Korra's boat docks at the Southern Water Tribe's main ferry station at noon. The sun is high in the sky, but the landscape is unforgiving ice and snow. Still, Korra feels warm inside to be home again. It's been a long few months, with Republic City still recovering from Kuvira's attack. This is probably the first time she's felt truly relaxed since before being poisoned, the Spirit World vacation with Asami excluded.
Asami. The thought of her new girlfriend sends a shiver down her spine and puts a smile on her face. When Korra steps onto Southern soil, there's a skip in step that makes her look like a different person from the one that was wheeled in on a chair over three years ago. Korra welcomes the feeling. With her hasty exit from the South Pole six months prior to reaching Republic City, followed immediately by the tolling conflict in the Earth Kingdom, she hasn't had any time to enjoy her semi-recovered state.
That reminds her of something. Instead of going straight home to her parents, though she's dying to, Korra decides to pay a quick visit to her waterbending master. An apology is probably due, what with running off and worrying Katara like that.
She locates the cozy hut easily, muscle memory taking her back to the place where she spent half her childhood learning healing, practicing bending techniques, and listening to the exploits of the previous Avatar as told by his wife. Katara opens the door immediately.
"Katara, I'm-!" Korra is hugging her the next second. "I'm so sorry," she says over the woman's shoulder.
Katara leans back to take a look at her. She just shakes her head. "Don't apologize, Korra, I'm just glad to see you safe. I'm so proud of you."
Korra bites her lip and doesn't speak because there's a lump in her throat. Fortunately, someone else interrupts at that moment.
"Korra? You're back?" Kya emerges from the healing room, corking her water pouch as she comes to greet the Avatar.
"I'm back," Korra affirms. "For two weeks, at least."
"It's so good to see you again. In person, not over the news." Kya hugs Korra. "How are things with you and Asami?"
"You and Asami?" Katara cocks her head to the side.
"Oh, you don't know?" Kya nods encouragingly at her, and Korra smiles. "Well, we're dating."
Katara takes a second to process this. "Well, I guess you've dated everyone on your Team Avatar, then?"
"Katara!" Korra protests. Her look turns pleading. "Please." She doesn't expect the matronly woman to be unaccepting, but there's a certain anxiety that always comes with telling people about this integral part of her identity.
Katara hugs her again. "Of course I love and accept you," she says. "Just like with Kya here, and her cousins, I love you no matter what."
Korra pauses to figure out what "cousins" Katara is talking about, but decides to put it away for later. "Thank you," is all she says, smiling at Katara.
"Of course, dear. Now, come inside and have some food, I just cooked lunch."
"Oh, I can't, I have to go see my parents-" Korra protests weakly. Then she smells the stew cooking in the kitchen. The aroma is incredible. "Actually... maybe I can stay a while, there's no hurry."
They go inside and sit in the dining area, where a wonderful meal with all manner of Water Tribe dishes is served. There, they catch up on everything - Korra fills them in on some of the finer moments of the past year or so, and Katara and Kya tell her about the latest news from the South Pole.
Throughout the conversation, Katara's earlier words roll around in her mind. Finally, a bunch of things start to click into place, and Korra wonders how she could be so blind as to not realize immediately what Katara meant.
The room's fallen temporarily silent as everyone digs into bowls of sea prune soup. Korra chooses that moment to bring it up. "Um, Katara? Earlier, you said you'll love me no matter what, like Kya and her cousins."
"And I mean it," Katara replies, attention focused on her now.
"Yeah, I know. I was just wondering - I mean, you don't have any cousins, right?"
Kya shakes her head. "Well, not biologically, but they're family. And, uh - I don't think they would care, especially if it's you, but I don't really want to out them without permission."
Korra nods. "Right, sorry. I won't pry." She puts her head down and finishes her soup. After a silence, she looks up again. "I hope you don't mind me asking, though - do you mean Beifong and… Fire Lord Izumi?" She doesn't want to assume, or force Kya to out them, but she's been wondering about the police chief for a while and this conclusion makes everything a little clearer.
Kya just raises her eyebrows. "Yes, actually. I'm surprised you figured that out. Surprised you picked up on Lin, somewhat, but Izumi more so. Have you even met Izumi personally?"
"No, I've only seen her and talked to her briefly at summits and emergency meetings."
Kya looks at her with newfound interest. "Either you just know your people, or you're more perceptive than I give you credit for."
Korra shrugs. "A little bit of both, I hope."
"Bit of both, huh?" Kya smirks at the implication, then continues, "I am so going to tell Izumi about this. I remember her betting that no one would ever figure out she's bi without being told upfront."
"Really?" Katara says. "Because I think Izumi might have to pay up to the adults, as well as Korra. I don't think anyone was surprised about you three."
Kya gulps down her sea prunes rather noisily, then coughs. "What? This is new information," she chokes out.
"We had so many bets going on when you kids were young," Katara reminisces. "Tenzin and Lin were bet on practically from the day she was born. I didn't like it, but you know how your father was with young love. And of course Izumi and Bumi were bet on later on. But another one was you and Izumi, or you and Lin. Izumi and Lin as a pair were also tossed around at some point."
Kya, still not recovered from the bout of choking, begins to cough harder. Korra slaps her on the back to help clear her airways. "T-thanks," Kya says at last, taking a sip of water from a glass Katara procures for her.
Katara looks at Kya oddly. "Was it something I said, or did you just happen to choke?"
Kya freezes. "I mean - what you said about how you bet on us? I think- It's just- uh, did you ever make actual bets? Like, I know you did it with Lin and Tenzin, Sokka got like twenty yuan for guessing they'd get together at eighteen, but for… me and Lin, me and Izumi, Izumi and Lin, did you guys actually make bets? And did you ever find out- how did you think you were going to find out if it did happen?"
Katara blinks. "Are you saying that those actually happened?"
Kya opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. "...Maybe," she manages to say.
"Well that explains a lot," Katara mutters to herself. "Well, I think there were some bets made, but those were years ago and mostly in jest. Although I think Zuko owes me five yuan, if I'm to hold him to a joke he made thirty years ago about his daughter's love life."
Kya nods slowly, as if trying to process this information. "Wow. Well, I'm mildly traumatized now."
Katara nods in concurrence. "Me too."
Korra shakes her head in disbelief. "Forget whatever I said about your family being wholesome and normal, that's some crazy stuff."
"I don't know where you ever got that idea," Kya agrees.
