A clear and cloudless sky welcomed Asami to the helm of the Future Industries airship that had become a second home to her and in the recent past, had doubled as Team Avatar's flying headquarters and unofficial transport. Light splayed through the tall tempered glass windows that surrounded the wide space of the gondola, giving the interior a soft glow over its steel panels and multitude of levers and clock like instruments. The magnate brought a hand over her forehead to shield her eyes from blinding light beams that filtered from the sun climbing behind a nearby mountain range. Her hands confidently maneuvered the rudder of the vast flying contraption with a subtle tug to avoid the intense light. Her senses were expertly attuned to the slight yet noticeable changes in wind currents through countless hours in the air and myriad miles traversed over about half of the Four Nations. The Beifongs might possess a unique edge with their seismic sense but Asami didn't needed to be a bender to sense the vibrations at the control panel communicating vital data about the structural integrity of the airship. She understood the peculiar roaring of the engines and the whirring of the propellers. She was so aware of her surroundings mid-air that she could almost anticipate what the slight changes in her instruments conveyed before she glimpsed at them. Asami loved flying, loved the sense of freedom it gave her and the promise of endless journeys and adventures waiting beyond the blue horizon, but there was a time when that love had been soured, sullied in a way she'd feared she would never be able to speed towards the open skies without erupting into tears.
The nightmarish vision of a giant metal hand obliterating what mere seconds ago used to be the hummingbird piloted by her late father hounded her nights relentlessly for months on end. The horror of the indescribable clatter of flattened metal would echo inside her head triggering the violent shudders that awoke her in the middle of the night, tremors that only went away when she sought refuge inside Korra's protective embrace. It had taken the magnate long, painful months to fully recover her fondness of flying. Despite the dreadful memories of her father's last hours, flying was also the way she reconnected with some of her oldest and fondest memories of him. After all, her love of taking into the blue wide yonder had come through Hiroshi and the happy times they'd shared when he tested his flying contraptions with a young Asami with him.
Flying morphed from a source of trauma and pain to a therapeutic outlet. In moments like this when conflicting emotions clashed inside her chest, she fully appreciated being able to allow the immensity of the skies and the rugged beauty of the landscapes below sooth her aching heart. The last couple of days had been testing for the young magnate and it had all began the day she'd arrived at the South Pole. What Asami had anticipated as a joyful reencounter with Korra with the possibility of reconciliation hanging in the air became a source of frustration and heartache that dampened her high spirits. Yesterday it had seemed things would continue on the relative conciliatory note it had ended once they'd departed Blackstone Isle but instead, it added tensions to an already tense mood. Asami was glad the trip was almost over, the reconstructed domed city of Zaofu just hours away, because she didn't know if she could endure more tense episodes with the Avatar within the confined space of the airship. The source of her tension had a name and Asami was certain that individual would probably prompt even more tensions to the Metal Clan.
Yesterday's morning had begun almost exactly like today except that when she entered the bridge to take over the navigational duties over the Future Industries pilot that ran the night shift, she found Korra sitting down with heavy laden eyes scanning the horizon.
"Good morning" greeted Asami.
"Good morning" mumbled Korra as she lifted her head to follow Asami on her way in.
After Asami relieved the pilot from his duties, she offered Korra an enquiring glance.
"Long night?"
"Not really" the Avatar replied while stifling a yawn. Asami lifted an eyebrow skeptically.
"Are you sure? You look like you slept only for a few hours. I think it was past midnight when you finally came out of the comm room."
Korra, who had been slumping over the chair, suddenly straightened up. "You were awake too?"
Asami rested a hand over her hip, her hair swaying softly to the side. "It's my airship. I have the tendency to walk around at odd hours just to check everything's okay, but you know this already."
"True" Korra retorted, her face reflecting subtly her confusion with the gesture. "I remember how difficult it was to convince you to allow somebody else to take over you for a couple of hours. Old habits die hard, huh? The new guy seems to be very professional. He told me he has been working for you for about three months now."
"Lieutenant Ryo is ex-military. He came with a lot of recommendations and has a ton of experience. I really enjoy piloting myself but I've learned to delegate some duties because the truth is that I'm too busy and I can't be at the helm all the time. I've come to learn that especially during the past months with the current situation in the Earth Kingdom."
"Between this and the work you did with Su I bet you've logged in a ton of flying hours. I remember when you would call from places as far and diverse as Omashu and the Si Won desert. How did you manage back then without a copilot?"
Asami gave a wistful glance at Korra. The industrialist chose as a coping mechanism to dull the heartache and confusion of her situation during the tough post breakup days to devote even more of her time to her work. They still sought to keep in touch but as time went by, communication became more and more scattered as their individual duties and the mounting problems across several locations absorbed more of their attention.
"I was lucky enough to find people I could trust during my travels" Asami replied matter-of-factly.
"I see" It occurred to Korra that Asami seemed somewhat uncomfortable with the subject at hand but before she could press further, the industrialist interjected.
"So we should expect to meet Lin and Kuvira sometime this week, right?"
"Yes, they will travel to Republic City today…" Korra's eyes suddenly opened wide as she sprung from her seat. Asami had casually commented that Korra had been in the comm room until late at night.
"How did you find out about that? I was about to tell all of you today during our meeting because I got the information myself last night when I spoke to Lin and to... Wait! Were you eavesdropping my conversations?" Korra was now standing in front of Asami with both hands over her hips and a stern expression on her face.
Asami returned her hard glance with a smug expression. "You don't have a particular whispery tone of voice Korra. Your conversation carried outside the room. Besides, it's my ship so I don't know if eavesdrop is the right word here."
Korra sighed loudly. "I can't seem to have private conversations without half the world listening lately. So yeah, that's pretty much the gist. Kuvira has been paroled and Lin will be her official nanny. They'll will be traveling with a small group of United Republic Forces soldiers provided mostly for Su's peace of mind."
"I'm pretty sure Lin would not particularly like being referred as 'Kuvira's nanny'."
Korra snorted at that despite the annoyance she felt at the intrusion of privacy by none other than her best friend.
"May I ask why you overheard my conversation last night? That's so unlike you."
Asami's expression sobered. "It seemed fair after Kuvira did exactly the same thing yesterday."
Korra pressed the bridge of her nose and muttered something unintelligible between clenched teeth.
"Korra…"
"Hmm?" Korra's felt her temples tightening. This string of stressful conversations were starting to drain her emotionally. She had badly underestimated Asami's reaction to her relationship to Kuvira but then again, she wasn't expecting to meet Asami so soon and so unexpectedly. She was completely unprepared for this scenario and dealing with the emotional outbursts of both Asami and Kuvira was beginning to take its toll on her.
"Can I ask you something?"
The Avatar inhaled deeply and offered Asami a conciliatory glance. She really hated arguing with her. It brought her back unpleasant memories of the heated arguments that eventually led to their breakup.
"Sure, go ahead" she replied unconvincingly.
"Is it true what you told her? That you still love me, just not in the same way you used to?"
"Sami, you should know the answer to that. I will always love you and there's no one that can take your place. We might not work as a couple but that doesn't mean I don't want you around. You will always be part of my Team Avatar and more than that, you are my best friend but I'm not sure if you still consider me yours."
The sad glimmer that Asami saw in Korra's blue eyes pained Asami.
"But I do! You're still my best friend! That's why I'll try to do my best to respect your decisions even if I don't agree with them."
"You mean it?"
"I do. As I friend, I will admit that after finding out the reasons behind Kuvira's escape attempt, I'm inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt about her intentions with you."
Korra gifted Asami a gentle smile. It really meant the world to her that Asami could begin to see the change for the better that she had seen flourishing in the former captain.
"I'll let you in on a little secret. I knew about the escape attempt before we spoke because Lin told me all about it and how she had convinced her not to do it. Apparently they had their own emotional moment."
"Amazing…who would have thought that those two could somehow get along?" commented Asami still assimilating the information. If there were two people who seemed to embody the very element they bended, they had to be the menacing looking Republic City Chief of Police and the cold and calculating Earth Empire ex-commander.
"It seems Zhu Li is more insightful than we thought when it comes to reading people's personalities. Maybe that's why she appointed Lin as Kuvira's parole officer. That and the fact that Lin can be downright terrifying and I don't think even Kuvira would dare challenge her again" retorted Korra with a grin.
"So you knew she tried to escape? That must have been difficult for you to hear." Asami placed a hand over Korra's shoulder. Korra smiled appreciatively at the gesture.
"It was…I was very confused and hurt when I received the news but I decided to wait to know the reason before I jumped to any conclusions. When she explained the whole thing, it was proof enough of what she felt for me despite the harebrained idea."
"I wouldn't call it harebrained…" whispered Asami almost to herself, wishing that somehow Korra would have at least given the proposal more thought. "I must admit I wouldn't have believed that she was capable of being so…selfless."
"There are many things you don't know about her. I'm more than aware that you have valid reasons to hate Kuvira and I won't ask either of you to be friendly with each other or anything. I can't interfere on that and that's up to you to decide if you want to give it a try. The only thing I ask of you is that you respect my choices even if you don't approve of them. I'm not willing to give up on neither of you."
"I will do my best to respect your decisions and to allow you your space but don't expect me to be extending olive branches anytime soon."
"That's okay. I know you are still struggling with your loss and you're entitled to be angry. Just don't let that anger blind you. This situation is hard for me and I hate to see you so upset."
."I wish circumstances were different but for now, I promise to do my best to keep my personal feelings in check. We have a job to do after all."
"I can live with that. Thanks Asami."
"Let me also apologize for eavesdropping on your conversation but I just needed to know if she was honest or if she was taking advantage of you. As a friend, it is my duty to protect you."
Korra gave her a skeptical glance but displayed a conciliatory small smile nonetheless.
"And what is your conclusion so far?"
"She sounded sincere, I'll give you that" the engineer retorted reluctantly.
"I just hope we don't have to deal with more spying in the near future. And I wouldn't have pegged you for a jealous ex" the Avatar commented sardonically.
Asami looked positively offended by that. "I'm not a jealous ex! I know it was wrong to overhear your private conversations but at the moment I wanted to find out more about my rival."
Korra rolled up her eyes in disbelief. "Asami, she's not your rival. For not being jealous you are starting to act like you actually are."
Asami let out an audible sigh. "Perhaps rival isn't the right word but I can't help being overprotective of you."
Korra lifted her head and stared at the ceiling inhaling deeply. "I swear, if you ever get along, I bet you'll be as thick as thieves."
"I seriously doubt it" offered Asami with a huff, her arms firmly crossed over her chest.
"Tell you what. Let's call in a truce for today, okay? I still have Su and her family to take care of when we make it to Zaofu and we both will need all the emotional energy we can get to deal with that."
The engineer glimpsed at Korra and noticed a glimmer in the corners of the sapphire eyes and suddenly felt angry at herself for arguing with her like this. Inwardly, she wished she could just direct her angry vibes towards the real source of her irritation and be done with it.
"I'm sorry. This situation really gets on my nerves. I agree. We need a truce. Let's move on with what we had planned for today. Opal must have finally succeeded in waking Bolin so they should be here anytime soon. We can have the meeting you planned."
"Okay but can we at least have something to eat first? I'm starving!"
"How about we all have breakfast together like in the old times?
Korra nodded relieved. Asami momentarily directed her attention to the altimeter when suddenly she sensed she was being turned around and gathered in an embrace.
"I'm so sorry for putting you in this situation 'Sami. I wish there was a way I could make you understand what I feel" Korra murmured against her hair. Asami simply clung to the Avatar, tears trailing down her face as she sobbed silently wishing Korra could too understand what she felt.
In the present, Asami prepared the airship for landing, the restored domes of Zaofu gleaming a welcome. Her green gaze scanned the bridge as she observed the enthusiastic faces of Bolin and Opal as they took in the view from the air. It had been a while since they had all gathered like this, although it took a new peril to bring them back together. Beside her with a calm expression, Korra also glimpsed at the city, her mind immersed in deep thought. Asami reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze and Korra returned the gesture. Asami's ears captured the faint "thank you" whispered to her before Korra moved towards the center of the airship's bridge and commanded her companions' attention.
The Avatar exclaimed as she flashed a bright and confident smile:
"Well, we're finally here. Shall we begin this new adventure?"
Author's notes:
So we're finally on the move. Despite the drama, I had fun with this chapter, especially with Asami's Freudian slip. Let's see what drama awaits on the next chapter. XD