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Asami POV.

After I had humiliated myself in front of Iroh (twice), I just couldn't find it in me to face him. If we chanced upon each other, I nodded in his general direction, then kept my eyes down. After four of these occasions, Iroh stopped saying hello to me. Somehow, that was even worse. At dinner, I did my best to sit out of his line of sight and kept quiet unless absolutely necessary. I couldn't stand thinking that Iroh found me weak or petty. He probably thought I sought his attention with my strange, emotional actions. In truth, he brought out the worst in me. Around him, I grew tense, nervous. My stomach was always a tight ball of anxiety, and I couldn't seem to think straight. So, I kept contact with him to a minimum.

I thought I did a pretty good job at keeping the awkwardness quiet. To my vast disappointment, Korra noticed the tension between us.

"Just talk to him!" She cajoled me. For the hundredth time. She'd made the full circle. Begging me, pleading, teasing, threatening, and back again. For the hundredth time, I shook my head.

"Korra, I don't think you understand. I'm afraid he thinks I'm a little odd."

Korra gave me a look. "Be afraid all you want. Go and talk to him or I will force you into a conversation." Her pretty blue eyes glittered with a promise. I could see her mind working, figuring out a situation in which we would simply have to talk to each other.

"Fine!" I exploded. "I'll talk to him! Spirits, you're persistent."

She gave a victory exclamation and wrapped me in a ferocious bear hug. "You won't regret it!" She promised, then jogged away to chatter animatedly with Tenzin's wife. I continued to stand in the corridor of the Air Temple, staring at one of the pretty screens and wondering what I'd done.

"Asami!" A familiar, husky voice called.

I almost cringed visibly, then reminded myself to keep face. I turned to face Iroh as he sauntered toward me, looking pleased to have caught me alone. As always, my stomach dropped and my mouth felt fuzzy. How could I talk to him when he made me feel like this? I would have to make an excuse, maybe say I needed-

"Asami, you're looking well." The general complimented me, then caught my elbow and continued to walk, steering me toward the forest. To what end, I had no idea.

"I-uh, thank you, Iroh." I groaned inwardly. Stumbling over myself to say 'thank you'? Could I get any more pathetic? "You also look well. How is your training?" There. Perhaps I could get him to do all the talking for me, so I could sort out the unpleasant sensations my body was forcing on me. I couldn't work out why I felt this way. He was handsome. I should enjoy being around him.

"Training is training. There is no fun to be had, only skills to be gained and technique to be sharpened. I'll not bore you with talk of my drills. Please, tell me, how are you faring?" He looked at me as he spoke, golden eyes kind.

I almost stopped dead in my tracks as my stomach rocketed into my throat, making speech impossible. I tried to clear it, made a strangled little noise. "I'm, ahem, doing better. I've been tinkering with one of the Satomobiles we salvaged from my father's mansion. It should be ready for use soon. I wonder if I could get Tenzin to clear some of the forest for a track." The last bit came out almost dreamily. I missed racing the Satomobiles. The exhilaration of speed, wind slipping through my hair, outsmarting the other driver, the rush of a hard-won victory.

Iroh looked thoughtful. "I've never used a Satomobile myself. They're incredible inventions. I would very much enjoy using one of their aircraft as well. I was forced to pilot one during the battle with Amon, but flying one purely for the fun of it would be entertaining." He looked at me hopefully. "Did we manage to salvage any of them? Or the plans?"

I almost missed his question. I was too busy forcing my stomach to behave. "I believe we did manage to save a few. They are dangerous, though. The winds are unpredictable."

Iroh waved my concern away. "Of course, of course. Ideally, there would be an air bender on board, to help the wind blow in a favorable way."

I hadn't thought about that. I turned to look at him, thoughtful, appreciating his intelligence. Having an air bender on board the aircraft would make it much safer and more reliable. Our conversation continued, growing more natural. I felt more at ease, and it was suddenly almost too obvious that I found this fire bender incredibly attractive.

Suddenly, Iroh broke out into a grin. "We're here!"

I looked around and was astonished to discover that we were standing at the edge of a beautiful lake. A fringe of trees surrounded the entire thing, wildflowers dotting the emerald green grass. The air smelled sweetly of their perfume. A gentle breeze ruffled the edges of Iroh's collar and made small ripples fly across the lake's surface. I stepped closer to get a better look at the lake itself. It was shallow here, near the edge, but it quickly grew very deep. The entire thing was as clear as glass. I could see the bottom under what seemed to be at least twenty feet of water.

"isn't it beautiful?" Iroh murmured, his eyes also on the lake. I nodded in awe. interesting, that I'd been too distracted to realize he'd been steering me all along. I had simply assumed we were wandering through the forest, enjoying each others' company. Now I saw that this had been planned. Iroh produced a woven basket from the roots of a large tree.

"Would you care for some lunch?" He questioned, polite as ever.