It was late afternoon by the time her ship finally landed at the town's small airfield, the coppery-gold sunlight filling up the cockpit, all glass and shiny metal, so that it hurt her eyes which were already tired from piloting the whole day, and she had to squint as she reduced the altitude and let the lumbering machine touch down with deceptive grace.
Naga whined by her shoulder, giant nose almost but not quite brushing against her ear. Asami sighed and let her head roll back into the headrest of her chair, gaze finding the white fur of the dog's neck.
"We'll find her," she said, sounding reassuring, and slightly exasperated, and mostly just plain weary, and that earned her a friendly nuzzle and heartfelt lick to the side of the head. "Ugh! What did I tell you about grooming me?" she gritted out, shuddering at being coated in polar bear dog saliva, but her eyes were full of humour when she tried to pin the beast with a glare.
She had missed Naga during the last three years, among other things, and the large warm presence beside her was comforting, kept away a bit of the loneliness which had underscored her days for so long. Naga hadn't left her side since arriving in Republic City: she had practically shadowed Asami during the frantic search for clues about Korra's current location, hovered close at meal times (invariably begging for scraps), and even managed to find her way into Asami's bedroom (throwing her staff into a panic). The heiress felt flattered to have earned that kind of unconditional loyalty. In fact, she mused as she scratched the base of one soft floppy ear, she was almost as fond of the dog as she was of the owner. Naga just huffed at her like she knew exactly what she'd been thinking. "Don't you make fun of me," Asami bit out in retaliation.
It hadn't been too hard to track down the Avatar, since Korra had been sending letters home to the South Pole. After finding where the last letter had been sent from, a few eye-witness accounts had pointed to a town close by. Asami had been ready to go a few hours later.
Tonraq and Senna, Lin Beifong, Tenzin, and even Pema had offered to accompany her, but one look at her face (the face of someone becoming exceedingly frustrated and fed up with people slowing her down and insistently wasting her time and why don't you get a good night's rest before you go?) had convinced them otherwise. Then she had marched up the ramp into her airship with Naga on her heels and been off. That had been two days ago.
Now that she was finally there, she considered going to sleep right away, but quickly dismissed the idea as she stood up from the chair and stretched her legs which had become stiff with sitting for so long, joints popping painfully. Both she and Naga had been cooped up inside for two days and it would do them good to move around a bit. It would also give her the opportunity to explore a little before she inevitably crashed from the exhaustion of the journey.
With that in mind, Asami headed for the door. The thought of being out in the open again and of her friend, hopefully close enough to be found the next day, was invigorating.
Naga padded after her in the narrow streets, sometimes lagging behind to sniff at something, but mostly just following disinterestedly.
There was nothing. Asami had already visited the earthbending arena where Korra had last been spotted (such a thing would undoubtedly have been illegal in Republic City, but out here?) and spoken to the man running the place. He hadn't seen the Avatar since, and neither had any of his "patrons".
It was already dark even though it was only an hour past sundown, and the young woman could almost feel the cool sheets and the softness of her pillow back on the ship, but the larger, impossibly stubborn part of her just wouldn't give up, despite the fact that by now she was just wandering aimlessly around, slowly pushing through the throng of people making their way home after work on one of the busier streets. The polar bear dog trailing after her did cause a few curious stares, but Asami was too tired to care and, so, content to ignore them.
She stopped at the next intersection, like she had done the previous two, and turned to look for Naga. Since she hadn't the faintest idea about where to go, it had seemed as good an option as any other to ask the dog. Which wasn't there.
Asami searched the crowd, standing on her toes to get a better view. People, people, people, so many green clothes, don't they know there are other colours? More people... Where did you go, Naga?
There! The end of a white tail slipped between two disgruntled Earth Kingdom citizens not too far to the right. "Naga! Wait!" called out the heiress, and took off after the beast, thrusting her shoulder forward to open up a way. It really wouldn't do to lose Naga too; what would Korra say when Asami told her she had lost her polar bear dog? Asami ran as fast as she could.
Back down the same street, around the corner into a side alley, and then out into what looked like a small market square, where she barely managed to keep from colliding with a middle-aged man carrying a basket full of some sort of fruit. Apologizing hastily, she turned to continue chasing her quarry before she lost her, just in time to see the giant white dog leap at one of the market-goers.
For a moment, Asami just stood there with her mouth open in what was surely a very unattractive grimace. "Spirits," she groaned. I'm so sorry, Korra. While I didn't quite manage to lose your dog, I also wasn't able to keep her from MAULING A PERSON.
And off she went, running again.
By the time she reached them, Naga was leaning over the figure laid out on the ground, one massive paw holding it down by the shoulder, and was... licking it?
From what Asami could see, it was a woman, dressed in a sleeveless tunic and pants in the customary green which everyone here seemed to be wearing, a bag of the same colour lying next to her. Her face was hidden under the polar bear dog's gaping maw, but she had short, messy dark brown hair and her tanned muscular arms were plain for all to see as she pushed at the underside of Naga's muzzle.
"Naga! Let her go," the heiress all but shouted, standing warily above the strange spectacle. And indeed, a crowd was starting to gather around, though they were keeping their distance from the great beast.
The dog whined pitifully but relented, pulling away just enough for the woman to get back on her feet and gather her things. Then she came face to face with Asami, who was for the second time in less than five minutes struck speechless, hardly staying upright with knees shaky from more than just exhaustion, just sort of breathing, slowly.
Korra. She was unmistakeable, with her dark skin, and vibrant blue eyes, and the determined line of her mouth, even though she was wearing strange clothes and had evidently cut her hair (which was sticking up over her forehead from Naga's overenthusiastic greeting and Asami found herself wanting to comb it back into place with her fingers). "Korra?" the heiress croaked out, almost inaudible to her own ears, where the wild beating of her heart rendered almost everything else mute.
Korra shuffled in place, as though she was trying to seem smaller somehow, her gaze shifting up to meet Asami's for a second and then sinking down to her feet; she looked guilty, all drooping shoulders, and fingers twisted up in the straps of her bag, and nose pointed straight at the ground, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Asami! What are you doing here?" she asked, as though she didn't know exactly why her friend would leave Republic City to visit Middle-of-Nowhere in the swamps. Her tone, too, had an artificial cheerfulness to it which made Asami see red.
"What am I doing here?" Asami repeated, and flushed slightly when her voice came out shrill and shaky, much higher than she had intended. At the same time, she regained her awareness of the onlookers, who were now inching closer despite the still standing threat of a very large dog. "You were supposed to be in Republic City," she said more quietly, and flushed again at the sadness which by far overwhelmed the reproach in her words.
"Um... ah... I was going to," Korra started haltingly and it sounded more like a question than an explanation. Asami didn't even wait for her to finish.
"You were supposed to be there six months ago!"
With that she grabbed the Avatar by the arm and began walking, dragging her friend away. Naga, who didn't seem to mind being ignored for the time being, trotted happily alongside.
"Hey! Where are we going?"
"To my airship. I would rather talk in private."
In the end, it had taken both of their efforts and longer than the walk to the ship to convince Naga to stay outside Asami's cabin, where they had settled down in the weak light of the single gas lamp, Korra sitting on the cot and Asami leaning against the modestly sized writing desk.
For a while neither of them said anything, content to just take each other in. Korra seemed better, or at least healthier than she had been the last time they saw each other. The gauntness of her cheeks had filled out, just as the pallor had receded off her face, yet the haunted, lost look was still in her eyes, if somewhat concealed. Asami, however, had seen too much of that look to forget it easily, had been around for too many of the nightmares and wiped away too many tears. She recalled Korra's letter (the elation at its arrival and the ache at its contents).
"It's good to see you again," she began to say, just as Korra started speaking. "I'm sorry I ran away."
"Why did you?"
"I..." Korra stopped, sighing deeply. "Everyone was hovering over me, my parents, and the White Lotus, and even Master Katara, telling me I should take my time to heal. But they can't understand!"
She glanced at Asami imploringly and then stood, walking the short distance to the far wall.
"I'm supposed to be the Avatar. Protect the world, help people," she paced the length of the cabin before continuing. "But every time I try do something, I can't stop going back to that place. I can't stop seeing it."
Asami watched her as she stomped back and forth and talked. Korra's shoulders and arms looked tense, tight, as though she wanted to hit something, but she seemed more desperate than angry. The heiress almost reached out to touch her as she passed, but then held back and let her move away. Her friend must have felt so helpless, she thought, with everyone trying to coddle her back to health, and yet being unable to do anything for herself.
But as much as she felt angry on Korra's behalf, she couldn't help feeling a bit angry with Korra too. Must she be so stubborn? Why couldn't she understand that her family and friends cared more about her than her bending? And so she tried to tell her.
"I know! But I feel so useless, Asami," Korra stopped, leaned back onto the wall and tilted her head up to look at the ceiling. "You're all helping to make things better, you, and Bolin, and Mako, and the airbenders, and I'm just sitting here..." Her closed fist banged against the metal plate and she looked at Asami again, sad and pitiful. "I'm supposed to be the Avatar."
It only took the heiress a few long furious strides to get to Korra, and then she was leaning close, so that they were breathing the same air, "I don't care about the Avatar, Korra! I care about you."
She didn't know why she did it now, only that the impulse was too strong to resist this time. She had wanted to kiss Korra before, more than once, but it had always felt inappropriate (she had been with Mako, Korra had just ended thing with Mako, Korra was going to give herself up to Zaheer). This time she was too angry to care about Zaheer, or Mako, or inappropriate.
Before she knew it, she had slammed Korra against the cold metal of the wall and fisted a hand into the silky strands of her short hair. Then her mouth was on Korra's and everything that wasn't anger, and the blood rushing in her ears, and the heat of the body against hers (alive, so alive), ceased to exist.
Korra didn't push her away. If Asami had had the ability to think, she would have been surprised. She had never considered the Avatar's feelings towards her as anything other than friendship (but then again, she hadn't really considered her own in that way either, even with the occasional desire to kiss her senseless). And yet, Korra was kissing her back, every bit as enthusiastic as Asami was, hands desperately gripping the back of her jacket.
Nothing was said when they pulled back for air either, no move made to get away. Asami slid her lips across Korra's jaw, mouthing and nipping at the sensitive skin to make her gasp and clutch tighter. Then Korra unwound her arms from around her, only to tug her back in by the lapels and they were kissing again.
They spent the next minutes (hour?) like that, mouths only ever straying from each other due to lack of air, hands shuffling over clothing which was quickly becoming constricting. It was quiet too, the silence broken only by their breathing and the sound of heavy fabric being bunched up and released again.
The anger had ebbed away, leaving Asami only the desire, so heady and hypnotic that she realised Korra was unbuttoning her jacket only when she brushed against her breasts on the way down. She hissed into her mouth at the unexpected contact and that made Korra slip her hands back up, this time under the jacket, to squeeze at her chest.
Soon after (when she could think again), she grabbed at the Avatar's ass in retaliation. It elicited a reaction, much stronger than either had expected, which resulted in her thigh wedged firmly between Korra's. The deep moan which emanated from Korra, as well as the sharp thrust of her hips, shifted both of their attentions dramatically.
They looked at each other, against the cool wall in that small quiet room, much closer than would have been comfortable in any other circumstances, with their foreheads touching, breathing the same warm damp air in fast shallow breaths. Korra's eyes seemed almost completely black in the wan light, shining like a mirror, but Asami couldn't see herself in them, only the hunger which lit up the pit of her own stomach.
She didn't even have to ask the question when the Avatar took her hand and laid it low on her abdomen, by the waist of her loose green pants, but she did, "Are you sure?" (that this is what you want? That I am what you want?)
Her voice had been faltering and weak, so unlike Korra's when she answered, "yeah," and cupped her face in scorching hot palms to pull her into another kiss.
Korra was burning up everywhere: her shoulder, where Asami's wrist stuck to her skin as she held herself steady against the wall; her lips, and the inside of her mouth, as she sucked harshly at Asami's tongue, and her hands, holding her cheeks; her stomach, with the tunic long since rucked up so that Asami's fingers slid down slippery skin, easily bypassing the single drawstring which held her pants up.
Then Asami was too busy to think of much anything, except for hot, wet, and Korra, too busy to even kiss, as she buried her face in Korra's neck and concentrated on the sounds she was making, and the strain in her forearm, until Korra tensed and let out a final, strangled gasp before collapsing into the heiress' embrace, letting her and the wall carry her weight.
"Are you alright?" Asami whispered as she adjusted her grip on the Avatar's seemingly boneless mass and pressed her lips to the top of her head. Then she chuckled when Korra hummed something in the back of her throat and attempted to snuggle closer. "Do you want to go to bed?"
That seemed to rejuvenate her. Korra struggled a bit, swaying slightly, until she was standing completely on her own, and grinned up at her, eyes still dark, but also playful.
Asami moaned in surprise as she was kissed sloppily. She tried to reach out and draw Korra closer again, but found her arms restrained by the jacket which Korra had pushed off her shoulders, and had to shrug it the rest of the way down. By time she did this, her shirt had also been undone.
The air felt too cold against her skin after the heat of Korra's touch and she immediately broke out in goosebumps, shivering as she was, naked from the waist up and being guided back towards the narrow cot.
"Lie down," Korra instructed her, still smiling, but then she froze in her tracks, eyes going wide and a blush filling her cheeks. "That is, if you want me to," she gestured vaguely with her hands as she squeaked out. "I never asked."
Asami, who had just sat down, tried valiantly not to giggle at this contribution by awkward Korra, but ended up covering her mouth with a hand as she shifted up the bed. "Come here," she beckoned as she settled, the laughter still in her voice. "And lose the shirt."
Asami had woken up to scratching sounds at the door. Korra had still been asleep, partially underneath her, and so deliciously warm that she hadn't wanted to get up at all, ever.
Hissing at the cold floor under her bare feet, she had hopped around, pulling on some of her clothes, and then opened the door for Naga to immediately rush in. "She's still sleeping, you know," she had called out mildly with a voice still thick from sleep only to be ignored in favour of Naga sniffing and licking Korra awake.
After a quick and just a bit awkward breakfast, they had sat down to talk about the previous night, and their feelings, and Korra's journey here from the South Pole.
"I don't know what this is," Korra had said, motioning between them. "But I want to find out." And she had smiled, different from the night before, but more happily than Asami had seen her smile since the whole ordeal with the Red Lotus began.
Then they'd moved on to the future, with Korra trying to be patient and Asami trying to understand why she couldn't go back to Republic City just yet (also, Korra being scared and Asami being adamant about not leaving without her). They hadn't decided anything, but Asami had the feeling she would be spending a while longer around the swaps.
Now, several hours later, she was regretting, not for the first time, not throwing Korra over her shoulder and flying straight home.
"Where are we going? You didn't say you wanted to live in the swamp."
A few feet ahead, Korra turned around with that same disarming smile.
"I told you, I want you to meet someone."