Bang! Bang! Bang! Asami cringed from the loud hammering noise echoing throughout the hollow room and pounding in her ears. She turned away from the wall she was working on, lowering a thick brush and setting it on top of a can of green paint. She took a moment to make sure she didn't have any flecks of paint on herself. The sleeves of her work-shirt were rolled up and paint-free, and her hair was still tied back with a speckled bandana. Her usual necklace was absent, for fear of dirtying it. After checking that she was clean, she turned to glance at the source of the noise. It was Korra, kneeling nearby on the ground, clumsily trying to force two pieces of machined wood together. Asami turned to stride toward the other woman, coming to a stop with her hands on her hips.

Asami looked down at Korra, a warm smile spreading across her lips at the incredibly cute sight before her. Korra was on the floor with a hammer in one hand and a lapful of wooden planks and unfinished pieces of furniture. She was clearly in over her head, lost trying to complete the task of assembling a newly-bought bed. Asami couldn't help but laugh at how darling she looked. Korra was wearing her usual heavy pants and Water Tribe boots, along with a white tank top that showed off her shoulders and arms. Asami tended to silently admire Korra's toned muscles, even though she rarely mentioned it. She eyed the younger woman, who was staring up at her with confused blue eyes, like a child caught in the act of creating a mess. Asami shook her head and smiled. "Korra, if you force it, you're going to break it. Where'd you even get a hammer?"

Korra shrugged her bare shoulders at the question. "It was in your toolbox next to the… screwdriver thingy, and the…" she paused, turning to look across the room and back, as if searching for an answer. "—other, more different screwdriver thingy." She turned her gaze back up to Asami, looking hopeless.

Asami sighed with mock irritation, walking closer to stand over Korra. She leaned down, causing Korra to stare straight up at her with wide, blinking eyes. "What's the matter, hon? Are you having trouble with it?"

Korra looked down to regard the pile of wood. She rolled her shoulders again, beginning to push the various pieces aside. She brushed her lap free of debris, then reclined in place on the floor, apparently giving up. "I guess I don't understand these instructions. You should've gotten a metal bed so I could just assemble it with bending."

Asami smirked. "You could just invent woodbending," she offered jokingly. "Creating an entirely new form of bending just to get out of building a bed. Sounds like a Korra thing to do."

Korra pouted. "Hey, don't make fun of me. This is hard!" She held out both hands, motioning to the pile of discarded pieces.

Asami dipped closer, reaching down with one hand to plant it on top of Korra's head. She rubbed her hair in a circle, making a mess of the short brown strands. Korra struggled against the kneading hand, squinting her eyes while huffing in playful protest. Asami smiled at her. "Do you want to switch jobs, sweetie? You can paint for a while and I'll put the furniture together." She removed her hand and returned to a more casual stance, waiting for a response.

Once released, Korra sat up and gave a short nod. "That makes sense, yes. Thank you." She pushed to her feet, shuffling to stand on the collection of newspapers the two laid out to keep the floor from being spattered with paint.

Once Korra was on her feet, Asami took the opportunity to lean in close and plant a kiss on her cheek. She caught Korra with both hands, spinning around her and switching places so she could crouch in front of the collected boards and instructions. She examined the details and tried to assess where Korra had been in the steps. While working backward through the booklet, she casually lifted piece after piece, organizing them into neat piles with similar pieces. After picking apart some of the forced-together mass, and going through each step, she determined Korra only correctly made it a few steps in. She plucked matching parts from the reorganized rows and picked up where Korra left off, building the frame and outer structure.

Halfway through the project, Asami found herself distracted by thumping noises and frustrated sighs. She turned her head, blinking in Korra's direction. She watched as her Avatar stood in front of the paint bucket, stamping one foot and then the other. Korra raised a hand to twirl it in the air, and to make a wave motion with her fingers. Asami stared in confusion for some time before speaking up. "Are you okay?"

Korra came to a halt, turning her head to look across the room at the woman seated on the floor. She crossed her arms, snorting. "I was hoping I could bend the paint and splash it on the walls to save time. Next time we're getting water-based paint and metal furniture. Didn't you buy anything I can do faster with bending?"

Asami chuckled, turning away from her work to face Korra. "Probably not. The sheets aren't made of anything bendable either, just so you know. Besides, what's wrong with a little hard work? Why not just paint the wall the old-fashioned way?"

"Saving time by using bending is the old-fashioned way for me. I suppose there are a lot of things I never stopped to learn how to do." Korra slumped her shoulders, looking defeated at the realization. She pouted.

Asami tilted her head to the side, watching her Avatar struggling. She was curious what was on Korra's mind. It seemed to be more than just the lack of shortcuts. She was generally hard-working and sincere about trying to get things done. If anything, Korra's personality leaned toward banging her head against a problem until it was solved. So seeing her backing down after a small amount of effort seemed out of character. "Well, it's as good a time as any to learn," Asami offered. She pushed herself into a standing position, casting a glance at the half-completed bed before making her way to Korra's side. She reached out, placing a hand on the small of the other woman's back. She applied pressure there, rubbing in a circle to offer some comfort. "You know, you can't solve everything with bending."

Korra sighed, hanging her head in response to Asami's comment. She did ease more into the hand at her back, however, prompting Asami to continue massaging there. "I know. Maybe that's the problem. I'm just trying to get everything done quickly and correctly so I can move on to the next thing." She raised both hands, gesturing toward the partially-painted wall. "There's a lot I don't actually have the answers for. Like this… whole thing."

Asami paused briefly, her green eyes turning toward the wall to see what Korra was looking at. She only saw the plain white wall, somewhat layered with the dark green color that her love picked out, claiming that it went with her eyes. "What whole thing?" she asked, confused.

"This—this whole motherhood thing," Korra sighed. When her stance weakened, Asami moved to embrace her from behind. She leaned her weight into the shorter woman, resting her chin on Korra's shoulder. Korra shook her head. "I guess I'm a little afraid I won't know what to do." She raised her eyes, waving a hand at the surface in front of herself. "I can't even paint a stupid wall, how am I supposed to figure out how to raise a kid?"

Asami squeezed Korra tighter and frowned at herself. In the last couple days, she had been feeling the same things. And she hated seeing Korra expose the same insecurities. Especially considering how confident she seemed before. In truth, she was envious of Korra's certainty about wanting to adopt. Seeing her back off now was a little frightening. "It's not something you'd have to figure out by yourself, you know. That's why I'm here, so we can figure it out together." She turned her eyes down, looking at the can of paint on the floor. "Come on, I'll teach you. Let's see your technique."

"My technique?" Korra asked, sounding bewildered. She looked around the area, then turned to glance at Asami. She seemed to catch the gesture toward the ground before realizing what Asami meant. She peeled herself away and crouched, picking up the brush.

Almost immediately, Asami chimed in to coach Korra through the steps. "Don't dip it too much. And don't wipe it on the edge. Just rest it there until it stops dripping." She smiled as Korra went through the motions and obeyed the instructions. When Korra began to stand again, her blue eyes were focused on Asami, looking for guidance. Asami stepped closer, leaning her weight on Korra's back again. She brought her hand to Korra's wrist, fingers sliding along her hand and overlapping with hers. "Hold it like you're holding chopsticks. You're going to want to make light strokes, like this." She moved her hand, guiding Korra into the wall and showing her how to apply a layer of paint.

Korra seemed oddly quiet, and as Asami concentrated more closely, she realized her Avatar was somewhat tense from the blush on her cheeks. Asami could tell that Korra was enjoying the closeness, and being walked through the steps of how to do something new. She found some comfort in how easily they cooperated, and it gave her a renewed sense of hope for their future together. If one of them didn't know the answer to something, the other could step in, and if they both didn't know, they could look it up. Asami had to admit she liked the idea of holding hands as they worked through new adventures looming ahead of them. She wanted to think they would lean on each other and be able to get through it, no matter what happened. Her wandering thoughts were pulled back to reality, though, when Korra spoke up. "How do you know so much about painting?"

"Experience," Asami explained. She gently stepped away from Korra to let her move. She watched, surveying Korra when she dropped back to the paint bucket to start anew. She nodded her head, mostly to herself, approving of the method. When Korra stood again, Asami leaned in, only needing to offer a minor correction this time. "Besides designing and building a lot of different machines, I painted my fair share of mecha tanks and cars. At least until we started using better methods. Otherwise it takes forever to paint every Satomobile by hand." She crossed her arms to watch Korra work.

Korra resumed painting the wall. She stood and kneeled several times, adding extra strokes to the wall and filling in the areas without much guidance. "This isn't so hard now that I know what to do."

Asami started to smile, enjoying the fact that Korra was doing things with a renewed energy. But a few moments later, the smile turned into a frown. Korra suddenly turned the brush around in her hand and changed her method entirely. Asami furrowed her brows, stepping in to cling to Korra again and take ahold of her wrist. She helped her turn the brush over, back into the proper position. "You went back to the way you were doing it. You should—" Her concentration wandered, looking at the squirming woman in her arms. Korra had a wide, crooked grin on her face, and was staring at the hand clutching her fingers. Asami began to turn red, suppressing a giggle. "Are you doing it wrong on purpose just to get me closer?"

Korra worked through a snicker before replying. "Aww, you caught me." Korra rolled her shoulders, pushing backward to snuggle into Asami's arms. She had an unashamed smile on her lips, happily gazing back into the other woman's eyes.

Asami welcomed her, looping her hands more tightly to attach herself to her Avatar. She didn't mind the break in activity for something more intimate. She watched quietly, the edge of her lip curled as Korra turned her direction. Her eyelids started to lower when their lips touched. And they closed completely when Korra leaned into the kiss she initiated.

Both were silent as they shared the extended embrace. Asami so enjoyed the warmth of the other woman in her arms, and the pressure upon her lips. Every kiss they ever shared was like a reminder of their first time. Every lingering touch of lips ignited a flame in her stomach, increasing her heart rate and causing her joints to weaken. She held Korra for a long time, but finally broke the kiss after several long seconds to take a breath of air. Korra trailed slowly off the kiss, peppering several smaller pecks to Asami's chin when they separated. Asami tightened the grip of her fingers, staying as close as she could. She felt the slow rise and fall of Korra's chest under her fingertips, and enjoyed the touch of Korra's breath upon her cheek. She didn't want to ever let go or step away, but her eyes eventually wandered to a blob of green starting to roll down Korra's hand. She refocused her attention, blinking at the paint dripping from the brush and across Korra's arm. She curled her lips into a smile, giggling. "Korra, you're making a mess."

"Hnn? No, I, what—?" Korra's head turned away, looking to her outstretched arm holding the brush. She rotated her wrist, pointing the brush downward to keep more of the green paint from staining her hand. "Whoops," she added sheepishly. She stepped away, and Asami let her go. She paced back, watching Korra clean the brush on the side of the paint can and set the instrument down before turning her hand over, inspecting the green paint dripping from it.

Asami shook her head with amusement. "Go wash your hands, Korra." She stepped to one side when Korra turned to move. They exchanged smiles, and Asami pivoted to return to the half-assembled bed. She bent at the waist to crouch, but stopped herself, calling out to Korra before she disappeared through the doorway. "Actually hon, we should get some more paint. I can stay here and finish putting everything together, if you want to run and do that."

Korra halted in the doorway, turning her head and tossing her hair with the motion. "That sounds more like something I can handle. Do you need anything else?"

Asami turned slowly to address the room. She looked out over the sea of newspapers, looking at the bed in progress and the second, untouched collection of pieces intended to be put together into a dresser. Eventually, she elevated a hand to gesture with her index finger. "Yes, we should get a paint roller. This job might take all day otherwise. Make sure you get a tray for it too. And we need two pillows. And a wastebasket." She stopped long enough to observe the blank stare on her Avatar's face, standing in the doorway while shuffling her feet slowly. Asami laughed. "Do you need me to write all that down?"

Korra nodded apologetically. "Yes."

Asami held out a hand, wagging her fingers in Korra's direction. "Can you get me some paper and something to write with, please?" She bent her knees, returning to her spot on the floor to begin piecing the bed together.

"Hang on a second," Korra said from across the room. She hopped out of the doorframe and vanished down the hall.

Asami was left alone for a time, working gradually through the bed assembly. The instructions seemed easy enough, but she could see how Korra might get confused. Many of the pieces were quite similar. One just needed to pay attention to the placement of the pegs and holes. She really should have volunteered to put the furniture together in the first place. She felt bad for putting her Avatar through unnecessary pressure. Especially since it exposed some of the hangups she was feeling about actually adopting a child. She started to chew on her lip, waiting for Korra to return.

And soon enough, she did. Korra turned the corner, bouncing back into the room with a lively hop. Her hands look freshly washed, now occupied by several items. She skidded to Asami's side and leaned down to pass her a pad and brush with ink. "Here."

Asami took everything with a smile. "Thank you, sweetie." She then began to write down the items she listed previously, as well as a few small things she thought of while waiting for Korra. Once she was done, she took the paper and folded it over a couple times to make it smaller and more manageable. As she raised her arm to hand the letter to Korra, she turned her hand over to snag Korra's wrist, preventing her from leaving the room. Korra looked down at her with a sideways expression. Asami had something on her mind she wanted to ask, to clear the air and get everything out in the open. Korra had been wavering in her confidence, and Asami wanted to avoid raising expectations. "Korra, before you go, can I ask you something?"

Korra's wide eyes showed a lot of anxiousness behind them. She took the list from Asami's fingertips, putting it away in her clothing. Afterward, she held her hands behind her back and leaned forward to address Asami more directly. "You can ask me anything. You know that."

Asami stared at Korra, and waited several seconds to see if she intended to sit down, but she was too busy rocking on her toes. Asami sighed, adjusting her position to fold her hands in her lap. "I just want to know, if this all doesn't work out—if we end up deciding not to adopt. If we wasted all this time building this room." Asami turned, surveying the room briefly. "If we don't adopt, what will happen?"

Korra stopped rocking on her feet. She slowed to a stand-still, pulling her legs together. She unwrapped her arms from behind her back and crossed them slowly along the middle of her chest. She twisted her lips in consideration, her eyes wandering as she worked through her thoughts. "Well, honestly, I would be sad. I'm not one hundred percent yet, but I'm still pretty sure I want to do this. It's a decision for both of us, though." She glanced down for guidance. Korra did have a looming sadness in her eyes. Even if she said she wasn't certain yet, Asami suspected she was. Korra would be heartbroken if Asami didn't agree. She seemed to want this so badly. Asami wished she could see things like Korra did, so they could happily finish the project and then set out for the adoption agency. But things weren't so simple. She nodded to Korra, prompting her to keep going. "But it will have at least been a fun project which hopefully brought us a little closer together."

Asami smiled cheerfully at Korra. She raised a hand, reaching out for Korra's. The other woman's soft fingers danced across her own when their hands touched. Asami squeezed her Avatar's fingers for comfort. "You know I love you."

"And I love you, too," Korra said back.

They let go of each others' hands, and Korra leaned in place. "I'll be back soon. Don't wait up!" Asami turned to watch her love bounce back out of the room and disappear down the hallway. She lingered to listen, waiting for the sounds of activity across the building. Eventually she heard it; the front door opening and shutting, and the faint, distant roar of a vehicle engine starting up and taking off. Asami returned her attention to the task at hand.

Over the course of several minutes, Asami pieced together the entire bed frame. She pushed it to a designated spot in the room and fit it neatly against the wall. Once the frame was in place, she hefted a mattress onto the wooden structure and settled it evenly before collecting sheets and blankets to toss along the top. Once the project looked complete, save for the pillows Korra was out retrieving, she moved on to the next job. She walked to the second pile of parts and pulled instructions free from it. Setting them aside, she meticulously organized all of the parts in an easy-to-access fashion. She quietly assembled shelves to set aside, snapping locking pegs and sliding wheels into place, and was halfway through constructing the new dresser when she was interrupted by a knock echoing down the hall from the front door.

Asami squinted, leaning around the dresser to look toward the vacant doorway, wondering if the knock she heard was genuine. She waited a few seconds before hearing another series of knocks. She twisted her mouth to one side, then pushed herself into a standing position. She shuffled a few of the remaining dresser pieces to the side and started toward the front of the mansion. Her paced only quickened when the knocks came again. She yelled out, "I'm coming!" At times Asami missed having attendants to do things like answer doors, but it was a sacrifice she was happy to make in order to have time alone with her Avatar. She skidded to a stop at the door, turning the lock and pulling it open.

Standing on the porch was a man with slicked-back hair and fiery eyes. He wore a simple black suit with prominent buttons, and was holding a flat box under one arm. His drifting attention turned to the door when it opened, catching a glimpse of a momentarily flustered Asami. "Uhh, hey, Asami," he said, somewhat awkwardly. He elevated his free hand to point at her hair. "I like the bandana."

"Mako," Asami said, surprised. Her eyes then turned upward, remembering the cloth she was using to keep her hair tied back. She blushed. "Oh! I forgot I was wearing this. Thanks. But it's nice to see you. What brings you by?" She leaned her weight to the side, backing into the front area to open the door wider. "Do you want to come in?"

Mako tilted his head, seeming to notice Asami's nervousness. Asami was worried he'd pick up on her troubled thoughts. Trying to work through the doubts of adopting with Korra was hard enough without trying to explain her relationship concerns to their mutual ex-boyfriend, even if they did remain friends. She tried to hide her face as Mako stepped inside, taking a look around. "Thanks. And I was just passing through. I wanted to drop in and say hello to my favorite couple. I'm not sure how long I can stay, though. I'm on call today."

Asami moved around Mako, closing the door before skipping back into the front area to stand in front of him. She felt a lingering sense of awkwardness when he spoke. She always worried that both she and Korra dating Mako previously, and now being together, would be a sore spot for the stoic firebender. But he never gave them any trouble over what had become of their teenage love triangle. She flashed a smile, turning to pace away from the front door and toward the kitchen where they'd have more room to sit and talk. She glanced back to make sure he was following. "That's nice of you. We appreciate having company. Can I make you some tea?" She walked across the open kitchen, picking a couple small cups out of the nearby cabinet after filling a teapot with water. She set it on its base, turning on the boiler.

Asami glanced over her shoulder and saw Mako standing with his hands in his pockets, still holding the box against one side under his arm. He was slowly surveying the room, having not seen it in some time. "I'd like some tea, sure," he said, his eyes eventually drifting back to Asami leaning on the counter. "Oh, I also brought some candies, for you and Korra." He withdrew the box from under his arm, holding it out with both hands. After a pause, he added, "Where is she, anyway?"

"She's out buying some things for the house. She should be back soon." Asami pushed away from the counter, walking to take the gift from his hands. Her green eyes fell on the box, examining it and trying to understand what it was. She turned, placing the candies on the counter and pulling the lid up. She was faced by an assortment of carefully-crafted, sugar-coated purple candies. "What are these, exactly?" she asked, furrowing her brows.

Mako shrugged his shoulders, putting his hands back in his pockets. "Candied sea prunes. I thought you and Korra would like them."

Asami cautiously picked one of the purple candies. She narrowed her eyes at it. All the memories she had of Korra trying to get her to try sea prunes came flooding back. She suddenly felt ill. "Oh, gross, they make candy out of these?"

Mako shifted his weight to one foot, leaning while observing Asami inspecting the sweets. "Are they really that bad? I've heard some things, but I just assumed Korra got you used to them by now."

Asami scrunched her nose at the piece of candy. "Well, they're an acquired taste. And let's just say I haven't… acquired it yet." She turned it over in her hand, starting to smirk as she looked across the counter to Mako. "Want to try one with me?"

Mako nervously shuffled his feet. "I really don't." He kept his eyes half-lidded, staring at Asami while she waved a dried piece of sugared fruit. After a few tense seconds, he sighed and held out a hand in defeat, rolling his eyes. "Fine, give it here."

Asami snickered and passed the candy into his palm. She returned to the box, picking one of the smaller ones out for herself. She held it in front of her eyes and examined it. "Okay, on the count of three. Ready? One, two…"

They both popped the candies into their mouths at the same time. Asami watched Mako's face turn into one of horror, and he immediately spat the prune back into his hand. "Yuck! Who likes these things?"

Asami grimaced when the candy hit her tongue. She worked it slowly across her mouth and against her cheek. The sugar helped to offset the taste of sea prune, and she realized she was gradually becoming desensitized to the flavor through repeated exposure. Though the treat was borderline vile, she was able to stomach it. She pushed the sweet to the other side of her mouth so she could speak. "Korra loves them," she mused.

Mako walked around the kitchen, throwing the candy away and stopping at the sink to wash his hands. Asami giggled to herself, watching Mako act as though his hands were stained by something terrible. Once finished, he turned back around. "So how are you two doing anyway?" he asked.

"We're doing fine," Asami replied casually. Her mind started to wander, but she reeled it back in. She instead focused on the taste of sugared sea prune in her mouth, sucking on the small piece of candy that still remained. "Just… fine."

"You seem distracted," Mako said. He seemed to be observing her perturbed mannerisms closely enough to say something about it. He raised one of his sharp eyebrows, giving her a more discerning gaze.

Asami shrunk under the stare. Her focus drifted away, unable to maintain eye contact. "I just have some things on my mind is all."

"Anything you need to talk about?" he asked.

"I probably shouldn't." She raised her eyes to look at Mako, who was standing with his arms crossed. "It's kind of private," she muttered. But Mako had a way of making her want to be honest and admit her fears. It was no wonder he became a detective with interrogation skills like that. The amber eyes watching her made her anxious. She felt a rush of vulnerability, and jumped at the opportunity to vent to someone. Anyone. She stood up straight, leaning into her words while speaking much louder. "This conversation can't leave this kitchen. Don't say anything to Korra, okay?" She cast him a warning glare to emphasize the seriousness of her words. "I mean it."

Mako backed up, raising both of his hands defensively in front of himself. "Okay, okay. I won't say anything to Korra." She glared again. "Or anyone else. It's obviously important to you."

Asami sighed, pushing away from her current spot. She walked to the nearby counter, picking up the teapot and starting to pour a cup for each of them. She worked slowly, trying to work through words in her head and stall for time. She walked to Mako's side, handing him one of the cups, then sipped from the second one herself. She cleared her throat, trying to settle down and find her voice. "Korra… Lately she's been wanting to take the next step in our relationship."

Mako raised an eyebrow, looking confused. "Next step? You two are already married. What else is there?" After a short silence, he raised a hand to point at Asami. "Where's your necklace at anyway?"

Asami's eyes went wide, and she lifted a hand to clutch at her neck. Her heart jumped briefly at the realization she wasn't wearing it, but she soon calmed down, remembering that she took it off for a reason. She exhaled slowly. "It's in the other room. I was painting, and—" She stopped herself, shaking her head. She was letting the topic wander too far. She lifted her eyes back to Mako. "Korra thinks we should adopt, and raise a kid together."

Mako was in the middle of drinking from his cup of tea when she answered. He choked briefly on the hot liquid, lowering the cup away from his mouth. She wondered what he must have been thinking. "Oh, uh, that's great news." When he didn't receive an answer, he looked back at Asami. "Isn't it?"

Lowering her shoulders, Asami started pouting. "I don't know. I'm not sure if I want to. Apparently she's been considering it for weeks, and really wants to do it. I haven't decided, but… I don't think I'm ready. I don't know what it's like to raise kids. My mom was only around until I was six, and my dad was always busy. I barely know what having parents is like. And I don't know how good I'd be around kids. I mostly just know Tenzin's kids, and they seem to make Korra happy, but I'm not sure I connect with them the same way she does."

Mako fidgeted uncomfortably, retrospectively looking at his cup of tea. "Yeah, I know how that is. Bolin and I lost our parents at such a young age that I don't really know what it's supposed to feel like. I guess Korra was the lucky one of all of us." He raised a hand to rub the back of his head. "I suppose I can't really give you any advice. You should talk to Bolin instead; ask him about what having kids is like."

A sigh rose from Asami's lips. "I could call him, but I don't know if he could keep a secret. You're the only person I've talked to so far." She raised her eyes to Mako, her eyebrows lifting to show her worried expression. "I want to be supportive of her, but I don't think I want to have kids. I like being able to spend all my free time with Korra, and a child would cut into that. And it would be so much work. Am I being selfish? Or is something else wrong with me?"

Mako started to shrug. "Well, the only thing I—" He was cut off by the sounds of the front door opening. They both quickly looked up.

Asami peeled herself away from the counter, spinning to put her teacup down. "That must be Korra." She halted in mid-step, turning back to stare daggers at Mako, who shied away again. "Not one word to her."

"You got it," he said, holding his hands up in surrender.

Asami spun quickly on her heels, bouncing to the hallway where Korra was about to turn and head back to the room the two had been working on all day. She had a bag full of supplies and items, including a large paint roller sticking out of the top. She teetered when Asami pounced on her, dragging her across the floor with mild protest. "Wait, hey—!" Korra stumbled into the kitchen with Asami latched to her arm, and squinted when kissed cheerfully on the cheek. "Why are we—" She turned her head, catching sight of the other person in the kitchen. Mako raised a hand to issue a reserved greeting. "Mako! When did you get here?" Korra brightened, looking excited to have a friend drop in unexpectedly.

Mako shrugged dismissively. "Not that long ago. I was in the neighborhood." Asami watched Korra make her way to a flat surface, dropping the bag of room supplies. She then broke away and gave Mako a quick hug. Once she stepped back, she moved to Asami's side to lean on her.

Asami smiled when met by Korra's touch. She looped a hand around her waist, tightening her fingers on her clothing. "Mako brought candies too," Asami said, extending her other arm to point.

Korra lifted onto her toes, inspecting the box of sea prunes from where she was. Her eyebrows raised and she suddenly looked excited. She bounded away from Asami's grasp and stood in front of the collection of sweets. "Oh! Are these sea prunes?" she asked rhetorically as she plucked one free of the box and popped it into her mouth. Her expression grew warmer while sucking on the sugared fruit. "They are!"

Asami placed a hand over her mouth to hold in a chuckle. She watched Mako on the other side, making a face at Korra digging in to the candy. Asami still had the aftertaste in her mouth, and Mako probably did too. When Korra stopped to ask if either of them wanted any, Asami found herself speaking at the same time as Mako, though his voice was much louder and more stern. "No!" they both said.

Korra shrugged. "Suit yourselves, more for me." She popped another into her mouth. "Thank you, Mako."

Mako nodded in response. "No problem." His attention then wandered, and Asami flinched when he spoke while eyeing the bag, stuffed with a couple pillows and proudly displaying painting items. "So what's all that for?"

Korra paused her eating, her motions coming to a complete stop. She lifted her head and glanced slowly from Asami to Mako. "Oh, uh, we were painting one of the rooms."

"Yeah? What for?" Mako asked innocently.

Asami clenched her teeth and raised a hand, drawing a line across her throat to try and silence him. But she was too late. His eyes opened wider and he tried to shoot her an apologetic expression. Korra noticed the look and turned to see what Asami was doing. She quickly curled her fingers, pretending to have been rubbing her cheek.

Korra looked perplexed, but she worked through a few words. "Well, it's—we were—" She looked to Asami for help, who found she could only sigh helplessly. Korra watched her for several seconds, as if seeking guidance. Eventually, Asami raised a hand and offered a gentle shrug. Korra looked back at Mako. "Can you keep a secret?"

Asami's heart jumped into her throat, realizing Korra was going to tell Mako about their troubles. She wondered what Korra might say about it. Mako timidly adjusted his stance, placing a hand on the back of his neck. "Uhh, yeah, I can do that." He averted his gaze.

Korra hyped herself up with a quick inhale and exhale. She looked to Asami for support, who nodded. "Asami and I have been thinking about adopting. We haven't told anyone yet, because we haven't decided." She offered Asami a weak smile, and Asami smiled back. "But we've been fixing up one of the rooms just in case."

"Well, that's great," Mako said, pretending to be hearing the news for the first time. He struggled to come up with more to talk about. "I'm sure there are a lot of strong bender kids that would love to have the Avatar as their mother."

"Actually," Korra spoke up, "I was thinking we should adopt a nonbender."

"Really?" Mako asked, suddenly very curious. "Why a nonbender?"

"Why not?" Korra replied, shrugging.

"Yeah, what's wrong with nonbenders?" Asami added. She smirked at the apparent awkwardness that the prodding instilled in Mako. "I'm sure Korra just wants a daughter that won't set the house on fire, or flood it."

"You'd be surprised how often I did that when I was a kid," Korra said with a turn of her head.

"I probably wouldn't," snarked Asami. Both women chuckled.

Mako spoke again, looking self-conscious about being called out. "I didn't mean—" He was stopped by the sound of a crackling voice from his belt. All three turned to look, and Mako reached down to lift a small radio receiver from his side. Asami listened to the muffled and scrambled voice, unable to make out any of the words from where she was. Mako sighed. "Looks like I'm needed elsewhere. Sorry, I have to run."

"It's okay," Korra said with a smile. "Drop by anytime."

"Nice having you, and thank you for the candy," Asami added.

"No problem. Thanks for the tea, Asami. Good luck with… everything." They both watched Mako discard his teacup and jog toward the front door. They waited until he turned the corner, and until after the sound of the door opening and closing. A few seconds passed in silence, leaving the two alone again.

Korra looked across the kitchen, smiling at Asami. "So, daughter?"

Asami turned to catch her gaze. She was confused at first, but started to rewind over the conversation. It dawned on her she used that term when speaking of a possible future child. She blushed at the realization, but she did have to admit, she found it much easier to think of a daughter than a son. "Yeah… I guess that's just what I had in my head."

Korra leaned onto the counter, planting her elbows on the surface and putting her chin in her hands. "So what does she look like?" she asked, curious.

Asami stopped to mull it over. After considering, she pushed away from her spot to approach her Avatar, standing at her side with a hand on her hip. "I'm not sure. I guess they have a lot of different kids from all over. Do you have any preferences?"

Korra narrowed her eyebrows, seeming stumped for a moment. "I guess not. Someone we can both relate to, of course. I'm not picky. I'm sure they're all equally wonderful."

Asami smiled sweetly. She didn't want to stifle Korra's enthusiasm, but she did have to be honest. She wished she could be as into the idea as Korra was. "I'm envious of your optimism."

"I'm just really hoping for this to work out is all," Korra replied.

"Are you ready to get back to work fixing up the room? I'm nearly done with the dresser, and then I can help you paint."

"Let's do it!" Korra said energetically.