CHAPTER WARNINGS: homophobia, and that's it this time!

NOTE: Largely story-based this time. Sorry about the delays, I'm just doing a LOT right now. If you check out Elsanna. Tag. Team, I'm working on a few fics over there!


~ CHAPTER EIGHT ~

Although they always had breakfast and dinner together, and slept together, Korra felt she didn't see nearly enough of Asami for the next two days. She understood that she had a very large company to run, and that Republic City was in desperate need of her creative engineering to fix the infrastructure. Still, it was terribly difficult to be apart after being together every moment for so long.

On her third night in Asami's mansion, Korra decided she'd been cooped up long enough. She was starting to get stir-crazy, passing most of her free time training in the gym and lounging in Asami's pool. There was only so long she could do that before the shine wore off.

"Can we go out for dinner tonight?" she asked out of the blue after she greeted her lover at the door. "It doesn't have to be anything special, I could just use a change of scenery."

Though Asami sighed, she was also smiling as she set down her briefcase near the door. "Of course we can. In fact, I think I need that right about now." It had indeed been several long hours of endless meetings and negotiations with stubborn people, and taking a break from it all with the only person in the world who mattered sounded like precisely the remedy for such a slow headache.

"Ohhh that's great," Korra said with a grin. She'd been even more eager to get out than she let on. "I thought maybe we could eat dinner and then go for a walk in Central Park. Maybe get one of those silly turtle-duck boats… you know, ironically?" She grinned and shrugged. In truth, she was hoping to hold and kiss Asami on a lake, surrounded by pretty lights, without giant mushrooms cat-calling at them. Some quiet romance!

"You really want to ride one of the turtle-ducks?" she laughed, but she was already in the process of taking off her boots so she could change. Then her movements paused. "Or... well, did you want me to get dressed up or just go out as we are? Wouldn't want to presume."

"Ironically," Korra reminded her with a humorous tone. "Um… well. I mean, I always enjoy seeing you dressed up, but I don't exactly have something to match. All my really nice clothes are at Air Temple Island." She paused for a moment, wondering if she was going to continue staying with Asami for a while. Would it be too weird to move her stuff into her girlfriend's mansion? "I'd hate to bother Tenzin and Pema during their dinner."

"Then we'll go somewhere more casual." Immediately, Asami picked up the boots and exchanged them for some unimpressive shoes, then hung up her more formal jacket, leaving the rest of her outfit as it was. "What do you feel like? Soup, or something a little meatier?"

"Meatier!" she replied enthusiastically. "Wait — ohhh man, I've got the best idea! Mako and Bolin once took me to this place that serves Fire Nation food and had live music! It's definitely meaty."

Grinning from ear to ear at Korra's childlike joy, she couldn't help but have a spring in her step as she rejoined her side, leaning in to press her lips against the strong jaw she loved so much. "Anything your heart desires."

"Sweet!" Korra exclaimed, flushing pink as Asami kissed her jaw. "Anything my heart desires, huh?" She put her arm around her and winked suggestively. "Well then this is gonna be a great night! Hey, can we drive there in one of your Satomobiles?" Korra had seen Asami's collection of vehicles a couple of times but she'd only had the chance to ride in two of them. One of them, she recalled, she'd crashed into a lamppost.

A fact that Asami clearly remembered. "Yes, we can drive there — no, you cannot. You might be the Avatar, but I think you ought to complete the basic safety course before I let you behind the wheel again." But she was already opening the door and leading her down the hall to where she knew the garage to be.

"You can drive, that's fine!" she replied pleasantly, eagerly following her into the garage. She knew she was a horrible driver, and she wasn't afraid to admit it. Besides, she'd have a better view in the passenger's seat, watching Asami's hair blow behind her in the wake of their ride. "You pick the Satomobile. Which one's your favorite?"

"Hmm... well, I've always been partial to this one." She had selected a vehicle with a dark wood finish, outlined by brass and jade. The colours would seem to contrast with each other somewhat, but they actually blended qute well given the contours of the machine and the intricate designs. There was some scrollwork that many interior decorators would kill for. "But we can ride in another if you'd rather."

Korra was a little surprised to see a Satomobile crafted so artfully, out of such valuable materials. "No, this one is great! It's like nothing I've ever seen." She carefully opened the passenger-side door and sat comfortably in the soft seat. "Does it go fast?"

At such a question, Asami felt her cheeks pulling into a smirk. "Does it ever."

~ o ~

Ten minutes later, the two of them were screaming through the streets of Republic City at top speed, blowing past other Satomobiles as if they were standing still. Asami had her goggles and driving gloves on, more than up to the challenge. This was the life. Much though the serenity of the Spirit World had been great, she had missed the hustle and bustle of the city — not to mention all the creature comforts.

Korra too enjoyed the thrill of a high-speed ride, though she preferred to do so without goggles or gloves. She wanted to feel the full speed of the wind against her eyes, to feel the rumbling machine beneath her fingers. "This is awesome!" she shouted over the traffic. "Okay, so this place is on the far side of downtown, a couple streets over from Dragon Flats."

Spinning the wheel with her experienced fingertips, Asami guided it into the proper neighbourhood. "What kind of cuisine can I expect when we get there?"

"Traditional Fire Nation stuff," Korra replied happily, relaxing back into her seat. "Lots of meats cooked whole on sticks, diced up and served with thick spicy sauces… hot and sour noodles… that kind of thing. You can handle spicy food, right?"

Asami's lips twitched slightly, but she smiled and said, "I like to think I can take the heat." In truth, she was somewhat inexperienced with spicy dishes, usually preferring rich and savory, or sweet for her desserts. But she still wanted to try them — at the very least, for Korra's benefit.

Soon enough, they were parking in front of a pagoda-style structure with a neon sign that said "Azuro's Fire Pit" hanging over the entrance. The clientele did not look "rough" per se, but there was a mixture of upper and lower classes. It was at least nice enough to have valet services, so she handed her keys off to the young man and waited for Korra to join her.

As soon as the valet hopped into the car, his eyes wide as he gazed at the dashboard, Korra came up next to Asami and locked one arm into hers. This got them a couple of second glances going through the front door, but nothing too hostile. It wasn't unheard of, after all, for close female friends to walk arm-in-arm. Korra had to wonder, though, if rumors about them had begun to spread.

The inside of the place was just like Korra remembered it. The "Fire Pit" was the only restaurant she'd ever been to that had more than one floor. The ground floor of the pagoda was devoted to drinking and dancing, an activity which had grown very popular during Fire Lord Zuko's reign. In the back-center of the room, a young band was playing that lively, loud music that people were calling "razz." A small crowd danced to the music and mingled around the bar, while the scents of spicy soups and curries floated down from above.

"The dining rooms are the next two floors up," said Korra, leading Asami to a flight of stairs. "And the kitchen is above that."

"Two floors?" Asami asked in some mild surprise as they ascended, stopping in front of a man waiting to be seated once they reached the second floor. Though the music still floated up to them from below, it was muted; perhaps a bit of tricky Airbending. "Well, I've never been to a restaurant so... tall before."

"It's the only one like it I've ever been to," Korra replied with a grin.

Moments later, they were next in line, and being directed to a small, round table by the wall. As they took their seats, Korra barely glanced at the menu. "I already know what I'm getting," she said rather quickly. "Same thing I always get: braised rhino-bird in red fire sauce!"

"Then that is what I'll have, too," Asami laughed. Even if it turned out to be disgusting, she could stomach it once. For Korra. "Anything else you would recommend?"

"Well it comes with bread or rice, and you get a cucumber salad after the main course…" She grinned. "Oooh! Have you ever had fire mead? It's like beer, but with honey and cinnamon! Best thing ever."

Smirking slightly, Asami leaned in slightly and told her in a quieter tone, "You seem to have forgotten that I'm the designated driver. But I'll be glad to try a sip of yours if you want some; it sounds interesting!"

It hadn't occurred to Korra that Asami shouldn't drink if she was driving their vehicle, but it made sense; she'd seen the kind of destruction they were capable of, even in the hands of sober individuals. "Alright," she said with a shrug.

In short order, the waiter came to the table and Korra took care of everything, ordering it all at once. "It takes a little bit to cook," she said as the waiter turned to leave. "But good meat can't be rushed."

Soon after, the waiter returned with their drinks, and Korra immediately nudged her cup of fire mead towards Asami. "You definitely have to try it!"

"Oh, very well." Picking it up gingerly, she sniffed at the top of the simmering liquid. The cinnamon was strong, but the hops in the mead and the honey were so inviting that she couldn't help but be intrigued. After a few more seconds, she decided it wouldn't hurt her too much and accepted a small nip into her mouth.

"Ooh!" she burst out a moment later. "That's surprisingly... delicious! After you get over the initial shock of cinnamon, I mean!"

"I'm glad you agree," Korra replied. "I love it! I've always wanted to get a whole bottle of it from one of those fancy booze vendors…" She took back the cup and took a big drink. "So…" she continued. "Any ideas how you're gonna fix Republic City? Around the Spirit Portal, I mean."

"Well, a few, but nothing concrete." Taking up her own water glass, Asami sipped at it before continuing. "Earthbending to fill in the holes seems the most basic step, and they're already working on that. Otherwise... is it crazy to suggest roads that aren't on the ground?"

She seemed to really want Korra's opinion on the last idea. Thus far, roads had only been built directly upon the land. Bridges across water had been created, yes, but not entire roads suspended above the land itself.

"Roads off the ground?" she repeated, eyes widening curiously. "Huh. I mean…that could actually be really cool. But how would they be held up there?"

"Through a system of pillars," Asami continued excitedly. Glancing around the table, she picked up her napkin and held it aloft. "Obviously this would take a lot of Airbending to hold in place. But it could be done. However..." Then she slid the salt shaker under one end, and the pepper shaker under the opposite. "With a couple of support pillars, like these... an expert Earthbender would have no trouble finding a way to construct them to where they would be stable."

"So the Airbenders would hold up the roads while the Earthbenders moved the pillars beneath them, and then they would just stay up?" Korra grinned as she wrapped her head around the idea. "If you did that…you could even have walkways for foot traffic underneath! Or buildings!" She picked up her knife and slid it between the salt and pepper shakers to illustrate her point.

"Exactly! This way, we could bypass a lot of the Spirit Vine devastation without trying to remove them!" To represent a vine, she laid a straw between the two salt shakers, but under Korra's knife. "And obviously, this has a lot of applications outside of just the Portal area."

"You could make roads go around obstacles, or over entire neighborhoods!" Korra smiled and squeezed her lover's hand. "You're kind of a genius...you know that?"

Flushing with pride, Asami squeezed back. She did know. There were times when she doubted herself, of course, but she had been raised to have an innate business sense. It was one of the few constants in her erratic life. However, hearing Korra praise her always felt good. Every single time.

"Thank you. I only hope the rest of my board members and the President agree with me, but if they do... we can probably move forward with the planning stage in a week or two."

Korra listened and asked questions and did her best to comprehend everything that Asami told her. It was hard, sometimes, as Asami had both a larger intellect and longer attention span than she did. But when she was listening to her lover's voice, time passed quickly for Korra, and it seemed as though it had been no time at all when the waiter arrived with their food.

Korra's favorite dish looked exactly as she remembered it. The big, hearty chunks of spit-roasted rhino-bird were served in a simmering bath of thick, fragrant red sauce. Beside it in separate dishes came a heap of rice and several slices of thick, fluffy flatbread. She thanked the waiter, ordered another fire mead, and quickly began dishing her food onto her plate.

"Okay, so traditionally you take some rice and dump the sauce and meat on it, and then you use the bread to scoop it up and eat it!"

"Like this?" Using her spoon with the utmost delicacy, Asami attempted to follow Korra's directions to the letter. But Korra had already stuffed a huge bite into her mouth. "I… see you are indisposed! Very well."

She dipped a smallish bit of food onto the flatbread and bit the end of it off. It was hotter than she expected — both in temperature and in spice — and though the flavour was extraordinarily good, she found herself panting and fanning her face by the time she chewed up and swallowed it down.

Korra laughed a little as Asami's face reddened. She swallowed her food to ask, "Are you okay? Don't put so much sauce on it. The rice and the inside of the meat kind of cool it down."

Sweating slightly, Asami attempted to heed this advice when she tried again, but she still needed several sips of water. "This... is going to take some getting used to!" Seeing Korra's almost-pitying expression, she brightened and added, "But um, it's really delicious!"

"It definitely takes getting used to," Korra agreed. "But it's worth it, really! And don't forget there's a cucumber salad afterward, and it really cools you off, too."

"Thank the Spirits! I m-mean... that will be a nice counter-balance! Yes, yes it will."

As Asami mopped her forehead with a napkin, she noticed a curious stare from a well-dressed woman a few tables over. Was she really overreacting that much to the spice of the dish? Then she had to wonder if it might be that she had been recognised. So much for remaining incognito about town.

Lowering her water glass, she said, "Korra... don't look now, but some woman is staring at me. Do I have something on my face?"

Korra raised an eyebrow. "Your face? No…" Turning just slightly to look over her shoulder, she saw an old woman giving them a curious glance. Hoping it was just someone who recognized her as the Avatar, she shot the woman a smile; but the woman's frown only deepened.

"Don't pay any attention to her," Korra replied, twirling a piece of bread nervously in the thick sauce. "Ahh… some Fire Nation folks are just snobs about spice levels."

Asami felt like there was something Korra wasn't telling her, but couldn't put her finger on it. Therefore, it was as easy to take her words at face value than to sit there stewing about it. "I suppose. Am... am I really that weak in this area? Should I have been working on this all along?"

"No, of course not!" Korra replied quickly. "Don't be silly. They're the ones being jerks."

As they ate, Korra managed to work through much more of the dish than Asami did, but her lover seemed to be genuinely enjoying the flavor by the end. Korra ate her small cucumber salad in two bites and drank down the last of her fire mead. She was full and happy, and maybe a little tipsy, and her leg was bouncing slightly in time with the music coming from downstairs.

"Hey, do you wanna go dance?" she asked.

Still picking at her own salad, Asami raised an eyebrow. "Dance? I'm surprised I'm not doubled over in the bathroom right now, and you want to dance?"

Korra's face fell. "Oh. You… didn't like it that much?" She looked down a little. "Was it really that bad?"

"No, it was great! Just... my stomach's not used to this kind of treatment, that's all." Then she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But you're right about the salad helping."

"Maybe some ginger pop to settle your stomach?" suggested Korra. Feeling bad, she flagged down their waiter and ordered a bottle of the sweet, fizzy beverage for Asami. "Always works for me."

A soft smile graced Asami's red lips as she waited for the drink. "How do you do that? Keep a lookout for me and the entire rest of the world?"

Korra shrugged. She really didn't know how to answer that. Three or four years ago she would have had some smart, cocky line to follow it, but the older, wiser Korra was a bit more uncomfortable with her role as Avatar. "You're easier to take care of than the world," she admitted a little bashfully.

When Asami had finished her pop and was feeling a little better, Korra hopped to her feet and offered her hand. "Come on, let's dance! This is supposed to be some of the best live razz in town, you know."

"I'll take your word for it," Asami laughed lightly as they descended back down to the main floor of the establishment. The music was already in full swing, and a dozen couples were swirling around the ample dance floor. "So… I'm afraid my speciality is ballroom dancing, not this kind of thing. You ready to teach me?"

"I don't know if there's anything to teach," Korra replied casually. "You just kind of feel the music, y'know?" Pulling her gently onto the dance floor, Korra took Asami's hand and wrapped her other arm around her waist. "This one's kind of slow so you just… rock and spin, I guess."

A gentle "ooh" spilled from Asami's lips as she felt her body pressed lightly against Korra's, their feet moving in time to the music. Her previous training made it easy for her to adapt, and she was more than happy to let Korra retain the lead.

By the end of the first mellow number, she was feeling a lot more at ease with herself, smiling contentedly instead of nervously, allowing her eyes to close for short stretches. When the music faded, she stopped along with the other patrons to clap before they struck up a lively number. Korra was a little disappointed; she'd very much enjoyed dancing with Asami close in her arms.

"Alright, help me out a little more on this one," Asami tittered as the other couples began to move quite a bit more animatedly.

"Okay, hold both my hands," she explained, and Asami did so. "And then we—"

"Take your… display somewhere else!" a sharp voice interjected. Korra turned and saw several other couples staring at them with clear hostility. The woman who reprimanded them was a young, upper-class lady of Fire Nation descent. "Really!"

The man she was dancing with added, "We shouldn't have to see that, for Agni's sake!"

"Hey, who do you think you are?" Korra shot back, turning to face them both and poking the man in the chest. "Do you have any idea who I am, buddy?"

"Korra," Asami warned, but her voice was drowned out by the first woman.

"Yes, we certainly do — and we should think someone so dedicated to bringing balance to nature would know better than to take part in something so… so unnatural!"

"There's nothing unnatural about… about being in love!" Korra replied, raising her voice. "The Spirits don't have a problem with us, so — so neither should you! They're more 'natural' than anybody!"

One of the other dancing couples booed loudly. As she looked around to see who it was, another young man nearby sent a quick burst of flame skittering across the floor in front of Korra's feet. It didn't touch her by any means, but was close enough for her to feel the heat; he intended to send a message.

"Hey!" shouted Korra, turning to face him with an offensive stance. "You wanna go, buddy?"

"Korra!" Asami tried again, this time tugging hard on her partner's bicep. "Do we have to do this?"

"Yeah, do you have to do that?" another young woman near the bar shouted over at them.

Asami's hand on Korra's arm gave her pause. She looked around at all the people who had a problem with them, sizing them up as a collective opponent, not just the man who'd shot at her with Firebending. There were too many of them, and if things went sour…

"We can take our business elsewhere, since we clearly aren't welcome!" Korra said angrily. She hated to back down from a fight, but for her reputation and Asami's safety, she had to this time. "After we saved all your asses, like…four times!" With her arm around Asami's shoulder she pushed through the crowd to the front door.

"You're all fucking welcome!" she shouted as she yanked the door open, moved through it quickly, and slammed it shut with a deafening blast of Air.

"I'm sorry that happened," Asami told her preemptively. She wanted to try to soothe her ire as soon as possible rather than let that one event spoil what had been shaping up to be an okay evening until that point.

"It's not your fault," Korra grumbled quietly. She flagged down the valet to fetch Asami's Satomobile and crossed her arms as she waited, tapping her foot on the dark road. "I can't believe them! What right do they have to treat us like that?"

"They don't. Sure, it's their right to have an opinion, but... there ought to be some kind of law against venting it at people who are just trying to have a good time." Pinching the bridge of her nose, she sighed before adding, "Your friend Iroh warned us about this."

"Yeah, he did," Korra admitted with a sigh. She was silent for a moment. The valet pulled up their vehicle and she climbed into the passenger's seat beside Asami. "I guess… I thought maybe people would give me the benefit of doubt, since I'm the Avatar. Maybe I was naïve…"

Pulling away from the restaurant, Asami saw a someone making a rude gesture in their direction through the window. "Maybe we both were. Guess saving the world doesn't count for much in the modern era."

Korra made the rude gesture right back, thrusting her hand upward with a burst of fire for emphasis, as they rolled away from the Fire Pit. Then she sank down into the seat dejectedly with her arms crossed over her chest.

"This isn't fair!" she grumbled irately. "I should be able to take you out and dance and have dinner if I want! What do they expect me to do, hide that I love you?"

"They expect you to love a man," Asami replied quietly as she navigated the roadways, trying to keep most of her focus on that. "Not seeing what they expect confuses them. Confusion leads to fear, and fear leads to anger. It's sad, but it's the natural human reaction."

Korra grumbled something about how they were more natural than any of those assholes, but it was mostly too quiet to hear as they zipped down the roadways. They were silent for a short while, lost in their own sullen thoughts about humanity and how nasty it could be.

Then, out of nowhere, there was the unmistakable sound of an explosion not too far off, followed by screaming.

"You had to hear that, right?" Korra exclaimed, standing up a bit in her seat. "Which way was that?"

"Korra, be careful — this is a moving vehicle!" She wasn't truly worried; the Avatar could take care of herself. "Sounds like it was coming from the center of the city!"

Racing through streets and wide alleyways, they eventually made it to the source of the disturbance. And once they did, they were not pleased by what they found.

A building very near the Spirit Portal was now marred by a large smoking hole in its side. It was an apartment building, and whatever had caused the damage rendered at least two apartments completely uninhabitable for the time being. Several citizens were standing around trying to determine what to do next, and a single officer was gesturing for them to keep back until the fire brigade could arrive.

Korra's jaw dropped as they approached the ruined structure. Once they rolled to a stop, she vaulted out and ran over to a group of people who appeared to be bystanders.

"What happened here?" she asked an older man in shabby clothes.

"It just blew up!" the man replied in a hoarse, breathless voice. "Outta nowhere! Kaboom!"

As the fire brigade arrived, Korra returned to her girlfriend. "What could have done this? It almost looks like someone blew up a whole apartment on purpose."

"I don't know," Asami muttered from where she was standing by the car's side, hand at her chin. "But I have a sneaking suspicion you're right. This looks too calculated to be some kind of Bending gone wrong."

Korra nodded. "Does this thing have a radio?" She patted the dashboard of the Satomobile. "We should get ahold of Chief Beifong. If we're right, and somebody blew up a residence in the city, she needs to know right away."

"Good idea." Hand diving underneath the radio, she found the small handset attached to it by a thick wire and flipped a dial to change it from music to the police band. "Police, come in, police! This is Asami Sato — do you read me?"

The police dispatcher on the other line sounded a bit surprised. "We read, Miss Sato. What—"

Korra cut off the dispatcher quickly. "Get Chief Beifong immediately. We've got a situation!"

There was a muffled shout and a rustling noise, and then the voice of Lin. "Avatar Korra? Asami Sato? What's going on?"

"We have a situation down here at the Spirit Portal," Asami began. "It looks like it might have been a deliberate attack, but we can't be sure!"

There was a long pause before Beifong answered, "I'll be down there with a squad immediately."

The Chief wasn't fooling around. Korra and Asami only had to wait three or four minutes before a Police airship hummed above them and a squad of Metalbenders zipped down with Lin Beifong at their head. The stern woman took one look at the building and her grey brow set with worry.

"Avatar, Miss Sato," Lin greeted each of them with a quick nod as she approached the car. "I've got a hunch you're right — that this was a deliberate attack. The blast pattern doesn't look accidental. But we'll need to clear the building and examine everything to be sure. You two should head home."

"You're sure there's nothing else we can do?" Asami asked. However, she was already opening her car door as she did so; rarely did Chief Beifong speak if she wasn't sure of her words.

"I'm sure. We'll contact you if and when we need your help." She gave Korra a pointed nod. "If this is what you think it is, then we'll definitely be in touch."

Korra was still worked up from the almost-fight at the Fire Pit, and irritated that she couldn't find out more immediately about the explosion; but she nodded curtly and climbed back into the passenger seat. "Thanks, Chief," she replied.

As they pulled away, Asami guided them to one of the longer, straighter roads that would take them toward Sato Manor. Then she drifted one hand over to rest on Korra's thigh. "You doing alright?"

Korra placed her hand over Asami's, taking a moment to answer. "I… I'm honestly really freaked out right now," she admitted. "First those jerks, and now… Why would anybody want to blow up an apartment building? Where ordinary people live?"

"You've got me there. It's so senseless..." Sighing, she spared a brief glance over, only to see Korra's features were tight, her shoulders hunched. Sliding her hand up and down the thigh reassuringly, she went on, "But it's okay to be upset. Just try to remember that Beifong and the rest of the force are working on it; nobody's going to let this remain a mystery."

"Mm." She was ashamed to admit that she was also disappointed they'd come home to so much trouble. She had been a fool, she realized, to even hope that such problems would be gone… to hope their responsibilities would be nothing more than to have fun together and be happy.

"Let's just go home," she said after a while. And she had been the one who wanted to go out tonight!

Nodding, Asami kept her hand where it was as they headed back to the mansion. That had been her intended destination, but if Korra had wanted to go anywhere else, anywhere in the world, she would have changed direction in a heartbeat. But Korra spent the rest of the ride in silence.

When they arrived at the mansion, the Avatar trudged inside with an uncharacteristic melancholy in her gait. She was ashamed of Republic City for treating her and Asami so terribly… and she was ashamed of herself for thinking that things would be any better than this. She should have listened to Iroh. The world just wasn't ready to accept them.

~ To Be Continued ~