A Proposal
Korra turned to Asami as she finished dinner on a sofa in the sunset lit sitting room, and now waited for Asami's to join her plate on the coffee table, until then she quietly observed Asami eating for the next twenty seconds.
"So, uh, not bad?" Korra ventured, gesturing at the plate.
"Is that why you wolfed yours down?" Asami nudged Korra's shoulder and chuckled, "It was great, why?"
"Well…sometimes I remember when I first arrived here, I fished in a pond which was apparently not allowed…I'm just trying to get back to my former skill level." Korra explained.
"I wouldn't know much about that, it was pretty good to me."
"Wait…great, or pretty good?" Korra laughed.
"Great, of course, silly." Asami replied, kissing the Avatar's temple, brushing against the hair tube that gathered a shorter length of hair than it did once upon a time, and noted that it was just barely long enough for the style it once was in, back when they first met.
"Careful, it took me a while to fix that up." Korra admonished, a smirk giving away the lack of serious consequences.
"Ah, but you can ask for help if I mess it up…so, I had a question, do you use waterbending for that?"
"It's a secret, but I do use waterbending, as a shortcut, though I use the manual method sometimes. The shortcut helps when I'm late for a meeting, or have to rush to one…speaking of which," the multibender sighed and leaned on Asami's shoulder, "the world leaders are having a get together tomorrow…I'm afraid I'll end up missing your lunch break this time."
"Looks like I'm eating at the office, then, but what about dinner?"
"I'll try to make it, I'll call from the front desk when I figure that out…I'm afraid this problem could last a while, it's very complex and delicate." Korra shook her head.
"What is going on with the Earth Nation?"
"Well, while most of us agree that the Earth Republic's transition isn't going to be easy, there's still a fair number of people who think they're better off as a group of independent city-states, a few enough to oppose Faru's presidency, and while the Fire Lord, Air Masters, and Water Chiefs want to help the Earth Republic…Raiko needs things there stable, he has soldiers watching over things, which has earned him the title 'Nosy Neighbor' by many opponents, many of who are rumored to try to run against him in the next election."
"Sounds like you need all the rest you can get, but you're not alone, there…I've got so much stuff I need to get ready for tomorrow's presentation, you know?" Asami whispered, holding onto Korra for a little while longer.
"Yeah, there's a lot of stuff I have to get ready for too." Korra said, standing up and leading Asami to the door.
"You sound pretty tired." Asami remarked, somewhat concerned.
"I do? Well, about the meeting earlier, I had to get up pretty early to make it, the world leaders were meeting, and they don't do that often, so I wanted to make sure everything was alright, but had to set the dreaded alarm clock to make it, and expel myself from the bed before the sun was up, and try to help Naga get there; fortunately she knows what she's doing, I think I fell asleep a couple of times on the way…but I was wide awake once there." Korra stretched her arms and yawned, "And tomorrow I get to go back, they're discussing something about the occupying United Republic forces…I think I might actually yell at someone tomorrow, this is getting out of hand, and I'm tired." She yawned.
"Good luck, then, and goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow." Asami said, before brushing her lips against Korra's, "I love you."
"Goodnight Asami…I love you too." Korra leaned against the door as Asami backed away, before turning to her car.
Korra watched until Asami's car was gone, then stepped back and closed the door, and quickly arranged tomorrow's presentation in her head as she made her way down to the basement. There on a table off to the side, there she found the ring she had crafted; being the Avatar was helpful for a lot more than war, politics, and spirit-human relations.
"Well, Naga, wish me luck." Korra entreated as she slid off her polar bear dog. She turned to see Naga bound happily to a large shed Asami set up specifically so Naga could have a place to stay during her visits. Korra jumped up the steps, and greeting her was Asami, in her favorite red dress.
"I wasn't aware we were going somewhere, or I would have gotten dressed up too." Korra said, gesturing her hand to the outfit.
"Oh, well, I got back fifteen minutes ago, so I figured changing would take up too much time, so I kept what I had on; I just finished setting the table, so being dressed for a gala is a small price to pay." Asami stepped back inside and Korra followed.
"So," Korra smiled, "my guess is…you had a dinner meeting."
"Close, after a meeting with the board, I had to meet with someone from the news, so that was fun, I had to change from business to dress, and I've been running around all day." Asami closed the door and clutched the shoulders of Korra's coat to remove it.
"Huh?!" Korra jumped, turning around.
"S-sorry, I just thought it was kind of warm in here." Asami said, holding her hands palm out.
"Oh, right, I didn't expect that…uh, thanks." Korra turned around to let Asami remove her coat.
"You're sure?" Korra nodded and she removed the coat, then hung it on the rack behind her.
"Hmm, I didn't think you had enough time to warm the place up." Korra explained as she went deeper into the drawing room.
She stopped to smile at a photo on the coffee table, it was of her and her girlfriend behind the sand castle they built at Ember Island, set among a portrait of Yosuke, another of Hiroshi, one of Asami and her parents, and another of Korra and Asami in a car. Korra recalled the engine was off, but that it was quiet breezy, and gave the illusion of motion, then noticed Asami watching her and blushed.
"H-hi, Asami." Korra waved at the nonbender, who smiled bigger than she had been and shook her head, as she held Korra's hands and eyes in hers, smiling with an almost dreamlike expression.
"I love you so much." she told the blushing Avatar.
"Ha, ha, well, isn't that a funny coincide?" she was slowly but surely able to lose her nervousness, and explained herself in a whisper, "See, I love you a lot, too." Korra replied, idly caressing her cheek, then leaned up to kiss her, Asami helped her stay balanced while Korra's own arms resting over the businesswoman's shoulders took more weight off her toes, "Shall we?" Korra asked, as she dropped back to her feet.
"Yes, we shall." Asami started up the stairs and followed the banisters to their destination.
Asami suddenly didn't know how she was going to do this, sometime after dinner, if at all, but what if Korra thought it'd be weird for her to give a betrothal necklace?
Suddenly she felt something at her arm, and found Korra's arm twined with hers, which encouraged her, because it hadn't gotten there on its own, and she certainly wasn't responsible, or not directly. Either Korra was making a special effort to be cute today or just wanted to walk arm in arm…she wouldn't rule out both.
If Asami was ever the picture of the opposite of confidence then it was now, and why did Korra feel that the arm thing was responsible for that? That was the best idea she'd had all week…day…night…no, maybe week, yesterday's idea didn't count yet, as the results were undetermined, but if she was unnerving the businesswoman she was working up to a terrible conclusion.
"Asami, am I making you uncomfortable?" Korra asked, removing her arm.
"I'm alright, it's just…I'm just thinking." Asami said, pulling her eyes away from the Avatar's arm.
"If it's something you want to talk about, we can talk." Korra promised, Asami could draw confidence from Korra's steadfast loyalty to her friends, and from the fact that she clearly meant something good to the Avatar, but she kept wondering if that something good was ready to become something more. Asami would see soon enough, but for now Korra's words silenced her doubt.
"I, uh, I'm actually feeling a little better now."
Though the doubt was quiet, its presence echoed.
"Well, the offer still stands." Korra said, and then quickly added, "Was it the arm thing?"
"Huh, what; no, it was just…my arm was…I just…hadn't expected that." she felt she was again reduced to a babbling idiot, but Korra's hand in hers made her a happy one.
"Is everything alright, between you and me?" Korra felt very uncomfortable now.
"Ha, ha, between you and me, everything here's fine." Asami said, winking and smiling.
"If you change your mind, though, feel free to voice any…concerns." Korra thought she could say something to lighten the atmosphere, "Asami, I don't know if I can say it enough, but you're beautiful." Asami glanced back at her, then smiled and squeezed the one still clasped hand in her own.
"You are, too, sweetie." Asami said, smiling contentedly, "The most beautiful girl ever, because of my feelings for you, and everything you do."
"We've been through a lot together." Korra breathed, wondering if she meant that as a question, and deciding she was satisfied with the wording and tone, it could be at once both a confirmation and request for confirmation, and that was good with her.
Asami smiled at her, and Korra regretted only having left her dress at home. The home, she reminded herself with a smile, that Asami helped decorate; but at that thought, she still had to decorate the Avatar Beach House.
"Yes, we have been." Asami replied, "And I look forward to continuing our journey together."
It wasn't the wording, but Korra had to take another breath…the meaning was the force, and the words…they were the impact.
"Me too." she didn't really notice they were in the dining room until Asami gestured to the chairs. Korra took her seat across from the nonbender, and turned around to see the door to the open balcony behind her.
"That's the perfect place to have dessert, you know?" Asami mentioned, and when Korra turned back to Asami she noticed the engineer's smirk, "I'll bring it out after dinner, though."
"So," Asami looked at the vases to her right for a brief instance, where, near the edge of the desk was a scarf, under which lay the necklace, "how did that meeting go?"
"There were official orders to withdraw from the Earth Republic written up, but Raiko isn't very comfortable with the idea of leaving them to themselves, but the new Earth President said it felt like he was trying to expand territory, I'm worried it could come to war." She gazed pleadingly at Asami, "And if it does, you have to promise to run, they both seem desperate to keep everything under control, they're afraid and that can only make things worse, you might be a target for Faru and Raiko, as will Varrick and Zhu Li, so if you think it's time to leave…just go to that place where I fell asleep in the Spirit World, you know, that…field, or whatever you call it.
"The plains?" Asami asked, "Or, at least, I think it is, that place, right?"
"Yes, go there…just as a 'what if', though, I've got this under control…I think." Korra said, before taking a sip of lychee juice.
"What do I do there?" Asami asked.
"Wait for me to find you…I…the thought is that…if a war breaks out, I won't take a side, I'll go to the Fire Nation maintain a neutral stance, all while Fire Lord Izumi keeps me updated…from there, I can visit you…I hear another portal opened there when the third one was opened."
Asami watched Korra take a bite of fish, and sighed, "You seem to be good at stopping the bad guys…remember a couple weeks back, someone tried to stab Raiko but you know how you stopped him? By metalbending his belt buckle before he reached Raiko." Korra laughed at the memory.
"I forget, what was the headline the next morning?" Korra tried to drink some more, but laughed suddenly and set it down, "It was something funny, I think."
"'Avatar Catches Assassin with His Pants Down', you mean?"
"Yeah, it pretty much wrote itself." Korra said, trying to keep her chuckle from getting out of hand.
"Actually, I think Varrick wrote them." Asami acted like she didn't know, which made Korra laugh even harder.
After the plates were empty, save a few pieces of fish left on Korra's plate and pasta on Asami's, they, set their plans in motion.
"So, Korra, I've been thinking…about how little time we've spent with each other, but…I don't know, I don't feel like it's not yet been long enough." Asami rose from the table and slid her hand under the scarf, and retrieved the necklace from its hiding place and assumed the proposal position, and held the gift up for Korra to behold, while Korra withdrew a small felt box from her pocket.
"I—Asami, it's beautiful." Korra followed the soft tones of the alternating four triangles of white, blue, green, and red on the face of the silver disk which were overlapped by the contrasting grey gear that spread through all four sections, a gold filled circle in the middle of the gear caught her eye as well, "I love it…I love you." Korra said, lowering herself as she reached towards the engineer's handiwork.
"Oh, good, I was worried for a second that it might seem odd for someone not of the Water Tribe to give a be-" Asami was surprised, Korra was on her knees as well now, a little blue felt box in her hand.
"Alright, now," Korra giggled, "let's be honest, neither of us saw this coming, but who would've gotten this far and then kept quiet?" Korra moved strand of hair from her forehead.
"Uh, k-Korra…I-this is what I think it is?" Asami asked, slightly startled.
"You kind of beat me there, but yeah…I was going to propose." Korra said, glancing briefly at the box in her hand, before looking up and slowly opened the as she spoke, "You know, I'm still going to propose…I'm proposing now.
Asami watched as the box revealed a sun yellow gem set in a silver ring.
"Asami, will you marry me?" Korra asked, holding her other hand over Asami's necklace.
"Yes, I will." Asami said, placing the necklace around the waterbender's neck.
Korra grinned, "Wait until we tell everyone."
"I…I can imagine." Asami said, while Korra slipped the ring onto her finger.
"Asami," Korra began, setting a comforting hand on Asami's shoulder, "it's not fair that…they couldn't be here."
Asami nodded, "That…is what I'm thinking."
"Asami, beautiful." Korra hugged Asami, and recalled the evening of Zhu Li and Varrick's wedding; Asami was pretty upset then, too, all the losses and celebrations, and people that aren't there to share in the celebrations, people that could have been there, who were taken from Asami's reach.
"I knew this would happen," Asami shuddered, "you know…they should be here…I guess this is just…how it is."
"I know…I wish I could help." Korra sighed.
"You're helping now," Asami muttered, "but my knees are getting sore from sitting on them."
"Alright," Korra stood up and held Asami's hand, "just…tell me if you have anything on your mind, I'm your fiancée, I'm here for you."
Asami looked up at her hand or more specifically, the necklace behind the ring that almost seemed to match with the two colors they held in common, to Korra's face, "Yes." She replied, taking a deep breath, "Hey, I mentioned dessert, huh?"
"I'll go get it, you just sit back."
"Is that an order from the Avatar herself?" Asami inquired, trying to smile.
"Yes, it is, so you know the world must be in the danger." Korra said, going back to the kitchen to find a pie on the table.
"I see you found it easily enough." Asami gestured to plate it Korra's hand.
"Yeah, I thought one big plate would suit us."
"Well, I hope so, I'd hate to watch you try to eat that alone," Asami opened the door to the balcony and turned to the multibender, "that'd be pretty difficult."
"Ah, so you'll help me out with this?" Korra asked, sitting on one of the chairs Asami carried with her, "That's so sweet of you."
Author's Notes: Finally, I posted this, it was one of those chapters that don't write themselves! Anyway, I hope you guys like this, I'm planning on making it at least four chapters long, after which you will be ready to move onto the next level…seriously, this is a sort of prequel that was meant to be a standalone, until Maleficent gave me a bright idea (thank you, Maleficent!) there's some details here that may be used in another fanfiction, which I have no name for, but otherwise, they're totally separate.