Bruh, saw that some people have bought the new comic so I hunted it down, turns out some comic book stores get the "first early release" so lameee, there goes my Barnes and Noble discount LOL. still no regurts tho.
So yeah! This contains spoiler-esk elements from the new Legend of Korra Comic, Patterns in Time, specifically the short story about Asami and her mum Yasuko, "Skyscrapers."
Daughter's name: Asana 旭和
旭 (asa) meaning "rising sun"
和 (na) meaning "peace, harmony"
"Mommy! I want seaweed noodles!" A young girl exclaimed as she barged through the doors.
When she entered the room, the first thing she noticed was that her mother was at her desk, deeply focused on some sort of project. It was hard to see her face, thanks to her short stature, and what didn't help with her predicament was her being hidden behind stacks of papers as well. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight thought of course. Whenever her mother worked at home, if she wasn't spending time with her, then she'd be in her home office in deep thought.
She would always have her hair tied up into a loose updo and be dressed in casual clothes, usually something along the lines of a tank top or blouse. Today, she was wearing a white tank top and she looked extra pretty thanks to the natural lighting shining through the window.
But, as quick as the sweet thought came, she was quick to throw a pout when her tummy growled. The little girl rushed over to her mother's desk, clutching onto the edge as she stood on her tiptoes to get a better look. "Mommy!" She tried again, eyeing her mother with glimmering eyes in hopes of being fed.
Letting out a subtle breath, her mother's eyes narrowed as she spoke out loud. "Can you ask Korra sweetie? Mommy's busy, these blueprints are almost finished." Asami said as she furrowed her eyebrows, questioning the stability of the structure before her. She tapped her finger on the desk before marking a note at the bottom of the page.
Not understanding why her mother was so engaged on a piece of paper, her daughter blinked before running around to the other side of the table. She repeated her actions and stood up on her tiptoes, trying to get a better look again, and grabbed the desk, peering over the tabletop. "What's a blueprint?" She asked in an innocent and sweet voice.
Asami finally stopped what she was doing and blinked. She set down her pen and looked down at her daughter, feeling a sense of déjà vu before abruptly smiling brightly and giggling out loud.
Her daughter's face scrunched, not knowing why she was laughing, before tilting her head and asking, "What's so funny?"
The warm smile never left her face as Asami slid back on her chair and patted her lap. "Nothing Asana, I just remembered something of the past."
Her energetic baby girl lit up before quickly understanding her cue and hopping onto her mother's lap. Asami pulled her in close, squeezing her tightly as she gave her chubby cheeks a kiss. Asana giggled happily as she wiggled in place and stared at the blueprints with curious eyes. Her small lips then parted into a small 'o' as she gawked at the paper with scribbles on it. Asami's eyes narrowed as she thought back to her fawn memories.
"It's a drawing of a building that people will construct one day," Asami answered as she kept a hand around Asana's waist and held up the blueprint so that she could see it easier.
"What's that?" Her daughter pointed out, clearly interested in the picture of lines.
"That's…" Asami started, with a somewhat solemn face. However, her facial expression quickly changed as she continued with her explanation. "That is a skyscraper sweetie. It's going to be the Yasuko's School of Engineering here in Republic City." Her voice sounded endearing as she kept her eyes fixated on her daughter's adoring face. She didn't have the heart to look away since she knew that this would be a moment in time she would never forget.
Asana stared at the symmetrical lines in awe with her mouth agape. She then closed her mouth and swallowed before looking back up to look at her mother. "How do you build a skyscraper? Don't you have to be a bender?"
Asami could only chuckle softly as she felt her eyes tear up. Why was her daughter such a splitting image of her? She had once asked these questions to her mother before that hearing them now was almost frighteningly scary. Not actually scary of course, just ironic. "No, let me show you."
Keeping a firm hold on Asana, Asami stood up before setting her down on her seat. She pulled open one of the drawers on the left and took out a stack of notecards, setting them down in front of her daughter. She then picked up one of the cards on the stack and folded it into a perfect triangle.
"Here, fold some of the notecards into triangles like mine."
Asami then watched her daughter with loving eyes as Asana did as she told. Her baby girl grabbed a card from the top and started folding them into somewhat similar triangles. The first fold she made didn't line up with the edges per se so Asami could already tell they would end up a little janky but, they would make do with what she had in mind. Patting her head with affection, she continued her explanation as Asana continued to fold the paper.
"Steelworkers deliver the metal beams, and metal-benders bend them into triangles to make the skyscraper sturdy."
Once Asana was done with the last fold, she looked up at her mom before beaming brightly. "Like this?" She exclaimed before jumping the gun and quickly grabbing another piece of notecard to fold. This time, she folded it a little faster, clearly impatient just like her other mom. At this point, she was a triangle-making fiend in the making. "How does it stand up?"
"Perfect!" Her mother praised her before leaning down to kiss the crown of her head. She brushed away some hair from her face before continuing her explanation. "Firebenders heat up coal to make digging machines work so non-benders can help dig the ground."
The wild triangles that were being folded were starting to get out of hand so Asami decided to help her daughter and folded a few more nice ones before directing her next instruction. "Now, put them together into a line." She lined up the first two and Asana followed in her lead and did as she was told. Her baby girl did her best to put them neatly together in a straight line as Asami continued. "At the base of the skyscraper, non-benders pour concrete to keep the metal beams in place so the building can stand up."
Asana fiddled with the last triangle at the end and once she was satisfied with her work, she let go and brought up her hands. "Done!" She was beaming with pride, proud of her row of papers.
Her mother grabbed the remaining stack of notecards and tied it off with some loose twine. She then continued her explanation with a loving smile. "Triangles are the strongest shapes in architecture, even when made from paper." She then handed her daughter the stack of paper. "Put this on top and see if our structure holds up."
Her child's curiosity only peeked as she did as she told. She was clearly worried about triangles collapsing but slowly and carefully set down the stack on the row of triangles nonetheless. Once the stack was seated on top of the creases, she closed an eye, wincing at the possible tumble. She squeezed both of her eyes shut at the last minute before fully letting go. When she missed out on hearing the paper topple over, she bravely opened her eyes. Her eyes practically twinkled when she saw the results.
"Wow!"
Chuckling sweetly, Asami patted her head. "The bundle on top of the triangles is called a 'story.' Each story makes a skyscraper taller and taller."
Asana hopped off her mother's seat in excitement. "What goes inside a skyscraper?" She then clung onto Asami's leg, staring at her with expectation, expecting an epic answer.
Humming in a teasing tone, Asami plopped her hand onto her daughter's small head. "Businesses usually, but…" her eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the resurfacing memories. She eventually lit up before beaming, "In this one, Future Industries is going to build the School of Engineering!"
This had been a project on Asami's bucket list for quite some time. With all that has happened in the past few years, she didn't have the time or capacity to tackle this project. But, now that the world had finally calmed down somewhat, she had the time to invest in this journey. One that she longed to complete on her mother's behalf.
"Wow! Do I get to go to the school?" Asana exclaimed before turning to face the blueprint, hopping up and down in front of the table in excitement, long forgetting her hunger.
Asami walked over and bent down to look at her daughter at eye level. "If you'd like to." She then kissed her cheek again before playfully pinching her nose, getting her daughter to giggle and hug her tightly.
Her mother let out a happy chortle before scooping up her daughter and holding her so that she was seated on her arm. "It won't be built for a few years, but it would be an honor to have you attend one day." She then poked her daughter's cheek with a loving gaze.
Asana gave her a bright grin before her cheeks grew a little pink. She twiddled with her fingers before bashfully asking, "Can I help build the school?"
"Certainly! I would love your help!" Asami held her smile before resting her forehead against her daughter's. Her bright eyes looked so delighted that they washed her fatigue away. She then playfully brought up her hand for a handshake to which Asana returned.
"Yay!" She beamed happily before her face fell when she remembered her mother's words. "But do I have to just dig holes or pour concrete? Can I do anything else?"
This time, Asami laughed at how much her daughter was the spitting image of her childhood. Ignoring the déjà vu aspect, she wondered if this was how her mother felt. If so… her heart swelled in joy at the love and affection. "There will be plenty for you to do sweetie."
"Like what?" Asana shot back while tilting her head.
Dragging out a hum, Asami pretended to think hard and long. She already had her answer but wanted to drag out the moment nonetheless. "I know, you have a big imagination. How about we design an art floor for the students to use to draw their blueprints?"
Asana's face lit up brightly. "With a polar-bear dog pen!"
Asami blinked before bursting out into laughter. She then gave her a bright grin before smothering her in cuddles. "I love that idea!" Her daughter giggled before Asami hummed and tilted her head. "But… about that, maybe we'll have to talk to mama about that. Polar-bear dogs aren't usually the most… domestic animals."
Her daughter's face scrunched again. "Domestic? What does that mean?"
"Mmh… how should I explain it? Domestic refers to animals that are friendly to humans while wild animals may be shy."
She pouted her lips at that declaration. "But Naga is friendly!"
"Yes, yes she is," Asami confirmed while taking her daughter outside. "But she's special because Korra is her best friend, that is why Naga loves us too."
Asana pouted before flopping into her mother's chest. "Buuu, I don't get it."
Asami chuckled at her daughter's confession. "That's okay sweetie, you'll understand it one day."
"Awww, but I wanna know now!" She whined before spotting her other favorite person in the existence. "Mama!" She started thrashing about in Asami's arms, getting her mother to set her down before rushing to her other mother's side.
"Hey, there sugar bunch!" Korra cooed before crouching down to scoop up her daughter. She gave her little munchkin a tight squeeze and hug before twirling them around in a circle. "Did you miss me?"
"Yeah!" She exclaimed before squealing at her mama's barrage of kisses. "Aaah! Mommy save me!"
Asami smiled at her beloved family before joining their side. She leaned in to kiss Korra's lips before kissing her daughter's head again. "Was work okay? You're just in time."
Korra's soft eyes shined ever so brightly as she quickly returned Asami's kiss with a wholesome chaste peck on the lips. "Yeah, it was fine, just the usual. But uuu, in time for what?"
"In time for seaweed noodles," Asami answered before pinching Asana's cheek. "This little munchkin wanted some."
Korra's eyes immediately lit up. "Oh heck yeah! Narook's sound good?"
Asami smiled before grabbing hold of Korra's waist. "Sounds perfect."
AN: Ahhhh ahhhh? See what I did there with the title? Patterns in Time, the comic book name and patterns in time? Similar patterns (Asami's curiosity with her mum's blueprints) throughout time (the years) uwu
On a side note: Y'ALL BBY ASAMI IS SO FREAKING ADORABLE! IT WAS NO A DRILL. More like… BRUH, I WAS SO NOT READY FOR YASUKO TO BE SO FINE. Y'ALL.
WTF! What business did they have making her so fucking hot!