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Korra closed the wings of her glider before landing on the patio in front of the dining hall at Air Temple Island.
“Tenzin!” she called out before rushing inside.
“Korra!” Tenzin looked up from his plate. “What’s going on?”
“Mako thinks some jerks are planning to bomb a public space and we don’t know what,” Korra said urgently. “We’re looking for the Chief but we couldn’t find her anywhere.” She paused to take a breath, and also steal a steamed bun from the table.
“Did you check her apartment?” Tenzin asked.
“No, that’s why I came here, to ask you where it is”, she said while chewing.
“I’m afraid I don’t know where she lives.” Tenzin replied and frowned.
From beside him, Pema cleared her throat.
“Why don’t you ask Kya? She could know where Lin is.” She remarked casually.
“Oh yeah, that’s a great idea!” Korra exclaimed.
“That’s right, they are very close friends,” Tenzin added. “Do you know where Kya is?”
“I saw her walking towards the pavilion near the Western coast.”
“Thanks a lot, Pema!” Korra shouted, already running.
She made her way around the main building, then ran along the path weaving down the coast. Left at the fork by the Air Nomad sculpture, and she was almost there. She prepared to call for Kya from the top of the alcove, but she couldn’t, as her jaw dropped to the floor.
A picnic blanket was sprawled on the ground. There was a picnic basket, next to which multiple plates with steamed buns, dumplings and sweets were neatly placed. An empty bottle was abandoned next to two glasses. And amongst all these things was Kya, with her back to Korra. Sitting on someone’s lap and making out with them passionately and loudly. Korra could only see their legs, clad in elegant black trousers, and their hands caressing Kya’s back.
Korra felt suddenly bashful. By now she had heard many of Kya’s stories about romantic rendezvous with women. She knew Kya was very active, too – she was frequently going on dates from what she had told Korra. But seeing it in action was something else. Korra switched the weight of her legs nervously.
Kya’s lover gripped her tighter and brought her closer. To Korra’s utter horror, Kya let out a loud and prolonged moan. And now Korra was worried she might witness something she absolutely did not want to see her mentor engaging in. Before things escalated, she cleared her throat.
“Hi, I’m really, really sorry to interrupt but… uhh… Kya, do you know where Lin might be?”
Kya let go of her date, but otherwise barely moved. Korra couldn’t see the other person still.
“Why?” Kya asked, voice shaky.
“Because we have an emergency and we need her help?”
Kya looked at her date and then tilted her head slightly sidewise to address Korra.
“What emergency?”
“We got evidence that someone is planning to bomb something big, soon, and we need to figure out a way to stop them.”
Kya looked back at her lover. Then she asked amused,
“And you absolutely can’t do that without Lin?”
“No… do you know where she is?”
Kya looked back at her date, and Korra heard them sigh deeply. Then Kya turned, barely containing laughter. Korra was too confused what was happening, and why Kya wasn’t telling her where Lin was so that she could get her and go save the day. While she was trying to process, Kya got up, as did her date. It took Korra a second to look at the date, and another second to recognize her.
All of a sudden, Korra was staring at a disheveled, angry Lin Beifong. Her olive-green button-up was open, revealing her rapidly rising chest. Wait, she owned something other than tank tops? She was wearing one anyway, snug underneath red scratch marks from Kya’s nails, and a hickey on her collarbone. Two more hickeys adorned both sides of her neck, and Korra was actually impressed with how dark Kya had gotten them to be. Asami found them painful after a certain point, and Korra had never…
“Weren’t you in a rush, Avatar?” Lin’s coarse voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Uh, yes” Korra said, startled.
Lin gave her another dirty look.
“Who’s gonna save your ass when I’m dead, huh? Can’t I have one calm night?”
“You’re not gonna die, Lin.” Kya scolded her sternly. Korra turned to look at her: her hair was sticking out from her bun, and her gaze was still dizzy.
“Fine. Who’s gonna save your ass when I retire, then.” Lin murmured. Kya sent her a small smile in return. Korra was now conscious she was in the middle of an intimate encounter.
“Wait… you guys are… hooking up?” she asked, finally comprehending that she had just caught Kya making out with Lin.
Lin raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her and turned to Kya. Kya shot back a questioning look, to which Lin shrugged in indifference.
“We’re together” Kya announced proudly. She smiled radiantly at Lin, whose expression softened.
“What?” what. Kya and Lin? Lin and Kya?
“Just like you and Asami,” Kya winked at her and pulled Lin to her side by her waist.
“Well not quite like them” she muttered under her breath.
“Okay… I am happy for you guys! But Chief, we really gotta go.” Korra urged reluctantly.
Lin let out another dramatic sigh.
“Come on, Chief,” Kya said and draped her arm over Lin’s shoulders. “You go and save Republic City. I’ll be waiting for you to pay you back for your service.” She finished seductively, and Lin rolled her eyes. Her blush betrayed her, though.
“Here or back at the apartment?” she asked quietly.
“Back home.”
“Okay. Let’s go, kid.” She motioned to Korra to lead the way.
“Wait!” Kya called out. As Lin turned to face her, Kya grabbed her by the lapels of her shirt and kissed her deeply. Korra looked away. In her view, the kiss lasted way too long to be appropriate. But that made her think of her PDA with Asami, and she suddenly understood why people seemed uncomfortable around them.
A final smooch signified Kya had let go, so Korra chanced a look at the couple.
“Take care,” Kya said. Lin squeezed her hand gently. Then she turned towards Korra, and the tenderness on her face was swiftly replaced by irritation.
“Alright.” Then she strode past Korra and up along the path. With one last look at Kya, who smiled at her cheekily, Korra started running to catch up with Lin. When she did, she said awkwardly,
“So uhh… I didn’t know you liked women.”
“That’s the point,” Lin replied as she buttoned up her shirt.
“Why?”
“Have you read the papers recently? These critters are going flameo about you and Asami”
“Yeah, but what do you care? Love is stronger than hate! They can say whatever they want but love always wins” Korra huffed. She thought Lin was tougher than that.
“I care about Kya, kid. I don’t want anyone harassing her.”
“Oh.”
They walked for a while in silence, until Korra picked up again.
“So how long have you guys been together?”
“How old are you?”
“Nineteen.”
“Twenty-three years, give or take.”
“What?!” Korra stopped in her tracks. She had barely seen Kya and Lin interact. She couldn’t believe they’ve been together for that long.
“What, can’t believe Kya would like a bitter old loner like me?” Lin remarked crossly. Korra realized with a pang she was referring to what she had told her back in Zaofu.
“It’s okay, sometimes I can’t believe that either,” Lin added.
They had reached the ferry back to the mainland. Lin barked something to the acolytes manning the boat, and they scrambled to get the sails ready. Lin got on board and leaned against the railing at the back of the boat. Korra followed her nervously.
“I don’t think you’re a bitter old loner,” she said, leaning against the railing beside Lin. They both looked ahead towards the nose of the ship. From her peripheral vision, Korra caught Lin rolling her eyes.
“You care about everyone and would sacrifice yourself in a beat to save us,” Korra asserted, “And it seems you love Kya very much. You guys are so sweet!”
Lin fidgeted with her fingers. They both looked down to see Lin rubbing her thumb against a dark grey ring on her ring finger. Korra gasped.
“Are you and Kya married?”
“Mhmm”
Korra looked at her astonished. She didn’t even know two women getting married was possible. And here they were, one of her mentors married to her other mentor. They were wives! Korra felt her mouth curve in a grin.
Lin took off her ring. She reached inside her shirt and took out a thin silver chain. After unclasping it, she attached the ring to it, and tucked it back inside her shirt, where it was hidden from view.
“So no one knows you and Kya are together?”
“It’s not a secret. But it’s not anyone’s business either.”
Korra suddenly remembered something.
“Tenzin said you two were very good friends!” she laughed. Lin raised her eyebrow in amusement.
“Tenzin is dense as smoked sea slug. He’s also bog-deep in denial. We were technically together when Kya and I hooked up for the first time.” She said and smirked.
“What? You’re a menace, Chief!” Korra laughed. “I need to know about this!”
“Ask Kya. I know she tells you all sorts of details about our relationship.”
“But I didn’t know it was you… Wait, was her story about Ember Island with you?”
Lin blushed deeply, visible even in the scarce evening light. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said all too quickly.
“It was totally you! The Firelord’s guards heard you and thought someone was attacking the house but it was just you and Kya-“
“Shhhh” Lin slapped her palm against Korra’s mouth. She just laughed, unbothered.
Lin looked around them anxiously. Korra stopped laughing.
“You’re really paranoid about someone finding out, huh?”
Lin looked at her gruffly, confirmation written all over her face.
“Well in that case, I should probably inform you, you have two massive hickeys on your neck.”
The sound of Korra’s laughter mixed with Lin’s growl in the cool evening air.