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Korra missed Asami.
It had been just a couple days since Tokuga’s defeat and, in typical Team Avatar fashion, there had been no rest for the weary. Asami was knee-deep in reconstruction work for the city and had refused to take even one day off, stating that the Tokuga nonsense had taken up too much of her time already. Korra was spread thin across the many duties and issues that required her attention as the Avatar. Sometimes she wished there were ten other avatars that could share the load. Since that wasn’t possible, she had spent the day flying from meeting to meeting.
The day started with a meeting at the spirit portal to facilitate preliminary discussions between the spirits and city council. That meeting had started at dawn as the spirits deemed that an auspicious time. As far as Korra was concerned, dawn was still a time to be sleeping but she had set an alarm and showed up without complaint, acting the part of the cool, balanced Avatar she strove to be. Later that morning, she had spent a few hours at the evacuee camps to check in with the volunteers and lend what support she could. The presence of the Avatar alone seemed to bolster the spirits of the volunteers and evacuees alike and Korra also dove right into the real work to be done.
The afternoon had been spent with Mako and Bolin on the beat. With the city streets still in turmoil from the fallout from Kuvira’s attack and a new power vacuum in the triads from Tokuga’s defeat, the police needed any help they could get. Just that afternoon, the trio chased down a hit by a splinter group off the Triple Threats that tried to loot a warehouse and broke up a street fight between the Creeping Crystals and the Terra Triad in broad daylight. Presently, she was wrapping up a meeting at the police station with Chief Beifong and her lieutenants to debrief on the state of the city and share any new intel gathered. When the Chief finally dismissed them all, it was past six o’clock.
One part of Korra just wanted to go back to Air Temple Island for a quiet meal with the family and go straight to sleep. But that was a very small part of her mind. The majority of her attention kept swiveling back to Asami and wondering how she was doing. Yesterday had been an equally busy day and they had only crossed paths briefly in a meeting with the city planning board and Wonyong Keum where Asami had rolled out a preliminary plan from her team for reconstruction around the spirit portal to accommodate the new dynamic. They hadn’t had any time to speak one-on-one before both of them had rushed to their next meetings.
As Korra left the police station and whipped out her glider, she made up her mind to visit her girlfriend. She first flew to the construction site where Asami had set up a temporary office but the security guards informed her that Ms. Sato had headed back home for the evening about an hour earlier. Korra took flight again and headed to the Sato mansion. Korra rang the doorbell and the butler answered.
“Good evening, Avatar Korra. How may I help you?”
“Hey, I was looking for Asami. Do you know if she’s available?”
“Yes, of course. Please, do come in and have a seat and I will inquire after Ms. Sato. May I take your staff? I’ll leave it by the coat rack for safekeeping.”
The butler led Korra into the drawing room then left to stow the airbender staff and find Asami. Korra gingerly took a seat on the sofa, suddenly realizing that she was kind of grimy from the day’s work. She mentally cursed herself for not thinking to wash up first but it was too late. Korra was idly toying with a piece of metal she’d found in her pocket, constantly reshaping and spinning it between her hands, when Grandma Yin burst into the room.
“So lovely of you to drop by, Avatar Korra!” The elderly woman beamed at Korra as she stepped into the room and planted herself in a nearby armchair. “It has been far too long since your last visit.” This was true. Before Korra and Asami left on their vacation to the spirit world, Asami had mostly been staying with Korra at Air Temple Island. The Sato mansion had become a little too full after the battle of the Colossus when King Wu had taken up residence there as well. Now that he had left to take up his kingly duties, Asami had reclaimed her room (after deep-cleaning and airing it out to get rid of the lingering scent of King Wu’s heavy cologne). Korra had to admit that sharing the small twin bed in her room on Air Temple Island had not been the most comfortable arrangement, as much as she loved cuddling with Asami.
“Sorry I didn’t drop by sooner. I guess things have been busy with rebuilding the city and all. How’s your family doing?”
“Splendidly! I was sorry that King Wu could no longer grace us with his presence.” She looked mournfully at portraits of the royal family that were now hung on the wall over the fireplace. Korra had a very strong suspicion that they had not been there before Grandma Yin had moved in. “Still, we were honored that he could stay with us. And the boys have been doing so well! Chow and Tu have been down to the evacuee camps every day, volunteering with food distribution. Then Bolin was over for dinner yesterday with that sweet airbender girl from Zaofu. And Mako’s been working so hard, through his heroic injury and everything. Did you hear about how he single-handedly destroyed that awful metal machine from the inside out?”
Korra chuckled softly but didn’t have the heart to correct the story and said only, “He’s one of the bravest people I know, for sure.”
Grandma Yin beamed at Korra again and before she could delve into retelling the tale whether Korra wanted or not, the butler reentered the room and cleared his throat. “Miss Sato is in the garage and said you are welcome to join her now, if you wish.”
Korra leapt up, “Great! I do wish. Great to see you Mrs. Yin," Korra saluted respectfully with fist in palm and followed the butler out.
While they walked, the butler added, “Miss Sato also informed me that you’re welcome over anytime. Apologies for the wait; it won’t happen again.”
“No problem! I like the sound of that. Thank you.”
It was a short walk from the main mansion to the small garage and workshop that Asami preferred. The butler left Korra at the door and she headed in following the clanking of tools and the sound of some muttered curses. Korra scanned the garage, taking in the scene. A long workbench lined the wall to the left and was scattered with various blueprints, sketches, prototypes, projects and tools. In the center of the garage was one of Asami’s satomobiles, a dark blue roadster.
Korra spotted Asami, or just her legs actually, from where she was situated under the satomobile. Her work pants and boots looked like they’d seen plenty of grease since their last wash, which made Korra feel a little better about her own state of dress. She noticed an electric glove lying on the ground by the toolbox just within arms’ reach of where Asami was working and grimaced. It was clearly not for the work at hand and was a safety precaution against unwanted intruders.
“Hey, Asami,” Korra called out in greeting, not wanting to startle Asami if she was nerved up.
“Korra, you’re here!” Asami didn’t move out from under the car and the clink of tools working continued as she spoke. “Just a minute and I’ll be right out. I left work a little early because I couldn’t focus. Figured doing some overdue maintenance work on the roadster would help clear my head. Pull up a stool.”
“Oh yeah, what are you working on? Just the other day you said it was tuned perfectly,” Korra teased. She spotted a small stool on wheels near the car and sat down by the tool box on the ground near where Asami’s legs were sticking out from under the car.
Asami huffed from under the car. “Well, obviously it is! But it did need an oil change. But once I got under it, I noticed that the oil pan was leaking so decided I’d better just drop the pan and put in a new gasket. You know how it goes.”
Korra did not, in fact, know how it went. “Uh, yeah, leaks sound bad.”
“Exactly. I mean, it was only just starting to leak and really wasn’t that bad but I’m the CEO of Future Industries. I can’t be driving around leaving oil spots wherever I park. It’d be undignified.”
“I’m not sure anybody could ever consider you undignified,” Korra countered then teased, “Well, unless they saw you right now.” Korra thought about how Asami presented herself to the public and wondered if anyone else in Republic City would recognize this grease tiger-monkey as the well-heeled Asami Sato, CEO.
“Hey! What I do on my off-hours is none of their business. Whoever they are.”
Korra laughed, “Absolutely. So how can I help?”
“I’m just bolting the oil pan back on, then we should be in good shape to fill her with fresh oil. Could you pass me the socket wrench with the 10 mil?” Asami extended out a gloved hand towards the tool box.
Korra bent down to eye the toolbox. “Um…” She picked up one of the many wrenches in the box and put it in Asami hand, having no idea what “ten mill” meant.
The hand retracted with the tool briefly before Asami laughed and wheeled out from under the car on the creeper she was lying on. “Sorry, I should have explained better.” She sat up to replace the wrench and dig through the toolbox. “Wrenches come in all different sizes and a socket wrench is a different design that works on a ratchet so you don’t have to keep resetting the wrench on the bolt…”
Korra was not at all listening, suddenly completely distracted by the sight before her. Asami was wearing a loose white tank top and her hair was tied back in a messy low ponytail. Korra could see the black sports bra through the thin fabric shirt and bit her lip thinking about what was under all that. Asami didn’t even notice and quickly disappeared back under the car, presumably with the proper tools in hand. Korra bent down to watch Asami work as she continued talking through what she was doing.
“You want to make sure to tighten the bolts from the middle out and in a kind of crisscross pattern to get an even seal.” Korra was not sure she’d remember this lesson but was memorizing every line of Asami’s lean arms as she tightened each bolt carefully. Asami pulled off the socket and handed the socket wrench back to Korra. “Actually, could you swap this out with the torque wrench? It looks like this but with an adjustable screw and dial at the bottom with numbers on it.”
Korra dug through the toolbox and pulled out something that looked pretty comparable to what was in her hand but thicker and heavier with markings at the bottom that were indecipherable to her. “This?” Korra asked as she passed it back and looked back at Asami for approval.
“Perfect, thanks! It’s only a matter of time before we make a gearhead out of you,” Asami winked at her as she replaced the socket in her hand on the torque wrench.
Korra blushed and sat back up so her face was out of direct line of sight to hide it. “Nah, I’m safest with the elements. Anyway, I’ve gotta leave something to the non-benders.”
“Hey, it’s a new age of the Avatar. I’m pretty sure there are no limits to what you can do. But don’t worry; I won’t add anything to your already full plate.” Asami clicked her way around the oil pan with the torque wrench then rolled out from under the car, zeroed out the torque wrench and started putting away the tools. “Alright, let’s fill her up! Can you open the garage door for me?”
Korra did so and watched as Asami poured oil into the roadster, started it up and checked for leaks while it warmed up, then turned it off and topped off the oil. “Good as new! Just need to take it off the jackstands and we’re rolling.” Asami declared as she dropped her gloves on the workbench and started to wheel over a hydraulic jack.
Korra seized her moment. “That, I can help with.” The bender stepped wide and crouched low into a horse stance. She heaved a deep breath to engage her core and raised her arms in a calculated manner to carefully raise the entire satomobile up a couple inches. The satomobile was heavier than what she normally earthbent or metalbent and this was a much trickier maneuver than just blasting rocks. Asami went wide-eyed but then quickly reacted by scurrying around to remove each of the jackstands and Korra strained all her muscles to gently return the satomobile to the earth. Korra grinned widely and crossed her arms, pretending that she wasn’t going to be sore tomorrow from showing off to her sexy girlfriend. She was no Toph Beifong but Korra felt it was an admirable demonstration of strength and skill.
So did Asami apparently. She stared at Korra a moment, standing with one of the jackstands still in her hand, then carefully placed it on the ground and closed the distance between them with a couple long strides. “That,” Asami gestured at the satomobile sitting prettily in the middle of the garage, “was very hot.” Asami’s voice sounded husky and Korra felt herself blushing again as Asami stood inches from her face. “You can come hang out in my workshop anytime you like, Avatar Korra.” Asami punctuated each word by walking two fingers up Korra’s chest, finishing by crooking a finger into the front of Korra’s vest and pulling her into a kiss.
Korra lost herself in a kiss that she’d been aching for for days. She put her arms around Asami’s neck and felt Asami’s hands on her back to pull her even closer. Asami sucked on Korra’s bottom lip and Korra swiped her tongue across Asami’s upper, seeking entry. It was granted and they deepened the kiss. When Asami grabbed her ass, Korra moaned, which prompted Asami to pick Korra up by her thighs. Korra squeaked in surprise but didn’t break off the kiss and wrapped her legs around Asami’s sturdy hips as she carried Korra over to the workbench.
Korra was feeling breathless as Asami lowered her to sit atop the workbench. Asami was so refined and restrained in her everyday life and it was easy to forget how strong she was. Korra appreciated the reminder and tried to communicate that through another deep kiss. She was enjoying the reversal in height difference as well from this new vantage point.
Asami surfaced for a moment to raise an eyebrow at Korra. “Looks like another project just showed up on my bench. Something I’ve been meaning to get my hands on for a while.” Asami insinuated with a low sultry tone while her fingers deftly untied the pelt tied around Korra’s waist.
Korra’s eyes went wide and she put a hand on Asami’s chest, causing her to pause. “Wait, Asami, the garage door’s wide open!”
As if on cue, Korra spotted Grandma Yin shuffling towards them through the main garage door and she leapt off the workbench, hastily retying the pelt around her waist. “Dinner’s ready, ladies! Avatar Korra, will you be joining us this evening? I’ve cooked up some rice and beans with chicken and there’s plenty to go around – Oh my!” She exclaimed as she got closer to them. Korra tried not to look guilty but was sure she failed miserably. Grandma Yin squinted at them and scolded them, “You are both filthy. I expect you both to wash up before dinner.” With that, she turned away to shuffle back to the house.
Korra looked down at herself and saw that she was indeed covered in as much grease as Asami had been. Asami laughed and handed Korra a handkerchief. “Well, to start, you’ve got some lipstick right there.” She said, placing her thumb on the corner of Korra’s mouth.
Korra blushed and wiped off the lipstick smudged on from making out with Asami. “Alright if I stay for dinner? Suppose I’ll have to borrow your shower to meet Grandma Yin’s exacting standards.”
Asami smiled, “Of course, Korra. You’re welcome here anytime. That reminds me though, I do owe you a proper date, seeing as I had a poorly timed kidnapping before the last one. What are you doing tomorrow evening? Same time and place?”
“Sounds perfect.”
***
The prospect of a date with Asami Sato buoyed Korra through her entire day. She found herself counting down the hours and minutes. Her final meeting of the day was with President Raiko. When he steered the conversation towards his reelection and hinted at a request for Korra’s endorsement as the Avatar, she took it as her cue to leave. After making her insincere apologies about a prior commitment, she flew off with a guilt-free conscience to Air Temple Island for a quick shower and change. She wasn’t going to miss her dinner date for anything, least of all for political machinations.
Harmony Tower glowed brightly below Korra as she glided towards her destination. With a touch of whimsy, she circled the tower, slowly and lazily spiraling downwards as she admired the structure and the way the vines curled and tangled through it’s many beams. Maybe she was biased, but she liked the way the vines had integrated with the tower and it somehow seemed a fitting representation for the new Republic City. The spirits seemed to agree and some playful rabbit and squirrel like spirits were sliding down the vines and bouncing around the tower, adding a kind of pastel-colored light show to the whole display.
Korra smiled as she made a final glide over the reflecting pool to land lightly at the entrance to Fan’s Dumplings, perfectly situated across the pool from the tower. The hostess couldn’t quite contain her nervous energy as Korra approached the entrance.
“Avatar Korra, will you be dining with us this evening? Did you make a reservation? Actually, never mind, it doesn’t matter. Would you prefer indoors or outdoors?” The words tumbled out all at once.
“Actually, I think I see my table.” Korra caught a flash of red from across the patio and followed Asami’s smoldering gaze to the table where she was seated. Asami stood to greet her with a smile and a hug, which gave Korra a full view of her long flowing dress in a deep red that perfectly complimented her every curve. “Wow, Asami, you look beautiful. Hope you weren’t waiting too long?”
“Not at all, just got here a few minutes ago. While I usually love to make an entrance, I didn’t want to make anyone nervous by showing up late. Anyway, now I know that you have quite the flair for a fabulous entrance yourself.” Asami threw her a roguish grin as they seated themselves.
Korra blushed, absently wondering how it was that Asami could cause her to do so almost immediately. “What? I mean, I wasn’t trying to… You saw that? I just got caught up in the moment.”
“Mm-hmm, well, I guess you could say I got caught up in the moment too when my hot date put on a spontaneous aerial show.” Asami winked at Korra which made her wonder how she was going to make it through a polite dinner in any kind of civilized manner.
The waiter appeared right after they were seated with a bottle of wine in hand, saving Korra from coming up with a suitably flirtatious riposte. “We’re honored to have you both join us for dinner this evening. May we offer you this year 170 Earth Kingdom red? For the Avatar and her friend, it’s on the house.”
They graciously accepted the offering but as the waiter stepped away, Korra scoffed, “What’s the point of exploiting my rich girlfriend then if I can just get free drinks anytime I’m recognized? They’re taking all the fun out of my long con.”
Asami laughed as she lifted the glass. “And here, I thought you were just dating me for my stunning good looks. In any case, cheers to our first official date. May the long con continue.”
They clinked glasses and sipped the wine, which didn’t disappoint. “Is it really our first date?”
“Well, first formal one, I guess. But we did just get back from a vacation together and sort of attend a wedding together, and have been friends for years, so... it’s complicated?”
“Do you think lunch with Mako and Wu counted as a double-date?” Korra speculated.
Asami laughed, “I won’t tell Mako you said that. How’s he doing, by the way?”
Korra had been working closely with Mako and Bolin the last couple days. “He’s good. Still overworking himself and completely driven on solving all of Republic City’s crime problems at once, singlehandedly. So basically, he’s deliriously happy. But seriously, he and Bolin seem to have gotten into a groove as partners.”
“Arm’s still on the mend? I know he had that setback last week when the Triple Threats set a trap for the police.”
“Yeah, he’s still staying on Air Temple Island, so I’ve been able to help out with the healing some. He’ll be good as new in no time. But hey, how’re you doing?” Korra inquired gently.
Before Asami could answer, the waiter returned with a pad and pen ready. “Are you ladies ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?” Korra hadn’t even looked at the menu but Asami rattled off a few of her favorite dumplings and Korra just sat back and relaxed while she ordered for the table.
As the waiter walked off with their order and Asami sipped at her wine, Korra leaned forward and commented, “I’m always impressed by the way you take charge of any situation.”
Asami smirked knowingly, “Oh, you like that, do you?”
“Huh? Wait, no, I didn’t mean…” Korra spluttered helplessly, feeling flushed, then laughed. “How do you do that? I’m like constantly flustered around you. You have some kind of superpower.”
Asami flipped her hair and shrugged noncommittally, “A lady never reveals her secrets. But you are very easy to tease and also happen to be incredibly adorable when you’re flustered. What can I say? I can’t help myself.”
“Well, I suppose I’ll just have to accept being incredibly adorable.” Korra grinned. “But hey, seriously, you dodged my question. You had a rough week. How are you holding up?” Korra wasn’t going to let Asami gloss over the whole Tokuga incident. She had noticed the way Asami was keeping weapons close at hand and not just back at the workshop. Korra didn’t miss the large handbag hooked on the back of Asami’s chair that she was sure wasn’t just for touchup makeup.
Asami settled back into the chair a little. “I don’t know. It’s not the first time I’ve been kidnapped and probably won’t be the last. It’s just frustrating knowing that we’re never really one hundred percent safe, you know? I was doing all the right things: I increased security, I’m always carrying weapons, I keep up with my training… but there’s still not much you can do when someone’s out to get you and you’re outmanned.”
Korra reached out for Asami’s hand. “I’m sorry, I wish I had been there to protect you.”
Asami squeezed Korra’s hand back. “I know and I appreciate that you offered. But we both have different responsibilities. Even if you were there at that time, I’m sure they would have found some other opportunity.”
Korra sighed, “You’re probably right. Tokuga’s calculated. I still can’t believe how quickly he got the Triple Threats under his thumb and almost pulled off his crazy scheme.”
“He could have gotten away with it too if he hadn’t underestimated me.” Asami shivered at the memory of the close call at the spirit portal.
“You know, being the Avatar’s girlfriend does kind of put a target on your back. I wouldn’t hold it against you if…”
Asami leaned forward and clasped both her hands around Korra’s. “You absolutely may not finish that sentence.” She looked sternly into Korra’s eyes until Korra felt tears prickling at the edges of her eyes. Then Asami broke the tension saying, “Anyway, everyone knows how tight Team Avatar is, whether or not we’re dating each other. We’d have to stage an elaborate falling out to convince the public and you absolutely cannot act.”
Korra pulled her hand back in mock disgust. “How dare you? I could totally pull off a dramatic breakup with you.” Then she broke and giggled and Asami joined her, feeling her point proven.
“To be fair, the Republic City Police Department still talks about when the Avatar threw Mako’s desk across the room.” Asami conceded.
Korra hid her face behind her hand and groaned, remembering her teenage angst. “I am never gonna live that down, am I?”
“Nope.”
“Well, since you refuse to dump me, you sure I can’t be your constant and permanent bodyguard? I’d be very good at it.” Korra entreated.
Asami grinned and Korra didn’t miss the way Asami’s eyes clocked her exposed shoulders and forearms and she flexed a little reflexively. “I know you would be, but there’s no way I could hog the Avatar all to myself, even if I wanted to. You’re sweet to offer, though.”
Korra crossed her arms, wishing she didn’t have to admit that she couldn’t just be Asami’s shadow for the rest of her life. She did have an idea though. “Hey, we haven’t had a good sparring session in a while. How about we pick that back up, like we used to do when we were traveling the Earth Empire? Some good ol’ hand to hand combat to keep our skills sharp?”
Asami smiled and nodded. “I’d like that. Let’s do it.”
Korra added, “I have to warn you though, I picked up some dirty street-fighting tricks this year and I won’t be going easy on you.”
Asami shook her head, “I wouldn’t dream of asking you to. So where’d you learn those skills? Doesn’t sound like standard White Lotus or even pro-bender style.”
Korra realized she’d said too much and deflected. “Oh, you know, here and there. Traveling the world, meeting new people, Avatar stuff…” She abruptly changed the subject instead. “Hey, guess what Raiko tried to pull this afternoon?”
Asami’s eyes narrowed a little but she didn’t press, letting Korra delve into her admittedly hilarious retelling of their favorite president belatedly realizing that the Avatar’s popularity had skyrocketed in the last few months and trying to curry favor with her to help his numbers. As the food came out and they both dug in, the conversation veered naturally towards Zhu Li’s election bid and they shared updates from across the friend group and their various connections.
Asami commented, “I already threw my vote behind her. She’s clearheaded and focused and you can tell she really cares. Not sure what my endorsement is worth, but she’s got it. I was already tired of butting heads with Raiko about integrating the spirit vines into the city and now we’ve got a whole portal downtown! He’s not equipped for abstract thinking.”
Korra laughed, “Yeah, sorry about accidentally throwing up a portal and I guess the spirit vines were my fault too.”
“Nothing to apologize for. As far as I’m concerned, it’s good job security when we have to redo the city’s infrastructure every few years to accommodate the whims of our almighty Avatar.” Asami joked lightheartedly. “Your endorsement must hold some weight if Raiko’s after it. Do you think you’re going to throw it out there?”
“Not gonna lie, I did think about it. But I figured I’d better stay out of it altogether. Taking down a maniacal dictator is one thing but I’ll leave the elections up to the people without my influence. I doubt Zhu Li will need the help anyway after her heroics at the spirit portal. Not to mention her actually good ideas.”
They made short work of the dumplings and Asami picked up the bottle of wine and refilled both their glasses as they waiter took away the clean platters. She decided to bring up what had been in the back of her mind since Korra changed the subject earlier in the evening. “You know, you never really did mention where you went when you disappeared for six months. Want to talk about it?”
Korra felt like Asami could read her mind. She sighed, “I don’t really think you want to know.”
“Try me.”
A few minutes before, Korra couldn’t keep her eyes off Asami but now she felt like she couldn’t meet Asami’s eye. “Um, I’m not sure where to start. It was kind of a dark time…”
“Where did you go after you left the South Pole?” Asami offered gently as a leading question.
Korra let out a short laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. “You won’t believe it but I actually came here.” She glanced nervously at Asami to see how she would take that information.
Asami’s eyes went wide. “Here in Republic City? Where did you stay? Nobody mentioned…”
Korra shook her head. “Well, I didn’t quite make it into the city. I sailed into the harbor but once I saw the city lights, I kind of balked. I wasn’t feeling myself and didn’t want to rejoin society as a half-healed Avatar.”
“What about your friends? What about me?” Asami asked quietly.
“It’s hard to explain… it’s not that I didn’t miss everyone deeply. But after two and a half years at the South Pole, I think I was tired of seeing the pity in everyone’s eyes. Of course, there were a lot of people who loved and cared about me there. But they kept seeing what was broken. And I guess I did too.”
Asami reached out to take Korra’s hand again in sympathy. “So where did you go?”
“I went into the Earth Kingdom. Initially, I was just kind of wandering, thinking I just needed a change of scenery before going back to Republic City. But I was still haunted by my nightmares and… well, you’ll think I’m crazy…”
“No, I don’t think that.”
Korra took a deep breath and continued, “I kept having these hallucinations all the time. I was constantly facing down a mirror image of myself, looking as I did when I was poisoned and fought Zaheer, still dragging the chains around and with the glowing eyes of the Avatar state. It felt so real…” Korra could see the image in her mind’s eye but it no longer loomed in on her reality like it did before. “And all I could see was pity and disappointment in the eyes of even strangers around me. So I ran away from my identity too. I stopped being the Avatar altogether for a few months.”
It felt strange to Korra, looking back on that time. It had been like she was moving in a haze. She had gone through the motions of daily life hoping that something would change but had been stuck in a rut, an endless cycle of hallucinations, nightmares, and self-doubt. “I ended up in a pit fighting ring. I was so messed up then. I kept thinking I just needed to train harder, take on more opponents to rebuild my strength. But I was getting beat up every night. Even if my strength was coming back, my mind wasn’t in the game… or anywhere really.”
Asami looked a little teary-eyed as she went on and Korra stopped. “I wish you had reached out for help. Those fighting rings can be dangerous. You really could’ve gotten hurt.” Asami said regretfully.
Korra shrugged philosophically, “Well, it turned out alright in the end. The spirits finally intervened and pointed me in the right direction. Master Toph uncovered that I still had some of the poison in me, so in retrospect, it was no wonder my mind was still so messed up. Once I got rid of that evil once and for all, things finally started to click back into place. I returned home to Republic City, I picked up my duty again, I reconnected with Raava…” Korra offered a shy smile, almost as an apology, “I came back to you.”
Asami smiled at that last phrase. “I’m so glad you’re back. I’ll thank the spirits next time I see them.”
Korra leaned back and stretched her arms over her head. “Anyway, I think that’s enough moping about on date night for now. Think we can snag one of those cute turtle-duck boats?”
“Let’s do it. I’ll grab the check.”
“Sure, I’ll get the next one.” Korra lied with a grin. The Avatar may be an honored position in society but Korra definitely had no income or savings to speak of. “Thanks for dinner, Asami. And thanks for listening.”
“Anytime.”
They didn’t have to wait long for a free turtle-duck boat. With no destination or purpose, they lazily floated around the reflecting pool. They held each other close and savored the little bubble of peace and quiet in the soft glow of Harmony Tower and basked in the feeling of home.