Authors notes:
Alright, so after re-reading the last chapter, I decided I didn't really like how… vulgar Korra's inner monolog was.I don't want it to seem like Korra's attraction to Asami is only physical. So I'm hoping to address the more emotional side of Korra in this chapter. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on the matter. So yeah, this whole chapter is basically just further establishing Korra and Asami's current relationship, and how both of them feel about one another.
Also, I've been thinking about reworking chapter 1 because my experiment with a first person perspective is really starting to click for me. So I might just rewrite chapter 1 to be more in line with the rest of the story if I decide to keep writing in first person. Still thinking about it though.
Chapter 3; Training and Tension
Asami's perspective
As I followed Korra (who is now a stuttering mess for some reason. Probably just her first time teaching.) out to the courtyard, my mind is racing a million miles a minute. I'm an airbender, what's that mean for my life? For my company!? I was just barely bringing the name "future industries" back from the brink of ruin after my bastard father trashed the public trust in the company by throwing his lot in with terrorists. Will I have to give it up to become an air nomad!? I have so many questions!
One of which being, why is Korra acting so strangely all of the sudden? First she stops and just stares at me on the steps, then she practically jumped out of her skin when I bumped her shoulder at the table. Not to mention the way she reacted to Tenzin saying she should train me. It's like she's afraid of me… or maybe she hates me. Oh spirits did she find out I kissed Mako while she was missing!? No, that doesn't make any sense, she seemed so worried for me at the table.
Korra stops rambling when we get to the courtyard, taking a couple deep breaths before turning to speak to me. "what I mean by hands-on, is that I'm going to show you some basic movements and stances. You're usually a pretty calm and collected person, so we should wait till the shock wears off to see if I actually need to teach you ways to keep your bending from passively freaking out. For now the movements and stances are just to help you know what it feels like when you're bending air, so that way you know when you need to calm yourself." She says, now much more composed. I guess talking about bending would be a comfortable subject for her.
"Ok." I reply. Now much more calm. Something about the way she speaks so confidently about getting a handle on this just makes me believe things will be fine. "But… korra, before we start, I have a couple questions to ask."
"Of course, what is it?" She asks as she begins stretching.
"Well," I say as I begin following her lead and doing some stretches myself "I suppose I should start with the biggest one… will I have to become a monk like Tenzin and his family?"
Korra seems surprised, goes to speak, and then stops. It's a terrifying few seconds before she responds "I… don't know. I definitely believe Tenzin wouldn't force anyone to become an air nomad, but rebuilding the air nation has always been his life's goal. So… he's probably gonna ask you to join, but I don't think he'll force the issue."
I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. "Your right. He's not the kinda man that tells people how to live…"
Korra chuckles "really? My first couple months on the island say otherwise."
"No, I mean, he'll make suggestions, give advice, but generally seems to let people find their own path."
"I know." Korra says, smiling reassuringly. "I was just messing with ya Asami. So, ready to get to training?"
"Just one more question… why are you acting so strange around me?"
Korra pauses, looking nervous, her face red from embarrassment "w-well... uh… it's because I still feel a little awkward about the whole Mako fiasco."
"Oh." Is all I can get out. I don't want to accidentally tell her about kissing Mako.
"Yeah… hey, when I was gone, did Mako tell you guys we broke up?"
"Yeah… it's why we were so surprised that the first thing you did when you got back was kiss Mako."
Her face goes even more red "well. That's embarrassing…" she mutters
"No, what's embarrassing is that I kissed Mako when you were gone." Shit! Why did I say that!?
Korra seems frozen "s-so… you and Mako are dating again?"
"No!" Why was I so quick to deny it? It's not like it would be wrong if we were… "The kiss was… weird. I didn't really feel anything. Well, emotionally I mean. It's like my subconscious wanted to confirm what I already knew. I don't have feelings for Mako anymore."
Korra instantly brightens. Maybe she's still hoping to salvage things with Mako? I get a weird feeling in my gut at that thought. Like… I'm angry that they might get back together. But why? They're both my friends, I want them to be happy, and I don't have feelings for Mako anymore… so why does the thought of them getting back together make me so… jealous?
"Gotcha," korra says, taking me out of my thoughts "now, let's get to learning stances." She moves into an airbending stance, and I attempt to mirror her. "Ya wanna keep your elbows in, torso straight, and as we move, you wanna have your feet juuust skimming the ground."
To my surprise It seems almost instinctual as I follow her movements. She continues to guide me through more movements as air swirls around us, and we move closer to one another. After a minute or so though our little dance comes to a stop.
"Wow!" Korra says, beaming. "You're a natural!"
"T-thanks." I say, her praise causing my cheeks to heat up for some reason. What is with me today? "Though I don't think you give yourself enough credit. You're a good teacher."
Her face goes a little red once more "thanks. Anyway, I think you're good to go. Unless ya wanna learn a bit more? It could be a nice bonding experience ya know? We've never really hung out, just the two of us."
I can't help the smile that spreads across my face "that sounds lov-"
"Korra! Asami! We need to talk to you." Son of bitch! Whoa! Why am I so angry all of the sudden? We both turn to find Mako and Chief Lin beifong heading towards us.
"Mako, Lin? What's up?" Korra asks. I'm too busy trying to figure out my internal outburst to say anything.
"We've got some news for Tenzin. Where is he?" The chief asks in her usual no nonsense, all-business manner.
"Well, you're never gonna believe this, but he's training a new airbender." Korra says excitedly.
Mako and Lin look at one another, then sigh. Korra and I give them confused looks "We actually completely believe you." Mako explains. "I got a call earlier. A shopkeeper said his brother randomly started airbending, and when I showed up to investigate, he blew the door off its hinges, straight into my nose. Then he ran away. We have an APB out on him, but We figured it would also be a good idea to ask for your help finding him."
Korra nods "well, you guys go talk to Tenzin, Asami and I will head out to look for him." Lin nods and hands Korra a picture of the guy, and Mako wishes us luck before he starts stuttering and generally making a fool of himself. Lin shakes her head in annoyance as Korra and I laugh on our way to the dock.
As we step off the ferry into mainland republic city, Korra contains her chuckles "how much longer do you think talking with Mako will be like pulling teeth?"
I laugh "hopefully forever. It will never not be funny."
"hopefully not forever." Korra sighs. Why did my mood just sour? "I mean, I would like to have my friend back at some point."
"Friend?" Wait, why did i say that? "Not gonna give your relationship another shot? You were under a lot of pressure before. Maybe it was just stressing you both out?" Why do I hate how much sense that makes?
"Nah." Korra says, somehow making me feel so much better. Seriously what is up with me today? "If a little stress is all it takes to crack us apart then Mako and I will never work. I'm the Avatar, my job will never stop being stressful."
"Wow." I say as we reach my car "that's… oddly mature of you. A few months ago you'd have been whining about how everyone needs to just leave you alone and stop bothering you with their problems."
She rolls her eyes "yeah, yeah, I know. I was naive. I think meeting Avatar Wan, and learning what It really means to be the Avatar has taught me how important the role of the Avatar is. And how big a responsibility it is."
Wow. Just… wow. I never thought I'd hear Korra, of all people, sounding so wise and mature. It's not as if i saw her as a child before, but she always has this sort of youthful brashness to her. This is new. And… nice. An idea strikes me. I throw my keys to her as she's about to climb into the passenger seat.
She catches them with no effort, stares at them, then looks at me. "This is a horrible idea. Remember last time?"
"Yeah, but that was the old Korra. You're wiser now. More mature. You're saying you can handle being the Avatar, the symbol of peace to the world, master of all four elements, but you can't handle learning to drive?" I say tauntingly.
Her face instantly narrows with determination. Yep. That got her. She may be more mature, but she's still Korra. Somehow, that feels reassuring. Knowing that no matter how much changes, Korra will still be Korra.
5 minutes later
Yup! Korra is still Korra! Terrible driving and all! "Clutch!" I yell trying not to completely freak out "clutch, clutch!"
"I thought this was the clutch!" The car stalls, thank the spirits…
I take a few deep breaths and ignore the guy honking behind us "no, Korra, that was the break. The clutch is to the left of the break. The accelerator is to the right. The break is in the middle." Her cheeks tint pink as she starts the car again and gives it a bit of gas. "Now, you wanna alternate between the gas and the clutch to keep your speed steady, hold the gas with a bit of clutch to get her up to speed, and release both to slow down. When you want to stop, slowly push on the break a bit before you actually want to stop."
After a bit more tutoring Korra is actually doing a decent job of keeping the car going. She lets out a relieved sigh as she makes a successful stop at a red light "thanks Asami, you're actually a pretty good teacher." I can't help the small smile that comes to my face. "So, what's our plan? We can't just drive around hoping we stumble into the airbender right?"
"Right, I wasn't planning on it, I was more hoping we could swing by my place so I could change into something more appropriate." I say gesturing to my work-out attire.
"R-right! That makes sense. Though uh… I don't usually take the streets when I move about the city, ya mind giving directions?" She asks nervously.
"Of course, make a right up ahead."
Sato Mansion, 30 Minutes Later
Korra's point of view
Ok Korra, control yourself. You can do this… she's just gonna change, I probably won't even have to go inside. Asami gets out of the car and starts walking up the path from the street to the door, Then stops.
"Ya coming?" NO!
"Sure." FUCK!
I get out of the car and follow Asami into the mansion. No matter how many times I come here I can never get over how massive this place is. Just the entrance hall is several times larger than the house my family stayed in inside the white lotus compound.
I follow Asami through the hall and up the stairs. "It's been so empty recently…" Asami says quietly as we pass the room that had once been her father's study. The same room where I eavesdropped on his phone call with the equalists.
"I'm so sorry Asami." I say suddenly feeling stupid for being embarrassed to come inside. She probably just didn't want to be alone in here. "Listen… if you need to talk about what happened, I'm here for you."
She turns her head to smile at me "thanks Korra. It means a lot to hear you say that, but I have a therapist for that." She goes to therapy? Of course she does… her father tried to kill her.
"Well, I'm happy to hear you're seeking help. If my father had done something like that… well, I'm not sure I'd be doing anywhere near as well as you."
As we step into her bedroom it hits me just how strong Asami is. Not physically, but mentally. She faced one of the worst things I could imagine, and is still standing. No. Thriving. Asami really is amazing…
"Honestly, I'm not sure "doing well" is accurate. There are some days I wake up and hope it was all a nightmare. Then when I realize it wasn't, it takes every ounce of strength I have to just get out of bed." She says sadly, now looking through her closet.
"But you still do it. That alone is incredible. I'm not sure anyone else I know, myself included, would have that kinda strength." I say earnestly.
"Anyone else you know huh? Should I tell Chief Beifong or Tenzin that you think so little of them?" She asks teasingly
The blood drains from my face "Please, don't, I'll do anything you ask!" I plead desperately. The last thing I want is to be on the receiving end of Chief Beifong's wrath. Again. I had enough of that the first day I was in republic city.
"Anything~" Asami asks tauntingly. I'm suddenly frozen solid. Regret. I regret my choice of words. Just walk it back Korra. It's just a taunt, let her have this one.
"U-uh… did you have something in mind?" SPIRITS DAMNIT!
Asami giggles, and I let out a sigh of relief. Her giggling means I'm off the hook. "well, I didn't, But since you seem so committed to staying true to your word…" this is it. This is how I die. "How about this, you keep Tenzin from boring me to death with hours of baby steps instead of training, and I won't tell Lin."
"Wait, so you're gonna keep training?" She gives me a confused look. "I mean… you seemed so against being a bender, and I got that. I really was just gonna teach you to keep it in check and not press it."
She considers my words for a few moments, then speaks "Your right Korra. I didn't want to be a bender. I never have. I knew what I was and I made peace with that. I even took pride in it when I was helping you and the rest of Team Avatar. I was a non-bender and I could keep up with you guys, that meant something." She takes a deep breath. "But that's in the past now. I've changed. I'm an airbender. Even if I'm still scared about what that will mean for my life, I can't just run away from it, or pretend I'm not different. I have to accept this new part of myself and move forward."
I'm utterly speechless. If I had to choose a single moment to say when I fell in love with Asami, this would be it. Everything I admire about Asami was on display in this singular moment. Her maturity, her intelligence, her pride, her strength, and her passion. I'm too enraptured to speak.
"Are… are you ok?" Shit!
"Uh, y-yeah…" smooth, real smooth. "I just… wasn't expecting you to be so accepting of all this. You're really amazing ya know that?" Stupid! This isn't the time to flirt!
Her cheeks tint red "well… ya know... Sometimes ya just gotta roll with the punches. Besides, it's not like suddenly waking up as a bender is the worst thing that ever could have happened to me." Her eyes go wide after she says that. "N-not to say bending is a bad thing! I don't think that at all! All in all it may be a good thing in the long run. I just… need a bit of time to adjust." She looks down after she's finished talking, as if ashamed.
I put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly "Asami, it's fine. I can't say I get what you're going through, cause I've been a bender all my life, but I know what it's like to suddenly have a massive change in your life. Coming to Republic City for the first time was a huge shift from being isolated in the white lotus's training compound, and I definitely needed time to adjust. And relax, I didn't take it as an insult to bending."
She lets out a relieved breath "thanks Korra. I'm glad you're so understanding. That's why I want you to be my airbending teacher."
"Really?"
"Yeah, besides, it's like you said, it'll be nice to have some time to bond. One-on-one." She says with a smile that makes my knees weak. Yup. Asami is gonna be the death of me. And I'm completely ok with that.
"Awesome! Just gimme a couple days to come up with a solid training regimen." I can't help the ear to ear smile that spreads across my face.
"Ok. But for right now, I need to change and we need to find that airbender." She starts pulling up her shirt. I have never spun 180 degrees so fast in my life. I can hear her chuckle behind me.
"Seriously Korra? We're both women, there's nothing to be shy about." She says, still giggling.
Oh spirits I wish that were true….
Authors notes:
Alright, another chapter down. Honestly, I think this might be my best yet. I think chapter 2 turned out rougher than I thought the more I go back over it, but this one I'm feeling really good about. I mean, an entire chapter of Asami being dense, Korra being an adorable mess and a bit of a heart-to-heart at the end. It's perfect.