on over to the Palace of Ba Sing Se where every night they serve this exact dish, braised hippo-cow” He then moves over to a medium sized basket. “Accompanying this fine entrée comes from the Southern Water tribe, a delectable seaweed salad that a certain Avatar might find especially appealing”
“Oh wow Bolin! This all looks so amazing!” Korra gasps in awe over the spread in front of them. He clicks between his teeth before pulling out the smallest basket, and lays it in between the two.
“This, my dear friends, comes from a small village in the fire nation,” He slowly lifts the lid, trying to build up the suspense, which is working terrifically by the way. Both young lovers have their eyes staring at the small container, trying to get a first glimpse at its contents. “An apple tart, where its intense flavor can only be truly enjoyed if made with the one-of-a-kind apple found in the Western side of the Fire Nation” With the picnic blanket almost completely covered in delicacies from across the world, Bolin bows his head and shuffles away without another word.
“Here’s to four years of friendship-and-or-girlfriendship,” Korra says awkwardly, holding up the her bowl of vegetable soup. Asami gives her a loving smile before joining her and raising her own bowl.
“And many more years to come” Asami says as Korra begins to spoon the soup into her mouth. “I can’t believe its only been four years…”
“I know what you mean” Korra slows down her intake of the delicious meal and gives Asami an understanding look, she takes hold of one of her free hands. “Those three years I was gone really slowed everything down, when I was still in the wheelchair days felt like months. You’re letters helped though. Gave me a sense of time and place when I really needed it the most”
“Well you should’ve known that going to the Southern Water Tribe wasn’t going to get rid of me that easy,” Asami says lightheartedly, she takes in a spoonful of the vegetable broth.
“I kept them all you know” Korra says, smiling absentmindedly as she takes some of the seaweed salad. Asami gives her a somewhat confused look. “Your letters. I didn’t throw out a single one. I have them in a little box back at my Dads palace”
“You know I wouldn’t mind if you happened to lose a select few of them” Asami says with a laugh. “Some of them were just uninhibited ranting about stuff at the company”
“Naw, I liked hearing about what was going on in the city,” Korra says, remembering how she’d look forward to Asami’s weekly letters, it was always something to take her mind off of whatever pain she happened to feel that day. She then remembers her own pile of unsent letters, most of them half-finished and the ink splotched with tears. “I’m just sorry that I only sent you one, I had written dozens, but never had the courage to send them”
“Why’s that?” Asami says, noticing how Korra’s face was now full of shame. She tries to lighten the mood and gives the Avatar a little nudge with her shoulder. “Afraid I was gonna spellcheck them?”
“No nothing like that” Korra says, cracking a half smile. “I just didn’t know what to say, I wasn’t exactly in the best mindset”
“Hey don’t worry about it” Asami says, wrapping an arm around Korra. She leans her head onto the Avatars sturdy shoulder. “You’re here now, and I couldn’t be happier”
They sit like that for a moment, neither of them touching their food. Korra gives Asami a light kiss on the head before breaking the silence. “Come on, our dinners going to get cold”
~~
“This’ll be interesting” Korra says, slowly getting to her feet. They had eaten good meals before, but this picnic was truly something else. Not a single dish went unfinished, and Korra noted to herself that they absolutely had to visit that Fire Nation village someday. “I don’t think I’ve ever danced with this full of a stomach before” She extends a hand down to Asami who takes it graciously.
“Oh come on, the Avatar can’t dance after a full meal?” Asami says playfully. “I know for a fact you go sparring after you and your dad go to that buffet”
“Sparring different” Korra says, holding Asami’s hand as they make their way over to the decorated courtyard. “Dancing is so precise and fluid”
“Then as a waterbender you should do just fine” Asami says, giving Korra a little kiss as they center themselves in the courtyard, the faint music steadily building to a comfortable level. Asami lays her arms on Korra’s shoulders, her hands coming together behind the Avatar’s neck. Korra then gently places her own hands on Asami’s waist, beginning to sway to the rhythm of the song. “So what did Opal teach you?”
“Um, nothing fancy really,” Korra admits, thinking back to her sessions with the young airbender. “As you know from the wedding, I don’t really have a good sense of rhythm so we worked on that for a bit”
“Yeah, I was kind of surprised to find that out” Asami says, thinking back to Varricks reception. Korra’s footwork was fantastic, but her timing was really hit or miss. Something she just assumed came naturally to good fighters. “Have you ever thought about dancing as a kind of duel?”
“Opal said that can work for some people,” Korra says, beginning to pick up the pace. “But in a duel, you’re at odds with someone, and I want to dance with you, not against you”
“Oh good point” Asami says with a laugh. “I’d rather not end up with singed hair”
“Wanna change it up?” Asami nods readily and Korra takes her right hand off Asami’s hip and holds her left hand. “Opal says this is a classic ballroom dance, apparently they don’t just do that ballet stuff in Zaofu”
“Ooo how romantic” Asami says, causing Korra to blush. Step by step, they find themselves circling the courtyard. Off to the side, an emotional Bolin is being held by Opal, who had arrived a few minutes ago. The two women don’t notice, they’re too busy getting lost in each other’s eyes.
“I take it dinner went well?” Opal whispers to her boyfriend who is dangerously close to sobbing.
“It went perfectly!” Bolin squeaks, allowing a single tear to streak down his cheek. Opal wipes it away. “And now they’re dancing!”
“Korra’s doing a great job too,” Opal says, trying not to join Bolin in tears. “She’s improved so much since we started practicing”
“We should probably let them be” Bolin says, clearing his throat. He straightens his fake mustache and offering an arm to his lady. “I’m sure we can think of something to do”
“Right, as if you don’t have something planned already” Opal says taking his arm as she rolls her eyes. As they leisurely stroll away, Korra and Asami slow their dance to a halt as they reach a familiar wooden railing.
“Can we just pretend that this is where we first met?” Korra pleads as they rest on the railing, looking out to the ocean just like all those years ago. “Its much more romantic than Tarlokk’s gala”
“Oh come on,” Asami says, playfully elbowing Korra’s arm. “I kinda like how abrupt and suspicious you were of me at first” Korra face palms and Asami lets out a hearty laugh. “But seriously, it doesn’t really matter how we first met, we still ended up here, let’s just be thankful for that”
“Why are you always right?” Korra smiles gratefully at the taller woman.
“Curse of being perfect all the time” Asami jokes, flipping her hair over her shoulder. Korra plucks a flower from the nearest bundle of Fire Lilies and gives it to her.
“You do like these things right?” Korra asks with a raised eyebrow. Asami takes the flower and gives Korra a light kiss on the cheek.
“Yes you dork, stop worrying about everything” Asami says with a laugh, she gazes deeply into those ocean eyes. “Tonight has been perfect”
Korra wraps her arms around Asami’s waist and pulls her in close. Centimeters apart, they pause. They’ve kissed a thousand different times in a thousand different ways, but they aren’t looking for some new experimental technique. Korra reminds herself about what Pema said about keeping tonight simply romantic, that cliché wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for them. Deciding not to think about it any further, she rests her forehead against the young engineer.
“I love you Asami” She closes the gap between them, tightening her arm around Asami’s waist while using her other to cradle her back. Asami instinctively cups Korra’s face as their lips connect, shooting tingles and sparks down each other’s spines. It’s really true what they say, for what seemed like eternity in a loving embrace was only mere seconds to the rest of the world. Breathless, they pull apart, Asami still holding Korra’s face gently in her hands, sporting the most brilliant smile.
“I love you too” Korra brings her own hand to her cheek, resting it on Asami’s. The engineer’s loving smile was then replaced by a somewhat playful if not mischievous smile. “If you want, we could continue this at home…”
“Mmm” Korra says, closing her eyes at the suggestion. “Maybe change into something a little more… Romantic?”
“Yes, I think that will do very nicely” Asami says, her mischievous smile turning sheepish. She gestures down to their usual outfits. “I guess I could’ve come up with an excuse that got us into something more celebratory”
“Oh I don’t think clothes will be something you’ll need worry about in a couple minutes” Korra grins, she glances down at the dock, imagining the unbearable sexual tension during the ride back to their apartment. “What do you say if we stayed here tonight? My old bedroom?”
“I was about to suggest that very thing,” Asami says, biting the lower lip of her naughty smile. “Otherwise, I might’ve crashed on the way home thinking about you, and that’s some publicity we don’t need”
“Afraid to make the front pages again Sato?” Korra says, taking her girlfriend’s hand and leading her away to the living quarters. They make their way into the long hallway, Korra’s room was near the end, next to several vacant ones. Technically Tenzin had reserved them for Mako and Bolin if they ever needed to stay the night, but that rarely occurred. Halfway down the corridor, Korra sweeps Asami off her feet, forcing a giggle out of the young socialite and carries her the rest of the way. With a sharp nod of her head, she airbends the door open and practically throws her onto her bed. Asami stares lovingly into those light blue eyes, her lips slightly parted from her increased breathing. Korra leans down to kiss her, but is stopped when Asami puts a finger to her lips.
“Let’s just make sure to lock our door this time”
FIN