"So let me get that straight…" It was Bolin, sitting on Asami's couch trying to figure out where he had gone wrong. "You moved out of the air temple, because you didn't want the press to spread rumors about you two. Then you move Korra in with you. So now you two are all alone in an otherwise empty mansion. And then you let paparazzi photograph you in an intimate position."

"Not the wording I would use, but that's the gist of it", Asami answered with a plain face, "but you got the timeline all scrambled up. Not that anybody cares." - "You know, I actually like the image", it was Korra, who had used the conversation to admire herself in the paper, "you think they'd make me a bigger version of it?"

"I think it's good that you two are coping with the situation so well", this time, it was Mako speaking up, "we all know this will go by. At least when one of you gets married to some nice guy." - "What if I don't want to", Korra looked up from the newspaper with a naive expression on her face, not unlike Jinora some days earlier. That was what shocked everyone except for Asami, who tried to get used to the idea for her friend's sake. "You... don't want to", Bolin asked. The Avatar just shrugged in response: "I don't know, maybe?"

Bolin stared at her for another moment, then punched his brother. Hard. "Way to go! You had to ruin her, didn't you", he spat in a mocking tone of voice. The women laughed, while Mako seemed rather annoyed by this.

"Asami please tell me you still want to get married to a guy", Bolin pleaded, and the CEO just grinned: "We'll see." It was the best she could muster, but it was a big step from "This is not normal and I won't even allow you to speak to me about this subject."

The four of them shared a comfortable laugh.

The following days Korra settled into living in the big mansion. The days started with eating breakfast with her friend, but after that Asami had to work, so the Avatar had to find stuff to do on her own.

She started training her bending, but being as impatient as she was, she did not do that for long until she was so frustrated she could cry. Then she explored the giant house. The first day she found a library where she read some stories about previous avatars (since she figured - if she could not talk to them, she at least could read from them to take their wisdom in). The second day she got herself into the attic, where dozens of inventions and prototypes lay idle for her to play with.

On the third day she found the pool and remembered that she had never taken a dip in it. While her weak body could not handle the wind and currents of the beaches on Air Temple Island, here she could swim rather well. Even though her "swimming" consistent to a big part of air- and waterbending.

While flowing through the basin like a fish, she felt free. There was no wheelchair and no airscooter holding her up, she was just flowing. She really liked the feeling and after she first found the pool she went to swim a lot more.

Since she was really exhausted whenever she existed the pool, she formed the habit to sleep anywhere after that. Literally "anywhere". It started with the couch, then it was the table (while eating some pie, nonetheless), soon she just slept in her chair whenever she felt like it.

The good part was: In contrary to her depressive episodes, where she also slept a lot, now she had some kind of purpose. And her aching muscles and her improved bending made her self-confidence grow again.

As for Asami: She thought herself lucky no investors had ever mentioned any of the rumors the yellow press had published. Evidently, her customers and readers of tabloid papers where two very different kind of persons.

And the Avatar was a good person to have around - at least if you had a butler to clean up after her. Because, to tell the truth, she was a slob, to impatient to keep even her own room clean. But the things she did made Asami think of her mansion as a big slumber party and not so much of her dad's home, who was still in prison.

For instance, when she had arrived one night late from a gala, someone had put a sandwich and some red gillyflowers on her nightstand, completed with a handscribled note: "I know the food is bad and little at these things, so dig in!" Asami had no other choice as to laugh at this. Especially since she had the suspicion her friend had tried to get her her favorite flowers (which were roses, but for one who lived in ice and snow almost all her live, these gillyflowers were pretty close).

All seemed well and dandy, until the dreadful day arrived.

"Asami", the Avatar asked on that particular day. Her friend looked up from the newspaper she was reading. "Could you help me with my outfit? I have to go to the Council today." Asami nodded and folded her paper. With a playful smile, she commented: "So today I won't have puddles in the hallway and a half naked sleeping Avatar dripping all over the couch?" Korra stretched confidently: "I guess I could squeeze that in after the meeting." She showed a toothy grin. "Maybe I'm throwing in some drooling as well." - "Korra", Asami's voice sounded annoyed, but she could not hold the act for long, "you always drool when you sleep."

The both of them laughed, then went back to the breakfast. "So what's the news", Korra asked, while pointing towards the newspaper with her head. Asami shrugged: "This is actually good. Now they're thinking you were born as a male, 'Korro'." Korra's jaw fell and when she started to speak, only her mouth moved, but no words came.

Her friend only laughed at this display of utter helplessness: "The evidence is clear: You're strong. And you're living with a woman, me." - "But, but…", Korra stuttered, looking down at her bust, but not being able to bring that into a sentence, "but… how does that even fit in with my request?"

"Korra", Asami replied, trying not to laugh, "you really shouldn't believe everything that is written in the paper!"