The color faded from around them from a brief moment before returning in glimmers and reflections. They held hands an instant longer than they intended-suddenly realizing where they were, becoming self conscious-before walking out into the spirit world. Korra dropped her gaze, feeling a shyness she was entirely unfamiliar with.
"Is it always this...golden?" asked Asami, looking up at a pulsing patch of sky dancing with something akin to angels. "Not really," answered Korra, "The spirit world reflects you back. Right now, it's reflecting you. And, us…" Her voice grew thick in her throat and her face flushed red. Almost as if in response, a nearby tree began shedding red petals. Korra smiled wryly at herself. Give her a spirit monster and she wouldn't flinch, but this feeling…
Korra walked slightly ahead. Looking around, she realized that the massive trees she had last seen here with Kuvira-children of the Tree Of Time-had begun to show signs of new growth. She wondered if they were recovering from having held Vaatu for so long. Stubby little curls of pine needle had begun to sprout out of their formerly barren tops.
"Korra, this is beautiful. I'd heard about so many good and bad things happening here. I'll admit, I thought this might be more adventure than vacation, but seeing it now, I can't imagine anywhere else I'd rather be." She ran her foot through a patch of grass that almost seemed to caress her foot as she went. "It definitely seems happier here now than you described it!"
Almost as if in response, a shaft of light descended from the golden clouds. As it got closer, they saw that it was formed of two shimmering creatures, a little phoenix flying in languorous loops with a dragon. Korra held out her hands; they dipped closer for a moment before spiraling away as though the air were thicker than water.
"I think they want us to follow them, Asami. Sound like a good start to our vacation?" Korra glanced sidelong at her, smiling.
"I don't think we have much to fear from these two. Not that I'd fear much of anything with the Avatar at my side in the Spirit World where she is strongest," laughed Asami. She still hadn't caught up to just how many of her dreams were being fulfilled in every moment.
With her laughter still in the air, they began to follow their guides. They seemed to be walking slowly, but noticed that the trees and even distant mountains were beginning to flow by faster and faster. It was as though they were following a stream current. Instinctively, Korra grabbed Asami's hand-a Water Tribe girl knew better than to let someone get swept away in a tide. The phoenix and dragon were spiraling around them now, and the horizon seemed to stretch away faster than they could see. Together, the phoenix and dragon flying around them seemed almost identical to the new spirit portal beacon itself, shimmering so fast that they were hard to focus on. For a dizzying moment, the light of their path seemed to almost consume them-but then, the sky cleared and they felt the ground guide them to a stop. They found themselves between a vast, palely luminescent body of water and a rolling mountain range.
They were both speechless and wide-eyed. The phoenix and dragon, however, were not. "With the balance you have forged, Korra, the spirit wilds are no longer forbidden to humans either in your world or this one. And as you have seen, the wilds have drifted into your world near the new portal you were since able to create. In return, there is a new domain here as well." They paused for a moment. "In time, it will be a place for humankind in the spirit world-a place where plateaus of balance as yet unwitnessed by creation may be achieved. For now, however, it is a home for you, Korra, and your-" The dragon and phoenix had been speaking in unison, but here they hesitated and the phoenix fell silent. The dragon peered appraisingly at Asami, silently, for a full five seconds. As the moment stretched on, Korra and Asami studiously avoided looking at each other, the phoenix, the dragon, and nearby spirit plant life.
"Wife." The word, authoritative and matter-of-fact, seemed to echo for days from the little dragon's mouth. They both blushed so furiously they could only manage strangled noises in protest. Korra was the first to mount a response. "But we're not-no wait I mean we haven't-even-" she gesticulated wildly at Asami "not that I want to do-" then, biting her hand and bouncing in frustration, gasped out "not that I DON'T want to-uh, I-" and fell silent. Asami, to her credit, didn't follow her first instinct to burrow under the earth to escape the situation. The spirit world was painfully silent.
The phoenix finally spoke. "Forgive him. He sees first what is to come. I see first what has come to pass." She cocked her head at the dragon. "Secondarily, he has no tact and has apparently forgotten that we really shouldn't speak out of unison." She slowly swiveled her head towards her counterpart until she was staring him down from only inches away. The dragon quietly wound himself into a ball in apology as they continued. "We will return. For now, touch the stone beneath the shore-together-and rest."
The phoenix and dragon shot skyward fast enough to give Korra and Asami a flash of vertigo as they followed them with their eyes. Their gaze quickly fell again, however, and as the thunderclap of the pair's departure faded, the silence returned. Korra's face twisted with an unabashed smile as the last few minutes sank in. She felt a buzzing happiness bubbling up inside her.
"Sorry-not-sorry," she laughed towards Asami. "I guess we don't have too many secrets here, not even from ourselves, much less each other!" Asami caught the laughter as well, finally having found words for herself. "I couldn't even confess my feelings to myself, much less to you. I've been afraid to even let myself feel them since the day we met. And when you didn't respond to the...signals..."
Korra threw one hand up and one on her hip. "SIGNALS?! What signals? I've been ogling the brunette bombshell heiress in my life since day one, and felt like the biggest pervert in Republic City the entire time! It's not like you can just walk up to another girl-who is your friend and you totally look up to, by the way-and go, 'Hey, I'm the Avatar, wanna defy nature together?!'"
Asami expelled an entire lungful of air, gathering herself to say things she was pretty sure five minutes ago she would never have said. She inhaled deeply. "Okay. I think we can both admit we screwed things up pretty early on with the love triangle drama. But I think we also both know we're not the gasping teenagers we were when our worlds and honestly the whole world at large got turned upside down. We can talk about the letters, or about that time I literally said 'I like you', or the way I've been undressing you with my eyes THE ENTIRE TIME. Do you know how hard it is to flirt with someone who has an entire monastery of demigods living in their head, and the Spirit Of Good And Light firmly lodged in their heart silently judging our every move? I mean, does she watch when…" Asami's voice quickly trailed off.
Korra put up her hands in surrender. "I try not to think about that. And you're right, between saving the world and...saving the world, we were both a little clueless. But, I think the best way to defuse this situation," she said as she quickly closed the distance between them, "is to finally, today, right now, do something I've been wanting to do for a-" but her words were cut short, for by then Korra had reached Asami and smothered the sentence firmly into her mouth. They felt a wild tingle that started in the very tops of their heads, and their stomachs seemed to bottom out somewhere below the spirit world. Korra grabbed a fistful of Asami's hair, not quite too hard, and shoved four years of angst and frustration into a kiss that darkened the sky and raised the vines around to cradle them. Asami's hands trembled as Korra felt a single hot tear set out to the sea behind them.
The kiss, an eternity in no more than ten seconds, subsided and the golden hue returned to the sky as the vines deposited them to the ground. "That's the smartest thing you've said all day," Asami murmured, her voice nearly catching in her throat. "You know I'm supposed to be the street-smart one here, and I let a South Pole girl get the drop on me." She shook her head. "But right now I think what we both need is whatever that 'stone under the shore' is, this has been a pretty big Day One of the vacation so far." Korra nodded in agreement, and they walked the shore together looking for whatever their guides had meant.
"Spirit world types are always cryptic, I guess. Still, this seems pretty clear," said Korra, gesturing at a massive, bed-sized cabochon-shaped stone that was glowing far brighter than the water around it. Its top was only a finger's breadth underwater. "Well, you ready to touch a rock?" asked Asami. "Not exactly sure how many more surprises I can take today, do you think we should prepare for something? A fight? Visions of ancestors? Spirits who say embarrassing things?"
Korra shrugged. "Those two seemed to mean well, I'm not worried. Apprehensive-okay, I'll give you that one. Let's do it." The two sat on the edge of the shore, in arm's reach of the top of the stone, their legs in the water. "On three...one, two, three."
They flinched unintentionally as they reached out their hands through the water, meeting the face of the stone together. There was a fantastic rumble beneath them, the deep echoing crack of ice thawing in spring bouncing through the sand and cresting the cool water. What had been a nearly featureless shore suddenly surged with light. They looked around nervously. Korra felt a sensation familiar only to the Avatar, almost as though-but her thoughts were interrupted. "Korra, is this...is this what bending feels like?!" Asami sounded almost panicked. What she felt was completely indescribable. It was like being massaged by fire and ice, except, well, her soul. Maybe she wouldn't say that out loud.
"It's okay, Asami!" Korra yelled over the noise. "I think I feel what's happening. They said this would be a human place...they needed something human here? I think we're bending it right out of pure spirit energy, out of ourselves, whatever it is! I don't think Raava is doing this."
In the light and lightning, a massive spiral spire shot up around them. They felt it grow, in all the elements at once, and for a tantalizing moment they could nearly reach out to what lie hidden beneath and lofted high above the spirit world itself. The light of creation faded, however, leaving those furthest reaches just beyond their grasp. Reality, with a sigh, once again solidified around them.
They found themselves sitting side by side, in massive chairs. The room, it seemed, was equal parts den and...throne? It felt so deeply familiar. They were facing a vast window, viewing the rolling mountains to the left and the shoreline to the right. Walking towards it, they saw that every mountaintop in sight was now crested with a ring-village bristling with gleaming spires. As they approached the shore, the mountaintops bled into the building where they stood-a spire taller, it appeared, than even Omashu.
Asami was studying the architecture. "I guess when they said 'a place for humans', I expected a hut or a cave or a hamlet...not a new city-state. But," she raised her hand to her chin, "it's like someone plopped standing and inverted spires of classic Air Nomad temples inside Earth city walls...and with the regularity of windows in these structures, they look to be multiple-unit dwellings, which would mean they were informed by modernization that only came about in the Republic City era, which implies a retrofit-which might make sense if this had been here ten minutes ago." She tilted her palm up questioningly.
"Asami, I'm pretty sure we're standing in a little bit of every city we've ever been to. The only place all this could have come from is us. Couldn't you feel it just flowing out? I've spent enough days of my life meditating in my own head to recognize my own subconscious at work." Korra pointed at the closest mountaintop. "Look over there. Isn't that Sato Estate? I wonder who is supposed to live in all these places. And I have another question, did you notice the center of this room?"
Asami turned around to look. The room was ringed with a standard representation of the four elements, which the two chairs were set in. Standard post-Republic design motifs. A smaller second concentric circle lay within that one, however, which was entirely out of place. Normally there would be either a neutral space or a statue of some historical figure or other. Here, though, there was what looked like a relaxation pool, ten feet in diameter, and filled with a uniformly red-violet liquid set into an electric-blue rim. "Any ideas?" asked Korra.
"Well, I certainly haven't seen anything close to that before, but something-oh. Korra, that's my favorite color. Of course that's probably coincidence." Korra watched her approach the pool, her eyes lingering on Asami's calves. Was it getting warmer in here? And what smelled like...cinnamon?
"Did you bring dessert? Korra asked half-jokingly. Asami replied without looking away from the pool, "Nothing I packed smells that good, it has to be whatever this is." She was down on all fours now, looking very closely at the circle's edge. "Come here." She beckoned with her hand. Korra walked up just behind her. "See, there's an inscription here on this blue part." Korra was practically on top of her now. The liquid seemed to be radiating heat.
"That's not an alphabet I know, can you read it?" Korra asked her. Asami sighed. "Yes, although this was absolutely the most wretched class led by the least friendly instructor my father ever sent me to. I think not being able to read this thing would be worth not knowing this dead language. Just like him, it's very long-winded. They liked to cram paragraphs into their sorry excuses for letters."
Hearing the distaste in her voice, Korra wondered just hard Asami's father had pressed her as a student. He had seemed like the kind that sometimes cared a little too much, even if it ended up going too far. Still, she mused with herself, she couldn't argue with the results. Sometimes she wasn't even sure Asami was entirely real, she was just...too much. The way her hair fell, always framing her face. And those lips. Red-violet, come to think of it. And right on down...
"Anyway," chuckled Asami as she shook off her memory of school, "it more or less says (I'm going to go one character at a time here) 'The Avatar Who Has Been Separated From Tradition'-guess that's you without your past lives-'In the unprecedented absence of evil in the heart of the sleeping forest'-guess that's your trouncing of Vaatu-'in the mending of deep wounds left unmended from the age of the turtles'-sounds safe to assume that's the spirit portals-'and in light of the spark of emerging equilibrium this new city signals'-Asami, do you see why I hated this class?-'something...has emerged.' Not sure on that one, actually. Even the strokes of the character don't look familiar." Korra, now sitting crosslegged beside her, was completely absorbed. What had the fight with Kuvira started?! And since when did a vacation mean erecting a city? Asami abrupty spoke back up.
"Oh, but there's two more at the end stuck together. 'She has found compassion once herself and once another'-not sure on that one-and the last character ends written in the same color as this stuff here-'none shall enter but she and hers.'" Asami stared at the last two characters as though they had shared a not entirely amusing riddle. "Why do I feel like the dragon from earlier wrote this."
Korra smiled. "Just before we left I was having this talk with Tenzin, about how the pain of recovering from the fear and poison helped me finally find compassion. And no sooner had I said those things, than you showed up. Asami, you are one of the most compassionate people I have ever met. The first time I saw you, I took you for a spoiled rich kid who liked to play dress-up. But ever since, every time we've been together you've proved me wrong. When we wrote to each other, you kept me sane. When you cared for me, you kept me from losing hope. 'Another compassion' is you."
Asami reached up and they hugged, the warm scent of the room circling around them. "So then it's just for us? Guess there's only one way to know what it is." Korra took a step back. "I think I've had enough spirit craziness today, you go first." Asami made a face at her and responded. "I'm piecing together that whatever this is hasn't existed before. Either I figure it out now or there's no way I'll be able to sleep."
Asami very gingerly reached out a finger and touched the red liquid. She remained perfectly still, completely silent. "Well?" Korra asked. Suddenly Asami jerked her hand back from the pool, an odd expression on her face. "That-later. Trust me. Later." She stood, pulling Korra to her feet, and ushered her to the door. "Let's see what's around here for now."
Over the next hour, they explored the new building. Every room was new, but equally, every room felt familiar. It was the spirit world's version of a greatest-hits collection of human advancement. Korra was ready to call it a castle-but Asami insisted that architecturally, everything below the highest tower levels was connected in a way that would hold something closer to a multitiered city pavilion, and would be almost impossible to defend in a siege.
Korra suddenly had a realization. "Don't tell me you're one of those castle-defense nerds!" she needled. There was a game popular among bookish types that was built around early Earth Kingdom intrigue, which got a little silly in the later stages because Earth cities were famously difficult to defeat. Instead, players would fight for the loyalty and affection of vaguely-historic figures, until they had established their own stronghold of subjects. At that point it was all fighting for the affection of your favorite character, backstabbing, betraying, infidelity...so just like the early Earth kingdom.
Asami snorted. "What was I supposed to do between letters? It wasn't like I could be like a normal girl and date, you kind of spoiled that for me. Nobody could measure up." She glanced down. "It wasn't for lack of trying…"
Korra blushed for what felt like-well, she didn't want to count. "I'm...sorry I guess? But I would have thought you would've been too busy rebuilding your company to fool around with Pai Sho-tile warlords and consorts."
"Hey, there's some good stuff in there I'll have you know. And Pai Sho skills really paid off back then!" She chuckled. "But honestly, with the chaos of the last few years, the world needed the company. Helping everyone else rebuild was more than enough to rebuild us,too. The world really is heading towards a new balance, Korra. It's going to be perfect getting to see it with you."
The afternoon flew by-oddly quiet, but that was a welcome relief. They stayed mostly in the upper levels, where the rooms were livable rather than cavernous chambers clearly intended for hundreds. The level that Asami was relatively certain was intended for them-they were color coded-had a large larder at its center, from which radiated out a circular triple-kitchen. From there, four entertaining spaces cut into the outer rim of the spire itself, and inset into those were eight bedchambers. One was a bit larger than the others. The larder was fully stocked with food neither of them recognized, but given how that room smelled they weren't going to let that stop them.
Korra plopped down on a low chair. "I haven't ever really been the interior-decorator type, but I have to admit, 'we' did a good job." Asami sat down across from her in a second chair, handing her the second drink she had brought. They were a sort of blue lime flavor, except the cups were carved from what tasted like a very hard salt. And as they were finding out, whatever fruit or creature the drink was made from had been fermented for quite some time. Their faces were becoming flushed perhaps a bit too quickly.
Asami agreed. "Never took even a fake 'castle' like this one." She gave a deep laugh. "But, I'm accustomed to more...subjects than this. Korra, do you even know the Lyrical History Of the Earth Dynasty? Lady Lianshi could recite that one by heart. While dancing."
Korra cut her eyes. "She can dance, I can airbend. Stick her in the Spinning Gates and see how far she gets in poetry. Or better yet, send an invitation back to medieval history so I can drown her ass." She jabbed a finger at the floor. "Water Tribe style."
They both fell apart with laughter. The anxiety of their relationship getting fast-forwarded from the future and the shock of creating their own new piece of the world slowly seeped out of them. "Oh, there's one thing I wasn't sure how to mention before. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary about this place? Something a little...suspicious?" Asami asked.
Korra waved a hand. "You mean more suspicious than these drinks? No, should I be worried?"
Asami was trying to choose her words diplomatically, but that was becoming more difficult. For all the little what-ifs she'd had in her head about this relationship, it was new enough that there were many topics that were awkward to broach. "Well," Asami smiled deviously, "you might say it's more of an opportunity than a problem." She coughed into her hand and tried to stop smiling like a drunk schoolgirl "Um. You know how you count the occupancy of a house, right?"
Korra was nonplussed. "Bedrooms. I saw the rental pages in the City a few times. And good lord did I ever hear about tax rates being tied to residents instead of square footage. I wish I could forget those stupid meetings. They just wanted me there to make themselves feel important. What was I going to do, defend the tax code from spiritual intervention? Punch income disparity in the face?!" Korra's voice had taken on a particular lilt.
Asami nodded. "Right. Well, uh, in a more practical sense, this entire place right now, so far as I can tell, has an 'occupancy' of exactly one." Her voice trailed to a murmur as she studiously looked at her fingers. There were more words, but they didn't quite make it over to Korra.
"Huh? How is that, this place is huge, there are bedrooms all around us, I didn't look at all of them but-oh." Korra had thought back and realized her meaning. "You mean, in our subconscious, when we put this place together, we threw in eight bedrooms and only one bed?"
In a less relaxed state, Korra would have followed the thought to its natural conclusion,
but as it stood Asami had to finish it. "What I am saying is that between the two of us, the subconscious...desire was that there be only one bed here. For two people. The both of us. Two people...one bed."
Mortified into silence, they began to question their initial decision to vacation as a new couple in a magic fairy world where their innermost and least socially acceptable desires could emerge into reality. There was a certain natural progression in a relationship, a degree of diplomacy and move-countermove, that they were both hopeless to enact here. Or so Korra thought.