Kana was right it seemed, only small fry came to see them, the only surprises came from the beginning of the tour, when aqua pigs paddled and swum in the shallows calm and unfazed.
This did give Asami time, however, to watch her companion at work underwater. Even after her accident Korra still managed to be a faster swimmer, at least that's what Korra told herself as she lagged behind.
They swam from one island to the next, where the hotel had a small barbecue set up for hungry swimming guests. Korra showed her how they cooked ceviche with lemon, and ordered poi. They sat on stools grounded in the sand at a bar, eating with their hands with scuba tanks on their backs. Smiling and feeling free in the tropic sun. Asami had to stop herself from reaching over and touching her hands, the structure under glistening gems of water, fascinated her, so instead saved herself many a time by taking chunks of fish from her plate.
Asami knew she was the only person Korra let steal food from her, Kuvira could take that up her pipe and smoke it. She remembered the way those eyebrows glared at them from across the dance floor, she couldn't get Korra far away enough.
"Asami?"
"Hmm?"
"You were gone there." Korra tilted her head. She had balanced her goggles on her forehead which was adorable as it made strands of loose hair stick up and frame them like bangs.
"Just trying to remember last night. What drew you to Kuvira?"
"Oh uh, I dunno she seemed nice, she likes ice,"
"Huh, is that all it takes to win your heart? Nice and ice?"
"It's just a first date, a vacation date, it probably wont mean anything in the long term."
"And in the short term?" Asami pressed, dreading the answer. Korra's eyes went wide and lips pursed, "Oh come on Korra, you can say sex."
"I don't know! I'm not comfortable with this."
"With me?"
"With anyone, I don't talk about this." By anyone, she meant Asami. Korra had very few secrets close to her chest, but she kept this card sealed against her skin. She wouldn't tell Asami about her sex life, and she prayed that Asami would never tell her what Iroh was like in bed. It had worked out mutually so far.
"But you've slept with people. Mako, other women right?"
"One night stands mostly. Two nights tops." Korra admitted.
"You had that one girl calling you for weeks and you wouldn't give her the time of day."
"I'm still embarrassed about that okay?" Korra closed her eyes and tried to ignore the litany of memories that came coupled with that girl, she wasn't special and that was the truth of it. Korra never had a problem finding someone, but it was finding someone to replace the girl in front of her, so one night she pretended, easy enough to accomplish in the dark, and when the morning came around, the sun shone down on a singularly tremendous mistake. There was no replacing her, even in pretense.
"You must have done something right." Asami mused, sipping her lemonade, "Don't get me wrong you are," she let out a shaky breath, "attractive, but I've never called a one night stand back after because they were gorgeous to me all night."
"So you think I'm gorgeous huh?" Korra deflected expertly, feeling her own stomach drop when she realised it came painfully close to flirting. Grin freezing it felt like an eternity, but probably wasn't before Asami jibed back,
"Shut up you know what I meant."
"Pot. Kettle." Korra muttered gesturing to Asami's whole body.
"What did you do to her?" Asami asked, tilting her head as her friend shrank under her gaze.
"Seven." Korra told her sipping her drink.
"Seven what -oh, Oh!" She grabbed her arm, feeling a tightness in her lower half as she gripped sculptors' muscle, "In one night!"
"In one uh…session."
"Holy shit I'm lucky- I was lucky if I got one."
"It's different with women okay that's the goal."
"What the hole?"
Korra snorted into her drink.
"I am not explaining this to you, come on, get in the water."
"Oh Korra but I need tips!" Asami called after her, "Just the tip."
Korra flipped her off before jumping off the deck into the sea.
"Lucky girl." Asami whispered to nobody before following her.
They made it about half way before Asami managed to catch up to Korra and grab her ankle. She squealed with delight under the water and wrestled with her until neither knew which way was up. Korra took out her mouth piece and watched the bubbles rise past her cheek, before taking Asami's hand and guiding her up after them.
Asami ripped off her googles and mask when they reached the air, not because she no longer needed them. She wanted to see this for herself, two islands either side of them, Korra holding her by the elbows, her own goggles tangled in her fingers. Asami looked at her then and affirmed what she already knew. She wanted to kiss her best friend.
"Look look look," Korra pointed, deep below them in the crystal, a black diamond flying beneath them, "Manta ray!"
"Kya was right they're not all gone."
Asami was treading water, her eyes following the dark mysterious creature swim headlong for the mountain in the distance. A plume of purple smoke floating from its mouth.
"Holy shit is that-!" Asami held on tighter to Korra who told her.
"No, Asami it's a ritual. The islanders light a fire up there from time to time, pray for another dormant year. Plus it freaks out the tourists so we all get a good laugh out of it."
"How often did you come here as a kid?"
"Often enough." Korra told her, she looked up at the sun in the sky, "We should get going or I'll be late."
"You-!" Asami snapped following her gaze upwards, "You could not tell that from the sun in the sky!"
"I just did!"
"What are you Korra-dile Dundee?"
Korra winked at her before putting on her goggles and mouthpiece and diving back into the surf.
Asami had no choice but to make the best of this and follow, taking her sweet time to never pass Korra, who occasionally would wait there for her suspended in the water, sunlight dancing in a net over her beautiful skin.
Asami listened to Korra in the shower, holding the letter unread in her hands. Awash with the memories of the day, it was exhausting to contemplate there being anything left to do.
This was once her life, she mused, looking down at Iroh's once treasured handwriting, this was supposed to be everything and yet…
The shower stopped, and once again she was imagining the woman behind the wall, what it might be like to step into that room right then. She heard the hum of the hairdryer, Korra wouldn't be long with hair that short. It suited her so.
That second she knew she was making a mistake, letting her go could prove earth shattering, but she had said herself to go. What about her last breakup had made her into such a toxic person? Was it even a breakup if none of the words had actually been said?
She was so confused and yet so sure. She had to come clean to her best friend about her feelings, and maybe together Korra could let her down easy, and she wouldn't spend the night with Kuvira but instead just talking to her. Right away Asami knew that was unfair.
The hair dryer stopped.
Asami's eyes darted around the room for anything, a sign of how to move or handle this. Hibiscus flowers, blue and red shone together in a vase on the chest of drawers. Asami went over to them, and picked the blue.
She loves me, she loves me not.
Korra was out now, wearing a blue sarong and fussing over the sash balanced on her shoulder and white crop top,
"Do I look stupid? Like I'm trying too hard."
Heart in Asami's throat she shook her head.
She loves me. She started to walk towards her.
"Here," She offered the flower, and combed her fingers in the side of Korra's soft hair, pinning it with a bobby pin from her own, and balancing the flower inside its teeth. When she was done her hand adorned her left cheek, and before she knew it her lips her right.
She loves me not.
"Perfection." she told her. Hastily putting space between them. She watched Korra catch her breath and blink, hard.
"Thanks," She breathed, "I'll see you tonight?"
"I might be asleep I don't know yet." Asami mused with a sad smile.
"I can be here if you want company to read the letter."
"It's fine. Korra. Go have fun." she waved her off half-heartedly, "even if I'm crying here alone, it's better you have fun with Kuvira. You've earned it."
Korra regarded her for a moment before marching over to her and hugging her tight. Asami relaxed into it easily. Doing her best not to trace her fingers down the spine on show, and failing just enough.
"Promise me you'll call Kya if you need anyone." she took a step back, still holding on to Asami's arms, "She's good with broken hearts."
The next moment stunned the heiress, as Korra pushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead, Asami grabbed her arms again before touching Korra's with her own.
"Her number's on the dresser." Korra told her, and like that she was gone.
Korra left a part of her behind when she left that hotel room. She knew it the second she left, and felt it's tether stretch the further away she got. Go back, go back, said a voice, she let you go, said another, because of course she would.
As soon as she saw Kya's house again she remembered that morning, entangled, Asami above her, touching her. She did her best to put it out of her mind as she went around the house and straight to the bar.
Kuvira stood as Mars ready for war, she wore a blazer and shirt unbuttoned just enough to show cleavage, tucked into long trousers to show how toned the rest of her was, all red, leaning back against the bar and perusing the ocean in front of it. Her hair was braided at the back. When she saw Korra finally she smirked in a way that tugged Korra forward.
"You look so unapproachable." Korra jibed, smiling back.
"And yet here you are." Kuvira waved a hand at all of her, taking everything in. Korra was no stranger to her own toned body, she'd chosen the dress because it showed her best features, her back and her front.
"Very femme," Kuvira remarked.
"I'm feeling my island fantasy." Korra moved to run her fingers through her hair, but touching the hibiscus she froze and felt the silk of the petals in her fingertips instead. "Where are you taking me?"
"Someplace chic," Kuvira smiled slyly, standing to her full height and stepping her boots into the sand.
"Don't let Kya hear you say that," Korra smiled back, following as the taller woman led her to the cab waiting on nearby.
"Oh she knows," She opened the door for Korra to slide in.
"With skills like that you could work in any bar in the world. Why here?" Korra asked, tilting her head.
"Kya did me a solid," Kuvira answered. "She really made me feel like home."
"Oh that's it, the whole story?"
Kuvira heaved a mock put out sigh.
"Run of the mill, kicked out the family for being gay, addicted to this and that on the streets, Kya peeled me off the ground. Got me the in with Ueno after I ran the bar for a year, yada yada."
"That doesn't sound run of the mill to me." Korra tilted her head, "I had a tough time getting off prescriptions."
"Oh yeah how did you get into the soccer mom pills?"
"I was hit by hit and run driver." Korra lifted her skirt to show the scars, "Couldn't walk,"
"Holy shit," Kuvira reached for the marks, but stopped herself, for that Korra was grateful.
"Look at us," Korra's lips found her half smile, and for the first time Kuvira's seemed genuine.
They stopped outside a bar, the lights outside read simply, COOLER, Korra cocked a brow and looked derisively at her date.
"You weren't kidding when you said I could cool off."
"Wait till you see inside," She offered a hand which Korra took, noting that for the first time in days she had just held someone's hand that wasn't Asami's. That was when the pit in her stomach began to form.
Clouds of dry ice greeted them once inside and Kuvira asked,
"Have you ever heard of molecular mixology?"
"Have I?" Korra exulted, "No I haven't," she admitted. Kuvira handed her a menu, and she balked, "These are cocktails?"
"Finest on Ember Island," Kuvira boasted leaning on the bar.
"Salmon Jerky Marg?"
"I always tend to go for the backwards Bellini," the taller woman brought the barman over with a finger, "What would you like?"
"I want the Marg," Korra shrugged.
"You're brave." Kuvira turned to the barman, "Bellini, and the Salmon."
The barman winked at Korra with a grin of his own.
"So," Kuvira began, and suddenly Korra knew she was about to ask something interesting, "Honeymooner huh?"
"Go ahead, ask." Korra pursed her lips, catching her reflection in the mirror at the back of the bar.
"How did that happen?"
"Ah but aren't you glad it did?" Korra took up her now served drink and served it up for a toast. She sipped and her face scrunched up.
"Can I get you ladies anything else?"
"Yeah, you can take away that fish drink it's making her wince." Kuvira laughed, "another Bellini,"
"Sorry," Korra apologised.
"That sounds like a dodge," Kuvira noted, bringing the conversation back to before they had been interrupted.
"How many women have you introduced the backward Bellini to?"
"And another." Kuvira cocked her head, "have you ever admitted your feelings for her to yourself?"
Korra looked down, caught, so utterly trapped by it.
"I'm being a good friend," she looked up at Kuvira with conviction, "that's all."
Kuvira hummed, inclined to believe her, at least outwardly. She took Korra by the wrist, and led her to a booth.
"So how did you two meet?"
Korra knew what she was doing, but the smile that met her lips at the memory was undeniable.
"She kicked my ass."
"The priss? No,"
"We were Mixed Martial arts competitors when we were 15, same weight group. It was a state competition, she just moved to Republic City. You ever hear that rule, when you get to prison you beat up the biggest baddest guy in the place."
"Was this an alternate universe where you were taller?"
"State champion three years running. Asami knew who I was before walking through the door. Had me down in nine seconds. Before her I never had a girl who was a friend, and, well after that she seemed like the perfect fit for my first."
Korra to this day still wonders if that knockout made her gay, but she couldn't argue with results. When Korra had come to, Asami already had a compact over her forehead, checking her pupils reacting to the light, but they remained blown wide at the sight of her, and her braces glinting in the fluorescent lights burned themselves into her memories.
"I think she is concussed sensei!" she had yelled. Korra didn't understand the feelings bombarding her prepubuscent hormonal brain, and in hindsight only hit her when it was too late.
Korra took a sip of her sweet drink to snap her out of it.
"She was jilted at the altar," Korra confessed finally, "she never gets time off, and paid a bunch of non refundable deposits, and I am a sucker for my best friend."
"Uh huh," Kuvira hummed unconvinced, as she once again scanned Korra's form for inconsistencies she noticed the shell bracelet on her wrist. Tentatively she reached for it, placing her drink on the table before using her other hand to balance over Korra's crossed knees. "This is beautiful."
Korra felt the touch like a bolt up her spine. Korra knew the move, she'd made it before herself and she smirked at the idea of being at the receiving end of her own designs.
"We all have one, me and Kya's nieces and nephews from when we used to visit, we spent a family afternoon making them in Kya's kitchen."
Kuvira looked at her with conviction then, curl of a smile edging on her lips as she watched, mere inches from her face.
"Gorgeous,"
Korra knows what happens next, she felt in Kuvira's fingertips, gently printing against her wrist, and she know exactly what she wants. She asks herself why, when they're so similar and Kuvira looks like she's served with a side of queer goddess, she isn't mirroring her?
There isn't a moment to process the next however, when the bar tender comes to their table and puts down two more bellini's.
"We didn't order these," Kuvira looks ready to snap his arm off.
"I-I know," He stammered, "They're from the gentlemen over there," he points over shoulder and Korra's eyes skate over the two men, smiling smugly and giving simultaneous three fingered waves in new perfect synchronicity.
"So send them back." Kuvira commands.
"No," Korra reaches for one, "Let's not turn down a free drink,"
She's unsure why she's doing this, and reaching across the table then feels like poking a bear. Her ears heat up, the way she knows they do when mistakes are being made, still she sits back in her seat and enjoys a sip, which turns into an awkward hearty gulp of frozen peach and schnapps.
Kuvira watches the whole process and finds a beleaguered smile.
"You know they're going to be coming to bother us all night right?"
"I thought you enjoyed the challenge of taking me away from someone else," Korra shot back, winking.
The taller woman's eyes darkened in that lustful way Korra had seen the first night, and it had the same affect on her in this bar as it had then.
"Dance with me" Kuvira offered a hand and Korra took it, feeling her intentions, good, bad, reasonable or swirling with guilt ebb and flow like waves. She knew she was being scatty and and changing like the wind, but Kuvira was holding her ground, leading the path, and so sure of where this evening would go. But, she decided, where was the fun in knowing.
As they entered the throng of club goers she kept loose her grip on Kuvira's wrist before they were in the centre. She moved to the bass and let the music take her, teasing Kuvira here and there, close and far, bending back and knowing displaying just how strong and flexible she was. Kuvira may have had the upper hand before, but dancing with Korra was no contest.
Suddenly an ill presence fell upon her, a hard body pressed against her back and hand gripping the scars on her thigh.
Korra reacted with out thinking, tearing the offending hand up, turning fluidly and jamming her palm into the strangers nose. One of the waving man from earlier, now crumpled on the ground.
"Jesus!" Kuvira breathed, she touched her shoulder and Korra flinched, "Are you okay?"
It took her a moment to catch her breath and watch the man scramble on the sticky ick of the dance floor with his bleeding nose and bumbling friend cursing as he went.
"Yeah," she breathed, "Take me to Kya's,"
Kuvira gripped her wrist and led her out before hailing a cab. Korra was shaking with adrenaline and hugging herself to keep calming, counting breaths in her head.
"Hey," Kuvira got her attention, "You did nothing wrong okay?"
Korra nodded, taking a deeper breath.
"It's been a while since anyone grabbed my ass like that." she admitted.
"I'm glad I didn't try,"
"Maybe ask permission first," Korra smiled wryly. Kuvira gently ushered her into the cab,
It seemed so soon to end the date, but Korra couldn't say anything as she leant her head against the cool window and watched the houses slide past.
When they reached that familiar, homely porch she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks for tonight," she mumbled, "I'm sorry I ruined it," she added stepping out of the cab.
"Hey," Kuvira stepped out behind her, hand loosely gripping her wrist, "I had a good time tonight. When that guy went down, I think I was more attracted to you."
Her eyes flicked up over Korra's shoulder for half a second before landing back on her face in that enthralling way. Her fingers traced the curve of muscle over Korra's bicep lightly, and suddenly Korra realised how little space was now between them.
"This night doesn't have to end here," Kuvira told her, "I don't live far."
Korra felt the record playing the audio of her life scratch and pause as Kuvira's mouth suddenly found hers.
A vase broke behind them, and the Korra flipped her view, to find that Asami, who by the looks of it had already been crying, was stood on the porch frozen at the sight of them.
"I just came for some air." the heiress stuttered out before finding the doorhandles behind her and running inside.
Korra looked down at the ground, mortified.
"Korra?" it was the first time Korra had ever heard her say her name, and it was jarring to say the least.
"I think I better fix that." was all Korra could utter under the circumstances; she was rebooting and had regressed to basic Korra, 1.0; do as Asami needs you to.
"Kya is good with hopeless cases," Kuvira posed the argument, "You can't have one night off from her drama?"
Korra felt all her muscles tighten at that. Her internal compass now yanking her back inside by her very being.
"You don't understand."
"No I do understand you Korra. You've made a choice, and that choice is always putting her needs before yours. You're addicted to it,"
Korra could do nothing but look on at the closed doors and hope that they would open.
"You can ignore it all you want but the fact is until you face it all with her you're never going to be ready to fall in love with somebody else because you're already there; at the bottom, anything else is just a waste of my time."
Kuvira's words washed over her like harsh waves of truth. Every bit of it.
"If you knew all this. Then why'd you take me out tonight?"
"Because I wanted to show you there's more to life than skinny prissy little rich girls!"
Korra faced her, jaw tight, blue eyes sharp as flint.
"There is," she whispered back, "Goodnight Kuvira." and with that she followed Asami back into the house.