Korra

"Okay! Before we go inside, you need to put this on." Suki says while digging into her back pocket and pulling out a bandanna.

"What's that for?" I ask.

My honest question gets an eye roll from my student.

"What? Can't the birthday girl ask questions?" I tease.

"Not dumb ones! This 'blindfold'... is to help with the surprise." She stresses.

"I think the fact you bought me a gift is a surprise enough." I reply, as she wraps the cloth around my head.

"Can you see?" She asks, as she waves her hands frantically across my face.

"Ten fingers!" I shout, trying to use my killer sense of humor.

"What! How can you see?" She whines.

"Haha. I can't. I could feel the breeze from your hand motions hitting my face. Don't forget. Tenzin started training me blindfolded. It allowed me to be able to defend myself if my eyes ever started swelling up during a fight. Luckily, that never happened, but it's still a good technique." I state proudly.

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Whatever."

"It's not whatever. I plan to teach you the exact thing. I just have to trust that you're good enough/ready."

"Pfft. I'm not good enough, I'm great! Blindfolds come as second nature to me. Then again..I willingly choose to have my eyes shut…."

Not even a blindfold could prevent me from imagining a smirk on Suki's face.

"Wait right here, I'm going to bring your gift out. No peeking." She calls out, as I hear her rapid footsteps.

For it being my birthday, I'm more curious than excited. Not just in Suki's case, but my whole day so far.

Why didn't Hiroshi want to wait for his daughter? Why won't Asami answer any of my calls or texts? Why did I agree to be blindfolded? The curiosity is killing me.

"Here I come!" Suki calls out, as I stand patiently.

I can hear someone struggling to roll out something. My kind heart desperately wants to help, but I know my role.

"Whew! I need to catch my breath."

"Sounds like we need to add more cardio to your training." I state sternly.

Wow! Even on my day off, I can't get out of my coach's mindset. But can you blame me? My student sounds like she's having an asthma attack.

"Oh*Inhale* relax *exhale*. We have all of today to pig out, then back to intense training we go!"

What does she mean by today?

"On the count of three, take off your blindfold. 1….2….3. Open!"

I slide the cloth down my eyes, and I'm faced with a kickboxing dummy that looks very similar to me.

"Coach! Meet Dummy Korra." My student states proudly.

I walk around my gift. Analyzing how anyone could make such a thing. I'm actually very impressed by the artist who constructed such a piece, the face is very detailed.

"Do you love it? You better say yes, or I'll put the dummy to use now." She states, in a playful but also serious way.

I step back and chuckle.

"It's definitely a birthday surprise alright. How did you get this, I didn't see any customization options in our martial arts catalog?"

"It wasn't in the catalog, I ordered it online from France."

"France?!" I ask, thinking about all the international fees on top of the price she had to pay.

"Duhh. Do you think an American could build such a work of art?"

"But why? You could've easily fought me if you hated me that much, It would've been a lot cheaper." I stress, now appreciating my gift even more. Actually, I'm quite jealous. Dummy me got to experience France and not the real ,e!

" Stop worrying about the money. I didn't break bank, because I have people riding for me across the globe. Also, I been setting money aside for awhile now. I'm the top fighter right now, I can afford this. However, I can't afford losing you as my coach. Therefore, buying your heart is my only option."

I stare at her with a smile, and she looks at me awkwardly.

"Don't get all sappy on me." She complains.

"I'm not sappy, I'm grateful. Thank you very much, Suki. This is the sweetest thing in MMA history that anyone has ever done for me." I say, while pulling her into a hug.

"Happy Birthday, Coach. I don't know what your wish is, but you certainly helped my wishes come true." She replies, returning it.

"I don't have wishes, I have dreams. And being your coach isn't always a nightmare." I tease.

"Wow! I do a nice thing and this is the thanks I get? A half ass compliment? You know what? I didn't even buy this gift for you, it's really for Asami. You totally have to be a pain towards her, I'm sure she'll make use of Dummy Korra. Actually…."

Suki pulls away and looks between the object and me.

"I don't see much of a difference, you both are dummies." She continued.

Yep. A nightmare. She's a nightmare.

Asami

"Dock/Xu/Bushi's Jewelers? Why are we hear?" Senna asks, as I pull into the parking spot.

When I invited her to come gift shopping with me, she wasn't this alarmed before. I thought this would be a good bonding experience. Now that I'm witnessing this reaction of hers, maybe I did more harm than good.

Is this the part where the tiger I raised from a cub, turns on me? Due to it being what it truly is, which is a hunter? Wait. What am I talking about? I could totally take out this woman. Wait. Maybe thinking about killing my girlfriend's mother isn't the best thought. Especially on her birthday at that. I mean...it could be a birthday gift, she did hurt Korra...

"I thought we were going to a mall or something, not a jeweler." The tiger, I mean. Senna says, getting me out of my train of thought.

"No, this is the place." I say while reaching for my car handle.

Before I could make my exit, I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Asami. Please tell me you aren't trying to propose to my daughter. I'm just starting to wrap my head around this whole relationship thing. I'm not saying you aren't good enough for her, I just think you're moving pretty fast."

I can see the concern look in her eyes, and I can understand her fear. Also, the fact it's a hand on my shoulder and not a paw is also reassuring. But still, this just a mother who cares deeply about her daughter's future. I love my girlfriend very much, but this isn't the type of trip.

"Senna, I promise you, I'm not here for a wedding ring. Therefore, you can postpone that fear of me officially being added to the family." I tease, lighting the mood.

We enter the store and I'm hit with nostalgia. This is one of my father's favorite jewelers, he gets all his watches and chains from here.

This is a family owned business, and the members who worked here prior are all it added to the company's name. Bushi, the great grandson of the founder is the owner now, and he has always been a funny guy.

"Is that Asami Sato? I haven't seen you in years. Ever since you graduated from the university, you don't want to ball out on these haters anymore. What can I get you? We have some new ice straight from Central Africa. I had Dj Khaled come into here 2 weeks ago. Bought this exact piece for over 5 million! Would you like the same? You need some bling to go with your cute things?"

I laugh.

"Not shopping for me today, Bushi."

"Understandable. You want to drop money on other luxuries. What about you, Sweetheart? Looking to update that wedding ring of yours?" He asks, Senna, who clinches her hand to her chest.

"No! My husband bought this for me 27 years ago."

"Hmm. An even better excuse to divorce him and get a better ring. You can't be walking around the city with that 25 cent vending machine piece. You're better off with a ring pop on your finger, at least that has real flavor."

The woman stares at the man horrified, and the owner and I stare at each other until we both burst into laughter.

"Lighten up, Senna. Bushi was just messing with you." I try to reassure.

"Yes. I'm all jokes, Ma'am. Your ring is very classy, reminds me of some of my grandfather's old pieces. Your husband has an eye for beauty, which explains why he chose to marry you in the first place. This isn't the type of place rappers come into, this place is for elegance and familiarity. This place has been serving Asami's father for years, she's practically family. I don't have any children, and I think it's time we added a female to our name. This young lady you're standing near, might take over one day." He tells, Mrs. Waters.

Heck! I might actually turn this place into a top celebrity shop. Korra could come home like, "We won our fight today!" and I'll be all blinged out in my fur coat, eating a hot pocket on a 24k plate replying with, "But did you meet Beyonce though?"

Ohhh the life I'll have then.

"I'll just look around." Senna says, walking away from us.

With her away, Bushi leans forward.

"I know you like women, but I didn't think you were the sugar mama type." He whispers.

" Haha. No, that's actually my girlfriend's mother. We aren't exactly buddy buddy, but today is my girlfriend's birthday and It's just a long story. Do you have any pieces for me, I want to get her home as quickly as possible? "

"Of course! What are you looking for? Watches, necklace, earrings, bracelet, ring?" He says the last suggestion with a hint of seduction.

"Let's stay away from the rings." I state.

"That's fine! Tell me about your girlfriend, before I pull out some of our awesome selections."

I think real hard about what she may like. Korra has never been a materialist person, the only thing she wears that's jewelry wise, is that ring and we already know what that means. Which is another reason why a ring is out of the picture.

Whatever I get her, she'll have to incorporate it with coaching, and jewelry and fighting don't match. Ugh. Why didn't I think this through? The party is in five hours, and I still need to stop by the venue to see what's going on. Especially since Kuvira hasn't been picking up my calls. Time isn't on my side.

As I wait for him to go through his selections, I notice Senna looking very invested in a display case. I find myself walking over to the older woman, to see what's so interesting.

"Korra used to have one of these." She says, eyeing the tiny child bracelet.

"She did?" I ask, hoping to entertain a conversation.

"Yes. I got it for her 5th birthday. Picked out all these pendants that I thought represented her. I couldn't' find a karate charm, so I got creative and chose a fist. At first, I was skeptical about placing such a violence symbol on a charm bracelet for my daughter, but I knew she would love it. I guess I'm placed into a similar situation. Placing my beliefs aside, for something she loves."

"Does she still have it?" I ask.

"No, she lost it somewhere while playing. She was devastated. I told her we could get her a new one, but she refused, saying it wasn't the same. Who knew such a child could appreciate the thought more than the action?" She replies, with a smile.

That does sound like my girlfriend.

Bushi calls me back over and I excuse myself.

"Alright! I don't know what your price range is, so I just picked from various items that I think you may like. Just look through them and tell me what you like or what could make it better." He states.

The more I look at the items, the more I find that none of these things hold significant value or could compare to what Senna spoke about. I don't just want to buy my girlfriend some fancy thing, I want it to have meaning.

"Sorry, Bushi. I don't see anything here that represents Korra."

"Are you looking for something more flashy? I can go in the back again." He reassures.

"No, it's not that. I'm just thinking about something more symbolic to her."

"You know? I have alot of people come into here getting their name on a necklace. But instead of them wearing it, they give it to their loved one . Does that sound like something up your aisle?"

Korra rocking a chain with my name on it? Who am I? Her owner? a pimp?

"Maybe not today, but I do have a question. I was looking at a bracelet over in that case, do you have anymore?"

"Mind showing me?" The owner asks, curious.

We make our way over to the display case Senna's standing at, and I point to the piece I was referring to.

"Those charm link bracelets are discontinued. I haven't made one of these since 2006, and they're for children. I don't know why I still have it on display? I still have those pendants taking up space in the back too. " He says, taking it out of the case.

"You couldn't make one last charm bracelet? Preferably for an adult?" I ask.

"What?" Both Senna and Bushi say in unison.

"Why would you want to give your girlfriend a charm bracelet like that? Especially one that's so early 2000 . Those are actually bad for your wrists, that's why everyone got rid of them." Bushi stresses.

"I agree, Asami. Korra wouldn't want something so kiddie."

The more they disagree, the more I want it. I think it's the perfect gift, it has alot of memory and it has meaning.

"That's fine! Korra spends most of her time working out, she's not going to be wearing jewelry like that anyway. It''ll be more of a gesture, and it'll be fun to make. Come on Bushi, I know you can make this happen for me." I beg.

My friend scratches his head.

" I wish, but I need her wrist size and I don't have the book of pendants, you'll have to dig through the boxes for what you want. Do you really want to deal with all of that?" He asks, concerned?

"Yes! I would happily dig through the boxes to make this dream come true. Also, this is her mother, and their wrists are almost identical. What do you say, Senna? Mind being my search buddy and Bushi's model?" I ask, hopeful.

The woman smiles and nods. " Why not?"

Yes! I finally found the perfect gift!

With the gift finished and Senna dropped back off at her hotel, I storm into the venue.

Before I could let out my rage, my mouth drops. Everything looks beautiful so far. As I touch one of the table center pieces, I see her sitting on the couch while employees work around her. She's not even making an effort to lift her feet as someone vacuums around her.

"What the fuck, Kuvira!?" I shout, startling some of the people still setting up.

My suppose best friend doesn't even flinch as she continues to have her eyes glued to her cellphone.

Once I approach her, I grab her phone, pulling the headphones out of her ears as well.

"What the hell? Give it back, Asami!" She states offended.

"No! You were supposed to be helping me, but instead, you're on your phone and ignoring my calls. How's that even possible? I go straight to voicemail when I call you, but you're on it!"

My friend sighs.

"I put you exclusively on do not disturb. Congratulations, you're special. "

Wow.

"How could you do this to me? You know I'm counting on you."

"Baatar was taking my place, relax. You're lucky I even showed up and still want to come to this party." She defends.

I laugh in disbelief.

"And why wouldn't you come?" I ask, amused.

"Because the 6th season of Orange is the New Black is on! If I knew it was dropping today, I would've never came. Thanks for picking such a date! You're selfish, do you know that?"

How dare I pick the same day my girlfriend was born for her birthday party, I'm such a heartless person!

"I hope I have that same mentality towards a tv show when it's your wedding day." I reply annoyed.

"You won't! If I knew a new season was coming on, I would've cancelled the wedding altogether."

"What!?" Baatar says, almost falling from the ladder.

"Relax, Sami. Everything is practically done. Stop overreacting, everything will turn out great." My friend comforts, pulling me into a hug.

As I fall more into the embrace, I feel her hand dig into my back pocket, taking her phone.

"Kuvira!"

"Asami! I need to finish this! I haven't been able to go on social media or sleep! The lack of rest has me seeing a strange man in my home."

"I'm your boyfriend, and I live there too! " Baatar yells out again.

"You know what? You have a few hours until the party starts, you better get your act together. This isn't your day, this is Korra's!"

"Really? If that's the case, why do you keep ignoring her calls?"

What?

I look down at my phone, and see my love calling me again.

I've been so busy going through the charms, I didn't have time to reply or pick up any of them.

I'm at a race with time! The party is in 3 hours, and I still need to get ready myself! The more time spent entertaining Kuvira, the more time is wasted.

"You know what? I'll let you live for today my friend." I defend, as I get ready to leave.

"Ooohh. I'm so scared. You better hurry up, you still have to get ready. Don't forget to brush your teeth."

" I don't need to go to Litchfield to learn how to turn a toothbrush into a shank." I threaten.

"C Block all day!" My friend counters.

What does that even mean? Maybe she does need to sleep.

Korra

Thanks to the spare key Asami gave me, I'm able to wait inside her apartment.

I've only been here for about 2 hours, but it still feels like forever. Where could she be?

As I look through my phone, the door opens, exposing my girlfriend. She doesn't even see me when she tosses her keys onto the counter and heads into the fridge.

"Are you serious!? I could've been a killer" I shout, causing her to drop the orange juice she was currently about to sip out of.

"Shit! You scared me. It's nice that you're putting your spare key to use, but I'll be honest. I wasn't expecting this type of scenario. I was thinking more of the, 'in the middle of the night' type of thing, but it's always nice to see you."

What is she talking about?

"I have many concerns, but the first one is your lack of paying attention to your surroundings. I could've been a robber."

My careless girlfriend laughs.

"Why would someone rob me?"

"Because your father is rich!" I defend.

"Okay, but I'm not. Look around this place. If a robber came into here, they would most likely donate to me. I own nothing of value."

That's a lie, she has a lot of fancy stuff here. Like a Keurig!

"Why haven't you answered any of my calls or replied to my texts?" I ask, getting up to stress another concern.

"That's not true! I replied to you 20 minutes ago telling you 'I saw a dog'."

"I asked if you were safe and you countered with seeing a dog? You don't even like dogs like that Asami. How is that reassuring that you're okay? "

"That's not true! Snoop Dogg has a lot of hits. Gin and Juice, a classic." She teases, but I don't find the humor, and she quickly becomes remorseful.

"Are you cheating on me?" I ask.

"NO! That would be crazy, I could never! On your birthday? Really?"

I shrug.

"I'm not sure. You storm out of my house randomly, your father magically comes to my home, and you don't want to talk to me? There has to be a valid reason then." I reply, crossing my arms.

"Woah. Arms crossed and everything, I think I should lawyer up at this point."

"Asami!" I whine.

"Okay! I'll be serious. I've been avoiding you because…I'm planning this fancy dinner for you tonight. And I asked my dad to distract you because something went wrong. But don't worry, everything is fine now. I wanted to surprise you. I promise I'm not cheating on you or anything crazy like that. I love you. You were on my mind every second. Every charm of you too."

I feel so foolish, I can't believe I didn't consider her actions as trying to surprise me. It would make sense. It is my birthday after all, and people throw surprise dinners all the time. I can't believe I easily turned into a paranoid girlfriend.

Maybe I am getting old….

Asami quickly pulls me into a hug, and I return it more so out of guilt.

"Don't feel bad. I'm actually glad you were concerned about my well being."

"I'm sorry, Asami. I should've known. I didn't mean to ruin your surprise."

"Nonsense. You don't know what restaurant I'm taking you, the surprise is still on."

"I guess you're right. Can you give me a hint on what I should wear and what time I should be ready? ."

She quickly pulls away, and pushes me towards the door.

"Formal, and I'll be there to pick you up in 2 hours." She says, getting the door knob.

"Two hours!? That's not even enough time for you to get ready." I stress.

"Exactly! That's why you better run to your apartment. Be safe." She says, finally pushing me out of the door and shutting it.

Before I could turn around and head towards the stairs, the door reopens and I'm pulled into a quick kiss. She doesn't even give me a chance to return it, when I'm pushed back into the hallway.

"Happy birthday again!" She calls out through the door.

Yes. Happy birthday to me...

Author's Note

Sorry for the late update, I was working on this last week. Then OITNB came back on, and I dropped everything lol.

Thoughts are appreciated.