Asami spent her day trying not to think about her date later that evening. She wanted to talk to someone about it but at the same time, she didn't want anyone to find out about it. The thought of Desna even having the slightest crush on her seemed ridiculous to her. Sweet, but ridiculous. How could she even be his type? He certainly wasn't her type. She spent most of her time in one of her warehouses, working on a few satomobiles and taxi cabs. She had been so engrossed in welding that she didn't notice anyone walking up behind her.

"Hey, Asami."

She almost jumped at the sound of someone talking to her. For a second, she feared it was Desna but it was Korra instead. Relief washed over her body as she cut off her welding torch and took her welding mask off.

"Oh, hey Korra. Good to see you again. How are things?" She smiled before setting her equipment down.

"They're great actually. How did that meeting go with Varrick? My dad told me you guys made an interesting deal but he wouldn't go into further details about it."

"Yeah, we did get a few pretty sweet deals. Firelord Izumi gave Future Industries permission to start growing a flaming fire lily farm in Fire nation territory."

"Aren't fire lilies really hard to grow?"

"They are. They require special soil and farming techniques to flourish, that's why Firelord Izumi gave us some 'special land' to grow them in. They'll be easy profit."

"That's great. I told you that armor was a good idea."

"So did Varrick."

"Speaking of strange people, you know Eska invited me to hang out with her this evening."

Asami's heart leapt for joy. "Oh, so Eska and Desna have plans with you this evening?"

"Well, as weird as it is for Eska to ask, more like demand me, to hang out with her, she's doing it because Desna apparently has other plans. Hard to believe they're going to be separated for a few hours. They like to do just about everything together."

Asami's heart fell. 'Darn.'

"Uh, did she mention what plans he had?"

"No. I was too shocked to even ask. Anyway, I thought I'd come by and see if you wanted to join us because frankly, I'm a little scared to hang out with Eska by myself."

"I wish I could, really Korra." And she actually meant it. "But I uh..have a situation later."

"A 'situation'? What does that mean?" Asami suddenly felt like any facial expression might give away the entire dilemma. She gave Korra her sweetest smile.

"Nothing. Just some company stuff."

Korra raised an eyebrow. "You're not in trouble or anything are you?"

"No, nothing like that at all. Just.." She was unsure if she should tell Korra about it. They had been through a lot together. She was always there for Korra and she knew Korra would always be there for her. They told each other everything, especially when it came to romances. But on the other hand, she wasn't sure how Korra would react to knowing her cousin was forcing her out on a date. She didn't want Korra to interfere and make the situation worse. No, Korra wouldn't do that. This entire situation was silly and Asami was just overreacting. "Actually, Korra, the craziest thing happened yesterday-"

"Korra? Oh Korra! We're going to be late to our meeting with President Raiko." Of course. Tenzin came into view as he approached the young women. "Hello Asami, forgive me for stealing Korra from you but we have a very important meeting to attend."

"Oh darn, I forgot about that. Can you give us a few minutes, Tenzin? Asami was about to tell me something." Korra said.

"No, it's alright Korra. It's nothing important. I'll call you later and explain." Asami said.

"Well, if you're sure."

"Of course. Like I said, it's nothing important. We'll talk later." Asami reassured her.

"Alright." Korra pulled Asami into a brief hug before pulling away and smiling. "Good luck with your 'situation'."

'I could sure use it.'

Asami returned to her home around mid-afternoon. Her day wasn't over yet but she was already exhausted. She ran through all the scenarios that could happen on her date. She eventually assured herself that Desna would realize how vastly different their lifestyles were and a relationship between them wouldn't be possible. Though her worst fear was that he'd keep pursuing her regardless.

As soon as she walked in, her butler informed her of a parcel that had arrived for her, which he had placed on her bed. She had forgotten that Desna had said he'd send her something. She dreaded what the "gift" was. Maybe some hideous hat or ugly jewelry. She was wrong.

She stood in front of the mirror holding one of the most beautiful dresses she'd ever seen. It was a Watertribe style keyhole long dress but instead of the usual blue colors, it was a deep red color with brown fur along the hemline that ran up her leg and wrapped around her waist. The sleeves were short and the material was soft yet felt durable. Upon slipping the dress on, she found the dress hugged her in all the right places. She didn't bother wondering how he managed to get her correct size.

'At least he has good taste.'

There was a knock on her door.

"Come in."

"Lady Sato, the young man from yesterday is here."

"Oh, great." She mumbled.

"Do you wish for me to get rid of him?"

"No, thank you. Tell him I'll be down in a few minutes."

"As you wish."

Desna watched Asami descend down the golden stairwell. Asami saw something flicker in his eyes but other than that, he didn't give off any particular emotion. Desna was dressed in a more formal robe that matched Asami's dress. It was the same red color with brown fur along the hemline and end of the sleeves. The robe was too long for her to see what kind of shoes he was wearing. She didn't finish approaching him before she started speaking.

"Listen, this is just a one-time thing."

"We will see." Was all he said.

"No, we won't because I'm drawing the line. One date and that's it."

He glanced over her outfit, seeming to ignore her words. "I see the tailors here are more competent than the ones back home. That is good."

"You know, I have plenty of dresses I could have worn. You didn't need to get me one."

"You like it." It came out more as a statement than a question.

"Well, actually, it is quite beautiful."

"Good. Let us be off."

She groaned.

Desna had decided to take Asami to one of, if not the, fanciest restaurant in town. That didn't mean much since a lot of restaurants were destroyed in Kuvira's attack but the restaurant was still high-class and expensive. They were greeted by the host, who sat them in a private booth away from most of the chatting couples and families. They were then given menus to look over. She spent her time looking over the menu to avoid any awkwardness between her and Desna. It didn't help, he was staring at her like he did during the meeting.

"The dress is very becoming on your female anatomy." He said after a few minutes.

"Um, thanks. You look.. spiffy yourself." She said awkwardly.

This was uncomfortable. Did they even have anything to talk about? They were two completely different people of completely different backgrounds, cultures, and personalities. She wanted to bury her head in her menu and disappear.

She didn't take her eyes off the menu until she noticed something sliding towards her out the corner of her eye. He slid a wooden jewelry case next to her.

"What's this?" She asked. Upon opening the box, she found a gold collar necklace with a shiny red gemstone in the middle. "Wow it's..beautiful but I can't accept it." She closed the box and slid it back over to him. She felt like she was encouraging him to be more romantic with her in the future if she accepted it.

"You will." He said in a dull voice before sliding it back to her.

"No, I won't. And most women don't like for their date to tell them what they are or aren't going to do. I said I'm not accepting it and that's final. It's too much."

For a second, she could have sworn she saw a smile on his lips. "You are strong and opinionated. I like that."

'Oh no.'

"Are you ready to order, Chief Desna and Lady Sato?" She didn't even notice the waiter walking towards them.

"We will start with octopus fritters and tea. For the main course, I want roasted arctic hen with dumplings. No cabbage. Steamed, not boiled. Moon cakes for dessert."

"Of course. And you, misses?"

Asami shrugged. "I'll um, have what he's having."

"Excellent. Your appetizers and drinks are on their way." The waiter took their menus, leaving Asami with nothing to occupy herself with. Maybe she should attempt conversation, but what could they talk about?

"So, you know there's a lot of restaurants still standing in Republic City. You didn't have to pick this one."

"No, I did not." He said while staring at her. It was making her nervous again.

"It's pretty expensive, you know. Narook's Seaweed Noodlery is pretty good and not nearly as expensive. It's a fun place. You don't even need to dress-up to go there."

"That place lacks class."

"Well, it's suppose to be an informal place where you can just hang out and have fun."

Desna didn't say anything. Asami's eyes dropped down to her lap where she fiddled her thumbs.

"So…"

She was lost. This date was already a failure.

"You should unclench your muscles that are making you nervous and tense. I will not bite, unless that is what you wish, then I am happy to oblige" He said as he tucked the wooden box in his long sleeve.

'Did he just make a dirty comment?'

Asami sighed when she saw the waiter approach with a plate of octopus fritters and two steaming cups of tea.

"Your fritters and tea." He said before bowing and moving away from them.

Desna began eating the fritters but Asami did not touch them.

"Do you not like octopus fried in greasy substances?" Desna asked.

"I'm not really a fan of octopus or squid. I could never get past the tentacles. They freak me out."

Before she knew it, he had a fritter in between a pair of chopsticks. He held it close to her mouth but she moved her head.

"No, I don't think-" He pushed the fritter into her mouth. She wanted to spit it out but that would be rude, especially in an upscale restaurant like this one.

"Chew." He commanded.

She shivered and began chewing it. The look of disgust on her face slowly turned to a look of delight. After she swallowed it, she had a small smile on her face. "Hey, that's pretty good."

"I am aware."

She ate another fritter. How could she have missed out on these? She should have listened to Korra and Bolin.

"How do you think Korra will feel when she finds out we went on a date?" Asami asked.

"I don't care. Her feelings are irrelevant."

"Korra's feelings are always relevant to me." She said in a slightly irritated voice.

Desna raised an eyebrow. "It seems you and Korra have grown extremely close. I will bear this in mind for future decision making."

"We've been through a lot. I care about her and how she feels about things. Maybe you two should spend more time together, instead of us trying to 'date'." She stuffed another fritter in her mouth.

"You sound like my mother."

"How so?"

"During the warmer months as children, she would have me and Eska hanging out with Korra sometimes. She failed to realize Korra and us had nothing to bond over."

"Surely there's something. You guys are family. Family's important."

"Do not mistake the indifference in my voice as my feelings towards Korra. There is a certain level of care that I feel towards her, we just aren't close."

Asami sighed. Her mood seemed to have dropped.

"I'm sorry about your father." It was like he could read into her mind.

Her eyes stayed fixated on the empty plate before her. "You've heard."

"You should find comfort in the fact he cared about you."

She suddenly felt terrible. He lost his father too. Even worse was Unalaq was willing to let him die for his own selfish purpose. "I'm sorry, this isn't the time or place to discuss such things."

"I disagree. Discussing things which provoke our deepest emotions is the best way to bond during romantic appointments. Nonetheless, like a good mate, I will always have a metaphorical shoulder of which you may shed tears upon."

Asami's eyes locked on Desna's as she smiled. "That's very sweet of you. Honestly, I was afraid you'd be a lot like Eska when she was dating Bolin."

"I assume then that women do not like forceful, aggressive personalities in men."

"Don't get me wrong, some of us like a strong man but we also like to feel safe. Eska didn't exactly make Bolin feel safe sometimes."

"I see. I will keep this in mind." His eyes turned from hers to watch the waiter approach their table with a tray of food.

At first they ate in silence, then Asami got more curious about Desna. She asked questions and talked more. She found he was a lot easier to talk to than she originally thought. He was a great listener. He seemed to soak in every detail she said. As time went on, she found herself telling him more about her life, her past, her parents, even squeezing in some details about Korra. He said a few things but mostly let her express herself. Once they finished their meals, they walked outside the restaurant.

"That arctic hen was very good. I wonder what spices they used for it." Asami said as they walked down the street.

"It was delectable. Much better than my mother's. She makes a terrible roasted arctic hen."

"So, I guess this is the end of the date. Are you going to walk me home?" For some reason, she found herself blushing.

"Yes, I will. But there is one more stop we shall make."

"Where?"

"To the park. I figure a romantic walk would help stimulate thoughts and feelings of affection, thus helping to establish a bond."

She felt her heart pound inside her chest. She was actually excited. Earlier, she wanted to have the date over and done with but now she was happy that it was going on a little longer. Dare she say, she was actually starting to enjoy the date.