It was half-past twelve. One day ended, and another began but the fact completely eluded the group's attention, as they were gathered at the table, enjoying hot food, cold beers, and a lively conversation that appeared to go on forever for the wait staff.
Usually, on weekdays and by this hour, most dining establishments were already shutting down operations for the day. Besides festival season, it was unusual to have groups of patrons looking for a place to gather when most of the city residents were already home. However, the owner of Fan's Dumplings had a very compelling reason to keep the doors of their establishment open, the motive being the Avatar herself and her friends. As another plate full of dumplings fresh from the kitchen made its way to their table, their voices carried, filling the establishment with their enthusiasm and energy.
"Well, after this raid Mako better get that promotion. You should be colonel by now, isn't that right Bo?" affirmed Korra before popping inside her mouth the steamed dumpling she had snatched from Bolin's reach. She tossed another one at Naga who was napping beside their table at her feet.
"What she said!" the earthbender exclaimed as he watched with elation the arrival of a tray overflowing with the savory concoctions. "Bro, I tell you. You need to be more aggressive with your career progression. Do you need me to talk to Beifong about it?"
"Uhm no, and the promotion would be to sergeant, not colonel," corrected Mako, barely suppressing the panic at the mere suggestion of Bolin barging on Beifong's office unannounced.
"Anyway, I need to apply for the sergeant exam first before anything happens."
"You should have that promotion in the pocket. You said yourself that you'd been staking out this gang for a long time now. And now you captured all of them in one fell swoop, with the help of your friends of course," added Korra. She was aware of the many all-nighters her friend and the Chief of Police had pulled off in their attempts to dismantle the notorious gang.
"Anyway, we've rid the west Dragon Flats borough of another triad and that's all that matters," stated Bolin triumphantly as he waved the half-eaten dumpling he held towards his older brother. "Tonight we were a-ma-zing!'
"It felt good to be back into action just the four of us, don't you think Asami?" Korra's glance fell over the former CEO at the opposite side of the table. She had remained unusually silent for most of their chat as if withdrawn into her own inner world. A wistful smile adorned her features.
"It sure did. It really took me back. We're still a force to be reckoned with."
"It really has been a while," agreed Mako. "The last time we came in together to fight bad guys was…" Mako paused hesitantly, gauging everyone's reactions, especially Korra's.
"Since the Red Lotus," Korra finished the sentence for him, offering the firebender a reassuring glance. She appreciated his concern. It was of very public knowledge the ordeal she went through to recover from the Red Lotus' poison. To this day, it was still a delicate topic for all of them.
"Right," he nodded. "After that, we all sort of drifted away and went on our own way."
"It couldn't be helped. I had to return home to recover. Bolin stepped up to help Opal and Tenzin looking for the airbenders. You held the fort here in the city with Beifong and Tenzin dealing with the criminals fleeing the Earth Kingdom now that order was being restored. And 'Sami, well she's been the busiest of us all."
"That's what the gossip columns always say, that Asami is always getting busy with President Kuvira," blurted Bolin.
Three heads snapped in unison towards Bolin. Mako coughed loudly. Asami almost choked on her drink, her face turning beet red. Korra had to hold the guffaw that was about to erupt from her throat, nearly spitting out a piece of dumpling in the process. Even Naga lifted her head apparently intrigued by the sudden tense silence that befell the table.
"I'm pretty sure that what Bolin meant to say is that Asami has been very busy leading the reconstruction effort here while working for the Earth Kingdom's stabilization effort at the same time, right little bro?" Mako explained as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
Bolin glanced at his friends with a confused expression on his face.
"Uh sure, what he said," he muttered back, hurriedly downing his drink in a single gulp. Asami sighed in relief as the color on her cheeks went back to a healthy shade of pink.
"By the way, Korra, are we still good for tomorrow?"
It was Korra's turn to choke on her drink.
"By Raava, I almost forgot it! But don't worry, I'll make it to your office at noon and from there we'll go together to prison."
"Won't you get in trouble with Tenzin?"
"Me? I'm the Avatar and I do what I want. Besides, tomorrow Tenzin will interview the new candidates for Air Acolytes with Pema and I'm not doing that again. The last time I was there Kya had to elbow me before I fell asleep and if I did, I wouldn't have heard the end of it."
Korra stood up in an exaggerated formal stance.
"'Korra, you're the Avatar," - Korra began mimicking the Air Master's vocal cadence and mannerisms. "What example are you setting for the new members of our growing nation? Blah, blabbity, air nation, blah." She sat down with a smirk. "Anyway, I was lucky enough Bumi ended up snoring so loud I wouldn't have been caught anyway and he had to bear the brunt of Tenzin's ire for the rest of the week."
Everyone laughed at the anecdote, except Bolin, who was looking at Asami with a concerned expression.
"Prison? Asami's going to jail? Say no more! Varrick knows a thing or two about sneaking out of jails but don't tell him I told you guys about that."
"Don't even mention Varrick's escape in front of Beifong. She's still very upset about that. The last time a journalist brought the subject up, we had to call Kya to calm her down before she ended up arresting the reporter," recalled Mako. Lin's relationship with the waterbender was the unspoken secret all the members of the force knew of.
"It's not that. Asami is going to visit her dad, right?"
Asami gestured in the affirmative. "Correct. We've been writing to each other on a weekly basis for the past six months, so I believe is about time I dropped by for a visit. I think he deserves I should deliver the news I have for him in person. Korra has offered to come with me."
"Yup. I'll be on emotional support duty, but judging by what you've told me, I think you're more than ready to face him and forgive him in person"
"I think so too but this is still very emotional to me."
"I know you would have probably preferred Kuvira to be here for this but I'll do my best. She's your fiance after all."
Asami placed her hand over Korra's shoulder.
"And you're my best friend, and that's why I asked you to do this. Kuvira knows and she agreed that you should be there with me."
Korra's lips curved in a gentle smile.
"I don't know about you guys but for me, it's still hard to believe that in less than a month you'll be a married woman."
"I know, right? Sometimes I don't even believe it myself."
"To think a year ago we were celebrating in Zaofu the agreement between Suyin and Kuvira," Mako added.
"Yeah...Opal and I danced all night. And the food was incredible, and I tasted everything they served. The next morning Pabu and I couldn't move because we were so stuffed and Opal thought I was sick."
"I remember. It was my first formal activity since my recovery and we had a great time after years of not seeing each other. Everyone was so elegant in their formal clothes and Asami looked drop-dead gorgeous." Korra suddenly realized what she said out loud and felt her cheeks heat.
Asami chuckled gently. She was aware that Korra still felt awkward by the fact that her best friend who also happened to be her crush was marrying another woman.
"You were also beautiful Korra and I can't thank you enough that you chose to join us. It was one of the happiest nights of my life. Having all my friends together, celebrating a very important success for Kuvira and me."
"I'm thrilled for you. I mean it. You deserve all the happiness in the world," Korra affirmed.
"I know you do." Asami felt her voice crack as she held Korra's hands tightly.
"Guys," Mako interrupted, "I'm afraid the staff really wants us to leave."
"Why you say that, bro?"
"Because every other table has been cleaned up, all the lights are out except on this area and the staff is lined up staring at us."
"Awkward…" Bolin muttered as he gulped the last dumpling.
Minutes later, the group was standing outside the restaurant. The valet had already lined up Mako's patrol satomobile and Asami's red convertible.
"Well bro, let's get going. I still owe Beifong the after-action report for tonight's operation, and I'll need all the hours of sleep I can get. Good night Asami, Good night Korra."
After exchanging embraces, Mako and Bolin boarded the patrol car.
"Good night. Let's meet again when Opal is back in town, okay?"
"Will do! Can we meet at your place so we can have a pool day?"
"But of course! Bye guys!" Soon the satomobile was out of sight, leaving the women behind as they stared at each other in silence.
"Korra, you want me to drop you off at the pier?" Asami broke the ice.
"That's okay. Naga needs to stretch her legs, but thanks for the offer."
"I'll see you tomorrow then and Korra…"
"Yeah?"
Asami effusively gathered the Avatar in her arms.
"Thank you, for everything." She hoped Korra could understand all the emotions she wanted to convey at this moment. It wasn't only her life that was about to undergo a big change. She understood the group itself would never be the same, and a part of her lamented it had to be that way.
Korra allowed herself to be swept away. She needed to indulge in this moment of comfort and warmth. She was painfully aware that in less than a month, Asami, her friend, and confidant, her partner of so many adventures and perils, the woman who with her wits and talent had allowed them to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. The courageous engineer who saved their lives on multiple occasions was soon to become someone else's wife. It felt surreal, like walking in a dream state, yet it was reality. And it was inevitable. Despite the true happiness, she felt for her friend, she couldn't help the melancholy that seeped inside her heart like a draft. And yet, she understood. She had to let go for her sake. For their sake. With this deep understanding, Korra simply replied:
"That's what friends are for," she whispered as a lone tear discreetly ran down her cheek.
After roughly an hour of driving smaller rural roads, Asami and Korra finally spotted the Republic City prison complex. The austere outline of its main building, its facade crisscrossed with spirit vines from top to bottom, stood out from the sharp, gray-colored mountain range where the installation was nestled. Oddly enough, the surrounding landscape seemed an appropriate fit to the prison, as if to emphasize its stern and disciplinary purpose. It was quite a departure from the lively, crowded environment at the heart of the city where Asami's father used to run his business empire from. Now the only thing he could lay claim to was a tainted reputation as the enabler and collaborator of terrorists who killed his own daughter in the pursuit of their twisted ideology.
Korra chuckled as the guard at the sentry post changed his expression from indifferent boredom to utter surprise when he realized the identity of the occupant at the passenger's seat. The official document with the presidential seal and Chief Beifong's signature that Asami presented made the guard fluster even deeper. It was obvious he didn't receive many important visitors so waiving in the Avatar and the daughter of one of their most notorious prisoners who also was one of the city's most notable industrialists was almost too much for the guard to handle in a single take.
Moments later, they were both led towards the visiting room waiting area.
"I thought that poor guard was going to faint right in front of us," Korra muttered as she took a seat and waved at a boy who had been squirming impatiently beside his mother.
"Obviously he wasn't expecting the Avatar to casually stroll in during his shift," observed Asami as she secured a box over her lap. "I don't think they informed him we were coming today."
"But that's the reaction I usually expect from the bad guys. Is my reputation so fearsome?"
"I think he was rather star-struck but was so nervous that he reacted that way, but that little guy in front of us seems amused and not at all intimidated by your presence."
Korra smiled at Asami as she caught a ball the boy tossed at her, balancing it over her palm with airbending. The kid gestured Korra to throw it back at him and soon they engaged in a game of catch until his mother's name was called out loud.
"See? You've made a new friend there," Asami noted as she observed him and his mom run towards a man who gazed at them expectantly. Korra noticed as her friend gazed at the family reunion wistfully.
"To be honest, right now I'm more concerned about the friend right here with me. I know you've been writing him back, but are you sure about what you want to do? Not long ago you couldn't even stand having him mentioned in your presence."
"I know it makes little sense. I don't understand it myself completely either, but I just feel I need to do this."
Korra placed her hand over Asami's shoulder.
"I don't need to understand. As long as you feel you're doing what's best for you, you can count on my support always."
Asami flashed a gentle smile at Korra.
"Thank you, it really means a lot to me. It's so good to have you back. I missed you Korra and I missed talking to you so bad. We've been so busy that it's been so hard for us to find moments like this. Sometimes I wish we had more time to hang out like we used to."
"And I missed all of you terribly, but I was in such a bad state physically and mentally that it was really hard for me to write back. I'm really sorry for being silent for so long and for worrying all of you."
"You don't have to apologize for anything, especially to me."
Korra let out a long sigh. "I'm just glad the worst is over. I was so relieved to know that you and Mako and Bo were doing okay. Sometimes that knowledge was the only thing that kept me sane and it gave another reason to heal."
"And you did it! You have no idea how proud I am of you. You proved all the doubters wrong and you're stronger and wiser now, and you came back to us."
"I did. I know I've said before, but I'm happy for you. I really am. Of course, we're gonna miss you in our adventures, but I guess you'll be busy doing, I don't know...What is it you'll be doing now?"
Asami let out a hearty laugh. "To be honest, I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do now, and neither does Kuvira, but she's adamant that she wants me to continue to help as I've been doing so far, protocol or tradition be damned. She has pissed so many officials off with her total disregard of useless palace traditions that the loathing they have for her is legendary."
"It would be a crying shame to see you, of all people, relegated to a merely decorative role. I don't know Kuvira well but she has my complete respect if she thinks like that, and just between the two of us, if she didn't, I wouldn't hesitate in giving her a piece of my mind on the matter." Korra cracked the knuckles of her right hand over her left palm as a side grin curved on her mouth.
"No need for that. She can be just as stubborn as you and she's rather intolerant for what she has described as 'shallow and meaningless traditions put in place by uppity bureaucrats to feel superior.' You should've seen the faces of more than half of the Queen's former court officials when she said that. They were livid!"
"Is that so? I bet Tenzin would disapprove of such behavior which means I think we should get along fine," Korra affirmed with a smirk.
"I sure hope so. I can't pretend that, just because she's my fiance, you have to get along with her but it would really make me happy if you genuinely do," Asami replied earnestly.
"I've heard she's a master metalbender so if you can convince her to spare some of her time to give me a couple of lessons, I believe we'll be off to a promising start to a good friendship."
Asami beamed. "You got it! You just leave that to me."
"Asami Sato!" a shrill voice startled the industrialist. A guard stood in front of them. "Please follow me. Inmate Hiroshi Sato is ready for his visit," she explained in a severe tone, barely lifting her eyes from the clipboard she held with both hands.
"You go ahead, I'm gonna go to the warden's office to drop off some documents Beifong wanted me to deliver," Korra said as she pulled her in for a quick hug. "Good luck!"
"Thank you," the industrialist replied and as soon Korra turned around, she hurried to follow the guard. Asami was walking between the orderly lines of wooden tables designated for the visits when she caught a glimpse of the mother, her husband, and the boy Korra had entertained. They were sharing a picnic basket as the boy narrated his encounter with the Avatar with the enthusiasm only a child could muster. For some reason, the tension that had crept inside her the moment her name was called began to fade away. Perhaps a part of her still felt like a child, yearning for her father despite the years of animosity between them. That impulse motivated her to finally read the letters he had sent every week. She found them stored inside a box unopened. Now, that same urging led her to this day and this meeting.
Asami couldn't help the breathless gasp that escaped her lips at the sight of a white-haired man gazing at her expectantly from the table at the furthest area of the room. His forehead was etched with deep lines, more than she could remember, and he was wringing his hands over the table. That detail felt so unusual for him. He would usually steeple his hands as he kept strict eye contact with his interlocutor. You could almost sense the mental gears moving in his head as he processed the information with machine-like efficiency. The man who hesitantly stood up was a far cry from that. And was he wearing glasses? Come to think of it, he mentioned it in his letters, but it still shocked her to see him so aged.
"You have one hour Sato, make it count." the guard reminded matter-of-factly. Father and daughter stared at each other wordlessly until the sound of the chair scraping the floor as it was being pulled back by the guard startled them.
"I'm afraid Malee isn't too happy to see you here. Come, take a seat," Hiroshi said. His voice sounded coarse as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.
"Why is that?" Asami queried, confused.
"It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. Her brother was a staunch Equalist, so he ended up in jail. For years I didn't have anyone to visit me and she saw it as divine retribution for my wickedness that is, until today." Hiroshi was unable to dissimulate the pleased smile on his face.
"I see…"
"But enough about me. I'm just an old man with nothing important to say but you...I mean, look at you! I thought I knew what to expect from the pictures you sent me from your trip to the Fire Nation but no picture in the world could do you justice."
"Thank you. The court photographers did an amazing job," Asami mumbled nervously.
"No, you don't understand. You look so much like Yasuko that it's almost painful to see the resemblance. Asami, she would be so proud of you. If only she could see the wonderful woman you've become...!" Hiroshi's voice went hoarse until it faltered. He snatched his glasses and rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.
"Dad, I…"
"No, please let me finish," he pleaded. Asami nodded as she felt her own eyes moisten.
"I'm here because I'm paying the price for the terrible things I did to this city, but even in my punishment, I'm being rewarded by having you as a daughter. Even in my worst, I had you and you were able to remain true to your values and in the end, you did the right thing even if that meant going against everything I stood for."
Asami swallowed a lump that had formed at her throat and her eyes dropped. "You know there wasn't any other way…"
"I do and I thank you for that because you opened up my eyes to what I became. What I want to say is that everything I thought I had accomplished pales in comparison to what your mother and I did, together. You will always be our best creation."
Asami couldn't hold back the tears for much longer and before she could realize it, her father surrounded her in his arms as he used to when she was still innocent and happy and her dad was still her hero.
"I miss her and I miss you too," Asami admitted, burying her tear-stricken face over his shoulder.
"Me too, every single day that goes by I apologize to Yasuko for disappointing her and for hurting you. I know there's nothing in the world that can compensate for what I did but now that you are about to marry, I wanted you to have something."
Asami raised her head as she stared at him, puzzled.
Hiroshi brought a folded paper out of his pocket and placed it in Asami's hand.
"Call this number. Tell them I sent you. They'll know what to do."
Asami arched an eyebrow in suspicion.
"No shady business here, I swear. After your mother died, I felt so devastated that I could not even glance at her things without breaking up in tears, so I moved most of her belongings to a storage room. You are slightly taller than her, but I believe it will still fit you."
"I don't follow you."
Hiroshi glanced at Asami tenderly. "Your mother's wedding dress. It's up to you whether you wear it or not but I know she would want you to have it."
Asami gasped as she brought her palms over her mouth. She and Kuvira had already chosen her gown, but she was sure an exception could be made for the occasion.
"Wait!" she exclaimed. "I almost forgot!" she added as she hurriedly fetched the box she'd been carrying from the table. She opened it before Hiroshi's confused glance until she brought out an envelope and flashed it with a triumphant smile.
"Here!" she said as she offered her father the mysterious item. "Read it."
Hiroshi sat down as he opened up the envelope. Asami followed his example, observing him intently. Bushy dark eyebrows rose up from over his rounded wire glasses.
"Is this true? You really mean…? But how?"
"Yes, it's true and how, well, when you're about to marry the president of one of the Four Nations, some concessions can be granted. Kuvira had to pull some strings with Raiko which, as you can imagine, wasn't a simple task, and I'm afraid we were only able to obtain a conditional release for that day but…"
"I will see my daughter marry and that's all that matters. I really don't know how to thank Kuvira for this."
Asami offered him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. You'll have plenty of opportunities to do so on my wedding day."
It was a quarter to ten, and Kuvira groaned. Even with the glasses that she reluctantly used to ease the headaches, the characters in the long and rather dull report she was reading blurred until rendered illegible. If only her ministers injected a little more creativity in their reports, perhaps it would make reading them less of a chore. She tried again but found herself unable to concentrate, so she decided she had enough of the statistical analysis of crop yields for the day. She pushed the heavy binder away and stood up, raising her arms until she heard a satisfying crack.
Although mental fatigue was a real culprit for her lack of concentration, the fact that it was late and yet Asami hadn't called yet was beginning to stir a current of anxiety inside. Today in particular was an important day for her partner. After a long period of contact through correspondence, Asami had finally deemed she was ready to meet her father face to face. Kuvira lamented not being able to be there with her, but the fact that Korra was served as a solace of sorts. A part of her admitted that her possessive side would always feel a twinge of jealousy towards their friendship but her rational side prevailed in the end, reminding that despite whatever she might have felt for Korra in the past, Asami chose her. That fact brought a smile to Kuvira's face.
The telephone rang loudly and Kuvira stumbled on her way to pick it up.
"Asami?" she blurted out almost breathlessly.
"Yeah, it's me. Did I wake you up? I'm so sorry, love. I completely lost my notion of time today."
"That's okay. I was still awake, catching up on work. I don't want to give Baatar or anyone the slightest excuse to interrupt our honeymoon."
Asami chuckled. "You know they'll find an excuse anyway if they want to."
"I was afraid you'd say that, but tell me, how was your visit? I'm sorry I had to cut your earlier call short but the weekly meeting with the ministers ran longer than expected. You mentioned something about a surprise?"
"I did. After prison, I left with Korra to check on this place my father told me about. It turned out to be a storage room where he kept my mother's belongings. It wasn't so much a storage room as something resembling a museum. Everything there was kept in pristine conditions, from her clothes to her books and paintings. It's a miracle he didn't notice that her old rocking chair was still at our attic."
"You didn't know about this place?"
"No. My father claimed he had everything of my mother locked away because it brought him so much pain just to see it but I believe that was an excuse. I think he did it because her memories threatened to push away the anger that justified the things he ended up doing. That's why I couldn't know of its existence."
"I see. So, did you find anything interesting?"
At the other side of the line, Asami shared a conspiratorial look with Korra. She had put on her mother's dress and his father's assessment proved to be accurate. The stunning ruby-colored qipao hugged her figure as if it had been tailor-made for her. Beside her, Korra flashed a very enthusiastic thumbs up. As she studied the reflection of herself in the full-sized mirror, she simply said:
"I did, and I'm sure you will find it very interesting too."
The end
Author's notes:
The stage is finally set for a nice wedding! Asami has reconciled with her father and the couple is looking forward to the special date. This series of stories has been quite an unexpected adventure and I hope to see you in the next and final (?) installment.