Rather than a cave at the center of the mountain, Kuvira had expected to meet Avatar Kyoshi's spirit in the Hall of Avatars. Had she not listened, she may have missed the spirit of the previous Earth Avatar.
The cave was dank and craggy with stalactites and stalactites protruding from the floors and ceiling. They were illuminated by Kyoshi's spirit, a blue light reflective of the sky, and she seemed at once firmly planted yet floating.
"You finally made it," Kyoshi said.
Kuvira bowed deeply. There were few she would show this much respect to, but the last incarnation of the Earth Avatar was one of the most powerful in recorded history.
"Avatar Kyoshi. It's an honor to—"
"Save the formalities. There's not much time before the Harvest Moon. I've been trying to reach you since you and Korra left the Spirit World. Though had I, you would not be where you are now."
Kuvira didn't understand what Kyoshi meant by that but responded to what she could: "My apologies, I misunderstood the message. I didn't think we could communicate until the night of the harvest moon. So, why not reach out to Korra? Or Jinora?"
"Jinora's spiritual powers are strong, but she doesn't see all. She's known of the harvest moon but doesn't realize the significance. And Avatar Korra shut herself off from her spiritual side. Darkness threatens to consume her, making her a threat to herself and the world."
"Is that not all Avatars? If they aren't a help, then they're invariably a threat," Kuvira retorted, a hint of her old self speaking uncomfortable truths. A person with so much power is a frightening creature, and Kuvira had witnessed it in Korra on more than one occasion. Moreover, she had observed it in herself.
Kyoshi's headpiece a golden fan, glinted in a stalactite as she spoke, her white and red makeup masking her expression. "To take no action can be seen as a form of betrayal. Korra's wrestling with something no Avatar has dealt with before – she embodies both the dark and light spirits – Raava and Vaatu. But she's locked it away inside of her, and now she betrays herself."
It took a minute for what Kyoshi said to sink in, and Kuvira stood there pensively before replying: "Korra told me she was going through something, that she couldn't – wouldn't go into the Avatar state, but I didn't know why." Kuvira suddenly felt selfish for not probing her friend on the matter when she had the chance, for being too self-involved to truly listen when Korra was trying to tell her.
"There's no need to feel guilt. Korra wasn't ready to tell you – she could hardly accept it herself, which makes her vulnerable; her identity is fractured, her spirit shrouded. What's more, there are people – a group of influential men toying with powers they have no business messing with. They think the world exists for their amusement, that nature and spirits are theirs for the manipulating with no regards to balance." Kyoshi kept her stern gaze on Kuvira without wavering.
Kuvira recalled how she, in her own crazed quest to create a totally unified Earth Empire, had harvested spirit vines relentlessly from the banyan grove. She recoiled in shame and then shook it off, realizing she couldn't take back what she had done, though she had no desire to ever do that again.
"I was like that," Kuvira admitted.
Kyoshi nodded knowingly. "The Spirits are forgiving, but only if you've truly changed. They can sense your energy. That's why you were able to move about in the Spirit World freely without being driven to madness."
"And thanks to Korra guiding me… So why me? What am I going to do? I'm a nonbender now. And a fugitive."
"You are one of few who can stop her. You're not afraid to make the hard decisions and will do what's necessary for the greater outcome."
"I just told you I'm a nonbender now. And why on Earth would I want to stop my friend?"
"The harvest moon is nigh. It's also a blood moon. On that night, it will appear very close to the Earth. Both Waterbenders and Earthbenders will be at their peak. And Korra is a waterbending Avatar. Her power will surge, though like I said, there's chaos within her. What's more, it's a night occurring once every nine-hundred and ninety-nine years when the boundaries between realms is weakest. The Spirit World reflects her emotions; there she is the strongest and can shape reality. On this night, she will be able to do the same in the material world and particularly in Republic City where the boundary is the weakest. Korra and incidentally the world are in grave danger. And this group of men means to harness Vaatu – they intend to control and demean the Avatar; they wish to introduce chaos to the world so they can rebuild it from its ashes."
"And profit – use that to leverage control over the rank and file. When the world is in chaos and vulnerable, what's more comforting than stability? In the aftermath of Zaheer, such a thing was my modus operandi. The difference is these rich men are spiritually inept and morally bankrupt, whereas I was blinded by my righteousness." Kuvira said, processing what Kyoshi just told her.
"As I noted, the spirits can sense our energies and appear anywhere without being seen. Now that Republic City's a spiritual hub, the spirits have witnessed the men's gross abuse of nature, their assertion of dominance over it and the spirits. Korra thinks she's cut off from her previous lifetimes, but really she's not. She need only tune into places where our spiritual energies are strongest."
"Is that why we're at the Southern Air Temple?"
"Yes," Kyoshi said. "It's not only because here exists the hall of Avatars. It's because someone I loved like a father is from the Southern Air Temple, and I myself am half airbender."
Kuvira nodded, but it still left one gaping question unanswered: "Despite this, you haven't answered why you think me strong enough to face the Avatar. I can take down regular benders easily, sure, but this is the Avatar."
"Don't be foolish." Kyoshi whipped out her golden fan and held it in front of her face.
"As it turns out, I may be a fool after all, but I'm no coward. Trust me, had I my bending I'd already be halfway to Republic City. But I don't, I never will again."
Kyoshi laughed and the sound echoed through the heart of the mountain. "No, you're not a coward. And do you know why?"
"I do," Kuvira said. "It took me a long time to understand this… I used to think conscience makes cowards of us all – I thought that letting go of Bataar was the right thing to do, the brave thing. But it wasn't. And when I surrendered to the Avatar, I truly felt it was right, despite everything. On some level, I'll admit I once again set out to prove I wasn't a coward by taking my own bending, though that wasn't the only reason. I've had to confront my conscience during that time, which is frightening but also -"
"Courageous. Hubris can distract a person from doing the right thing – it's possible to be blinded by honor or power or both. Honor can be noble; it can also be destructive. A balanced person can find strength in their convictions by lifting the veil and tuning into what is." Kyoshi lifted the fan from her face, continuing: "The more aligned they are, the stronger they become. False strength in the form of honor or righteous motives then can be a mask for instability. It is rigid, easily shattered and thus, weak."
"So I'm strong of heart, of a new type of conviction – one that's not rigid but flexible, malleable, fluid even. So what?" Kuvira shrugged nonchalantly but she was deeply invested in the answer.
"So everything – and nothing. You understand that as an Earthbender, you must also consider air and water and fire. You embody all of the elements – one need not be the Avatar to do this. They can bend all in one."
"But I'm not a bender!" Kuvira was getting frustrated. It was as if Kyoshi would not accept this fact with all their talk of reality.
Once again Kyoshi laughed. "But you are a bender. You're the only bender of your kind, for now."
"Do you mock me?"
"On the contrary."
"Well, I didn't ask you or anybody to restore my bending, if that's what you intend," Kuvira said.
"I would restore your bending."
Kuvira's pulse raced and she tried her best to reel herself in. "Please. Don't," she whispered.
"And why not?"
"Because… I don't deserve it. It's my penance."
"Your karma is yours to bear regardless of whether you have bending or not. The only reason you would deny me is if you feared yourself, and to run from that destiny would be cowardly."
Kuvira shook her head. "That's not it."
"Only justice will bring peace, but a new type of justice must be served, and you're a player on the world's stage whether you like it or not."
Kuvira considered. There was a time, even up to a few days ago where she embraced this thought but things changed like a switch within her - had she felt peace ever in her life? Only in those quiet, inauspicious moments. Once again, she felt foolish.
"I'll never be absolved of what I've done in this lifetime. It may take a hundred lifetimes. I'm going to have to accept that."
"Accept this—"
In an instant, Kyoshi's spirit transported and appeared inches in front of Kuvira, where she towered over her. Kyoshi extended her thumbs – one to Kuvira's third eye, the other to her chest at her heart chakra. A blinding white light shot out of Kuvira's mouth and eyes and she felt energy surge through her, traveling up her spinal column and through the other major channels of her body. It was pure ecstasy, enough to drive an unprepared person mad.
Kyoshi removed her thumbs and Kuvira fell to the ground, her eyes full of tears, her body humming and throbbing in a familiar yet undeniably new way. She looked down at her hands, which trembled as energy surged within her.
"Now rise and become who you already are," Kyoshi said.
Kuvira stood slowly, taking long, deep breaths to steady herself. In the inhalations, she felt the earth beneath her, the stalactites and stalagmites above and below her. It was, all of it, teeming with life and vibrations and rhythms.
"Is this my fate!" Kuvira screamed, spittle spraying out of her mouth.
"It is what is. And you are who and what you are."
"Another reality: Korra can bend metal, and that includes platinum - I taught her. Well, we sort of brought it out of each other." Kuvira blushed from the cocktail of emotions heaving through her.
"But she can't bend gold."
"Neither can I."
"Do you not feel it?"
"I can feel everything right now!"
"The Golden Heart technique. I saw you studying it. Now concentrate."
Kuvira was struck just then with what to do. She breathed and did the forms in the scroll, moving gracefully with strength and fluidity. The mountain trembled below her and she felt something dense vibrating beneath her – the purest metal in the world. Her eye's widened.
"There's gold here. I'm a gold bender! You gave this to me?" Kuvira husked.
Kyoshi shook her head. "I didn't give you anything. I merely restored what was already there. You've undergone an inner alchemy, chipping away to reach the gold within your heart. Now you must live in this world and keep living in it. There's indeed gold in this mountain, but you must never tell anyone outside of this temple, you must never take more than you need, and you must never abuse your power."
Kuvira bowed to signify Kyoshi's words had been heeded. Then she planted her feet and concentrated her energy on the gold, siphoning some of it out of the mountain's pours like liquid. Her mind's eye focused on fashioning armor of which she had made prototypes with other forms of metal. Combining creativity and conscious control, she shaped what was a perfect picture in her mind, the liquid gold entwining around her body and limbs, forming protective armor attachments that doubled as weapons and allowed for flexibility. Under normal conditions, gold would be too heavy for armor, but for Kuvira, a gold bender, it was as light and flowy as silk garments.
"Now go. Get to Republic City and stop the Avatar… at any cost."
"What about those guys who mean to control her? What if we stopped them?"
"You're too late for that. The ritual is done. Now all they have to do is wait – and time is running out..." Kyoshi faded away slowly until there was darkness in the cave.
But the darkness no longer mattered to Kuvira. She felt the earth around her and incidentally a glimpse of Toph's world, silently acknowledging how great and unparalleled the legendary metalbender truly is and ever would be. Even so, this was Kuvira's time.
As Kuvira emerged from the core of the mountain and made her way back from where she came, Opal stirred from her dreamless sleep under the fir tree. She saw Kuvira walking toward her, light from the moon reflecting her golden armaments. Was she dreaming after all, she wondered?
Kuvira approached and stood over Opal, who sat up and leaned against the tree.
"Where'd you get that armor? What's going on?" Opal yawned.
"I'll explain everything in the morning. But we need to start making moves toward Republic City. I'll speak with Jinora at first light." Kuvira's voice was urgent, focused.
Opal crossed her arms. "I'm not a child, Kuvira. You don't get to show up looking like a glam warrior woman and expect me to forget about it and fall back asleep. Answers. Now!"
Kuvira sighed. Opal didn't look like she was backing away from her pursuit of immediate answers.
"Something happened to me. And something even bigger's going to happen in a few days to Korra and Republic City."
"Start with you." Opal cared about the urgent situation in Republic City of course, but she was curious about the shiny woman in front of her.
Kuvira took a breath and lifted a round stone to hover some feet ahead of her. Then she bent a rope from one of her golden forearm guards and whipped it at the slowly spiraling stone. The stone snapped in half and fell to the ground. The golden rope yo-yoed back to Kuvira's forearm and molded to her armor.
"Funny thing, this heavy metal weighs nothing at all once you learn how to bend it. It's like liquid and air but also impenetrable."
Opal rubbed her eyes, stunned by what she saw.
Kuvira bent the gold off of her, forming a perfect sphere next to her, from which see separated a smaller sphere and separated that into two equal spheres. She sat next to Opal with the two small golden balls rotating inches above her hand, one ball revolving around the other.
Opal reached out and grabbed one of the balls and examined it. A perfect little sphere.
"Wow," was all Opal could say.
That's when Kuvira told Opal everything else – except for the fact that there was a gold mine in the mountain, though she knew Opal was no dummy and would figure it out on her own eventually.
"Kuvira, I want you to know," Opal said, leaning her head into the other woman's chest. Heat crept between her legs as she heard Kuvira's pounding heartbeat like a warrior's love song. "I'm an airbender, but that won't stop me from doing what's right. I'm going to be beside you when things go down."
Kuvira looked into Opal's resolute eyes and in that moment felt immensely grateful. She leaned in close to Opal's little lips and nearly kissed her but stopped herself.
"We should probably get back," Kuvira said. "Get some rest and prepare for what lies ahead."
Opal's entire body flushed as she felt Kuvira's breath against her lips. "Yeah."
They got up and headed back to their rooms, the gold hovering behind Kuvira as she walked. At Opal's door, they said their goodnights and Kuvira headed back to her room.
Kuvira undressed and lay in her bed, looking out the window at the moon. When it came to the situation in Republic City, she felt the urgency and yet she was calm. Other matters had taken up space in her mind and heart, and unshakeable arousal consumed her.
She moved her hand down slowly to her pussy and began circling her clit with her middle finger, building up heat in her core and breathing heavily. With her other hand she gripped the edge of the cot and moved her finger faster, harder. When she leaned her head back, she noticed someone standing at the door, watching her. She jumped in her cot and covered herself before realizing who it was – Opal.
"Opal! I – fuck, you caught me." Kuvira threw her blanket down and lay back on her cot.
"I was just here to – see if you wanted company."
"Oh, yes."
Opal walked over to the cot and straddled Kuvira. She hadn't yet changed out of her airbending suit, and Kuvira was naked and wet. Opal leaned in and whispered into Kuvira's ear: "I want you to undress me" before licking it and moving her mouth down Kuvira's neck. Her hands, meanwhile rubbed Kuvira's tits, thumbs encircling hard nipples.
Kuvira reached around and unzipped Opal's suit, pausing to moan and inhale sharply, feeling the warmth of Opal's tongue lick a sensitive spot at her collarbone. Soon Opal's perfect tits were out and Kuvira leaned in and suckled those awhile, gently pushing Opal onto her back and sticking her hand down where the rest of the suit collected at her waist. Kuvira's hand worked its way down, her fingers dipping into the folds of Opal's wet pussy.
After all these years, it was finally happening.
Kuvira touched Opal down there; the other woman reciprocated and they twirled their fingers around, making out at the same time. As heat continued to build, they moaned into each other's mouths and it became a game of who was going to come first, their fingers rubbing and pumping harder until Opal buried her head into Kuvira's sweaty nape and came, riding her pussy against the other woman's hand. All the while Opal was coming, she focused her attention on relentlessly pleasing Kuvira, whose deep moans intensified her release.
Opal removed her hand from Kuvira's wet pussy to mild and brief protests until moments later, Opal's head was in Kuvira's snatch licking steadily as Kuvira's hips gyrated against her mouth.
Kuvira's chest and head and entire being became the heat between her legs as Opal concentrated on the clit, pressing her tongue in steady motions until Kuvira couldn't take it anymore and her hips bucked in an intense orgasm. Opal continued to lick but softer now until Kuvira's breathing slowly steadied.
They kissed passionately and Kuvira tasted herself in Opal's mouth. Then they lay there cuddling awhile before Opal broke the silence: "Well that happened."
"Finally," Kuvira said. She kissed Opal's forehead.
"Not bad for my first time with a woman."
"You're sure of yourself huh?" Kuvira teased.
"Of myself – yes. And of how I feel about you. But you on the other hand..." She sighed.
Kuvira fell silent, wondering what Opal meant. They continued to cuddle until Opal drifted off to sleep, though Kuvira wasn't tired. Her thoughts turned to Bae, who was probably out cold. That woman could sleep her way through the apocalypse. She chuckled silently at the thought and caught herself. A sharp pang arose in her chest and she felt like she had been slugged in the gut.
"Uh oh," she whispered.
In the morning, Opal awoke to no one. Kuvira had gone at dawn to see Jinora like she said she would, but Opal thought they would greet the morning with salutations and each other with kisses.
Meanwhile Kuvira found Jinora, who had been meditating as the sun rose, and told her everything. They would convene a meeting with the others in the early afternoon to plan their next move.
She found a tree to meditate under, a different one from Opal's – she needed to be alone to process her confusion and personal matters so she could have a clear mind when she faced Korra. Again. Difference was, Korra was the most powerful person in the world, and with each passing year, she realized more of this truth. Kuvira had spanked Korra in one-on-one battles on more than one occasion, but there would inevitably come a time when the Avatar would surpass her. This must not be that time.
Kuvira wanted to avoid putting down the person she considered her best friend but Kyoshi was right, the former Great Uniter was no stranger to making hard decisions for the greater outcome.
She listened and waited as she had when Kyoshi called upon her the previous night. To act without reflection would be imbalanced; it could mislead a well-meaning person down a path of oppression. Reflection without action can also lead to imbalance, though the latter wasn't Kuvira's problem so much as the former.
Off in the distance she saw Kai, Bumi, and Bae at the airball field. Word was that Bae had made fast friends with those two fellas. She decided to join them, realizing this would be her first interaction with Bae since the big revelation.
Wearing gold-plated armor, Kuvira walked toward the clique until she came upon a ledge. The group was directly below about fifty feet down. Kai saw Kuvira and waved and the rest looked up in the direction of his greeting.
Metal slid off of Kuvira, forming a platform beneath her feet which lifted her and brought her down to their level. Everyone was shocked but Kuvira kept her gaze on Bae's reaction, who looked at her with villainous eyes.
"Kuvira! Your bending, it's returned!" Bumi said incredulously as she landed before them.
"You're a gold bender!" was all Kai could say.
Bae crossed her arms and stared at Kuvira coldly. "So you really are Kuvira."
"I am she." There was no more hiding who she was, ever again. Kuvira's heart stuttered and she cursed herself for this feeling. Forcing herself to ignore it just a while longer, she told them about the meeting that afternoon. Of course Kai and Bumi were on board for the mission.
"Nothing's gonna stop me from keeping my family safe,' Bumi said, burying his fist in his hand. Bumjun fluttered about his shoulders.
Tear rolled down Bae's face, and she turned to hide her vulnerability, but Kuvira had caught it.
"Can I talk to you alone please?" Kuvira softened her tone.
Kai and Bumi looked at each other and took that as their cue to play some airball, a great morning airbending exercise.
Kuvira took Bae's hand and Bae immediately noticed something different in the way Kuvira treated her.
"I wanted to give you space these past few days. It wasn't my place to ask for your forgiveness before you were ready to give it."
Bae didn't retract her hand but was quiet a moment before speaking again.
"I hated you a long time – before I ever met you. But that's before I met you… and you had something to hide but you were just so much like him." She broke down then, taking shallow breaths as she cried.
Kuvira hugged her unreservedly and kissed the top of her head; Kai and Bumi played their game poorly, pretending not to watch.
"Truth is I'm sorry I hurt you, but at the time I felt justified. I wish I knew then what I know now."
"I know this. I'm not nothin' but I know somethin' or two."
Kuvira laughed as Bae melted in her arms. "Darn tootin'."
Bae continued: "That's why it's so hard – it'd be easier to hate you if you really were terrible. Instead, I…"
"Love you," Kuvira finished Bae's sentence, simultaneously beginning her own.
Bae teared away from Kuvira, not expecting to hear those words. "You? Love? Me? But what about Opal?"
Kuvira looked down and shook her head. "It's complicated. I love her too. I didn't think it was possible but I love both of you."
"Well then." Bae turned to take a seat on the ground and Kuvira bent a stool for her. Surprised at first, she settled into the earthen seat. "I guess I'm gonna have to get used to that – you bending."
"Get used to it?"
Bae realized what she said and shook her head. "I don't know. I'm still figuring things out. I'll need time."
Kuvira nodded and looked out at the guys who pretended like their match was heating up.
"Anyway, you looked like you been cozying up to Bumi over there," Kuvira said.
"I wasn't. He's just a nice guy. Even so – so what if I was? Jealous?"
"It's not my place to judge but he's way too old for you."
"Whoa, says the woman who was engaged to her brother and later fell in love with her sister."
Kuvira blushed. "At any rate, I can take him – and Kai for that matter – in airball that is."
Bae blew a curly strand of hair out of her face, swinging her short legs on the stool. "Ha! Little miss high n mighty gold bender is jealous. Go ahead, tell me how."
"All the world's a Pai Sho board, and we're the tiles," Kuvira said, smiling slyly.
Bae gave her a look like stop speaking in riddles.
"Yeah Kuvira, let's hear it. How would you beat me?" Kai was twirling the airball at his fingertips, a gale of wind keeping it steady on its axis.
"And poor, old me?" Bumi chimed in.
Kuvira turned toward the men, maintaining her sly smile. She had only slightly hoped it would come to this. Yes, she was a gold bender but at the end of the day she was still Kuvira. "I need to practice my bending anyway. Kai, I challenge you."
"Very well. Prepare to get your butt destroyed," Kai said.
Kuvira pointed to the younger man. "The only butt getting destroyed here is yours!"
"I'll be the judge of who's butt is destroyed," Bumi said. Bumjun made a high pitched spirity sound.
Bae shook her head. "Can y'all please stop talking about destroying butts?"
With that, Kuvira and Kai made their way to opposite sides of the air field and stood on tall, skinny pillars.
"We're playing a game of sudden death – and rebirth," Bumi said. He twirled the ball in his hand. "First one to get this ball in the opponent's goal wins."
"Deal!" They both said in unison.
Bumi stood in the middle of the field and counted down three, two, one before tossing it in the air. Kai made an air swipe that knocked Kuvira back before lunging for the ball, but Kuvira bent a few poles to catch her back and push her to her feet. Smart kid, she thought. She had underestimated him, but still…
In the next moment, the ball flew past her head in a gale and she used her speedy and precise reflexes to bend gold around the ball, halting it mid-flight. She then bent the pillar once more to propel her in the air, her leg spinning around to kick the metal ball directly through the hoop on the other side. Kai had to dodge to avoid getting hit.
The gold detached from the ball and flew back to Kuvira who glided back to the ledge on a floating piece of rock.
"Well then," Bumi said.
"No fair!" Kai protested.
Kuvira shrugged. "I'm not an airbender, so…" She noticed Opal watching them from above. How long had she sat there, she wondered?
With that Kuvira excused herself and rode a piece of gold up to where Opal was, the others following her to Opal's gaze. Bae kept her eye intently on Opal, and the look was reciprocated.
"Opal," Kuvira said, leaning in to kiss her. "Good morning. How did you sleep?"
Opal recoiled. "Don't play this game with me. I saw – and heard – everything."
"Well then you must have heard that I love you."
"And Bae too." Opal stamped her foot, tears forming. "How can I be so stupid? I saw you two when you arrived. How you two looked at each other – I knew it then."
At this point, Kuvira could only express her own recent revelation on the matter. "This is news to me too because all I could think about when was out there walking around for a year was you. Even if I never saw you again, the thought of you happy, I -"
"But I wasn't happy! You left me with nothing but a letter and your hair to remember you by!"
Kuvira didn't move, didn't speak, and Opal continued: "Me and you – we fell in love, and I left Bolin. He was a great guy – I just didn't love him, didn't miss him like I missed you. And then you go and tell me to stay with him, like… Do you even know me at all?"
"Listen, Opal. What's done – it happened. And I do love you, so I have to be honest. I'm still a bit confused about it myself."
"That you love two women?"
Kuvira nodded. "Maybe it's a sign I shouldn't be with either of you and need to focus on the mission."
"Maybe it is," Opal said weakly.
"So I'll see you at the meeting." Kuvira matched Opal's tone. She turned to go.
"You're a gold bender now," Opal said to Kuvira's back. She mouthed to herself "that's not for nothing."
They met on a grassy knoll where spiritual training with the other airbenders and acolytes often took place. It was Kuvira, Bae, Opal, Bumi, Kai and a few others with Jinora calling it. The sun was high in the sky.
Everyone at the meeting felt the tension among Kuvira and Opal and Bae, but Kuvira had decided once and for all to focus on more important matters first, averting her gaze from either woman.
The plan was this: They would take Juicy and Moo through the Southern Spirit portal and enter Republic City through the Spirit World. It was the fastest way to get there. Once inside the Spirit World, BumJun would guide them to the Republic City portal. It was important that once they entered, they remain focused utterly on their destination and not allow their minds to wander or emotions to interfere with the mission. This could cause catastrophic delays or worse.
Jinora would stay at the Southern Air Temple. As Master, her duty was now elsewhere.
The plan was set to leave at first light the following morning. That left the rest of the day for preparations.
With that settled, Kuvira walked with purpose toward her room, where she would spend the day training and meditating.
"Kuvira," Bae called from behind.
Kuvira stopped and turned around while Opal stood by and watched.
"Yes?"
"I'm coming with you to Republic City," Bae said resolutely.
"We just said that it's too dangerous and you would stay here," Kuvira noticed Opal as she responded.
Her quick look wasn't lost on Bae, but she continued, "We just been through Serpents Pass – and you didn't have bending then. Besides, no way I'm letting you go to Republic City without me. So it's settled."
This took Kuvira aback, but she liked it. She tried not to smile, but even the faintest expression wouldn't be lost on the ever-perceptive Opal.
Opal stepped toward the two women and looked from one to the other, crossing her arms. Kuvira couldn't tell if Opal appeared angry or curious. They stood there awkwardly a few seconds and Kuvira broke a sweat beneath her golden suit.
"Well, then. Let's not pretend this isn't awkward. So I'm going to say this – you and you both, I love." Kuvira pointed from one then the other, then she turned around and left without looking back until she reached her room.
In the evening, Kuvira meditated, inhaling and exhaling the thin high-altitude air slowly.
She heard familiar footsteps approaching and her heart fluttered. It was Bae. But when Kuvira opened her eyes, she saw both Bae and Opal standing there.
"We've been talking," Opal said.
Kuvira swallowed the dry air. "You've been whatting?"
"And," Bae said. "We think you should come with us."
"To relax," Opal added. "You know, before the big showdown."
"I uh… um…" Kuvira's skin flushed red.
Bae laughed. "I ain't ever seen you tongue tied like this. You're usually 'Miss cool gal.' It's kinda cute."
"We need to stay focused. This is the apocalypse," Kuvira protested weakly.
"All the more reason. Let's go." Opal walked over to Kuvira and grabbed her hands, helping her up.
Kuvira shivered at Opal's touch, and in a flash she was turned on. She looked over to the cot. There's not much space.
Opal laughed. "No, not here."
"Where?"
"You'll see." Opal took Kuvira's hand and led her out the door.
Bae grabbed her other hand and followed behind, the three of them forming a chain along the narrow, spiraling hallway which they followed downward. Juicy was outside waiting for them and Opal motioned for everyone to climb aboard. At the end the saddle, Kuvira noticed three towels.
Flying off into the night, Moo took the women to a secluded area in a valley filled with hot springs. In several of the springs, monkeys bathed and relaxed, picking bugs from each other's' fur.
Opal slid off Juicy and immediately disrobed, exposing her naked body for the women and the monkeys and Moo to see. She then dipped one toe in the water, slowly submerging the rest of her leg and body up to her chest. She moaned deeply. "Mmm this feels so good. Get in here."
Kuvira wanted Opal right then and there but she remembered Bae, who sat across from her. They climbed down and slowly undressed. This wasn't the first time they saw each other naked but it was the first time it happened under these auspicious circumstances.
Bae's breasts were full, her body curvy and voluptuous. The way she looked at Kuvira as she disrobed made Kuvira wet.
They made their way into the hot spring and exhaled tension between them as the healing waters got to work.
Kuvira's head was tilted back against the edge of the spring, her arms draped out over the side with her tits out.
That's when Opal made her move. She floated toward Kuvira and said in a low voice: "Do you remember what I wanted to be before I became an airbender?"
Kuvira lifted her head and looked at Opal. "Of course, you wanted to study monkeys like that famous lady who lived with them in the jungle."
Opal tucked a piece of hair behind her ear with her wet hand and Bae inched her way toward the women.
"She was a primatologist and those were apes. There are all sorts of monkeys and apes throughout the world. We have flying lemur monkeys at Air Temple Island. And here – these are Potola Macaques. Interesting thing about them is they're matrilineal, which means their alpha is a female."
They all looked at a small group of three macaques who shared the other side of the hot spring with them. For the first time, Kuvira noticed that two of the macaques groomed the other one, perhaps the female leader.
"It's said that monkeys and apes are closer to humans than previously thought. And there are all sorts of social systems that exist," Opal continued, leaning into Kuvira. "The animal kingdom isn't confined to monogamous pairs. And always. Always, there're exceptions."
Kuvira's pussy ached in the way that craved attention. She kept her eyes locked onto Opal who leaned in for a sloppy kiss, her hand squeezing her breast and making its way down to Kuvira's clit. This woman is a scholar, Kuvira thought.
Bae intercepted Kuvira's lips then, pulling her chin away from Opal's, while Opal continued to work her clit. They kissed passionately and Kuvira closed her eyes to revel in this moment. She didn't plan for their first kiss to be this way but that's life sometimes.
Kuvira's hand came around and slid into Bae's pussy which was somehow wetter than the hot springs. She worked her deft fingers there, causing Bae to stop kissing Kuvira briefly to breathe into the sensation.
Then Bae and Opal kissed each other, feeling each other's tits as they did it. Kuvira watched and enjoyed the show as they kept going, Bae finding her way to the edge of the spring and Opal submerging her face in Bae's pussy.
Eventually, Kuvira squatted over Bae and felt the other woman's tongue down there, circling, pressing, sucking. When Bae found a catch, Kuvira egged her on: "Fuck Bae, keep going, Right there."
"Ahhh," Bae moaned into Kuvira's pussy. Opal's tongue had made her come and she was riding the aftershock.
"Get over here!" Kuvira breathed to Opal, who climbed out of the hot springs and positioned her pussy in front of Kuvira's face.
Kuvira leaned forward, tongue reaching to meet Opal's dripping pussy, and Opal threaded her hand through Kuvira's thick black hair. The sensation of getting her hair pulled almost made Kuvira come right there.
With strong hands, Kuvira gripped Opal's ass and brought her pussy to her face, plunging her tongue into the folds. Opal nearly screamed when she felt Kuvira's tongue, which was pressed with the utmost force as Kuvira's head shook aggressively back and forth. "Oh yes, yes!" Opal screamed.
Juicy groaned and the macaques stopped what they were doing briefly to watch them. But none of the women cared anymore to show modesty, releasing all inhibitions and bodily tensions.
Kuvira shuddered as she came and bared down steadily on Opal's clit who came two shakes after her.
All three women laid at the side the spring, entwining limbs and breathing heavily and kissing gently.
"Well that couldn't be undone," Kuvira said finally, gathering up her chi. "And also, thank you. Although, I'm still not sure what this means."
"Means we're a bunch of horny bastards," Bae said.
They all laughed. It was true.
They toweled off and rode Moo back, relaxed and rejuvenated.
Before parting ways to their respective rooms, they agreed to take whatever happened or was happening among them one day at a time.
In the morning, they saddled up and rode toward the South Pole, where the Southern Portal was located. Moo remembered Kuvira from when Korra trained in Zaofu and so rode her with Bae and Bumi while Jinora and Kai rode Juicy.
When they crossed the portal, BumJum grew to ten-feet tall and led the way. It was smooth sailing to Republic City. At this rate, they would arrive with enough time to touch base with Tenzin and Team Avatar and line up plans. All they had to do was make it to the other portal.
Bae had never been to the Spirit World, and when she entered she was bedazzled by the natural splendor unlike she had ever seen. She became intoxicated by it, leaning over the saddle toward a spirit forest below them. Then she heard it, a voice calling her name – her husband.
"Almost there, I can see the portal in the distance," Kai yelled from atop Juicy as he looked back. His face turned to horror as he and the rest of the party witnessed Bae tumbling down, a lone figure in the sky. He braced himself to jump after her but she had already fallen into the forest.
"Oh no!" Bumi stated the obvious.
Kuvira's face went pale. She looked at the portal and then Opal, who nodded to her. Then she jumped head first into the dark forest where Bae had fallen.