Korra and Asami made their way through the campsite to where the Nomads had built a fire. Most of them were already seated with their stew. Korra filled her own bowl and sat down on a bench close to the fire. She wasn't cold, far from it, but she hoped the flames would hide her flushed complexion from Mako and Bolin. When Asami sat beside her, Korra was not certain if she was grateful or terrified. Being in close proximity seemed to be having adverse effects on her lately.
"So you're a knight?" Opal asked. "Is it exciting?"
Korra looked up from her bowl. "Exciting isn't really how I'd describe it." Terrifying, painful, and dangerous maybe.
"I bet you have lots of adventures," one of the other nomads spoke up.
Korra shifted uncomfortably. "It's not that glamorous. I have to ride out and solve disputes, go on long rides in awful weather, I'm regularly shot at -"
"Come on now Knight-Commander, I know for a fact that you have some stories." Bolin shook his spoon in her direction.
Korra sighed. "Bolin, I don't want to tell any stories." This was something she had always hated. Many of the knights and soldiers loved to tell their stories of heroic deeds or close calls, but Korra had never seen the appeal. Why would you brag about killing someone? However, it didn't seem that Bolin picked up on her lack of enthusiasm.
He grinned. "Then I'll do it for you." Bolin cleared his throat and stood up. "When our Knight-Commander here was still a regular old knight like the rest of us, we were sent on a mission to disperse a group of peasants calling themselves 'Equalists.' When we arrived, it became clear that it was no mere dispute. It was an uprising."
Korra looked back down at her bowl. Why did he have to tell this story? She didn't want to remember the time they'd spent dealing with the so called Equalists. It was the first time that Korra realized how the peasants really felt about her. While they mostly adored her father, they seemed to think that Korra was a dumb thug who only earned her knighthood because her father was king. Never mind that she had gone through the same training, and rituals as everyone else.
"They had a leader called Amon." Bolin continued. "On the surface his ideals seemed innocent enough, he wanted peasants to be treated equally, to provide a better life for the poor. But when we looked further into it, we discovered that he really just wanted power for himself. He was planning to take down anyone with authority." He paused dramatically. "Korra decided that we should go undercover to one of the meetings and expose him for what he really was. A huge fight broke out among the citizens and the soldiers in Amon's small army. Korra went after Amon. Mako and I helped the citizens get to safety. We were both outside and trying to get people clear of the building when we hear a crash and Amon comes flying through the wooden shutters of the top floor of the building."
Korra closed her eyes against the memory. She'd tried to reason with him, tried to get him to come with her peacefully, but in the end she'd had to take him down. She still remembered the wild look in his eyes as he fell and how the scream was cut short when he hit the ground. No one deserves to die like that. It had been so different than when she'd been on a battlefield. During war, there's so much going on. If you're not fighting, you're dead. There's not a choice. This was her against another person. She wasn't fighting for her life, she was fighting to end his. There was a difference between the two, and it ate at her. She felt a warm hand on her arm and she opened her eyes.
"Korra?" Asami murmured. "Do you want to take a walk?"
"I...yes." She set her bowl aside and stood up. "If you all don't mind, I need to…"
"Go ahead," said Mako. He nudged his brother. "Why don't you talk about the bandits you went up against last month?"
Korra flashed Mako a grateful smile before turning away. She felt Asami's hand on her arm, guiding her away from the campfire. They walked off the roadside, the last of the twilight glow of sunset lighting their path. "It's hard, isn't it?" Asami asked.
Korra nodded. "It's harder to let them know that, though. I suppose Mako knows. I mean, he and I used to…" She hesitated. "It got harder to be there for me after the civil war. He had his own demons, by then." She took a deep breath. The crisp night air kept her mind from wandering any further back into those memories.
"I can't imagine what that's like," said Asami. Korra felt her hand trace down her arm and take hold of her hand. "But I want to help, if I can."
Korra looked down at their hands. Asami gently traced her thumb along her index finger. "You do help, more than you probably realize." She led them further off the path and toward a tree. She leaned against the trunk and pulled Asami close, allowing them to rest in one another's arms, inches separating them. She looked up at Asami, her features barely visible in the fading light. "I don't...I don't want to lose this." Asami opened her mouth to speak but Korra pressed on. "And you can't promise that I won't." She laughed when Asami frowned.
"Am I so easy to read, Knight-Commander?" The way Asami looked at her was something she wouldn't trade for anything in the world.
"If you were a text, I'd say I'm only beginning to decipher it." Korra let out a sigh. There was something peaceful about standing in Asami's arms. Everything felt...safe.
"Decipher? I'd think I'm rather straightforward." A smile returned to her lips.
Korra shook her head. "When I stop to think about it, I realize there is little I actually know about you."
Asami raised a brow. "I don't know about that. We've been friends for so long now."
Korra nodded. "It's just...I feel like I wasn't paying attention or maybe, I wasn't paying the right kind of attention."
"In what way?" Asami's hands slid from her arms to her sides. Korra shivered from the sudden warmth that spread through her.
"I want to court you, Asami. I want to give you gifts and take you on dates…" Korra sighed and leaned forward resting her head against Asami's shoulder. "And we're on a mission to track and apprehend a dangerous assassin. Even if we weren't in the middle of nowhere, it occurs to me I wouldn't know what to do."
"You managed just fine when you took me to the tournament," Asami murmured.
"That was different…" Korra protested.
"Why?" Asami's hand slid across Korra's back in small soothing circles.
Korra leaned back in the embrace. "Because we weren't courting then!" Her eyes widened. She hadn't meant to say that.
Asami raised a brow. "Are we now?"
Korra bit her lip. "Yes?"
"You don't sound too sure of yourself Knight-Commander." The grin that crossed Asami's lips only made her blush further.
"I...I'm still trying to piece some things together, alright?" Korra sighed and let Asami embrace her more fully. The initial panic over her feelings toward Asami had been replaced with other emotions. Her stomach knotted and her jaw felt tight. She did not know what to do. What would be the responsible thing to do? Technically if they were courting, they shouldn't be alone like this. There were protocols for this kind of thing. Was she supposed to just ignore those? Asami seemed to think so.
"You're allowed to be uncertain," Asami said, her voice soft. The sound made Korra sigh and bury her face in Asami's neck. Even this action caused a conflicting response.
Finally, she pulled away. "Thank you for understanding, then," she said. She nodded back toward the camp. "I think I need to go lie down for the night." She watched Asami take a step back and sigh. The way she crossed her arms, the furrow of her brow, it spoke of pain. Korra knew she was the cause of it, and she knew she would only cause more on this journey, no matter what she did. "You never know what will happen. Perhaps I shall fetch you some flowers tomorrow, my lady," she teased. This, at least, caused Asami to smile. She took Asami's hand in her own. "Will you walk back with me?"
"Of course, Korra."
In the hushed shrill of night, she hardly heard the break in Asami's voice.
The next day, Korra expected they would be on their way without any further delays. One of the nomads, Opal, approached them as they packed. "Knight-Commander, may I have a moment of your time?"
Korra glanced up from the pack she tied off and nodded. "What is it?"
"I wanted to let you know I'm travelling back to Zaofu with you," she said. Korra nearly dropped the pack as she hefted it into the wagon. "If Zaheer is as dangerous as you all have described him, I want to rejoin my family and help ensure their safety."
"That's really not necessary," said Korra, regaining her balance on the pack. She threw it into the wagon with the other supplies and turned to Opal. "I understand your desire to travel with, but it would be best for everyone if you stayed with the nomads, away from Zaheer. We'll warn your family."
She could tell the young woman was upset with her. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes much like Asami did when she was annoyed.
"If I don't travel with you, I'll be traveling alone, but either way I'm going."
Korra resisted the urge to shout at the girl. "Opal, the mission we're on is a dangerous one, I didn't even want to bring along Jinora and Asami because they're both civilians-"
"Then what's one more?"
Korra tried to quell her anger. "Listen-"
"Isn't it your duty as a knight to escort me, or something?" Opal interrupted.
Keep your temper in check Korra. "That's not-"
"I won't get in your way. I even have my own tent." Opal patted the backpack she was carrying.
Korra sighed heavily and pinched her brow. "That's not the point," she growled.
"Well, I'm having a hard time seeing what it is, then." Opal placed her hands on her hips. "I'm a mage, perfectly capable of defending myself, and I have a legitimate reason for wanting to return to Zaofu. I can travel in your company, or I can leave on my own."
Before Korra could reply, Jinora spoke up. "It's probably better to have her come with," she said. Korra turned and glared at her. Jinora pressed on, "There are some differences in spell-casting I wanted to talk to her about, anyways. Journeying together would allow us to do so."
"Do I get to decide anything on the mission I'm in charge of?" Korra asked. She glanced around at her group. None of them said anything. "Yeah, I didn't think so." With a sigh, Korra nodded at the wagon. "Load your stuff in." Jinora hopped down from the wagon and helped Opal load the supplies inside. The two of them immediately began talking animatedly about something Korra could only assume was magic related. She spared a glance at Asami who gave her a sympathetic smile and a shrug. Korra shook her head and mounted Naga. It was going to be a long day.
A/N I'm so sorry that this is late! Michelle and I had a really busy weekend with Easter and all. But it's here now! Hopefully we'll be on time this weekend. Also, if you're a fan of Republic City Blues on AO3, I'm doing a little scene from it for Beech27. If you haven't read Republic City Blues, what are you doing with your life? Go read!
As always we'll be streaming this Friday at 5 pm pacific time. Just a heads up that I WILL NOT BE STREAMING ON APRIL 17th I will be mentioning this several times but I want to give you ample notice.