Disclaimer: I do not own LoK nor do I have any influence or any degree of ownership over Bryke's ideas.

Author's Note: Hi! I did not expect to get three reviews really. I just wanted to write. In fact, I only check back here on FF yesterday. I would like to offer more chapters to the three people who took time on telling me they appreciate my work. Thank you!

Chapter II: Borders, Lies and-and-and Borderlies! Wait. What?

Borderlines. That was the word. That was the right word.

Korra let out a heavy sigh as she pushed the noodles in her bowl around with the chopsticks she held. This had not been a fun day.

Come to think of it. She had not been having fun days lately. She spent them trying to settle uneasy feelings, and coming to terms with them by accepting that they would not go away seemed to have taken things for the worse.

With all the musings she had been going through, she was brought to the idea of borderlines - borderlines in a certain aspect.

Korra hears the distant giggling of Opal. She looks up from her untouched food and smiles at the sight. Bolin was teaching Pabu tricks and the airbending Beifong seemed to be having a lot of fun watching him and his pet doing a mini circus act.

The Avatar adored the sight.

Pabu does a handstand and lifts a single rose with his feet, offering it to Opal. Bolin grins widely. Opal blushes and must have muttered a thank you. Korra could not tell.

At least the two did not have to deal with borderlines anymore. Or maybe they did but at least the borders that defined their relationship were clear enough - defined, yeah.

A memory from her and Asami's Spirit World trip draws vividly in her mind and Korra couldn't help but sigh another emotionally weighed-down breath - only this time with a gust of frustration that sends bent air through her dinner.

Her lips remained pouted in annoyance as the memory demanded to be remembered.

She was sure there was something between her and the only remaining Sato before they entered the portal, and she always thought she had given it significant considerations each time they were at close proximity before the Colossus was taken down. However, upon entering the Spirit World, things went from there-is-something-but-I'm-not-sure-what to what-in-spirits-name-are-we-doing.

There was this particular moment, which is the current root cause of Korra's furthered annoyance. Asami asked Korra then how Mako and she were doing. The Avatar was not sure what the question meant, but she answered with the first thing that she thought of, which was a nonchalant "we're good".

They were talking about something then - some lengthy conversation about nature in the Spirit World when the Mako Topic was unceremoniously brought up. Korra wished they never went there because Asami stopped talking for a considerable amount of time that day and would suddenly just look at her with eyes the Avatar could not read.

That's where it started - a vicious cycle of are-you-okays from Korra and seemingly unfathomable yeahs from Asami. Sure they were unfathomable... or maybe Korra just read a little too much into them. Until now they still find themselves in that situation sometimes.

And Korra hated it with all her heart.

Opal and Bolin were now playing some game that involved the airbender keeping Pabu in the air and the earthbender trying to reach the poor ferret with earth springing from the floor in thin pillars.

They were having fun.

That's it!

Korra shot up from where she sat, making the dining table move in the process, and momentarily silencing everyone in the room.

She headed for the docks behind the temple.

Earlier today Asami cameby Air Temple Island and seemed more tired than usual. Korra found out from Tenzin that the engineer had been working double for the rehabilitation since Korra's arm got... well... barbecued.

Asami went straight for the Avatar, who had been healing herself at the same docks she stood in now. It was pretty unusual and Korra, a relatively dense person, noticed the lack of normalcy in Asami's behavior.

They did not talked much. They only talked about the wonders in Water Tribe healing methods, because it was all Asami would ever ask about then. After sharing practically every nook and cranny of healing, there was silence which didn't last long for the engineer immediately excuses herself and claims she had to go back to work.

Korra had not known what to do or say. And as if out of reflex, she asks if Asami was alright. She felt so silly then that she could feel Raava hitting her with one of her tentacle-like... thingies. There was a long fat pause and Asami only nodded before walking away.

Korra did not protest-

-at least not out loud.

She knew Asami was lying. Korra was a pretty loud person and pretty outspoken too. She would proclaim her anger if she could, but Asami - perfect, prim and proper Asami - would not speak of her emotions if she could help it... which was eigthy percent of the time.

If only there was a way to figure out when Asami was lying...

Korra bent water out of the ocean arms lapping at the docks' concrete footing and absent-mindedly began to heal herself.

Barely a minute later though, the water that had just run through her arm drops back into the waters with an insignificant splash.

There was a way.

After all, she is the Avatar and it just so happens that she is some sort of prodigy at the same time.

.

..

...

The following morning Korra still had the day off to completely heal from her injury. So she goes right down to business after breakfast.

She sits down lotus where the sun shone brightly and the earth had enough contact with her skin. She takes a deep, deep, deep, relaxing breath and shuts her eyes close.

Everything hid behind the darkness of her eyelids and there was nothing left for her to do but listen - listen and see, feel with her ears.

The kids were still inside, she could tell as much.

Perhaps they were somewhere at the ground floor of the Temple.

About a couple of hours later she almost felt silly that she huffs and decides to pop one eye open, wanting to cheat sight, but loud thuds of small feet and even smaller feet could be heard somewhere in the vicinity. Korra immediately shuts her eyes hard.

Listen.

Wait.

Seconds later the footsteps faded, but she could still feel them - contact on the ground tinier and lighter, lighter and lighter until it felt like a feather lifting and drifting back to the ground lighter than moments before.

Korra's lips pulled into her trademark grin.

Without opening even one eye, Korra lets herself fall to her left side and Meelo's attempt at a sneak attack failed.

'BUT I WAS ALMOST FLOATING!'

Indeed, there was a way.

.

..

...

'Nope!'

'Amazing!'

'Oh! Oh! Me! Me!'

'Okay. You go.'

'Master Tenzin is not a boring teacher!'

'Lie.'

'Cool!'

'What's going on here?'

Opal, Bolin, Korra and the airbender kids turn around to see an amused Asami just making herself welcome in the common room.

Everybody else greets her with a warm hi, except for Korra who smiles like a child happy to see a next-door-neighbor crush.

'Korra practiced truth-seeing!' Meelo answers for the rest of them.

'Truth-seeking, Meelo!' Ikki corrects her little brother.

Asami looked curious for a second and crosses her arms.

'You mean like Aiwei lie-detecting?' she asks again, looking at Korra now.

'Sort of,' Korra answers, good hand scratching the back of her head, 'I'm not very good at it yet.'

Asami gives her a smile that all but turns into a challenging smirk - much to Korra's horror.

'Okay-' the Future Industries CEO sits directly in front of Korra and looks her straight into her practically quivering eyes '-I'd like to try this new hat trick of yours then.'

This is it. This was what Korra prepared for in the first place. She was sure though that somewhere in her chest was a badgermole digging itself a nice warm cave to sleep in. Was this how Aang felt when he finally faced Ozai?

Korra gulped and all she could see was green boring through her soul.

Asami lightly laughs, 'How does this even work?'

'Um-just say anything. I'll try to figure out if it's a lie.'

Everyone was spectating too. Korra could only hope her new talent works well enough.

Asami narrows one eye as she ruthlessly darted through Korra's suddenly light blue eyes and through her mind for something she didn't know either.

'I like flowers.'

And Korra smirks. The slightest of tremors on the floor between them was proof enough.

'No, you don't,' Korra cockily proclaims, triumph evident in her tone.

Asami laughs and it suddenly felt harder for Korra to concentrate.

'Alright let me give you a harder one,' she challenges Korra. Both her eyes narrow at the other girl now, lips pursed into a timid smile, and for a fleeting moment, her gaze softened.

Korra waits, feeling the ground become somewhat colder by the minute.

'I am doing fine - really fine lately.'

That was a lie.

Funny part was Korra knew she could not have detected that through the tremors on the floor because her own heart was stronger than any force she could feel beneath her now.

The Avatar momentarily looks down at the small space between her and Asami as if to find a physical anomaly there.

But there was nothing there... literally.

And Korra thought, was something beginning to disappear there? Or was there really nothing there to begin with?

Korra looks back up at Asami and finds that familiar gaze she has grown fond of - a shy, almost expectant gaze. The Avatar almost begs for the other girl to have lunch with her later.

'Would you like to eat steamed buns later?' Korra asks without thinking her offer over.

'Um-' Asami looked unsure about the situation for a second - if she was still in the game or not, or if Korra was at all serious '-yes?'

That was not a lie too. But really, Korra did not mind to seek out the truth on that one. She was just happy and eager to spend time with Asami later.

Maybe some borders where better off not braved through head on. As Tenzin would always say, be patient.

And Korra was now very much willing to be patient with this one - with Asami.