Inside her belly, Korra could feel a swarm of butterflies twisting almost painfully as a mob of eager nobles came at her. Bowing and curtseying feverishly chanting how lovely it was to meet her. If it wasn't for the reassuring touch of Tenzin's large hand at the small of her back she would have ran out the ballroom quicker than a springing frog from a snapping turtle. She bobbed at as many as she could with a forced smile on her lips. Spirits, kill me please.
"Princess Korra is very delighted to meet all of you," Tenzin announced calmly to them. "She is eager to enjoy the evening as well so if all of you would be so kind to let her do so, we can all celebrate Hallow's Eve together." The guests got the message quickly, dispersing with nodding heads and most of them went about their way without huss. Korra gave Tenzin a thankful glance as he guided her over to a smaller gathering where the king and queen were conversing with a tall dark skinned man. His long brown locks matched the angles of his thin face. Korra swallowed as she recognised his tribal robes of nobility.
"May I present, Princess Korra," Tenzin announced to them with a gesture of his hand. "Korra, this is Lord Tarrlok our Northern representative from the council."
"N-northern?" Korra nervously echoed, watching the tall man twist and smile at her gently.
"Not to worry, Princess," Tarrlok rang with a bow in her direction. "My ties to the Northern Tundra is only by orientation. King Unalaq has no say in the council of the Republic and I am delighted to meet you. It is the utmost honor to know that you are safe within our walls."
"Thank you, Lord Tarrlok," Korra bowed swallowly. "I'm honored to meet you as well." She turned to the king and queen with an unpracticed curtsey. "It's lovely to meet you as well, Queen Buttercup. King Raiko… I am graced by your presence once again. I feel like I can not express my gratitude with your hospitality enough."
"Just do your duty in protecting my kingdom, Princess. That is all I ask of you." Raiko nodded his head and took his queen's hand. "If you don't mind, the Queen and I are looking to retire early." When the royals left, Korra felt an urge leave the presence of the councilmen as well but Tarrlok continued to make conversation with her.
"Princess, I couldn't help but wonder about your plans to handle the vampire attacks that plague the farmlands. Our guard force have been working tirelessly to apprehend Amon but he seems to be stealing our forces for his own army. What type of action do you plan on taking? Surely you can't take down the entire army by yourself." Tarrlok's icy eyes bore into hers with a stern look upon his features.
"Oh… well-"
"I think we should talk about military operations at the next council meeting, Tarrlok. Let's keep this evening light." Tenzin's bushy brow furrowed slightly as he spoke. "The princess will be attending and she will tell us her plans of action then."
Tarrlok eyes turned cold only for a slight moment at his fellow councilman. Clearing his throat, he raised his chin upward. "My apologies. I'm just eager to see an end to this horror as soon as possible."
"We will," Tenzin nodded and looked around the ballroom. "Is the Captain here?"
"Beifong had to leave abruptly," Tarrlok announced. "There was word of an attack on the north side."
"Should we be worried?" Korra asked with concern on her features. "Maybe I should go, too."
"The only thing I want you to worry about is making a good first impression," Tenzin leaned in. "Why don't you go get a glass of wine and start mingling?"
"Alone?" Korra's face started to light up at the thought. She swallowed a lump in her throat, twisting her head over to the refreshment table. The cord was finally severed as Tenzin gave her a little push on her back leaving her to her own devices. Taking in a breath of encouragement, Korra made a beeline to the beverages.
"Lady Asami!" The noblewoman jumped into a startle as a skinny green robed man sprang into her path. "So lovely to see you! Love the dress! It's got this dark witchy thing going on, absolutely perfect!"
Asami's lips pursed with a silent rage but then forced into a pained smile. "Prince Wu… Good evening…" She leaned a bit to the side to follow Korra who was talking Tenzin and Tarrlok at the moment. Her view was blocked when Prince Wu bent into her line of sight.
"I simply love Hallow's Eve. It's one of my favorite holidays! Frights and costumes just good old fashion fun. Don't you agree?" Asami all but hummed in agreement lowly, but did not sharing in his over excitement. She attempted to slip by him until he moved again, counteracting her evasion with a hand extended.
"Let us dance to celebrate! I can't simply let this evening commence without a dance from you," His smile sparkled with his green eyes as he tousled the locks of his brown hair back with confidence.
Dammit.
"I would love to… but-"
"Fantastic!" Wu reached out and snagged on her wrist, yanking her body forward. Asami let out a nervous heckle, trying to be as polite as she could as a white hot rage boiled in the pit of her stomach. As they spun around the ballroom floor, her green eyes left the Earth prince's babylike face frequently keep an eye on Korra's location. It was a futile effort, however because Wu wouldn't stop weaving his head in her line of sight as he gobbled out meaningless compliments at a speed of a prized race horse.
"I am so mad at myself for not offering a dowry to your father sooner. But like they say early bird gets the worm! If things don't end up going so well with the Fire Nation you can always ask to be my Queen instead."
Asami corked a brow at him before responding. "Um… Thanks? But I'll stick with the Fire Nation, your Highness."
"Why ever should you?" He seemed to be whining at her now. "The Fire Nation is all dark and smoky. Not to mention all the food is way too spicy. And forgive me for saying this but Prince Iroh is such a bore. All he does is stand like a statue droning on and on about his military operations. I fall asleep every time he visits Ba Sing Se."
"Prince Wu…" Asami tore away from him with a glare. "I can not let you insult my future husband so freely. He has done more for his nation than you can possibly accomplish on your own. While you are out partying and shopping all day, he is working to keep his people safe. Now, if you will excuse me… I have an urgent matter to attend to." She spun on her heels, stomping off leaving the spoiled prince dumbfounded in the middle of the dance floor. Now that she was finally free from that impossibly annoying man, Asami stalked around as she realized Korra wasn't where she was a moment ago.. She quickly spotted her over at the beverage table with a breath of relief. Before she took another step, she hesitated for a moment.
Spirits, what the hell am I going to say to her? As her inner turmoil continued spin in her head, Asami sucked in a breath when Korra turned from retrieving a refreshment and made eye contact with her. Fuck, well no going back now that she caught me staring at her. With a lip bite of nervousness, Asami strode forward. Each step she took triggered Korra's face to redden which gave the noblewoman more encouragement with a sly smirk growing on her red lips. Asami can do this, whatever she was going to say will come out naturally. She just prayed that she wouldn't embarrass herself. Finally, she's close. Stopping just shy of body contact, still drinking in the hunter's deep blue gaze. But she doesn't say anything yet. They both took a moment of silence, drinking in each other's flickering gazes until Asami leaned in to whisper into Korra's ear.
"Enjoying the evening so far, Princess?" Asami's smirk grew to a grin as she felt Korra's body shudder slightly to her teasing tone. The noblewoman pulled away then took her place next to the dark woman in white, brushing shoulders just barely.
"Please don't call me that." Korra muttered, keeping her eyes in her drink. "This isn't how I wanted you to find out… And now I'm stuck here without a clue on what to do. These people… I can't relate to any of them. I feel like a fish out of water." Asami gave Korra a look of empathy before raising her gaze to the bustle of the party. She picked up her third glass of wine for the evening and took a sip while leaning toward the nervous woman beside her.
"You see that man?" Asami pointed across the way. "The one with the tall orange hat… that's Lord Harpic. His wife owns all the clothing shops in the market district. Word on the street is that he got caught in a dressing room wearing a lady's dress while getting head from one of dressmakers. If he approaches you, compliment his robes as beautiful and elegant. Never call him handsome. He doesn't like that." Powered by Korra's quiet snicker, Asami clutched onto one of her biceps while gesturing more with the hand holding her glass. "Lord Greyden, the one with the thick peppered beard. He's a hound breeder for the Guard Force and likes to hunt. He would be interested in your direwolf. Any hunting stories you can tell him would be a great ice breaker." Asami hummed and continued to scan the party guests until her eyes landed on a dainty young lady with dark bobbed hair who was speaking to Jinora. "Have you met Lady Opal yet? She's staying at the monastery."
"Only briefly," Korra informed as she became more relaxed as Asami was practically snuggling up at her side. "We passed in a hallway a couple of times."
"She's Captain Beifong's niece but they don't really have a relationship. You can talk to her about Lin but don't talk to Lin about her… Family is a touchy subject for the Captain. Opal is the youngest daughter of Lady Suyin and Lord Baatar, leaders of ZaoFu. She likes girly things such as flowers and the art of dance."
"Hmm…" Korra took a sip from her glass while looking out into the crowd. "And what about the guy that has been staring at us?" Asami's eyes dragged over to the spoiled prince that was still standing where she left him. But when she made eye contact with him, he quickly darted away to find another woman bother.
"Prince Wu," she announces. "Heir to the Earth Empire throne… He would probably be talking to you right now if I wasn't here. He flirts too aggressively and only cares about the luxury things in life. I hope that he grows out of it soon for the Empire's sake… All you can do is just politely put him down. He will stop eventually but sometimes you will have to excuse yourself from him."
"Great…" Korra groaned while turning her attention back to Asami, finally taking in all the details of her black feathered dress. "Asami…" Her frown increased as she realized what she was dressed as. "Why are you wearing that? It's…"
"Nevermind that," She sighed, retreating from the hunter's side almost painfully. "You clean up really nice… Enjoy the gala, Princess." She bowed her head and started to turn away to leave but Korra grasped onto her arm.
"...Meet me out in the gardens. Twenty minutes." Korra said with pleading eyes. "We need to talk."
.
.
.
Korra downed the rest of her wine when Asami walked away without responding to her request to meet her in private, but she remained hopeful. Taken the information she was fed, she decided to strike up a conversation with Lord Greyden since they had some common subjects to talk about. He introduced her to a few of his hunting buddies and was even kind enough to invite her out on their next hunt. She told him that if she could find the time then she would be delighted to do so. Korra now felt a little more at ease and became less nervous as she mingled around. Still not feeling like having lengthy conversations with total strangers, Korra decided to move on to chat with Lady Opal and Jinora.
"You look beautiful, Korra!" Jinora beamed. "Is that Aunt Kya's dress?" Her attire wasn't too flashy, but she wore long orange and yellow robes with fine beading and silk brown cords for a belt.
"Y-yeah… Honestly I feel ridiculous. I'd rather wear something like your outfit… save for all the warm colors. Blue is my thing." Korra bashfully rubbed the back of her neck, turning to Opal who had an assortment of flowers accenting her green dress complete with a botanical crown of blossoms. "Opal, right? I like your outfit. Are you a flower goddess?"
"Spring fairy!" Opal blushed and spun around to show her a pair of fake wings made with sheer purple fabric. "Ikki helped a lot with my costume."
"I wish I could have dressed up in a wolf costume or something," Korra confessed. "But Pema insisted that I should go formally."
Jinora let out a giggle. "Yeah, I don't think a wolf costume would be a great first impression on the nobles here… Presentation is key to getting them to listen to you seriously… How's the monosary? It's been pretty dull since you left. Bolin has been sulking around without you there."
"It's peaceful there," Korra stated. "But now that I've been revealed as a royal I think it would be safe to go back to the Estate now."
"You're coming back?" Jinora raised her brows in surprise. "But why? I figured that you would prefer to stay on the island."
"I still have my debt to pay off," Korra said. "I know that now I don't have to because of my status… but I don't want anyone to think of me differently. I intend to pay it off just like a regular citizen should. I don't want to take advantage of anyone just because I'm a royal. Plus, Asami the protection. As do you, Jinora."
"True, but I can't imagine you finding the time to do all of this," Jinora hummed in thought carefully. "I think Lady Asami would understand that you need to focus on your training and duty to the king."
"My duty to the king and my work as a housecarl goes side by side," Korra shrugged with a small smile. "Besides, I can do both while training… I'm not sure if your father has told you yet, but we hope to relocate both you and Asami on the island until the vampire situation is handled."
"I doubt Lady Asami will agree to that."
"Well it will probably happen whether she agrees or not," Korra sighed. "The king has already motioned for this to happen. Amon has his eyes on the Sato Estate, it would be a disaster if the Republic failed to protect it's ally's prospective queen."
Jinora's face twisted with concern as she responded. "I have no doubt that the reasoning is agreeable, I just doubt whether Lady Asami would heed to it. King or no king. She only listens to Lord Hiroshi. If you can convince him then that would be sufficient."
"Maybe we can all try to talk to her about it first," Opal chimed in. Her green eyes flashed over to the middle of the ballroom, narrowing. "Excuse me, I need to see about a Fire Prince… Spirits, is she trying to get as many slaps in the face as she can?" Korra's face twisted in confusion but before she could ask, Opal was already gone.
"What?" Korra drew to Jinora for clarification.
"Oh, Kuvira…" Jinora rolled her eyes, jutting her chin to the general's direction. "She's dressed as Prince Iroh tonight. Opal mentioned that she's not really taking the princess news very well. Kuvira does this weird self punishment thing when she's depressed."
"Well she has been trying to hunt me down for about three years," Korra stated looking over to watch Opal stomp over to the general who seemed to be arguing with Asami over something. "I guess I can see how she would be upset now she has no grounds to apprehend me anymore…" Korra watched the scene further and was surprised to see Opal grab onto Kuvira's jacket to yank her away from the Sato heiress. "They seem close?"
"Yeah," Jinora confirmed. "Kuvira and Opal grew up together. Lady Suyin took her in as a foster child in her younger days. When Kuvira became a teenager she moved to Republic Capital for a couple of years to train under Lady Asami for melee combat to prepare her for the military. Even though they are the same age, the lady was already a master by then. Opal came to visit Kuvira on a regular basis during her training."
"Lady Asami?!" Korra snapped her head back to Jinora with even more shock.
"Did you not know?" Jinora tilted her head. "Lady Asami is one of the Republic's best swordsmen. Her mother was killed by a band of raiders when she was very young so Lord Hiroshi had her trained by the finest masters in the world so she would have a means to protect herself if needed. She's won many tournaments over the years and takes on an apprentice now and again. Kuvira was the first person she mentored. She trained Mako and Bolin too."
"I had no idea," Korra confessed. "She never told me anything like that… And I guess I didn't feel like it was my place to ask her."
"Lady Asami doesn't like to talk about herself, especially her past," Jinora said with a solem sigh. "It's been common knowledge among everyone here so I thought Mako or Bolin would have told you by now. I guess we were all so busy to make time for it." Korra turned her head back over to the ballroom. Asami was gone. Nowhere that she could see. It gave her a little hope in wondering if she went outside in the gardens to meet with her.
"Thanks for talking with me, Jinora," Korra bobbed her head. "I need to go." She quickly made her leave, not catching the hesitated hand that sprang up behind her to stop her. Jinora sighed when she was left alone, watching the southern princess exit out the back doors to the gardens. She noticed that Korra's aura was changing at a rapid rate due to her new abilities but underlining it was something different. Something that was similar to the changes of Asami's aura. However she didn't want to assume anything but it would make sense...
Korra shivered slightly as the cold air brushed upon her shoulders. The gardens had a few party guests strolling around to look at the lighten pumpkins and creatively trimmed bushes. Asami aws no where that she could see but she could smell her. That sweet honey spice and wine smell that she loved so much. Korra could spend all night wrapped up in it if she had the opportunity. She could feel her own aura flicker with delight as she followed the trail, turning through a small maze of hedges to a little clearing with a fountain and benches. On one of them, the noblewoman sat, gripping her hands on the seat of the bench and twisting her toes in the gravel, lost in some sort of thought.
"Hey," she called out to her. When the lady lifted her head, Korra could tell she was upset. Her green eyes flared like emeralds to a fire with her red lips pursing in annoyance. "You okay?"
"I'm okay," Asami mumbled, dropping her gaze back down to the ground. "I hate these things."
"Well, that makes two of us," Korra said with an empathetic smile and moved over to join her on the bench. "Thanks for your help… It made mingling a bit easier."
"Well, I've been doing for a long time now. And it looked like you needed a few pointers." Asami scooted to the end of her side of the bench, trying to gain some sort of distance between the two of them. Her heart was racing. "You… wanted to talk?"
"I…" Korra paused. She wanted to talk to her about… well everything. About her father, about Amon, about the plans that was meaning to take place to relocate her. But Asami looked like she was in a bad mood already which made her second guess her timing. Then she got an idea. She leaned in a little with a mischievous smirk. "Since we both hate this gala… why don't we sneak away and have some real fun?"
Asami's brows rose, but only slightly. "What do you mean by… fun?"
"How about we check out the festival in the city! There are games and mazes and I even saw a haunted house during the carriage ride." Slowly, red lips curled just a smidge, but Korra felt like she needed more convincing. "Have you tried popped corn? You look like a girl that hasn't tried it. It's really good! And you can watch me fail at the apple bobbing game." Korra's teeth was gleaming with a goofy grin which successfully drew a laugh from the noblewoman.
"I think people will notice that the princess has gone missing," Asami mentioned retaining a smile on her face. "Besides, we have these dresses on, we'd stick out like a couple of sore thumbs even with all those costumes." Korra waved a hand with a tisk of her tongue.
"These nobles are too busy getting wasted on wine and talking about nothing. They won't even Sato Smith is on the way, right? We can change into work tunics there! And if you are worried about someone noticing us, we can get some masks to cover our faces."
"You are a horrible representation of a princess!" Asami laughed with her mood fully lifted for the better. Then she added, "I like it…" Korra was beaming now, unable to rip off her plastered grin. I like you. Asami rose to her feet only to spin around and pull Korra up from the bench. Korra's smile fell off her face when Asami dipped down onto a knee, taking a hand to her red lips. "I vow to protect you, Princess Korra. In whatever shenanigans you want to drag me into."
"Whaaa!?" Korra's head started to blow steam as the heiress's lips pressed ever so softly to her knuckles. "D-don't do that!" Korra tugged her and away with a red face which left Asami rolling in laughter. "I'm supposed to be protecting you! Remember?!"
"Oh, Spirits!" Asami fought for air in between fits of giggles. "Your face! You are so easy to tease!"
Tease… A memory flashed in the forefront of Korra's mind. Wrists pulled against silken restraints, heavy gasps of pleasure escaping trembling lips from the pounding pressure stabbing into the depths of silken walls. Korra snapped back into reality, watching Asami rose back up with a sigh if happy exhaustion. She gasped in surprise when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against the hunter's body.
"What did I tell you about teasing me?" Korra growled with desire, ghosting her lips just shy of red lipstick. In that moment, the tendrils of Korra's aura gently pushed against Asami's own, sending a warm vibration through her bones. Korra was so close, so warm and she smelled so good. That seabreeze earthy smell that was all Korra. Asami stood there frozen in her clutches, staring hopelessly in the ocean blue pools which held such intensity. Waiting in silence until Korra spoke again. "Kiss me…"
Asami wanted to. Spirits, she wanted to so badly. Every fiber of her being was crying for it. All she had to do is lean in and dive into sweet sinful oblivion once again. However, kissing would lead her down a path of uncertainty. So she resisted, pulling her lips away with a smirk. "Oh? Now that your status is out in the open… you think you can order me around?"
Korra grinned, releasing her hold on the noblewoman and gave her a dutiful bow. "It was more of a request, Lady Asami. I am your housecarl, after all. Princess or not. I am in your service." She extended a hand out to her. "Shall we go?" Asami couldn't hold back a smile as she took the hunter's hand, letting Korra guide her out of the thicket of the hedges. Sneaking passed the castle guards was easy with a group of giggling ladies seemed to be distracting enough for the two of them to escape the castle grounds.
The journey to Asami's place of work only took about twenty minutes. Korra kept a firm grip on Asami's hand the entire way, grinning at how easy it was to make the noblewoman laugh with a series of stupid jokes she learned while spending late nights in taverns during her travels. It was surprising how easy it was to talk to her. Somehow it felt like they had known each other for years because Asami was just as comfortable to ask questions and even told a few hilarious tales of smithing mishaps from the past. The trip to the workshop seemed too short for Korra's comfort but reminded herself that the night was still young to keep her spirits up.
Asami produced a key from a hiding place outside the shop and granted access through the front door. Korra was surprised to see that the bellows were still stoked and the sound of hammering rang through the building.
"Your smiths work on holidays?" Korra asked quietly as she followed behind Asami to her personal workspace. The noblewoman closed the door for privacy, moving over to a closet of worker's tunics.
"I'm paying them overtime for all their hard work," she mentioned while tossing a pair of clothing to the hunter. "The guard force needs weapons of silver for the vampire attacks. They are starting to become too frequent with little success. Farms are burning and the politicians are slow to make decisions in times of crisis. When something isn't directly threatening their own lives they are reluctant to spend the coin." Keeping her back to the hunter, Asami loosened the lacing of her dress, pulling it off her shoulders. Korra's eyes couldn't help but follow the smooth flexing of muscles of the lady's back. She suppressed a simper of longing but then whipped her head to turn the other way to give Asami some privacy in changing. Korra dug into the furs around her waistline, unhooking the belt she kept hidden there that homed her prized knife. She paused with embarrassment in realization that she had no idea how to take off the dress she was wearing by herself since the lacing was in the back.
When Asami finished slipping on a long grey tunic which fell mid thigh length, she turned around and began untying the binding's of Korra's dress as if she could feel her distress. When the white fabric loosened, Asami continued to help her eagerly peeling the dress off her shoulders and down until most of the mocha skin of Korra's torso was exposed. The noblewoman's pale hands itched to reach around to greedily grab handfuls of Korra's beautiful breasts, but again… she resists. It was painful to pull away but she was rather impressed with her self-control. She picked up a red sash and tied it around her waistline. She armed herself, slipping a sheathed sword sword in the folds of crimson fabric while Korra finished changing into a white short shirt and black slacks.
"Ah, hello pants!" Korra rang, replacing her belt on her waist. "I can't stand wearing dresses, it's too breezy between the thighs."
Asami grinned, she wasn't wearing any slacks at all but had a pair of black thigh high stockings to cover her legs. Buckling on some kneehigh boots she added, "I rather enjoy the breeze. It's a freeing feeling, especially without undergarments. I usually don't wear any... Kinda adds a little thrill while walking around in public, but it doesn't really matter with a long dress… however." Straightening the midthigh length with her nimble fingers and tinted cheeks. "This length is perfect."
"N-no undergarments?" Korra's face flamed, almost falling over while stomping a boot on. "Won't you be cold?"
"Nah, I'll be fine… I don't get to wear this very often." Asami smirked. "I should though, if half the men I deal with look at me like you are right now… maybe they will actually listen for a change."
Korra sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck with a chuckle. "I think you should wear what you want to. But don't go telling everyone that you have no undergarments… I'll be having to beat every pervert that pretends to fall on the floor or wake too closely behind you on a set of stairs!"
Asami laughed, putting a hand on a hip with the other swooping loose strands of her pony tail over her shoulder. "Then you should be the one walking behind me." As soon as those words slipped out of her mouth, she regretted them immediately as she saw Korra's brows raise with a wolfish grin on her face. Blushing, then stammering, Asami quickly corrected herself. "N-no! I meant to guard me! Spirits, don't look!" The heiress threw a wadded up cloak at Korra's face, before throwing one over her own shoulders. "Let's go!"
"Yes, Lady Asami!" Korra rang as she wrapped herself with the black fabric. "I must warn you, I have a terrible tripping problem when it comes to stairs," she teased.
"You better not!" Asami heckled lightheartedly, her face still flaming in embarrassment as she reconsidered her clothing choices. Korra waited in the retail portion of the shop as Asami went to check on the progress of her production line for just a moment before leaving. When everything was in order, the lady joined her again and they made haste out into the city and quickly found the festival at the main market.
Asami was enthralled by all the sites around her. She's never joined common civil celebrations before and it looked a whole lot more fun than the aristocratic parties that she had become accustomed to. Competitions, games and delicious smelling food was all around them. But before they got started with joining in the fun, Korra lead her over to a mask vendor to see about some disguises. The two of them settled on something simple. A pair of black masks that only covered the area around the eyes. When they slipped the masks over their faces, Korra couldn't help but goof with her again.
"Who are you?!" Korra gasped and started to frantically look around. "I lost my lady! Where did she go?! Help! I'm left with this strange woman!" Asami rolled her eyes and shoved the hunter playfully. With a laugh, Korra rolled next to her side. The noblewoman in disguise followed Korra's lead through the Harvest Festival, stopping frequently at food vendors. Korra purchased quite a bit of snacks to share. Paper cones of popped corn, grilled beef that came on sticks, a bag of roasted hazelnuts and even a couple of sweet pumpkin rolls glazed with blackberry frosting. Asami was pleasantly surprised at how delicious everything was. The simplicity of peasant street food delighted her taste buds and some of it was even better than the complex dishes the manor chefs could whip up. The irony of it all made her laugh to herself.
"Korra," Asami turned to her, smiling at how Korra's cheeks was puffed out with pumpkin cake. "Back in the gardens… you said you were still my housecarl…" The noblewoman fumbled a little with her words as the hunter swallowed. "You know, you don't need to…"
"I know," Korra mumbled. "But I do owe a debt to you…"
"No, you don't." Asami shook her head as she sighed. "It's not like I'm lacking in coin so I don't need you to pay me back. Look, an apology can hardly suffice since it came after you declared diplomatic immunity… I've been going through a lot recently and well..."
"Asami… you don't need to apologize, really…" Korra wasn't expecting Lady Asami of the Sato Estate to actually try to ask for amends. It felt awkward and out of character so she was doing her best to save Asami from further embarrassment. "I did cause some trouble for you after all. I should pay my debt off to you out of honor. I don't want to be one of those snooty royals who think they can get away with anything… Besides… I rather like being your housecarl."
"Well, the position is still open if you want to continue being in my service," Asami declared then jabbed a finger at the hunter with a serious stare. "But don't think that this changes anything, I expect good behavior! You may be a royal but know this… I'm not afraid to whip you if you cause me more strife!"
That's more like it.
"Of course, my Lady," Korra flashed her a cheesy grin as she caught an amused glimmer in Asami's beautiful green eyes. "Shall I stand inside your chambers tonight?"
"Ah!" Asami retracted her finger with a grumble as she could feel her own blush intensifying. "N-nice try." Hating the fact that Korra could make her blush so easy. If she did permit Korra to stand in her chambers… Asami wasn't sure if she could trust her to keep her hands to herself while she slept. After all that had happened, she wasn't sure if she trusted herself at this point.
Thankfully, she didn't need to continue the conversation when Korra's attention was drawn over to a huddle of civilians rooting on some sort of competition. Sardine packed bodies were blocking any view of the game. Though that did nothing to keep Korra from investigating what was going on. She peeked through a crack between two men and could make out a small table with two muscular men hunched across from each other. Her blue eyes lit up when she realized that they were playing a game of arm wrestling, then immediately recognized one of the competitors.
"Hey, Asami!" Korra gestured her to take a look. When she did, the noblewoman laughed out loud and watched Bolin crack his knuckles in preparation for his next opponent, who was almost as thick as he was. Rippling biceps rattled the poor wooden table that had seen better days. Veins on the sportsmen's red faces threatened to pop with disgruntled grunts and groans, but the strife didn't last for long. Bolin cried out and slammed his opponent's arm down on the table with a slam, triggering a roar of victorious cheering following after. He leaped from his seat, raising his arms to the praise thrown his way.
"Oh yeah!" He shouted. "Ten wins! Who's next, huh? Who wants to scrap with the champion?!" Bolin twirled around the huddled crowd looking for a next victim. Korra grinned and immediately pushed her way through the crowd.
"I will!" She hollered with a raising fist as she broke into the middle of the circle. Bolin immediately recognized her but before he could scream her name in excitement, Korra pressed a finger to her lips to make sure he wouldn't give her identity away. A few chuckles erupted from around her and her friend gave her a sly roll of his eyes.
"I'm afraid I'll hurt you little lady," Bolin puffed out his chest with a showy flex of his bare arm. "I got more muscles than you can handle."
"I'll be the judge of that," Korra swiped her nose and approached the table, resting her right elbow on the wood planks at the ready. Bolin laughed and joined her on the other side, positioning his arm before his giant hand wrapped around her much smaller hand. One. Two. Thee.
"Go!" Someone triggered the game of strength. Korra grunted against Bolin's strength as she pushed back against his powerful arm. Bolin smiled at her as she was managing to hold against him. Sweat started to bead on the hunter's dark furrowed brow with clenching teeth.
"How about…" Bolin grunted with a wiggle of his thick eyebrows. "Winner takes a kiss from a princess?" Korra groaned with her eyes widening as Bolin started to press her wrist forward. She sucked in a breath and pushed with a new wind of strength making the back of his own hand tilt toward the table top. The crowd started to rise with excitement. Asami had found her way to the front of the group, watching intently with arms folded.
"Sure! I suppose I can kiss myself…" Korra grinned at Bolin's sweaty face as he was starting to struggle against her to his surprise. "But I do have a future queen in my company." Korra's eyes motioned a little towards the lady in question. "That's kinda the same thing right?"
"Don't even think about dragging me into your fiendish activities again," the noblewoman slashed out as she stepped closer to the table placing a hand on her hip. "My lips are not for bargaining with." Bolin grunted with surprise, he never expected Lady Asami to be here yet alone Korra. Now he felt like he needed to win to save himself from humiliation in front of his employer who hired him because of his said muscular strength. He glared into Korra's strained facial features.
"I…" Bolin grunted at his opponent. "...got a question for you." When Korra's brow rose with bewilderment, he groaned out. "Did you know that Captain Beifong's mom is Toph the Wise?"
What an odd question… Korra had heard the name before in passing but had retained very little information on some old earth bender. "I do now…" Korra grunted as their wrists started to wobble, if she didn't pin Bolin's arm soon, she feared that her strength would give out any moment.
"Do you know why no one knows who the Captain's father is?" Bolin asked with a hint of panic in his voice when Korra's wrist pressed his own down towards defeat. "It's because it was a blind date!"
Korra's focus broke when Asami gasped sharply. The heiress pressed a hand over her mouth to suppress a chortle but it was futile. Asami started to break out in rolling laughter at Bolin's distasteful joke that seemed to fly over Korra's head. Because of the distraction, Bolin was able to throw Korra's wrist down on the table with one fluid motion. A boom of defeat cracked in the are followed by moans of disappointment from the crowd.
"Hey! You cheated!" Korra whined while nursing her sore wrist with a pouty lip.
"Time to pay up!" Bolin rose with a beaming smile with his eyebrows wiggling.
"Now just wait a minute, Bolin," Asami folded her arms. "She's right. That was just shoddy sportsmanship. I can't stand by and let you take advantage of her. I bet you have been using that tactic in your other matches. It's time that you play fair and square." Asami moved to her housecarl with a gentle press to take her place at the end of the table. "I will challenge you myself with a wager of my own. If you lose you have polish every sword in my shop. But if you win... My housecarl's lips will be yours for two whole minutes."
"What?!" Korra gasped sharply along with Bolin's growing grin. There was no way Asami could win against his bulging muscles.
"Wow you are making this too easy, my lady," Bolin rolled his shoulders in preparation. Asami was making her own arrangements more subtly. Her pale fingers inched across the table to measure out the surface and pinpointing exactly where her elbow should rest. Bolin hunched over at the ready, gasping Asami's hand. "Ready?"
"Wait a minute…" She said, adjusting her stance, pressing her hips against the table curling her thumb over Bolins hand as high it could go and then scooted her elbow just a little bit closer to his. Her bright green eyes peered into his darker irises with a smirk. "Ready."
When the countdown ended, Asami pulled Bolin's wrist towards her and twisted so her hand rolled over his. Bolin pushed back and was surprised at Asami's strength to resist him. Her brow furrowed in concentration, curling her hand back more, pulling. Bolin's eyes expanded with disbelief as he was struggling to keep his arm from lowering to it's doom. When his forearm could no longer hold, the noblewoman smugly pouted her lips when his arm smacked down under her grasp.
"Holy shit!" Korra yelled among the other roars of jubilation from the crowd. "She actually beat you!"
"How did you do that? I thought I had you." Bolin shook out his wrist that was now freed, clearly dumbfounded with the turn of the tides. A lady, a noble lady, Lady Asami had bested him. Asami flipped the loose strands of her onyx hair out of her face with a smile after rolling the tension out of her wrist.
"Leverage," Asami answered. "When you design war machines you learn a thing or two about physics. Sometimes brute force isn't enough to get the job done." She then moved over to hook her arm around her housecarl's bicep. "Now if you don't mind, I believe this lady owes me a corn maze tour."
Korra smiled bashfully, glancing subtly at Bolin who shot them a knowing look. Asami was quick to ignore it since she was immensely enjoying her evening in Korra's company and didn't care about what he may be thinking. It took a long stroll to the edge of the city lead by orange lanterns to the nearest farm that hosted the corn maze experience. Dropping a few coins in the honor box, Korra took the lead into the carved pathway of the corn field.
It was dark. And quiet. Strangely quiet for a harvest festival attraction but it was getting late and most families have already stuffed their sugar filled offspring to bed. To easy the creepy essence of the air, Asami motioned for conversation.
"So…" she started. "What's it like in the Southern Tundra?"
Korra was pleasantly surprised at Asami's interest in her origin and was more than happy to oblige. "Very icy," she responds with a laugh. "Nothing at all like this place. We only have one settlement and live very simply, even the royals live in small huts. We do have a courthouse though for proper government meetings, but I never really had much experience in there. I've spent most of my time hunting and fishing with my father."
Asami was careful with her next question, she didn't want to make Korra uncomfortable but she genuinely wanted to know. "Is your father… well?"
"So far I know…" Korra sighed. "My uncle had imprisoned him. I trust he is keeping him well until I return. I have no doubt actually. I just hope my mother has been spared… I never got the chance to say goodbye to her after Father commanded that I escape."
"I'm sorry," Asami's eyes filled with hurt. "I know what it's like to lose a parent."
"I heard about that," the hunter responded with empathy. "I'm sorry to hear about your mother… do you want to talk about it?"
"Mnn," Asami nodded. "It happened a long time ago so it's not as painful to speak about her. Although it's always been something I've struggled with. Though I guess it makes me stronger after all. From what I can remember, my mother was very kind and just as headstrong as I am. It's a trait my father wish I didn't inherit from her, but he only has himself to blame for that since he encouraged it in the first place."
"He shouldn't treat you so poorly." Asami could hear the venom in Korra's voice, possessive even. "If he lays a hand on you again I swear I'll-"
"It's nothing I can't handle, Korra," Asami gave her housecarl an assuring squeeze on the arm. "I appreciate your concern, really. But please, if you acost him about that I wouldn't put it past him to retaliate, brutally. He is very protective of me. And very powerful."
"I don't care!" Korra halted her stroll, spinning sharply to her. "He has no right to do that! You can't just shrug that off just because you are used to being treated that way. You are… so fucking beautiful and amazing and you deserve better." Korra's flaming blue irises flickered with anger. "You deserve all the love in the world, Asami…" The temper in the darker woman's voice shrank into an endearing tone when Asami's gaze seemed to melt into hers. Tears filled behind the noblewoman's eyes but she refused to let them fall. Soft caresses of dark fingers painted over pinkening cheekbones with affection. Korra leaned in cautiously, asking without words.
And Asami didn't reject her. When Korra's mouth fell upon her own, she gasped softy pressing back eagerly. Wet tongues slid out from between parting lips while hands coursed over shoulders to grasp greedily with gentle pressure. Soft moans of desire broke free from the heiresses throat even though they were stained with uncertainty. Korra broke the kiss for air, only to explore Asami's long elegant neck with her lips, then teeth. She growled into the skin possessively, roaming her sinful hands down Asami's back as she sucked at her flesh with a growing hunger.
"K-Korra.." Asami gasped out as her knees started to weaken. "We mustn't… this is wrong." Then a deep moan escaped her as she felt the southerner's greedy hands groped her rear, pulling her hips against Korra's grinding pelvis. "I… I'm betrothed…"
"I know," Korra snarled softly into her ear. "I'm not asking for you to change that. I just want to make you feel good. I want you." Asami rolled her head to capture Korra's lips once more, kissing and tonguing her warm mouth feverishly. Despite her words earlier, the noblewoman leaped into the spiral of lust Korra was offering her, she couldn't help it. Her whole body was on fire and the pulsation between her thighs left her dripping wet. It amazed her at how Korra could affect her in such a way.
Korra hoisted her body up in which Asami's legs wrapped around her waist in response. Her hips rolled into the hunter's body with encouragement and desperation. Korra carried her into the thicket of the cornstalks and not so gracefully eased her down onto the cold ground. Heavy pants stung at their lungs in the throws of passion, pelvic thrusting to gain more friction. Korra's demanding tongue swiped hungrily into Asami's moaning mouth along with exploring fingers traveling into dangerous waters.
"Oh spirits." Asami gasped out as their kiss broke. Korra's fingertips was stroking her wet vulva, finding her clit to dance circles upon. "Korra!" Asami clawed at her back, arching into the touch. At this rate, she wasn't going to last long and Korra could tell by the way her thighs were shaking. This was a dream come true, Lady Asami Sato was in her clutches at last. She was hot to the touch and oh so wet for her. Korra kept her drunken eyes upon her beautiful face as she picked up the pace, flicking the lady's stiff clit side to side with determination and drawing out more keens of raw pleasure from her prey. Korra was slightly worried about the volume of Asami's moaning since other mazers could be walking about. But she only had half the mind to care right now. This was too good if an opportunity to bring Asami Sato to orgasm.
Still though, Korra broke eye contact to keep a look out just in case. Asami groaned in disappointment when her lover withdrew her fingers.
"Dammit." Korra cursed through her teeth with anger.
"What's wrong?" The noblewoman whimpered, struggling to find clarity in her dazed senses. She found Korra staring off to the side in a paused alertness. When Asami turned her head to follow her gaze her eyes widened at a mangled heap that laid a few yards away. She almost couldn't see it between the stalks of corn, but it was clear to what it was. Korra rose off of her and carefully threaded through the crop to investigate. She hunched over the dead body. A teenage boy with his jugular ripped to shreds, Korra suspected that he was freshly killed not too long ago. Asami had approached quietly but didn't linger her gaze for long. Craning her neck, her eyes scanned over their surroundings, making out more semi hidden corpses peppering throughout the field. No wonder the corn maze was so quiet.
"We need to get out of here," she declared with a clutch on the sheath of her sword. Her attention went back to her housecarl who rose back up in agreement. Korra gasped in surprise as a clutching hand grappled onto her ankle. The dead body suddenly wasn't so dead anymore. His eyes flashed open to reveal an unnatural blood color, jaws prying open with ivory daggers.
"Blood!" He called out in a monstrous moan, snapping up to sink his fangs into Korra's leg. But before he found his first meal, his head was slashed off at a lightening speed by the noblewoman's steel. With a grunt, Korra kicked his claws off. Before they could fully process what had happened, rustling of cornstalks shook all around them. The heiress screamed at her housecarl.
"Run!"