Girls' Night Out
Ten...Eleven..Twelve. Seriously?!
“Just how many gates did she set on fire?” Asami thought aloud as she paced around the 2,000 year-old relics. How an inanimate object had managed to get on Korra’s bad side, Asami could only imagine.
Orange and purple hues lit the sky. A cool breeze billowed by, tussling her raven locks and sending a shiver along her skin. Maybe it was the Fire Nation in her, but Asami could not for the life of her tolerate the cold. As the sun creeped towards the horizon, Asami grew more and more anxious for Korra to arrive.
Per habit, Asami had arrived exactly ten minutes before six, the time Korra had instructed her to meet at the training arena on Air Temple Island. By now, it must’ve been a few minutes past the hour, and the Avatar was nowhere in sight. In an attempt to quell her rising anxiety that Korra may not show up at all, Asami had busied herself studying the rotating gates. However, what she had intended to be a quick scan of Air Nomad woodwork turned into a rather extensive damage inspection.
Test crashing Satomobiles is one thing, but setting these gates on fire is—
“Asami, sorry I’m late!”
Glancing over her shoulder, Asami saw Korra jogging towards her, a pair of focus pads under her left arm and two pairs of boxing gloves in her right. Once she reached the gates, she set the sparring equipment in front of Asami.
Of course.
What else did Asami expect? It was silly of her to think any activity Korra had planned out did not involve punching things, let alone hope for a slow-paced, relaxing night out.
“You wouldn’t believe how long it took me to find these,” Korra huffed as she began strapping on a focus mit. Only after it was secured did Korra notice Asami’s confused expression.
“Is everything okay?” Korra asked, cocking her head slightly.
“Oh, no, it’s just I, uh, didn’t expect to be sparring, otherwise I would’ve worn workout clothes.” Asami hoped Korra bought the lame excuse. Truthfully, the prospect of close quarters combat with Korra made her feel...self-conscious. She had seen Korra in action before. The teen was truly a force of nature, one Asami was unsure she could compete with.
“Come on, you never had a problem taking down chi-blockers in that outfit before.” Korra flashed a gentle smile. Asami watched as the waterbender offered her a pair of gloves. “Besides, I know you’ve been wanting to punch me for a while now, so here’s your chance.”
The corner of her lips lifted into a smirk.
I guess she’s not as dense as I thought.
Left hook, cross...Dammit, can’t reach. Maybe if I feign and go for a body shot—
“Ow!” Korra yelped as a fist met her face.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” Asami squeaked before recoiling her arm.
Korra rubbed her jaw as she stumbled backwards. She was pretty sure she had heard her it pop, but it wasn’t broken, which meant she could continue what had quickly become a one-sided sparring session.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” Korra reassured Asami. The engineer’s nerves seemed to settle at this, and she nodded in response.
The two girls tapped gloves and retreated to their starting lines. After three seconds, Korra launched forward in an attempt to jab Asami—only for the nonbender to slip to the outside her punch. Not wasting a moment, Asami struck Korra in the face with an open palm, driving her backwards as she simultaneously swept the Avatar’s leg.
Midway in her fall, Korra managed to pull Asami’s arm off, freeing herself from the engineer’s grip. As soon as Korra hit the floor, she back-rolled into an upright fighting stance—but by the time she regained her bearings, Asami was charging at her at full speed. Fearing the nonbender may leap over her head, Korra shifted her weight onto her left leg and kicked her right one up towards the sky.
That, however, proved to be another mistake.
Asami adeptly changed course at the last second. Instead of pouncing, Asami sunk into the ground before springing towards Korra, grabbing hold of her leg from below, and driving forward. Korra quickly lost her balance as Asami plowed through her center, and for the umpteenth time, she hit the floor with a thud.
“Nice job,” Korra groaned as she sat up.
Asami offered her hand in a show of sportsmanship. Not wanting to come off as rude (again), Korra clasped it, and in one swift motion, Asami pulled her to her feet. She’s stronger than she looks, Korra thought. Then again, Asami had been full of surprises today.
Although Korra had always known her hand-to-hand combat was comparatively weak, she hadn’t expected to be tossed around like a ragdoll. Thanks to her battle with Amon, Korra had realized that she was far too reliant on her bending. Not knowing how many chi blockers and Equalist sympathizers remained at large, she had begun incorporating bare-fist drills into her daily routines.
However, her technique was still sloppy. She was a poor judge of distance and timing. Asami, on the other hand, was nothing short of grace. Her movements were smooth yet powerful, supple yet effective. While Korra hesitated to close the distance between her and her opponent, Asami had no trouble charging in and taking control.
“You know, I’m really glad you suggested this,” Asami said as she tied her hair back, “I can’t remember the last time I sparred.” Unintentionally, Korra’s eyes followed Asami’s form up, cautiously admiring the engineer.
Even when she’s drenched in sweat, she still looks good.
“I’m glad you’re having fun. You’re really good at sparring.” Korra tried to hide the disappointment in her tone, but Asami was far too perceptive.
“It’s not uncommon for benders to get so caught up in their art that they forget the basics of hand-to-hand combat.” Korra felt Asami’s gaze land on her. The engineer was trying to read the Avatar’s expression, aware of the dangerous waters she was treading. “Did you want to practice it because of Amon?”
Upon hearing that name, Korra instinctively held in her breath. Asami seemed to notice because she then frantically tried to salvage the situation.
“I’m sorry! I should’ve known that was a sensitive topic.”
“No, it’s fine.” Korra stared at the ground, speaking softly as she admitted the truth. “The answer is yes, and as you can probably tell, I’ve definitely forgotten a lot.”
“But I bet you could relearn it easily! And once you get your basics down, you’ll be unstoppable. I could teach you what I know—if you want, that is!”
It was almost cute how Asami became so flustered pointing out Korra’s shortcomings. Truthfully, Korra had never had the best relationship with constructive criticism. All her life, the White Lotus masters had done nothing but question her abilities, scold her behavior, and compare her to Aang—make her feel as though she could never measure up as an Avatar. Asami, however, had done the opposite. Even when Asami barely knew the Avatar, the nonbender had told her she was “amazing” and believed in her when the adults didn’t. If there was anyone Korra had to get—in fact, wanted to get critiqued by—it was Asami.
Thinking about that day, Korra turned towards the engineer and bowed. “Well then,” Korra said with a cheeky grin, “show me how it’s done, master.”
At this, Asami’s emerald eyes lit up, brighter than they had in several months. The real Asami, the fierce yet gentle fighter that Korra had come to respect and even envy, was coming back to life.
“First off, you want to keep close to the ground and avoid any high kicks,” Asami explained as she got into a horse stance. After a few seconds, Korra realized she wanted her to mimic the motion and complied. “They look fancy in a controlled setting, but they’re practically impossible to pull off in real life.”
“Wait, but don’t you do flying scissor kicks all the time?” Korra pointed out.
A faint blush colored Asami’s cheeks. “W-well that’s because I’ve been training it for a very long time,” she stammered.
Korra had to suppress her own chuckle. Only Asami could possibly be embarrassed by her own skill. Korra, on the other hand, would have been challenging people left and right, unabashedly flaunting her abilities to anyone who passed.
Or maybe that’s exactly what’s going on, Korra realized before smiling devilishly.
“Or,” Korra began as she wiggled her eyebrow, “maybe you just like to show off.”
At this mention, Asami’s normally mellow expression shattered, and her face turned nearly as crimson as her lipstick. Bingo! Korra cheered silently.
“I do not! It just catches opponents off guard because—”
“Asami, relax,” Korra said as she nudged Asami’s arm gently, “I’m just teasing you.”
Asami opened her mouth, but words failed to materialize. After a few moments of silence, she cleared her throat.
“Okay, maybe I do like flaunting that move a little,” Asami admitted sheepishly.
The bender smirked at this. Despite sharing the “Sato” name or maybe because of it, Asami avoided the spotlight as much as she could. Whether it be at a gala or a family dinner, Asami always stuck to the sidelines, listening intently and chiming in only when addressed. However, it appeared that the soft-spoken socialite had a competitive side too, one that Korra could relate to.
“Well, I don’t blame you,” Korra chuckled, “you do look pretty awesome doing it.”
Her stomach flipped once she realized what she had uttered, and Asami apparently wasn’t handling it much better.
“Erm, thanks,” Asami responded awkwardly as she averted Korra’s gaze. “Now let’s get back to the drill. Repeat after me...”
Asami dabbed the sweat on her forehead before folding and inserting her handkerchief back into her breast pocket. Walking in tow, Korra haphazardly tossed their sparring gear into a shed, then with her airbending, slammed the doors shut.
Given these little habits, it was no surprise Korra underperformed in her hand-to-hand combat. At some point, every nonbender grew jealous of the ability to telepathically manipulate the elements. Eventually, that jealousy fizzled to annoyance at benders’ tendencies to take the easy way out of daily tasks. However, as empowering (and cathartic) as it may have felt to best the Avatar repeatedly, in the end, Asami genuinely hoped Korra found her advice helpful and their session enjoyable enough to train again.
A seagull’s loud squawk snapped Asami out of her thoughts. Only then did she notice that the two had arrived at the docks, where, to Asami’s surprise, two jet skis were moored.
“You have no idea how many ropes I had to pull to get two White Lotus guards to lend me these.” Korra placed her hands on her hips and gazed down at the watercrafts triumphantly. “Luckily, Bolin was able to sneak me tickets to the Rabaroo’s match this weekend, and that’s their favorite team.”
Korra jumped off the boardwalk and landed on a jet ski with a plop, causing the watercraft to teeter a bit before stabilizing.
“I’ll race you to Aang Memorial Island!” she exclaimed as she began untying the rope. However, after a few moments passed, Korra noticed something was amiss.
Glancing up at Asami, Korra asked, “Is everything okay?”
Now, it was Asami’s turn to be embarrassed. Rubbing her arm, she took a deep breath and braced herself for the upcoming blow to her industrialist ego.
“I...don’t know how to drive a jet ski.”
Korra stared at her incredulously, which only exacerbated her growing self-consciousness. “You’re kidding me! I assumed you knew how to drive anything with a motor on it.”
“One, Future Industries doesn’t have a watercraft division, and two, I’m more surprised you know given how you parked a car into a pole.”
“Hey, there aren’t any roads to drive cars on in the Southern Water Tribe!” Korra retorted as she flailed her arms in emphasis. “We have snow, ice, and water, so I can do snowmobiles, boats, and yes, jet skis.”
Korra’s frown soon turned into a pout, and Asami struggled to suppress her giggle. While some may have found Korra’s “thin-skin” immature, Asami couldn’t help but find it somewhat amusing and, dare she say, endearing.
“Alright, Avatar. I’ll give you a chance to impress me,” Asami teased as she placed a hand on her hip playfully.
Rolling her eyes, Korra let a “pfft” escape as she fastened the ropes to the jet ski.
“Well, since you don’t know how to drive, you might as well hop on mine and hang onto me.”
What.
Asami prayed she didn’t look as flustered as she felt, and she wondered if Korra had intentionally said that to disorient her. Just yesterday morning, they hadn’t even been on speaking terms. Now, the two seemed caught in a cat-and-mouse game of embarrassing each other through jests and compliments alike, a game that neither could fully comprehend.
Asami gave a quick nod before hopping onto the watercraft.
As soon as she settled into the seat, her heart picked up pace. With her body flush against that of Korra’s, Korra’s earthy scent tingling her nose, and her arms wrapped tightly around Korra’s toned abdomen, what was supposed to be a platonic position felt unusually intimate.
Luckily, the sputtering of the engine pulled Asami back to reality.
Korra glanced over her shoulder and winked.
“Hang on.”
“Wha—AHHH!”
In less than a second, the two were flying across the bay!
Caught off guard, Asami’s heart nearly leaped out of her mouth, and she clung onto Korra because her life literally depended on it. What Asami had hoped would be a smooth cruise across Yue Bay currently felt like racing a satomobile across a field of rocks. She could barely keep her eyes peeled open with the barrage of saltwater flying into her face. With what few glances she was able to get of her surroundings, she could not pinpoint their exact location because every ship, buoy, and landmark were nothing but fleeting blurs.
“Korra!” Asami yelled, hoping she could hear over the roaring wind. “This is w-ay too fa-ast!” Asami screamed as they skipped across the rough surface.
Korra looked back, visibly surprised by Asami’s frightened look. Her sympathetic reaction gave Asami the false hope she would do the logical thing: slow down.
But logical was the last thing Korra was.
“Trust me,” she mouthed.
Korra let go of the right handle.
Oh no.
Asami watched in horror as Korra entered the Avatar state and began bending the water.
A wave began forming beneath them, accumulating height as they propelled forward. Within seconds, they were thirty feet off the bay’s surface, and Asami found herself simultaneously in awe of Korra’s prowess and terrified for her life.
“Don’t let go!” Korra shouted.
In one swift motion, the Avatar clenched her fingers and thrust her hand backwards.
Like a cannonball, they were shot through the air.
When they lost contact with the water, Asami shut her eyes and braced for a crash landing. Her heart was pounding so hard it was almost all she could hear.
Almost.
Somehow, in the midst of her panic, Korra’s baritone voice managed to cut through the noise.
The younger girl was shouting, no, howling—as if she were a wild animal finally set free after years of captivity. Unlike herself, Korra’s body had no tension in it. Feeling how relaxed the teen was, Asami dared to open her eyes. Although she could only see the back of the bender’s head, she was sure Korra was grinning from ear to ear.
She was uninhibited, unrestrained.
She had an intensity about her that Asami envied because it was one Asami once possessed herself, one that she had recently lost sight of.
With that realization, Asami let out the breath she had been holding in. She lifted her head so that it was no longer buried between Korra’s shoulder blades. For the first time, she truly took in the world around her.
Directly above her, a flock of seabirds were gliding the wind. On the water below her, a seemingly endless ray of light stretched towards the setting sun on the horizon. Yue Bay had never looked so stunning, so majestic as it did in that moment. With endless sky above them and fathoms of abyss beneath them, it was as if they were caught between heaven and earth.
There was something fundamentally liberating about being airborne. Asami wondered if this was what it felt like to be an airbender and made a mental note to ask Korra, if possible, to take her on a glider ride.
A few feet before they hit the water, Korra thrust both hands above her head, summoning a small wave to catch them. Although it cushioned their landing, it was by no means smooth. The momentum caused Asami to ram into Korra, knocking her over and driving her chest into the handlebar.
“Ow!” Korra choked out as she regained control of the jet ski.
“Serves you right for nearly sending me to the spirit world!” Asami laughed. Now, she was the one grinning stupidly. The speed they were currently cruising at was nothing in comparison to the thirty seconds of horror-turned-beauty she had just endured.
“Oh please, don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it!” Korra quipped as she rolled her eyes.
The second time she spoke, it was softer.
“This was one of the few things I was allowed to do for fun back when I was living in the compound.”
Asami hummed in response. She understood what Korra meant perfectly and suspected that’s why Korra had confided this to her as well. No further words needed to be exchanged. With their adrenaline rush fading, both were content to lean back and enjoy the feeling of the wind in their faces, as they approached Aang Memorial Island.
Ten minutes later, they finally reached their destination.
Once Korra parked the jet ski by the dock, she boosted Asami onto the platform, then began mooring the watercraft.
As Korra tied the jet ski to the wooden post, Asami scanned her surroundings. Asami estimated they had a good thirty minutes before the sun would set completely and darken the sky to a deep grayish-blue. The dock faced the backside of the 100 meter marble statue, which cast a long shadow over the two girls.
It’s been twelve years, Asami thought solemnly.
Truthfully, Asami wasn’t elated at the prospect of coming to Aang Memorial Island. When her family was whole, their weekend routine was to take a private cruise along Yue Bay and watch the sunset on the island. The young Asami had taken a particular liking to the Avatar museum. She would spend hours plastered to every plaque and pendant, so much so that Yasuko practically had to pry her away from the exhibits. After her mother was killed, the island became too painful to visit for Hiroshi, and Asami had not returned since.
“You okay, Asami?”
Asami turned to find Korra staring at her, a hint of concern dusting her features.
“I’m fine,” Asami replied, “I just haven’t been here in a long time.”
“I guess you’re never a tourist in your own city, huh?” Korra yanked the rope hard, securing the knot in place before dusting off her hands. “I bet a lot’s changed since then.”
“It sure has,” Asami whispered back. The comment was an innocent but powerful reminder of what she had been drilling into herself over the past three months. No matter how different things may be, I need to make the most out of what I have now.
Now was not the time to mourn over her childhood memories. Just as she had with the Sato Mansion, Asami needed to create new memories, new associations with the places her father had tainted. When it came to Aang Memorial Island, who better to do that with than his new incarnation?
There was a loud grumble.
Korra’s cheeks turned a faint pink, and Asami couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. “And I thought I was hungry,” Asami teased. Korra scratched the back of her head, a nervous tic the older girl had picked up on.
“So what are we doing for dinner?” Asami asked, genuinely curious.
“I actually took care of that already.” Korra lifted the seat of the jet ski to reveal a compartment inside, from which she removed a tightly wrapped bag. “Hopefully it didn’t get too shaken up during the ride here.”
The surprise on Asami’s face must have been amusing because it caused the Avatar to grin cheekily.
“Come on,” Korra said as she walked past the engineer and towards the front of the island.
After recovering from her initial shock, Asami followed suit.
The two eventually settled on the floor, directly beneath Aang’s outstretched arm. As Korra unpacked their meal, Asami wondered what it felt like to have Aang’s presence constantly hovering over her. Although Korra’s responsibilities dwarfed those of Asami’s, the young CEO found a little comfort knowing that the adolescent beside her also understood the monumental pressure of maintaining a legacy.
“Here you go,” Korra said as she handed a paper box to Asami.
Once she had it in her hands, Asami inspected the box. The contents smelled oddly familiar. Upon seeing the red characters imprinted on the side, Asami’s jaw dropped.
“You ordered takeout from Kwong’s Cuisine?” Asami looked at Korra, dumbfounded. Who even orders carryout from a place like Kwong’s?
“I wasn’t sure what else you liked, so I thought this would be the safe option,” Korra explained as she split her chopsticks.
“Well, you’re not wrong. It is one of my favorite places,” Asami admitted. She opened the box and to her surprise yet again, it was her favorite dish: roasted komodo chicken with lychee nuts and braised cabbage. But how did Korra even know? And more importantly, how did she even pay for this?
“You didn’t happen to use your Avatar status to get a free meal, did you?”
“Of course not! Lin made that much clear, believe me.” Korra pouted at what Asami assumed was the memory of a previous encounter with the police chief. As she placed a canteen of water between them, Korra elaborated, “You remember how meat-based the Water Tribe diet is, right?”
“Yep.” How could she not? During her last trip to the Southern Water Tribe, Asami managed to pack on a couple pounds just from a week’s worth of blubber whale steaks, and it took even longer for her mouth to forget the taste.
“Well, after about a month on Air Temple Island, I couldn’t take vegetarianism anymore,” Korra explained as she took a bite of meat for emphasis. “Tenzin wouldn’t let me buy meat even when I went out since it was with the Air Nation’s money, so I convinced my parents to send me a monthly allowance—along with a ten pound bag of blubbered seal jerky that I stashed under my bed.”
This elicited a chuckle from Asami. Korra was never a stickler for the rules, and she couldn’t see the Avatar as anything less than stubborn when it came to filling her stomach.
“Why am I not surprised about the seal jerky?” Asami laughed.
“Hey, I’ve been away from home for a long time! Anyways...Back to Kwong’s, I basically cashed out my month’s allowance on dinner.” Korra said nonchalantly.
“You what?! Korra, I know Future Industries hasn’t been so hot lately, but I still have an inheritance. Here, let me pay you—”
“Asami, it’s okay!” Korra grabbed Asami’s wrist, stopping her hand before it reached her pocket. Asami turned her head, and as soon as emerald eyes locked with sapphire orbs, her breath stopped. Korra wanted her to listen and listen intently. “You’re always taking care of us when we go out. Let us, or let me, take care of you for once.”
The words struck a chord in Asami.
It was oddly similar to what Tenzin and Pema had been trying to do for months. That’s why Pema always made sure to pack Asami extra meals to take home after dinner. That’s why Tenzin had protested her returning to the mansion so soon. That’s why Bolin popped by her home once a week to take care of her house chores while she played with Pabu. All this time, Asami thought she had been left to fend for herself, but in reality...
I’m not alone.
Asami suddenly felt more at ease. The tension she had carried for months dissipated within a matter of seconds. When Asami moved her hand away from her pocket, Korra let go, relieved to have gotten through to her.
For the next few minutes, Asami watched the Avatar hungrily devour her meal, stuffing her mouth full before inhaling with a loud gulp. At the sight, Asami was suddenly glad they hadn’t dined in. Not only did Kwong’s have zero tolerance for such unrefined behavior, there was also something relaxing about this too. This was the first dinner Asami had eaten from Kwong’s that didn’t involve the uncomfortable dresses, the drab banter, or the million rules of etiquette young women were held to. Silly as they may have looked, eating fine-cuisine out of cheap takeout boxes on a concrete floor, without the formalities, Asami could focus on enjoying her meal. How Korra could reinvent something so mundane for Asami boggled her and left her hungry for more.
“You know, I was kinda skeptical at first, but this komodo chicken is great!” Korra belched and covered her mouth immediately, earning a snicker from Asami. She really is cute when she’s embarrassed.
“Relax, Avatar, just because I’m prissy doesn’t mean you have to be.” Asami took a bite of the chicken, waiting until she swallowed to speak again. “I’m glad you liked it, though I am a bit surprised you didn’t go for the arctic hen.”
Korra let out a “pfft,” sending a few grains of rice flying from her mouth. Covering her half-filled mouth with a hand, Korra responded in a muffled voice. “No way! Their ‘authentic’ Water Tribe section is all fusion. They literally put berry compote on the hen. Berries don’t grow in the tundra!”
“Ha! For someone who represents all four nations, you sure are segregationist about your food.”
“Only because I know what real Water Tribe grub is supposed to taste like. I couldn’t care less whether some chef throws sea slug into jook while he’s high on cactus juice,” Korra joked back, gesturing wildly with her hands.
“Okay, now I feel insulted.” Asami watched Korra stare at her quizzically before both bursted into laughter. After regaining enough composure to breathe again, Asami wiped away a tear and waited for Korra’s fit to die down as well.
“I’m just relieved you liked it,” Korra confessed as she picked at the last scraps of her food, “Mako told me this is what you ordered the last time you went, so I just went with it.”
Upon uttering the firebender’s name, the world seemed to halt. The familiar and unwanted tension between them arose yet again, and Korra began to panic.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s fine, Korra,” Asami cut in. Forcing herself to maintain eye contact, Asami took a deep breath. “In all honesty, if Mako had to end up with someone else, I’m glad it’s you.”
Korra’s eyes widened at her response.
“You..You mean it?” Korra cocked her head slightly to the side, as if trying to discern any hints of deception on Asami’s face. The intensity at which the Avatar examined her facial expression caused heat to crawl up her neck.
“Of course!” Asami exclaimed, trying to distract herself from her own flustered state. “It stung at first, but I’m over it now, and I definitely don’t want this to come between us.”
Korra blinked once. Then twice in what was becoming the longest moment of Asami’s life.
“Thanks, Asami,” Korra said, her voice barely above a whisper. Scratching the side of her head with her index finger, Korra struggled to piece together her thoughts. “I guess part of me is still in a little shock. Most people wouldn’t be so okay with this.”
‘Well, we’re not like most people,” Asami chuckled. She leaned back on her hands.“You two are my friends, and in the end, I just want you to be happy.”
That much she meant.
Korra stayed silent for a few moments. From her peripheral vision, Asami could tell the Avatar was trying to find the right words, and it warmed Asami to know how considerate she was of her feelings. However, when she finally spoke, it was not at all what Asami had expected.
“I don’t know what to say except...I want you to be happy too.”
Asami’s chest constricted painfully at this, and overwhelmed by Korra’s sincerity, Asami almost let a dangerous sentence slip from her mouth.
I am happy when I’m with you.
Asami managed to stop the words before they rolled off her tongue.
Mortified by her own thoughts, Asami reprimanded herself silently. What in the world are you thinking?
Asami managed to whisper “thank you,” successfully masking the panic that bellied her response. Once the younger girl turned her attention away from Asami and to the scenery around them, Asami returned to the question plaguing her mind.
Why?
Why would she even think to say something like that? Surely, she knew how Korra could’ve interpreted that response, how it could’ve derailed the progress they had made in the past day. It was too intimate, too impulsive, too emotional!
And yet...Asami wanted to say it nonetheless.
Because that was how she truly felt, how Korra made her feel. Indeed, her friend brought out this side of her, one that her social standing had long forced her to suppress. Korra, on the other hand, unabashedly trampled over every gender norm. She reminded Asami that it was okay to be wild, to be passionate—to be intense. In fact, the Water Tribe native gave Asami something that she had not experienced for a long time, something she had taken for granted.
Fun.
As Asami’s eyes darted between Yue Bay and the blue-vested girl beside her, she finally let Tenzin, Pema, Bolin, and her assistants’ words sink in. Asami was not a machine. She was a human being with needs of her own. If she wanted to help the Avatar restore balance to the world, she needed to restore balance within herself first.
Like the fighter she was, Asami would do just that.
No more all-nighters, no more days without eating, no more exhaustion-induced tantrums, no more obsessing over who thought what of her or her family. Asami Sato was going to become the United Republic’s youngest, most successful CEO. She was going to save Future Industries, usher Republic City into a new technological era, and help the Avatar save the world from calamity.
And the naysayers would just have to deal with it.
“I have to admit,” Korra spoke up, breaking Asami from her trance, “sunsets here are way prettier than in the Southern Water Tribe.”
Asami had been so engrossed in her own thoughts she hadn’t noticed the sun had set, and the sky was now tinted a purple haze. A light gust billowed by, and Asami cursed the chilliness of the water.
“As much as I’d love to stay away from Tenzin, we gotta get you back to the island before the ferry leaves.” Korra stood up and offered Asami a hand, which Asami took without hesitation. Effortlessly, Korra pulled Asami to her feet.
The two teens followed the same path back to the jetski, now illuminated only by dim lamps which cast a yellowish shadow over them. They walked without saying a word, a feat that mere hours ago, would have been disquieting to both of them.
Once the two reached the jetski, Korra hopped in first, offering to let Asami take control. Asami lowered herself onto the front of the seat. As Korra instructed her on jet ski basics, Asami’s stomach began to flutter around the prospect of Korra wrapping her arms around her.
After Korra untied and secured the rope onboard, Asami inserted the key into the ignition and turned right. She let the engine rumble for a few moments before placing both hands on the handles and pulling down on the throttle. As soon as she heard the engine sputter, they were off.
On the way back, Asami elected a slower pace, and Korra didn’t seem to mind. It was an unusual change of pace for the both of them. Whether it was to enjoy the view before them or each other’s presence a little longer, Asami wasn’t sure. Asami briefly allowed her eyes to glance to the sky. A gray haze coated the night sky, hiding any stars behind its misty blanket.
Asami sighed, catching Korra’s attention.
“Everything alright?” Korra asked.
“Yeah, it’s just a starry sky would’ve been a perfect addition to this night, but there’s just too much light pollution,” Asami lamented.
Korra shifted in her seat, and Asami tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach at the feeling of Korra’s fingertips grazing along her waist.
Why?
“One of my favorite places in the South Pole is this secluded snowy cliff.” Korra’s warm breath tickled Asami’s neck, sending shivers down her spine.
Why?
“It’s about a twenty-minute ride on Naga from my parent’s home, and it’s just far enough from any settlements you can get a full view of the night sky. Except during blizzards, you can see thousands of stars, all at once. And when the aurora happens in the summer...it’s probably the one thing I miss about that place.”
Her nostalgia was palpable. Korra always wore her emotions on her sleeve, but there was something different about this statement. From the solemn way she spoke, Asami couldn’t help but think, or perhaps hope, that the tomboyish teen was confiding in her, letting her into a space that she hadn’t let others into.
However nervous Asami may have been, she wanted to step inside.
“That sounds amazing...Do you think we could go there sometime?”
Korra didn’t reply right away, instead, taking a few moments to contemplate the request. In the ensuing silence, Asami prayed she hadn’t overstepped her boundaries.
“You know what? That’d be nice. When we go to the Glacier Spirits Festival, I’ll take you there. Just don’t tell the boys. It’s kinda my secret spot, and they’d feel bad if they couldn’t come.”
“Of course,” Asami managed to force out as her mind reeled.
Don’t tell the boys? As in Mako too? Mako was her boyfriend, the person Korra was to be vulnerable around, to share such intimacy with—not Asami. Maybe it was just because they were both girls. Girls were supposed to be more open with each, right? But their relationship was too new, too fresh for that line of logic to hold. Which brought Asami back to that infuriating question.
Why?
Barring the occasional pointers Korra would give on her driving, the two sat in a silence for the remainder of the ride. All the while, Asami tried to push these confusing questions and feelings out of her mind. Instead, she told herself to just be grateful for the significant stride they had made towards friendship today. At least for now, that was enough.
By the time they reached Air Temple Island, the ferry, along with the two White Lotus sentries, were already waiting for them. Judging by the scowl on their faces, they were noticeably irritated by the girls’ tardiness. After returning the watercrafts to the sentries, Korra bade Asami farewell, but Asami wasn’t finished yet.
“I had a really fun time tonight,” Asami said, struggling to keep her voice steady.
“Me too. I’ve never done this before, but this was nice.” Korra flashed a crooked smile, and Asami had to look away to prevent becoming too distracted and forgetting the big question on her mind.
Quietly, she took a deep breath.
“Would you want to do this again? I’m free next weekend.”
Korra did not miss a beat.
“Yeah, that sounds great! It’s a date.”
As soon as the words escaped her mouth, Korra turned beet red, and Asami's brain short-circuited as well.
The two responded at the same time, each taking a step forward as they blurted out:
“I didn’t mean it like—”
“No, I understand—”
However, this wasn’t a matter the universe wanted them to settle themselves.
“Miss Sato, with all due respect, the crew and I have been waiting for nearly an hour,” the captain aboard the ferry butt in, “we would rest easier if we got you home sooner rather than late.”
Of course. Asami rolled her eyes while Korra silently blew raspberries at the air acolyte. The childish action elicited a chuckle out of Asami, who finally ended their conversation.
“Good night, Korra.”
“Night, Asami.”
Asami wanted to hug her newfound friend goodbye, but the crew was impatient and she had pushed enough boundaries as it was. Instead, she gave a small wave before boarding the ferry. As she ascended up the plank, she felt Korra’s eyes follow her, boring into her back, making it clear that Asami would not so easily escape that question she had been struggling to answer all night.
Why?