"People talk about escapism as if it's a bad thing...Once you've escaped, once you come back, the world is not the same as when you left it. You come back to it with skills, weapons, knowledge you didn't have before. Then you are better equipped to deal with your current reality."

― Neil Gaiman

Chapter 23 - Illusory Escapes

Tires screeched over the payment, making Asami grit her teeth. That was going to need repaved soon. And the breaks were probably going to need replaced too. At least their stalling time in the middle of the street was down and less glares being thrown their way because of that.

"You didn't hit anyone, any objects, and we're still alive so I call this a successful lesson," she said seriously, side eyeing her girlfriend. The moment she did that, they broke out in laughter. "And you did all of that with the water skin strapped to your back. Congratulations, you have achieved the level of driving I possessed when I was thirteen."

"Hey, I'm only six years late for driving! You broke the law learning to drive underage."

"I think driving underage is the least of the crimes I've committed with you, darling."

The couple teased and playfully shoved one another the whole way to the foyer, laughing loudly. They were headed to the kitchen when the butler hurried down the stairs, calling out for Korra.

"Avatar Korra, I am terribly sorry, but Master Tenzin has requested your presence on Air Temple Island. An urgent situation has arisen, and he insists that the Avatar be present. The children are safe in their room if Ms. Sato would care to accompany you." With a wave of Asami's hand, he bowed and scurried off.

"Sounds pretty serious." Asami began walking back the way they just came when Korra pulled her back and came to her front, resting her hands on her shoulders.

"You get some rest, 'Sami." Korra flashed her crooked smile, an accent of cockiness showing through. "You've been working your ass off at work for this weekend. I've got this."

"Korra-" Korra shushed her, pushing a finger against her lips.

"I won't miss going to Sanmyaku with you for the world."

After a parting kiss, Asami was about a quarter of the way up the stairs when something cool wrapped around her left wrist. She smirked up the stairs, sighing loudly and twisting to find Korra at the bottom of the stairs, water whip and all.

The Avatar still wasn't a fan of the waterskin, but she was able to make a fun game out of it. She picked up the new habitat of wrapping a water whip around various parts of Asami, stopping her in her tracks and sometimes being pulled 'forcefully' to eager lips.

But each and every time, Korra was careful with her, treating her like she was the most precious person in the world. And each and every time Asami was met with a dazzling smile, making every time worth it.

"Love you, 'Sami."

"Love you, too." Asami shook her wrist, the water immediately falling to the ground. Korra bent it back into her water skin with a snap of her wrist, smile still present. "Now get out of here so you can get back here sooner, you dork!" She winked, sashaying back up the stairs with an extra sway in her hips.

Ever since Tokuga and the Dai Li, Asami hadn't been in any active battle. While part of that was because nothing too serious had occurred and required the assemblance of Team Avatar, another part was to put Korra at ease. They had moved past that event, coming to a new understanding that not only was Korra at risk, but Asami as well as everyone else.

It was and always would be a prominent part of their reality.

Asami wasn't naïve. She knew Korra would be called upon to prevent the next potentially catastrophic event in the world.

Without a moment of hesitation, she'd be right there alongside her.


The hands on the clock ticked past nine. Despite the early hour, Asami laid in bed, pondering why she couldn't sleep even with a heaviness set in her eyes from her extra work hours and personal projects. She turned on her side to face Korra's empty spot, knowing she was having trouble sleeping because Korra wasn't back yet.

She hoped everything was okay between her and Tenzin.

She stared at her ceiling for five minutes. Five turned to ten. Frustrated and feeling like she was being unproductive, she threw the covers off of her and exchanged her silky night gown for her Water Tribe pants, a tank top, and her Future Industries jacket.

She padded down a few doors, stopped at her destination and listened for any signs of them being awake.

"Avatar Aang and Firelord Zuko heroically ended the Hundred Year War with the help of their friends, Katara, Sokka, Toph Beifong, and Kyoshi Warrior Suki in 100AG. Team Avatar, as Sokka dubbed them in a trip to Ba Sing Se, achieved more than adults accomplished in their lifetimes. In less than a year, a group of six friends came together and brought peace to the world, ending a century long feud between nations. Following the war, the six continued to progress the world to a new era-"

Asami knocked on the door and called out to them.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Can I come in?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She barely contained the grumbled in her throat. She was starting to loathe that word more and more. The children sat on the floor, and Midori held the book she was reading from.

"How many times have I asked you to call me Asami?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow. "I'm just Asami. You can call me 'Sami even if you prefer. You might have to fight Korra for that nickname, but please, not ma'am. We are not that formal in this household."

"Sorry," both siblings collectively murmured.

"Anyway, I wanted to let you two know I'm headed out back to my workshop. Are you two going to be okay?"

"We lived on the streets. I think we can manage in a fancy house with food, water, and inside plumbing," Hisakata replied flatly.

Asami held up her hands in defense, making eye contact with blue then green. "Just checking. If you need anything, please come find me."

The kids had boundaries and were very independent. Korra and Asami had quite a learning curve to figure out how to supervise them, but they'd finally found their groove after a while. The older woman wished they'd be more comfortable in the estate. It was like they were walking on eggshells a majority of the time.

She flicked the switch on for her workshop, but remained in the doorway, lingering in the darkness and illuminated by the artificial light. Not much had changed in the workshop over the years since it became Asami's. Some minor upgrades and sprucing up of the area, but there were two major changes since the transfer of ownership.

One was the custom made medium sized platinum reinforced double lock safe.

Her gaze moved over to the same metal workbench and chair setup that had been in there for as long as she could remember. Stains, dents, and scratches and all. She had the means to replace it with a better setup, but there was a part of her that resisted.

"Daddy, can I help?"

"Of course, sweetheart." Asami jumped into her father's arms, burying her face into his chest, inhaling the oil and grease covering him, protected by his strong arms. "I love you." He scooped her up and placed her on the chair next to his latest project. "Now, what would you like to learn about engineering today?"

Asami leaned against the doorframe, imagining it was like yesterday, and looking longingly into her workshop. If she concentrated hard enough, a mover played in front of her, showing her journey as a teetering toddler all the way to a confidant young woman in the workshop.

Each frame had her and her father in various parts of the workshop, growing and bonding together. One frame was of herself, bent over the workbench, sobbing in privacy and alone after the battle.

There would be no more father-daughter bonding sessions in the workshop.

Asami rubbed at the lingering ache in her heart, but tears didn't come this time. The workshop would always hold happy and sorrowful memories, but moving forward, she hoped they would lean towards happy.

Try as she might, Korra did not have an engineering mindset. But she still gave Asami her full attention, helping her in any way she could, handing her tools that were sometimes correct and sometimes not. Just her company was enough for Asami.

A new mover began playing in front of her, ones of her trying to teach Korra engineering and Korra trying to distract her from her work with light caresses and kisses everywhere but her lips. The last frame was one of her and Korra sitting at the workbench, lips locked together and smiling into a sweet kiss.

That would be the future of the workshop.

Asami leaned her back against the doorway, the right side in the light and the left in the dark. She saw the estate in the distance, thinking. High pitched squeals and beginning engineering lessons crackled in her ears like they were on a radio and oh so long ago.

She vacated the doorway, feet carrying her back to the estate. Up the stairs, she bypassed her room and went to the door that she became very familiar with. She knocked once again, wondering if she'd be called ma'am again.

"Kids?"

No response. That was strange. They always answered. After another knock and no response, she peeked inside to find it empty, the book forgotten on the very spot they sat like they were in a hurry.

She figured they got hungry so she went to the kitchen. Nope. Library to read. Nope. Inside pool and sauna. Nope. Even her office. Nope.

She called and called for them, beginning to panic. Thoughts of them running away again terrified her. In a last-ditch effort, she ran outside calling for them and finding them a few hundred feet away headed towards the forest.

"Midori! Hisakata!" Catching up to them, she dropped to her knees and rested a hand against each of their shoulders lest they disappear again. Their little bodies stiffened for a moment before relaxing, eyes widen at seeing the woman in a tizzy. "What are you two doing? My workshop is the other direction."

"We-" he began, but his sister cut him off.

"Just got a little lost," she explained with a nervous smile. It vanished when she asked, "Why are you panicking?"

"I was worried! I thought you ran away again when I couldn't find you!"

Something in the air between them changed. Not for Asami who was off kelter, but the kids. She saw it in their eyes as they eyed one another, communicating silently with one another.

"We're sorry," he apologized, shuffling on the ground. Blindly, he reached for her open jacket and tugged on it for reasons beyond Asami's understanding. "We'll go back inside to our room."

Coming down from her high, Asami withdrew her hands from their shoulders, listening to the sounds and smelling the nature around them. Above them, a half-moon shined on them. Although it was only half full, its intensity matched that of the sun, overpowering the twinkling stars.

"I was looking for you two to invite you to my workshop. Would that interest you two?"

The siblings glanced at one another then nodded simultaneously. Asami rose to her feet and motioned for them to follow them across the expanse of the land in the opposite direction to her workshop.

Three pairs of feet traversed over the perfectly manicured landscape to the large backyard workshop, crunching some stray leaves. At the workshop, Asami took a few steps in and turned on the light. The kids wavered in the doorway, knowing that this was like a sacred place for the engineer.

Asami let them be, working to unlock her safe to revealed what it held. Her nearly completed, upgraded glove was one item. No, this one did not have a hidden knife or flamethrower component.

Korra would have a heart attack if she resumed those plans after everything. Those plans had been burned in the dead of night. Only Korra and Asami were witness to the plans incinerating at the bottom of a bucket.

What she was able to do with her original plans was upgrade the power capacity and source with a few engineering tricks. She didn't test it yet on a person, but if it worked as anticipated, she'd be able to incapacitate opponents without needing to lay the palm against them and increased the throughput of the power. She also was able to increase the range in case a group of enemies tried ganging up on her. One hand for physical combat, another for an improved short range electrical repulsor.

In a way, she was kind of mimicking a lightning bender.

Beside the improved glove sat several books and articles that she was hiding from her girlfriend.

Water Tribe Customs and Culture

The History of the Betrothal Necklace

Is a Betrothal Necklace Right for your Girlfriend in Republic City?

"Ma'a-Asami, is this a Satomobile?"

Midori and Hisakata had stepped over the threshold and were taking in the second major thing that had changed in the workshop. Asami had made arrangements with Kinu and finally had her parents' Satomobile shipped to her home where it belonged.

"It's a very early model of the Satomobile," she replied, sliding her free hand against the black hood again. The corners of her mouth slid upwards, thinking about when she set sight on it in Sanmyaku. "This one's special to me. My…dad gave it to my mom shortly after they met. He loved her very dearly." Asami continued longingly caressing the hood.

"Is Yasi your mom?"

Asami whipped her head around so fast she thought it'd fly off. "Her full name was Yasuko. How do you know about that nickname?"

Midori began poking around the driver's side lock. "I was reading a book, and there was an inscription in the front addressed to her." She tried sticking her finger in the lock. "Satomobiles have the hardest locks to crack. We had to target Cabbage Corp cars for loose yuans and possessions."

Watching Midori poke around with the lock turned the wheels in Asami's head. Midori's palms and fingers had some scars on them, but Hisakata's were fine. She and Korra speculated how Midori's hands were beaten so badly. The streets were rough, no doubt, but Mako and Bolin didn't have scars on their hands.

Korra bore her own scars from many battles. Though Asami's had faded for the most part, their memories had not yet left. Because of this, neither woman inquired about where Midori's came from, understanding it may be a sensitive subject for an eight-year-old child to explain.

"I'll be sure to let my quality assurance team and engineers know our locks are the best in town," Asami chuckled and carefully guided the curious child's finger away from the lock.

"What's that?" she asked, curious and touched the electric glove.

"This is my glove. It's my accessory to help protect myself and my friends." She was going to leave it at that, but her mouth kept going. "The initial purpose of this form of glove has a complicated history, but I have done my best to keep the world safe with it and shed new meaning on it."

They likely had no memories of the Equalist revolution or the controversy of the Sato name for some time. They were just two kids outside of Republic City, enjoying their best lives, not a trouble in the world.

"Can you show us how it works? I've seen you wearing it, but never in action! Does it go boom in blasting elements like Korra?"

Asami laughed again at his eagerness and smiled widely, wondering how much they have seen Korra practicing or working out. "Of course. But heads up, nothing goes boom."

At the workbench with the glove laying out in between them, Asami explained the basics of how it worked. Question after question was asked, genuinely interested in the technology and how it was used in combat.

For someone besides Korra, Asami wielded her new glove and clenched and unclenched her hand into a fist. It fit perfectly. While her electric glove was a trademark accessory of hers, she was always Asami Sato with and without the glove. Rather it became an extension of herself when she used it.

Just to be safe, Asami rose from her seat and took several steps back from the kids to show them the power the glove possessed, sparks flying in the palm of her hand. As the kids were amazed, out of the corner of Asami's eye, she glanced at her parents' Satomobile and smiled one last time in the workshop.

Maybe not all was lost for the workshop.

Someday she'd be able to pass on her wisdom and form a special bond with the next generation.


"Here's the book with the inscription." Midori pulled the book from the small stack by her bedside and offered it to Asami.

She took a seat on the uncomfortable bed that she and Korra had taken from Air Temple Island after discovering Midori sleeping on the floor one night. She claimed, "It's too soft. I liked the ones on Air Temple Island better."

That was a fun day of team building between the couple again.

The Significance of Pai Sho and How to Play

Opening the front cover, she was met with her father's faded note.

To my beautiful Yasuko,

You are the best gift that the spirits have bestowed to me in the middle of the street by chance. You are my other half that I never knew was missing. You are the half that has shown me the true meaning of life. You are so compassionate and loving towards everyone we meet. Every day I will kiss the ground beneath your feet until we die to show my gratitude to you for choosing me as your husband.

You are the one true love of my life, Yasi.

With limitless love,

Hiroshi

She tendered traced his words like they'd vanish right in front of her. There was no date, no clear indication of when he wrote it, but it didn't matter. It was written in stone, or paper in this case, to transcend time and always be there to show her how much he loved her.

"He was committed, dedicated to the important people and causes in his life. There's no doubting that." She tapped a finger against the inscription a few times and then thronged through some of the pages. "He tried his best, but was steered in the wrong direction. For years, I thought I hated him, but it was more remorse for what he did to tear our family apart. All that time I still loved him though."

She wasn't sure if any of her words held any significance to them, but admitted to the feelings she had told him when she returned to him in jail. The pain and sadness still lingered. Subconsciously, she tried to connect with them a little more, still unaware of what their father exactly did to them.

"Do either of you know how to play Pai Sho?" she asked, pausing on a page depicting the arrangement of the start of the game. They both shook their heads. "How about after me and my friends come back from our mini vacation, I teach you two? I was around your age when my father taught me, probably younger. You should know how to play since it's a big part of entertainment."

Once they agreed, she rose from her seat, returning the book to its pile, leaving the young green-eyed girl confused.

"I trust you with it. You trusted Korra and me enough to slowly open yourselves up to us. I can trust you to keep my family collection of books safe, even ones with little notes between my parents."

When she was about to close their door, a meek response filled the dark space.

"Thank you."

Asami smiled, inching the door open enough to pop her head back in. "You're welcome. We'll see you in the morning."

With a soft click of the door, Asami closed their door and headed towards her room, heart filling with a new found happiness.


"Damn it. Fuck."

Asami groaned into her pillow at the muted cursing and the dipping of the bed. She twisted around, vision hazy, but clear enough to distinguish Korra rubbing her knee and gritting her teeth.

"Korra?" she croaked, half-asleep and half-awake. Squinting, she couldn't remember how she ended up falling asleep, and she couldn't see the hands on the clock across the room. "What time is it?"

"Shh…I'm sorry for waking you, baby," she cooed, brushing some dark hair from her forehead. "Go back to sleep. It's later than we intended it to take."

"Were you and Tenzin able to handle the emergency?" she mumbled, already snuggling back into her pillow with sleep weighing heavy on her.

"Yup! Absolutely! No problems at all! Tenzin exaggerated the problem. You know how he gets sometimes."

If Asami wasn't being pulled down by sleep, she might've inquired more about the rise in her pitch or the speed that she fired all that off. But a more than half-asleep Asami in her own bed wasn't an inquisitive or intelligent woman.

Her response was a weak jab of, "You're weird."

Before sleep pulled her under his control, she heard a chuckle and felt a kiss pressed against her forehead. Korra's soft words lulled her to sleep, only making out part of what was being spoken before falling asleep.

"Love you, 'Sami. I'm going to make this weekend the best in your life."


Posted: May 17, 2021

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