Split this chapter in two, the first half focusing on Korra and a little world building, the second showing what Asami is getting up to while her wife is away and other happenings in the city.

Talking About Family

Korra leaned against the deck rail, arched her back and groaned as it protested the stress she had been putting it under recently. While the peace treaty she had helped broker had stopped most of the fighting in the Earth Kingdom, there were still a few pockets of resistance that needed to be dealt with, and as the Avatar, that was her job. Mostly it was a case of sitting down with whoever was calling the shots and working out a way for them to fit into the picture that was emerging. But occasional, words failed, and she was required to use force. More often than not, just the threat of facing the Avatar in open combat was enough to bring the other side to the negotiating table, but she had been required bring a few die-hard warlords and would-be despots to heal the hard way. She had the full backing of a division of the United Forces, backed up by a contingent from the White Lotus Society, but she was still very much the big stick used to impose the peace treaty, and there seemed to be no end to the bushfire, border disputes and trade embargoes she was called upon to deal with. Unfortunately, all this meant being away from Republic City and her family for extended periods of time. Given her somewhat hectic travel scheduled, and still the somewhat fractured nature of the Earth Kingdom, it was almost impossible to get a reliable phone or radio connection, so she was reliant on only fashioned letters. She wrote to Asami almost every day, knowing full well that there was no way of knowing in what order they'd actually arrive, if at all. In return her wife sent her long replies filling her in on everything that was happening while she was gone, including photos where possible. It had almost broken Korra's heart to hear that her daughters had taken their first steps while she was away, and she was terrified that she'd miss their first words. If it wasn't for the fact that Asami had made sure there were photos of Korra and the four of them together as a family everywhere in the house, she would have been afraid that they might forget who she was entirely.

But now she was on what she had been assured was one final mission before they'd be heading home again. She wished she could believe them, but they'd made the same promise twice before, and she was starting to grow frustrated in more ways than one.

"It isn't easy," Iroh appeared at her side, hands clasped behind his back, "being away from family for so long."

"No, no it isn't." Korra agreed, striating up, her back protesting even more, "How do you do it?"

"I remind myself that my family is what I'm fighting for; to keep them safe." The General explained, "I have to believe that my sacrifice, the sacrifice of everyone under my command who has to leave loved ones behind, helps keep those loved ones from harm."

"I met your wife and sons when I was in the Fire Nation." Korra nodded with a smile, "You're a very lucky man."

"It helps that I married a soldier who understands the needs of service and duty." Iroh chuckled, "That said, Hiruko was a Captain in the Kyoshi Warriors; having a wife who can so easily hand you your arse you helps keep a man honest."

"I know the feeling; Asami can certainly handle herself." Korra smiled, all be it somewhat sadly, "I still miss her and the girls."

"If there is one thing I learned growing up, it is that there is nothing more important than family." Iroh nodded in agreement.

"This from a man with an interesting family." Korra raised an eyebrow, "You including Princess Azula in that?"

"My great aunt spent two years wandering the Forgetful Valley, and from what my grandparents and others have told me of how she was before, she was greatly changed by her time there, all be it not completely." Iroh explained, "While she had found a kind of inner peace she had been lacking, her personality remains far from... pleasant, at times, even to this day. She did, however, come to the realisation that she had been in love for many years, but had been unable to express it properly. Fortunately for her, the feeling was more than mutual."

"If what I've read about her is even half true," Korra chuckled, "I feel sorry for the guy."

"Oh, I don't know; great-aunt Ty Lee seems to be very happy with the way things have worked out." Iroh replied deadpan, then laughed as the Avatar's jaw dropped wide open, "What; did you think yours was the first marriage between two women that the Fire Nation has ever seen? We have a long tradition of equality between the sexes, I'll have you know, and marriage equality is only part of that."

"I just..." Korra blinked a few times, "It's not something the books covered."

"No, they like to concentrate on the more... colourful aspects of her youth." Iroh admitted, somewhat sadly, "Don't get me wrong; she did some truly terrible things during the Hundred Years War, but I've only ever known her since she came back from the Forgetful Valley. She's actually really nice, once you get to know her. She can be a little full-on at times, but then, have you met my family?"

"I see your point." Korra nodded, "Family can be complicated."

"You don't know the half of it." Iroh agreed, "You've met Admiral Azulon?"

"Yes, all be it briefly."

"He is my cosine; the son of Azula and Ty Lee." Iroh looked at the Avatar, "And before you ask, Ty Lee carried him, but Azula has always claimed him as her son."

"But that's... impossible. Trust me; I looked into every possible way for Asami and I to have children."

"I have no doubt that you did, but the fact remains the same; Azula has always claimed that she was the one who 'fathered' Azulon, for want of a better term, and Ty Lee has never once contradicted her. It is something that, as a family, we have learned to accept, even if I believe that there is more to it than that."

"Okay, you win." Korra threw up her hands in defeat, "You have a stranger family than me."

"Not everything in life is a competition, Avatar." Iroh laughed as he turned and walked off, "Just know that, if you ever need to talk, there are those of us who are no stranger to how complicated things can be when you have an unusual family."

Korra went back to leaning on the railing, wondering what her family was doing.

Asami collapsed into her chair, exhausted.

She had thought that her daughters were a handful before, but now they were starting to walk, they were displaying a knack for getting into all kinds of mischief. If she kept her eye on one, the other would start doing something they shouldn't, and vice-versa. Senna had returned to the South Poll, having stayed far longer than she'd ever intended, but she had started to miss her husband. Asami and Korra had discussed hiring a nanny to help out, but that had been before Korra had been called away with her Avatar duties, so talking about it was as far as they had gotten. The White Lotus Society had offered to find someone, but it was something Asami felt her wife really should have a say on, so she had polity turned them down for the time being. And how difficult could it be? Toph had raised two daughters single handed while serving as Chief of Police, even if she wasn't exactly the ideal roll model. And Asami missed having Korra around. Just being near her wife brightened her day, made her feel complete. Yes, the children helped, but it was still felt as if a part of her was missing.

Having Opal around helped, even if the young airbender was concentrating on her own pregnancy.

It was fun to watch Bolin running around like a headless chicken, completely at a loss as to what to do and what was expected of him, and it gave Asami something other than her own children and work to focus on. The young couple were still settling into the house that had been built for them on Air Temple Island, the unexpected but welcome news of their first child postponing their move to the Southern Air Temple, which Tenzin wanted them to take over the running of. It had been much to everyone's surprise that Bolin had proven to be a skilled organiser, even if watching him work could be a little worrying at times. But somehow, despite how disorganised he might seem, he had shown great skill in keeping everything else running like clockwork, and had proven to be a true asset to the reborn Air Nation. That, coupled with Opals growing skill as an airbender meant that they were the perfect choice to take over the running of one of the four main temples of the Air Nation. Asami knew that Opal had hoped that they'd be given the Northern Temple, as it was closer to Zaofu, but it needed to be completely rebuilt from the ground up after being utterly destroyed by the Red Lotus, the ruins scavenged by refuges from the Earth Kingdom Civil War and opportunists looking for something they could sell. The Eastern Air Temple was much closer to Ba Sing Se, and as such was considered too important a posting for such inexperienced hands. They had been offered the Western Air Temple, but Opal had vetoed it due to its close proximity to the North Pole, and thus Eska.

Opal trusted her husband implicitly; his former fiancé, not so much.

Realising that she'd need something to fill what little spare time she had, Asami had found a work related project close to her heart. Shortly after Katara had conformed that she was pregnant, Asami had found herself looking at her Satomobile in a new light. As much as she loved the highly customised tourer, it was hardly optimised with young children in mind, and she had soon found herself doodling plans for a new, more family-friendly vehicle with an emphasis on safety and economy. This soon grew into fully realised blueprints and orders for a prototype before Asami even realised what she was doing, but for once the other directors seemed willing to let her run with one of her pet projects to see if she'd inherited her fathers knack for innervation. The first prototype had been an absolute failure; it was far too heavy for the smaller engine to move around at anything approaching a reasonable speed. Fortunately, the new factory in Zaofu had started producing some exciting new alloys as part of their airship production line, and Asami had ordered some sent down for testing. They proved to be just as strong as the old steal, but only a fraction of the weight and with only a negligible increase in cost if the production line in Zaofu was expanded. She had shown the second prototype to the board, and they had unanimously voted to put it into immediate production. Asami smiled as she looked across the room to the table where one of the posters announcing the launch of the new Future Industries Satomobile, the Harmony, in just over a months time.

She only hoped that Korra would be back in time to attend the grand unavailing with her.

To Be Continued...