Apologies to those of you who find the title misleading, but I'm running out of ways to include the word Talk or some variation there of that fit the plot.
But be warned; we're back to dealing with the issues that could arise from Korra and Asami's relationship, and how they might affect their family.
The Talk
Life in the Sato household was often a rushed affair. Between Asami running Future Industries, Korra's duties as the Avatar and three young children, free time together as a family was often in short supply.
But this weekend was different.
Asami didn't have to be at the office, heaving finally learnt to delegate, there were no new crisis calling on Korra to travel half way around the world to deal with, and Senna and Yin didn't have school. This rare convergence of free time allowed for that rarest of thing; a lay-in followed by a family breakfast. As such Korra sat reading the sports section of the paper, the proposed changes to the Pro-Bending League to allow airbenders to play taking up half the space, the rest being filled by a long, rambling rebuttal by Tenzin about how there were still too few airbenders in the world for any to engage in something as petty as pro-bending. Asami had already skimmed the business section; there was little it could tell her that she didn't already know, even if the editorial had irked her somewhat. Due to Hiroshi Sato's involvement with the Equalists, and the secret factories he had built to arm their uprising, Future Industries was one of the largest manufacturer of weapons and military equipment in the United Republic. They held patents on Mecha-Tanks, biplanes and military airships, were the primary suppler to both Water Tribe, as well as the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. Even the United Republic and the newly reborn Air Nation bought at least some equipment from them, even if the latter mainly looked to them for logistical and communications equipment. And try as she may to expand the more peaceful areas, such as the Satomobiles, which remained the core of their business, Future Industries was increasingly being seen as an arms manufacturer.
Suffice to say, that was not the legacy she had wanted to leave her children.
Korra wished there was something she could do to help, but Asami was insistent that they do everything they could to avoid making it look they were trying to use her wife's status as the Avatar to gain a business advantage. And for all her power, even Korra can't stop the nations of the world wanting weapons, even if they can't fully explain why they need them. The Hundred Year War ended a lifetime ago, the almost war between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom was averted by Avatar Aang and his friends, and the Earth Kingdom Civil War is finally behind them. Yes, there are still problems in the world, such as the Red Lotus, which is more like an endlessly persistent weed than a beautiful flower, but that's hardly the kind of threat you need fleets of battleships and a sky full of airships to defend against.
But again, or all her power, Korra can't make people see what they just will not see.
So instead she just keep running around the globe, trying to keep everything her predecessor built from falling apart. The Air Nation and the White Lotus help; they can be almost everywhere at once, often dealing with an issue without the need for Korra to take a direct role. She had found herself spending more and more time in her office, organising teams and drafting mission statements. Part of her misses being out in the thick of it, and every now and then she likes to head off on some minor errant, just to remind people that she is the Avatar for the entire world, not just Republic City. But not too often, because time spent away from home is not time spent at home with her family. She couldn't help but wonder just how the other Avatars managed, and made a mental note to ask them next time she entered the Avatar State to commune with them.
"Ma," Yin sat toying with her porridge, her tone of voice indicating there is something on her mind, "can I ask you something?"
"Of cause you can." Korra looked at her daughter over the top of her newspaper, "What's on your mind, Firefly?"
"Are we..." the little girl hesitated, something she was not known for, "are we a proper family?"
The room fall silent, Asami slowly turning from where she had been burping Aang after Korra had nursed him. She looked at her wife with a raised eyebrow, wondering if this is the continuation of some previous conversation she was unaware of, only to find a look of complete and utter surprise on the Avatar's face.
"What makes you ask that, sweetie?" Korra asked, doing her best to hide the shock she was feeling.
"Li at school said we're not a proper family because Mommy and Daddy don't live together. She said that it was..." Yin paused, her brow wrinkling as she tried to remember the exact word, "unnatural, for us to have both a Mommy and a Mama. Then Luna said that her Mommy and Daddy don't live together, and that she has a Mama who lives with her Daddy, but Li said that that wasn't the same thing, and that Mommy's and Mama's weren't supposed to live together."
Korra and Asami exchanged looks; they'd been half expecting this ever since their daughters started at school, but they'd hoped that they'd have a few more years, preferably until they were mature enough to understand at least some of the complexities of human life. They at least had a head-start in that Senna and Yin had seen Korra, Kuvira and Opal when they were pregnant, so at least had a partial understanding of where babies came from, if not the fine details. But that didn't mean that they were ready to explain the far more complex nature of human sexuality, and certainly not the rather complex way in which they and their youngest brother came to be.
"Well, sometimes you have a Mommy and a Daddy who love each other and have children together, sometimes a Mommy has children all on her own, like Miss Toph did with your Aunty Lin and her sister Suyin." Asami did her best to explain while patting her son, hoping that he wouldn't decide to bring up his entire breakfast all down her back, "And sometimes you get a Mommy and a Mama, or a Daddy and a Pop, who love each other and want to have children, just like your Mama and I. And your Daddy, who is one of our bestest friends in the whole world helped us, and he loves you and your sister and Aang just as much as he does Sen."
"We know this must be very confusing for you; it confuses us at times, and we're so old we're practically ancient!" Korra laughed, trying to make light of everything, "It must feel very strange to spend most of your time here with us, then go to stay with your Daddy, Aunty Kuvira and Sen. But no matter what anyone at school might tell you, we are as much a family as anyone else. We just have a few more people in ours than most."
"Oh." Yin nodded, then smiled, "Okay."
"Now that's all done with, why don't you two go and get changed and we're all go to the park for ice cream?" Asami suggested with her biggest smile, "And if you're both really good, maybe we'll go see a Mover afterwards?"
Yin and Seena cheered as the prospect of a day at the park with ice-cream and a Mover, and after kissing their parents, ran upstairs to their room to change.
"You know, the day will come when we can't deflect every question they ask with ice-cream and a matinée." Korra warned, putting the paper down, "I think we're going to have to have Mako and Kuvira over for dinner one night soon so we can formulate a plan."
"That's a very good idea." Asami nodded in agreement, "Any idea who this Li girl is?"
"If I remember the briefing paper their security detail provided, the only Li in their class is the daughter of the deputy-ambassador from the Fire Nation." Korra racked her brains for more details, "Very conservative, very outspoken; borderline Ozai Apologist, who only got the job due to family connections."
"Oh, him. He keeps talking down to me because I'm 'just a woman' who 'couldn't possible understand the complexities of the real world'. I have to keep resisting the urge to introduce him to my electric glove." Asami gritted her teeth at the memory of her past encounters with the man, "What about this Luna?"
"Her mother works at the Water Tribe Cultural Centre." Korra explained, "Her father and step-mother live in one of the settlements just outside the north pole."
"Score one for your people being more accepting, I guess." Asami shrugged.
"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Korra frowned, "I still have a few friends down south, and they let me know things that my parents tend to let pass. Like the fact that there are those down there who disapprove of our marriage. Not because you're a woman, I hasten to add, but because, well, you're an outsider."
"Excuse me?" Asami asked, her face and voice suddenly devoid of any discernible emotion.
"There are those down there who apparently feel that I should have looked to the Water Tribe for a partner, regardless of their sex." Korra buried her head in her hands, "They feel that, since the end of the Hundred Year War, we've allowed ourselves to mix too freely with the other nations, and that we're losing our identity as a result."
"I don't recall ever hearing about anyone having any problem with Aang and Katara."
"Aang married into the Tribe, where as I'm seen as marrying out of it. It's a double-standard, I know, but they feel that, as the Avatar, I should be setting an example."
"Isn't the Avatar supposed to bring balance and understanding between all the peoples and nations of the world?"
"I never said that it made any sense. Apparently they're petitioning my parents to put pressure on me to move back down south, even more so since Aang was born."
"You mean now that you have a child of your bloodline?"
"That's the way they see it, yes."
"Have I ever said how crazy your people are?"
"I'll have you know that I come from a proud people who take insults to our culture seriously!"
"You do realise that the whole 'naive city girl and the big strong Water Tribe warrior' thing was something I only agreed to because it was your birthday, right?"
"A girl can dream of a repeat performance, right?"
"Not today; we have to take out multicultural, multi-ethnic children to the park for ice-cream..." there was a wet sound from over Asami's shoulder, "...after I quickly go change my top, that is."
To Be Continued...