Author's note: I actually wanted the story to be a oneshot, but I kinda got the feeling I should continue. If this is wrong I apologize to you, but you guys were sending mixed signals...

The Avatar was never one to take something back. So only a few days later she was scheduled to stand before the United Republic Council. Well not so much "stand", since she still could not do that.

After all the problems with only having a president it was decided to have both - an elected president and however appointed representatives of the different nations. In practice, the Council deliberated all the requests of the citizens, giving the president concrete suggestions to sign off on. So as always, President Raiko was nowhere to be seen in the council hall, but the room was full anyways with dotzends of reporters and spectators.

Korra addressed the problem straightforward: "I just learned you still have this law against marrying whoever you like. And I guess it's some relict from former times and not used anymore anyways, so let's just remove all such laws and be done with it." A murmur went through the crowd.

Tenzin and Nukka, the representative of the Southern Water Tribes nodded, while the other three shook their heads. It was Zu Li, the councilwoman for the Fire Nation, who spoke up: "These laws are to protected the sanctity of marriage." The Earth Kingdom representative, Shu, added: "If we lift these, what is next? Should we allow people to marry badgermoles?"

Korra looked at him, shocked and confused: "You want to marry a badgermole?" She always thought she loved animals, especially Naga. But she could not figure out for her life how one would marry one. Or even date one. Naga would not fit well into a fancy restaurant, she would probably eat the table decoration. It eluded the Avatar entirely, how that was the next thing after allowing two loving human beings (who happened to have the same gender) to be together.

While thinking about all of that, she had completely blocked out Shu's enraged rant, but luckily he was not finished yet: "...and what do you Water Tribes know of marriage anyways? As far as I know for you 'marriage' means to hit a woman in the head with a club and drag her unconscious body into your igloo."

"Not unconscious, necessarily", Korra protested, but it was a week protest anyways. "I find that offensive", the Northern Water Tribe representative spoke up, "what you speak of are only the savages from the Southern Water Tribes. We Northerners have wedding ceremonies and respect the sanctity of marriage!"

To bad Korra did not know the meaning of the phrase "to open Pandora's box", else she would have thought that, as Nukka sprung angrily to his feet: "At least the Southern Water Tribes don't have forced arranged marriages! I don't need my parents nor some cleric to tell me who I should love!"

"Just everyone take a deep breath and calm down", it was of course Tenzin's soothing voice, "I think the Avatar's request made one thing clear: We don't have the same perceptions of marriage, so maybe we shouldn't force people by law to abide with any of those."

"So what are you saying", the Northern Water Tribe guy, whose name Korra always forgot, because she had called him Tarrlok Junior in her head, asked. The air bender and chairman of the Council replied calmly: "I'm saying the Southern Water Tribes have already a history of women and men living with one another." A shocked gasp was heard from the people who were not of these tribes. "But we wouldn't call them 'married' here. As we wouldn't with all the other couples of the Southern Water Tribes."

Korra looked up at this: "What are you saying? My parents wouldn't be married in Republic City?" - "Do you know how they got married", her mentor asked, trying to send her a reassuring smile. She nodded, albeit shocked: "They dated some time, then my dad gave her a betrothal necklace and then they had a big wedding feast and moved into a new hut."

The furrowed brows of the councilmen showed clearly, that this was not how it was done in other nations. Tenzin explained it to the Avatar: "You see, for your tribe this is what marriage is about: Living with the one you love. It's similar for the Air Nomads, but we would need some cleric to bless our bond. As would the Fire Nation and the Northern Water Tribes. For the Earth Kingdom…" He nodded towards Shu. "...for them the true power lies in paper. So you wouldn't need a cleric, if you didn't wish to, but you'd still need a marriage certificate." He took a deep breath. "So having no one to vouch for the marriage, we wouldn't call Southern Water Tribe couples married."

All of this was a bit much for Korra to take in. After some moments of reconciliation, she asked in a quiet voice: "So couldn't we fix this as well? Everybody should live however they like."

It was Zu Li, who finally saw the momentous relevance of the subject, and spoke calmly and friendly to the younger woman: "Sadly, we can't do this, Avatar Korra. What you describe is anarchy. But I thank you; we will talk about your request and try to find a way to make everyone as free as possible." She left a small pause. "I just hope you know what you are doing with asking us such a thing."

To make it short: Korra did not. Yet.

"WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS", Korra screamed. Just prior to that she had thrown a copy of the Elemental Times against the wall; the newspaper was now sliding to the ground.

Of course the Avatar had known that her request to the United Republic Council would be made public. But never in her wildest dreams would she have guessed that someone could impute base motives based on that. But the reporters of the Times had just done that. In big letters the newspaper reported that Korra had requested to remove some laws just to allow her to get married to some woman.

All the occupants of the living room, which were Bolin and Mako, looked at her shocked. Bolin browsed a magazin himself. Calmly he answered: "If you didn't like the article in the Times, you shouldn't be reading the RC Weekly for a while."

Korra seethed with rage. A small gust brought Bolin's newspaper over to her, where she skipped the articles. Not only did it contain the same garbage the Elemental Times had written, but they also took the freedom to spread some more rumors. As she found the first picture of her and Asami, the magazine lit up. Ash fell to the ground and Bolin sighed frustrated. "Hey! I paid for that!"

Now Korra was utterly horrified. Pressing her hands against her forehead she groaned: "Asami is gonna kill me!" - "I'll kill you for what?" Of course, that was the moment the young woman had chosen to appear.

The Avatar did not even manage to look at her, and Bolin and Mako looked at one another. "Didn't you read the news", the older brother asked. Asami sat down, took an apple from a fruit bowl and bit in: "I don't have the time. Did you forget I'm the CEO of Future Industries?"

"Well, you shouldn't then", Bolin said, helpfully, because this made Asami curious, so she stood up to collect the newspaper Korra had thrown against the wall. Reading the article, she suddenly started to laugh. As she left the room, she put the Times into Korra's lap, clapped her shoulder and said with a big smile: "That's what you get for messing with the natural order of things!"

Then she was gone, leaving a big silence behind.

"That went well", Bolin finally said. Mako went to kneel next to Korras wheelchair and laid his hand over hers. "Don't worry", he told her, "this will blew over. They'll lose interest when they realize you're not dating some girl." The Avatar was still angry, but her face brightened up, little by little. "It's just how the world is. Everyone thinks only of himself. So of course they assume the same of you."

These words made Korra sigh: "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Suddenly, something hit her head hart. Luckily it was just a magazin. She peeled the paper from the back of her head to take a look at, just as Asami approached again, furious.

"What exactly is this", she spat, showing her the picture in this copy of the RC Weekly. The avatar looked at her half frightened, half apologizing: "I'm sorry Asami, I didn't mean to drag you into this."

"But you did", she screamed and started to read, "'The Council would not release any official statement about the Avatar's request, but chairman Tenzin, a close friend of her, said: The Southern Water Tribes have a history of women living with one another. He continued to say he wouldn't call this a marriage.' Why did Tenzin say something like that?!"

"Please calm your horses", Mako said to her, trying to stay serene. The Avatar answered the question: "Tenzin didn't say that to the press, he said that in the Council meeting." For the CEO of Future Industries this seemed to not make a difference, on the contrary: "Why would he say so in the meeting?"

"Because we have", was the honest response, which Korra expanded on as she saw her friend's face falter, "he wasn't talking about me, specifically."

Mako, still kneeling next to the wheelchair, now took Asami's hand in his own as well, trying to get her to calm down. "Everything is going to be fine", he told her, "tomorrow nobody will care what the yellow press said." - "And", Bolin added, dragging the A of the word for seconds, "there is some good in this situation."

"And what might that be", Mako asked, annoyed already because he knew his brother's tone of voice. But even he was not ready for the answer: "Asami, you were always annoyed with the papers printing stories about you and Mako. Now the magazines will finally stop that!"