Hey! I had a chance to update today. ^_^ Hope you enjoy it!

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Chapter 28

Flustered

Korra could hear Naga scratching at the door upon her arrival. "Back up, Naga, so I can get in." Once the noise stopped, she pushed the entrance open.

Within an instant, she was tackled into the snow.

"Okay, okay, Naga, I'm okay. Naga." She tried to reprimand her polar bear dog through chuckles.

Her animal companion wouldn't relent with her licks.

"Korra, you're back!" The booming sound of her father's voice greeted her. "We were worried about you, but we figured you just stayed at Katara's when you saw the storm outside."

She pushed Naga away and crawled to her feet, wiping the saliva off of her face with the backs of her hands. "Yeah, I was pretty tired and with the weather… I didn't really want to walk back in that mess."

"I understand. I was just barely able to get our snowmobiles running in the forest before the storm hit." He gestured to the three vehicles parked beside their small home with his hand. "Luckily, we made it out of there in time. Naga was a big help." He scratched the polar bear dog's ear and received an excited bark in return.

"Good. I'm glad you're behaving." She gave the animal a look that conveyed both discipline and relief.

Naga tilted and lowered her head just a bit in response.

"Did Asami help you get the snowmobiles running? It sounds like her kind of project."

"She didn't help with those ones, no. But she did work on the ones in the garage near Harbor City. Hopefully, she's still there."

Korra's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

"She told me and Naga to go out and help the others in the forest while she fixed the snowmobiles. She said she would either come back on one of them or go out to the forest to see if the two broken ones needed fixing. She –" His face grew grave. "She never came back last night."

"What?" Korra crawled onto Naga's confused, bare back in an instant.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to the garage to see if Asami's there." She ushered Naga into a sprint with no reigns before Tonraq could even respond.

He stood at his doorstep, watching his daughter rush off into the distance in befuddlement.

(-)

Asami drifted back into reality like the single snowflakes that were falling from the sky, each unique and perfect in its structure. Her limbs were a bit shaky from the cold and from huddling up all night, but she was alive and rested. As much as she didn't want to lose her body heat, she had to stretch; her back was aching from its upright position. She started with her legs and followed up with her arms and torso. After another yawn, she pushed herself to her feet and looked around the dim room.

Well, all the snowmobiles are still here. That's good. I can use one to get back to Korra's.

Her heart flipped at the thought of the Southerner. She meandered over to the window and took a peek outside. Half her height was covered in snow from the storm last night.

After I dig myself out.

She sighed, never having experienced this heavy of a snowfall before. The winter precipitation in Republic City only amounted to a foot – maybe two during bad seasons – of snow and quite a bit of freezing rain. She rubbed her elbows, using the friction to generate warmth, and searched the area for a shovel. She sighed when she found nothing of use.

Wait, they're Water Benders. What would they ever need a shovel for when they can just Bend the snow away?

Asami exhaled, feeling very much out of place. She wasn't a Bender. She wasn't a Southerner. She wasn't used to any of this.

But she would make do. Because this is what she had right now.

And besides, you could make a lot of use out of this, Asami. It's a new place for you to explore.

A new cold place.

Yes, it is cold. But you've dealt with worse. You just need some proper clothing.

Asami jumped when she heard a bang on the door. A muffled voice rippled through the metal, calling her name. She approached it with caution, as was her nature. An occasional sound echoed through the room, though the noise was soft, as if something was just patting the entrance. There was no window for her to look through near the door to examine the situation. Her heart picked up a bit in speed. The closer she got, the clearer the words were.

"Asami, are you in there? Asami?!"

"Korra?"

"Naga, she's in there. Keep digging. We have to get her out!"

Without thinking, Asami hit the button on the wall by the door. The metal cranked upwards in a slow, rickety motion; the pulley mechanism was quite old and worn from the cold. The reflection of the daylight against the snow lit up the room while the entrance opened.

It didn't take long for Asami to be surrounded by warmth – much desired warmth, at that.

But it wasn't the polar bear dog that tackled her to the ground, like she was expecting. Instead, it was the Water Tribe girl, holding her in such a tight embrace that Asami had lost her balance.

"Oh, sorry, Asami." Korra scurried off of her as quick as she could, her cheeks burning red. The jittery, nervousness inside of her returned the moment she realized she was on top of Asami. She offered her a hand, despite her blushing. "I didn't mean for you to fall. I was just excited to see you."

She's just like Naga.

Asami chuckled and allowed Korra to pull her up. "I can tell."

Naga trotted to her side and licked her cheek.

"Naga likes you." She grinned at Asami and put her palms on her own hips.

You like her, too.

Korra's flush worsened to the thought. She tried to find something to distract herself, but she kept getting lost in Asami's features: her pale skin, muddled with some dirt and grime from her work on the snowmobiles… the way she looked in Korra's blue parka… her peridot eyes, which sparkled amongst everything else and were staring right at her. She panicked and blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

Unfortunate for her, it wasn't quite the best thing she could of said, nor was it the best delivery in the world.

"YoulookreallyniceandI'mgladyou'renotanAsamisicle."

Asami raised her eyebrow, a bit confused from her fast statement. "What?"

"You – uh – you, I'm glad you're okay. It – uh, gets cold here, and I'm happy you aren't frozen."

She giggled. "You said Asamisicle, didn't you?"

Korra was pretty sure that she actually burst into flames. "I – uh – I… Naga!"

The polar bear dog snapped to attention.

This didn't buy her a lot of time. "I, uh, well, um… I have a polar bear dog."

"Yes, you do."

"She's right here." Korra pointed at the animal with her thumb.

Naga tilted her head to the side in confusion and barked.

Asami decided to play along. "And what amazing things can this polar bear dog do?" She circled the animal, her chin in her hand as she inspected Naga. "Can she run? Jump? Hunt?"

"Yep, she can do it all!" Korra gave her a crooked grin, already feeling relief from her embarrassment.

Asami finished her examination with a quick ruffle of her fur. "She seems pretty strong. Has a good coat. I better check her ears." She leaned forward and whispered to the animal: "play along and I'll give you double the fish I offered yesterday."

Naga yapped when Asami winked.

"The ears look good. No dirt, no infection, no bugs."

Korra stood beside her, her hands on her waist in pride.

"She's a beautiful specimen, Korra. You've raised her well. I'll take her!"

Her expression morphed from joy to confusion. "Wait, what?"

Asami hopped onto the polar bear dog's back and tossed a yuan Korra's way. "Thanks, Korra!" She ushered Naga out of the garage and the two sped away.

"What? Wait! Asami, come back! Wait! Naga isn't for sale!" Korra ran after her as fast as she could until she plopped into the snow.

She turned the animal around and they stood several yards away, chuckling at the Korra-shaped hole in the fluff. They pranced over to her, giggling.

Korra pushed herself out, a bit of snow stuck to the top of her head. She shook it off and scrambled to a harder surface. Once she was there, she waited for Asami's feet to touch the ground before lunging.

Asami laughed – her eyes closed – as she slid off of Naga. "Sorry, Korra, I couldn't help it. The look on your face was –"

Down she went.

They tumbled into the snow bank and rolled several times until Korra was on top of her. Their eyes met, a soft panting escaping their lungs in minor billows of frozen breath between them.

"I'm not sorry about this one," Korra smirked in a way that said so many things.

Too many things.

Lucky for Korra, Naga came along and licked her cheek before she could downward spiral into embarrassing sputtering again. She hopped to her feet and mounted her polar bear dog's bare back. "Come on, Asami. There's another thing that Naga can do that I want to show you." She reached down and waited for Asami to stand and take her hand. She pulled her up to the back of her polar bear dog.

"Is it her swimming abilities?"

"No, I've already showed you that." Korra smiled and brought Naga to the entrance of the garage. She hopped off for just a moment to shut the metal door and crawled back up once it was closed. "Naga gives excellent tours of the Southern Water Tribe."

Asami raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, really?"

She nodded.

"Are you sure it's not the driver who's giving her directions that gives a good tour?" She followed her question by wrapping her arms around Korra's waist to keep herself from falling off the animal underneath her. She could feel the temperature change in the woman in front of her and – in all honesty – was thankful for the additional warmth.

Korra – on the other hand – was not as thrilled about blushing, again. "Well, uh, I guess we just make a good team?"

"We certainly do." Asami was pleased with how smooth she was acting until her stomach made a larger-than-life rumble. Now, it was her turn to blush.

"How about we go get some food? Then I'll show you around." Korra maneuvered her hold on the back of Naga's neck and sent her into a gentle walk. "Actually, I know the perfect place where we can do both." She steered the polar bear dog in the other direction, moving away from Harbor City and its almost-midday rush.

(-)

Aww, man.

Her shoulders slouched as her destination was in sight. She could tell – just by the look of it – that the grounds weren't cleared of all of the snow from the night before; the area still wasn't accessible yet.

Okay, don't panic. Plan B.

"This way, Naga." She guided her animal away from Plan A before Asami could realize what Plan A even was.

We'll come back in an hour or so. It should be ready then.

"Where are we going, Korra?"

"We certainly aren't going to the ice fields right now, that's for sure."

"Ice fields?"

"Don't worry, you'll see them soon. First, we're gonna go home and clean up and get some warm food in us."

Asami grimaced for a moment, recalling the last warm meal that she ate in the Southern Water Tribe. "You don't think your mom is making sea prune stew again, do you?"

Korra chuckled. "Not a fan?"

She shook her head.

"It's okay; I'll eat your portion if you don't want it. Besides, it's definitely an acquired taste."

"That's what your mom told me. Well, the last part, not the first part."

Korra laughed. "I figured." She had Naga speed up a bit, feeling some hunger pains herself. "I'm not sure what my mom will be making or what she has ready in the ice box to be cooked. But I'm sure it'll be better than the last batch of stew you had if she makes a new one. Fresh Southern Water Tribe food is much better than frozen Water Tribe food." Korra could feel her mouth water to the thought of it. She leaned forward a little more, making her polar bear dog run faster. "We're almost home. Once we eat and get washed up, we'll head back out."

Asami nodded and pulled herself closer to Korra. It wasn't so much the additional wind that was whipped up from the sprinting that made her do so. Rather, it was the fear of falling off the dashing animal and getting trampled by her mighty paws.

Either way, Korra smirked.

They slowed to a stop at the front door and slid off of Naga. The trio entered Korra's home and shut the door behind them.

It was much warmer than Asami remembered. She attributed it to the substantial fire in the common room – thanks to the fresh wood that Tonraq and his crew had gathered. Senna and Tonraq were sitting next to each other by the mantle, the former sipping some tea and weaving while the latter read through several papers on his lap.

"Hey, mom. Hi, dad. I found Asami." Korra gave them a sideways grin and pointed at the woman behind her with her thumb. "She's safe and sound now. I'm going to get us some food." She took Asami by the wrist and pulled her into the kitchen.

Senna and Tonraq shared a confused look. They shifted their attention on Naga, who sat in front of them with her tail bouncing and her tongue hanging from her mouth.

"You want more fish, don't you, Naga?"

She barked at Tonraq's question.

He stacked his papers and stood. "I'll take her out to the Aakaga to get some fishing done. Should we bring some back for dinner?"

Senna nodded. "That would be wonderful." The rustling in the kitchen forced her to abandon her weaving. "I'll go check on her."

Tonraq bobbed his head and waved the polar bear dog on to follow him. He grabbed the stone bucket by the door before leaving.

"Korra, is everything alright in here?"

Senna halted in the doorway to find her daughter rummaging through the cupboards, stammering the entire time. Asami was kneeling at the table with an entertained smile on her face.

"Oh, um, hey, mom. Do we have – um – any leavy lils – I mean, lily leaves, for tea?"

Senna couldn't help but feel a mixture of concern and amusement; she had never seen her daughter so flustered in her life – not even after the time she tried to lie her way through a story about how bandits broke their vase and how she fought them off with a fish. Her daughter was a horrible liar, ever since birth. But this? This was a different kind of stumbling, and Senna knew exactly what kind it was.

"Here, sweetie. Let me help you. Why don't you and Asami go get washed up and I'll warm up some food for you?" She took the two cups from Korra's hands and gave her an ushering look.

"Oh, um, okay. Thanks, mom. Come on, Asami." Korra motioned for the engineer to follow and left in a half-blushed state.

Oh, Korra.

(-)

"Here, Asami. You can use this rag to clean the oil off your face. And I can lend you some more clothes, if you want. I have – um –" She rummaged through her drawers, realizing she actually didn't have very many clothes to offer that weren't pajamas or much too worn out for Asami. "I've got, uh, a pair of pants and um… wait, I thought I had boots, too, but these ones are even worse than my other ones…"

"Korra, relax." She put a palm on her bare tan shoulder until Korra eased. "I'll be fine, as long as I'm moving around and I can use your parka."

"Of course! Use whatever you need! It's not too cold out today, so I can just wear this. I don't need a parka, not with my Southern Water Tribe blood!" She ended her embarrassing sentence with a nervous laugh. "What? Do you need me, mom?" She called over her shoulder, feigning the entire situation. "I'll be right back, Asami. You just – do what you gotta do." Korra almost ran away from Asami. She burst into the kitchen and stumbled right onto her cushion, face buried into the table top.

"Korra?" Senna spun around from the pot, worry in her voice.

"I'm fine. Don't mind me. Please, continue doing what you're doing." She waved her mother on without lifting her nose an inch.

She shook her head and smiled, remembering when she was reduced to a similar state over her initial crush on Tonraq many, many years ago. She returned to her stew and stuck a spoon inside. "Everything is going to be okay, Korra. Just be yourself."

Korra opened her mouth to reply when she heard footsteps behind her. She sat up in an instant and hid all of her turmoil. When Asami entered the kitchen, she smiled, taken aback inside by the addition of fresh makeup on Asami's dirt-free face. She thought Asami was beautiful with and without her makeup, but those red lips that popped from her pale skin and the purple shadow that accented her peridots so well made Korra's heart skip a beat.

Well, perhaps multiple beats.

Where did she get makeup from? Does she just carry it around with her?

When there was no response, her head tried to get her attention again.

Korra? Are you in there?

Nothing but gushiness exuded out.

Oh, for Spirits sake!

Senna snuck a look at the pair, knowing exactly what was going on between them; she could tell just by the look in her daughter's eyes.

Whether or not they know, though…

She smirked and ladled stew into each bowl. "We haven't had the chance to go out to the market or out to the rivers yet, Asami, but I added some fish to your sea prune stew so it's a bit more bearable for you." She placed the dishes in front of the younger women and smiled. "I'm sure Korra wouldn't mind eating your sea prunes if you don't want them."

Korra chuckled and dipped her clean spoon into Asami's bowl, stealing a sea prune on the way. She popped it into her mouth and smiled.

Asami raised her eyebrow, taking the gesture as a challenge instead of an act of cuteness. "No, no. If I'm going to stay here with you, I need to learn to eat the food you give me. I don't want special treatment." She maneuvered around the lighter chunks of fish meat and went right for the sea prunes. As horrible as it was on her tongue, it wasn't nearly as bad as the first time. She smiled to hide her grimace and continued eating the meal without a single sound. She met Korra's oceans when she finished and smirked in success.

Korra grinned and slurped her bowl empty. She hummed in satisfaction. "Thanks, mom. I really appreciate it." She took both of their dishes and placed them in the sink. "I'm going to show Asami around the Southern Water Tribe for a little while. We'll be back in a bit."

"Okay, sweetie. Be safe."

"We will, mom. No worries. We'll have Naga with us, too." She added once she heard the polar bear dog return. "Come on, Asami. Let's do this!" Korra gave her a crooked grin and dashed out of the room.

Asami paused before following her to thank Senna for the food.

"It's no problem, Asami." Senna took a step forward and put a hand on Asami's shoulder. "Take good care of Korra. Okay?"

She nodded. "Always."

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