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The large tent hums with laughter and conversation and the smell of dozens of different dishes makes Asami’s mouth water. Crammed inside the tent seems to be half the village and then some. Beside her, Korra ‘s laughing so hard at the story Tenzin’s telling that she snorts a noodle out her nose which makes both her, Bolin, and Meelo laugh even harder. Across the room in chairs by the fire sits Katara and Mako, talking quietly. Eska, Desna, and Korra’s mother, Senna seem to be discussing the latest spirit portal activity. Asami’s just about to ask Korra to pass the Five Flavor soup when someone grabs it. Asami does a double take when Tonraq sits down beside her and sets the soup down in front of her plate.
“Chief Tonraq.” Asami says cheerfully, blushing a bit. Having never had a decent conversation with him at a time when his daughter wasn’t fighting for her life or struggling to get through the day, she’s a little nervous.
“Ms. Sato.”
“You can call me Asami, if you want.” She says, ladling soup into her bowl. When he smiles at her she sees more of Korra in his eyes than ever before.
“Asami, then. I hear you and Korra are planning on traveling to the Swamp next, right?” the soup ladle slips from her hand slashing over her hand and plate.
“Uh- Yeah.” Asami says wiping her hand off and attempting to mop up her mess with her napkin. She and Korra hadn’t told anyone yet, he must’ve overheard them talking about it before dinner.
“Alone again?” he asks taking a big bite of arctic hen while he watches her out of the corner of his eye.
“Yes, sir.” Asami’s eyes narrow and she lowers her voice, not that Korra’s paying them any mind anyway. “Chief Tonraq, are you interrogating me?” she asks smiling. “Is this the part where you tell me that if I hurt your little girl you’ll drop me off a glacier?”
He snorts a little and clears his throat before wiping his mouth and laughing. “She was right, you are smart.” Asami blushes a little, realizing that Korra had talked to her parents about her. “Or maybe I just wasn’t trying very hard.”
Asami sets her spoon down to keep from fiddling with it and looks him in the eyes. “I care about Korra a lot, Chief Tonraq. I’d do anything and everything possible to keep her safe and happy. I’ve done it before and I’d do it again.”
He smiles brightly and Asami’s a little shocked how much it looks like Korra’s cocky smile. “Good.” He says clapping a hand on her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. “But for the record, if you ever do hurt by baby girl, it won’t be me coming after you.” He says quietly, nodding in the direction of his wife. “She’s pretty efficient with a broom stick and I if I were you, I really wouldn’t risk upsetting the wife of her pervious life.” Across the room, Katara looks from Mako to her as if she’d heard every word he’d said. They planned that, she thinks. Katara’s nearly eighty, there’s no way she heard that.
Several hours later, Korra and Asami sit on a bench outside in the snow playing fetch with Naga. “So your dad and I had a conversation tonight.” Asami says, rubbing her hands together for warmth.
“Yeah?” Korra asks, putting her arm around Asami. “Please tell me he didn’t tell you the one about that stupid Ming-snake- I told him not to tell that one.” Korra says with a look of horror.
“No, not that.” Asami says laughing. “He uh…” Asami looks down blushing brightly.
Korra leans down to look at her “What? Did he say something about your dad?”
With great leaps strong enough to shake the barn behind them, Naga returns to them. She drops her ball at Asami’s feet and drops her heavy head onto her lap, panting and smiling up at her.
Asami smiles and rubs Naga’s head, leaning closer to Korra. “No nothing like that. He, uh- told me not to hurt you.
“What? That’s ridiculous and he knows that. I’m still not at full strength but I can handle sparring! Man he’s so-”
“Korra.” Asami says, putting one gloved hand on her knee. “He meant not to hurt your feelings.” Korra looks at her confused. “Not to, uh- break your heart.” Korra stares at her for another long second before laughing so loud that it echoes off the glaciers around them. Naga playfully starts jumping around the two of them, panting and kicking up a cloud of snow.
“What did he threaten you with? Feeding you to Naga? Throwing you in prison?”
Asami rubs her neck awkwardly, picking up Naga’s ball and throwing it as hard as she could. “Nice throw.” Korra says, wearing her usual crooked grin.
“Thanks.”
“So what did he-”
“He threatened to sick your mother and Katara on me.”
“Katara…?” Korra laughs loudly. “Did he seriously threaten you with my previous life’s wife? Seriously?”
Asami cuddles closer laughing. “Seriously. And right after he said it she looked at me like she heard exactly what he said.”
“Awwww.” Korra says, kissing Asami’s cheek. “Don’t worry about them. They used to pull that trick on me too. They’re like Naga, all bark and very little bite.” At the sound of her name, Naga puts on more speed and skids to a stop in front of Korra, spraying their laps with snow and polar bear dog drool. “Aren’t they, Naga?” she asks Naga in a baby voice, rubbing her ears and hugging her close. “Aren’t’ Dad and Sifu Katara just sweet old goof bags like you? Aren’t they?” Naga barks agreeably and noses her ball toward Korra. Korra throws the ball twice as far as Asami did with a short burst of airbending.
Asami grins at her slyly as Naga tears off after it in a shower of snow. “Show off.”
Korrra kisses her. “You love it.”
“I do.” They smile against one another’s lips as Naga barks happily in the distance.