Chapter Text
Wrapped in a robe and blanket against the evening chill, Asami shuffled out onto the walkway that connected the ladies' dormitory with the rest of Air Temple Island. Her slippers were silent on the boards as she made her way toward the meditation pavilion looking over the bay. She regretted not fixing herself a cup of tea before coming out here. Winter was well on its way, and she was chilly in spite of the layers. Was it just her, or was it getting colder earlier this year?
While Team Avatar's ventures into the city to fight Amon's forces had taken Asami's mind off the tumult of the past several days, the silence of quiet evenings proved to be a two-edged sword. She liked to take some time for herself, to rest and recharge, but lately her thoughts had a miserable habit of revisiting the events that had led to her staying here in the first place. The disbelief, then shock, then the crushing sting of betrayal when her father had asked her to turn on her friends.
Her only friends.
And what if they hadn't been there? She still couldn't have done it. Still couldn't have condoned his violence against an entire group of people based on such a twisted sense of morality. Where was he now? Was he okay? The electric glove still sitting in her room didn't seem powerful enough to cause permanent damage, but how could she know? What was he doing now? Why did she even care?
Because he was still her father.
Maybe it hadn't fully sunk in, that he really was so far gone. That he was building weapons for criminals, aiding in their effort all in the name of some false sense of justice. He was destroying their family name, tarnishing what scattered memories Asami had left of her mother with his senseless violence. How could he not see that?
Asami curled the blanket more tightly around her shoulders when she heard the dormitory door slide open. A touch jumpy, she turned to see Korra, still fully dressed from the day, her expression making it obvious that she had hoped not to be caught.
"Don't worry, I won't tell." Asami's tone was amicable, and she offered Korra a small, tired smile.
"Oh, I... wasn't going anywhere, anyway," Korra admitted as she approached Asami under the pavilion. "Can't sleep either?"
Asami nodded, and Korra rested her elbows on the structure's railing.
"You'd think it'd be easy to tire myself out. I've never seen this much action in my life."
"Same, honestly. From the time I was four, the White Lotus kept me in this... giant, frozen compound separated from the rest of the Tribe. I never would have expected the real world to be so... complicated." There was a note of bitterness and frustration in Korra's voice, and Asami watched her quietly. It had always been plain as day that Korra had never been to the city before, but it had never been Asami's place to ask her about it. She knew that the Avatar struggled with airbending, that she felt isolated in this whole new world, but all she could do was offer support. She moved to stand closer, also leaning lightly against the railing as she spoke.
"The past few weeks have had plenty of rude wakeup calls for a lot of us." Because Asami couldn't say that she understood what Korra was dealing with, what kind of pressures lay on her shoulders. Korra snorted.
"You can say that again."
Asami's face softened sympathetically. Always a pinnacle of tact, Korra was.
"First, it was the White Lotus breathing down my neck about not trying hard enough to connect with my spiritual self, now it's Tenzin always trying to tell me what to do, and I get to deal with Tarrlok's smug comments about how he clearly doesn't think I'm a real Avatar. And that's on top of trying to stop some masked freak from destroying bending!" Korra's voice only grew louder and louder as she vented. Asami pursed her lips and tentatively reached from under her blanket to rest a hand lightly on the Avatar's shoulder. It was surprisingly warm, and she felt some of the pent up tension ease. These were things that ate at Korra constantly. She knew that, had been at least partially aware even before she and the brothers had found her crying alone outside the temple the other night.
"I never thought I would be so helpless," Korra finally admitted, her voice dropping to a near whisper.
"You're not helpless. You're just... stretched too thin," Asami's tone was just as quiet. "Anyone who expects you to just show up and deal with all of this on your own is delusional." Which Asami didn't think was the case with most of the people in Korra's life, but she could understand why Korra would feel that way. Through no fault of her own, she'd grown to expect too much of herself.
"But... even though it feels like it, you're not alone. And you don't have to be, either. That's not how anyone succeeds, Avatar or not." Asami finally dropped her hand, and it looked for a moment like Korra would say something, but she remained quiet.
"You want me to go make some tea? I know that always helps me sleep." A note of levity returned to Asami's voice, and she offered a small smile. Korra finally turned to face her and nodded.
"Thanks."
For what, exactly, Asami didn't ask.