AN: Big thanks to bao-haus tumblr for permission to use her art as the cover image for this story.
"Oh. You two are still here."
The intimate atmosphere evaporated instantly. Korra hung her head in defeat, and Asami shifted uncomfortably.
The owl-like spirit hopped into the Tree's hollow uninvited and kept talking, either convincingly pretending or genuinely unaware that he was interrupting. "If you two are done here, you should leave. Don't make me kick you out by force!" He puffed himself up in a way he probably thought was threatening.
Korra laughed. "Settle down, little guy," she said. "You really don't want to do that. Don't you know who I am?"
The spirit blinked at her silently for several seconds. "I do not," he said.
"Know what? Don't even worry about it," Korra said, standing. "We were just leaving anyway."
The spirit clicked his beak. "I would know, if you'd just tell me," he said, bobbing his head. "I suppose you think it's my destiny not to know anything, do you?"
"Woah, woah, calm down," Korra said. "My name's Korra, okay? I'm the Avatar, and this is my friend Asami."
The spirit froze mid-bob and stared at Korra. "You are the Avatar," he said slowly. "I did not know."
"And who might you be?" Asami asked kindly, kneeling next to him.
"I am Nescias," he said. "I did not know you were with the Avatar."
"That's an interesting name," Asami said. She glanced at Korra, baffled. "Would you like us to leave now?"
"I do not know," Nescias said. "Perhaps you should leave. You can stay, though. I won't kick you out."
Korra was more than willing to take that as a straight answer. "Alright, then? C'mon," she said, beckoning Asami.
Asami shook her head. She stood and whispered to Korra, "Aren't you a little worried about him? He seems confused. Maybe we should help him."
Korra sighed. "I guess," she whispered. Addressing Nescias, Korra said, "We'll just be outside if you need us, okay?"
"I did not know that," he said, nodding contently. He hopped past the two of them to the back of the hollow and sat facing the entrance, his round eyes gleaming strangely in the light from outside.
Korra and Asami shrugged at each other and climbed out of the hollow together.
As they waited silently for Nescias on the earth bench, Korra felt increasingly self-conscious, wondering if and how she should continue their conversation where it left off.
"Maybe after this, we should go see your parents," Asami said, eyes fixed on the Southern spirit portal.
Korra pulled herself out of her reverie, panicking slightly. "What, you mean, like, right after this?" She cleared her throat. "Uh, I mean...what for?"
"I just think it would be nice," Asami said. "And no, I didn't mean right after this. I meant, you know, after our trip is over."
"Oh." Korra felt relieved that Asami didn't expect her to face her parents just yet, but the reminder that their vacation would have to come to an end eventually was an uncomfortable one. Korra knew that once they returned to the physical world, their responsibilities would threaten to pull them away from each other indefinitely.
"We don't have to do it if you'd rather not," Asami said, delicately.
Korra shook her head. "No. You don't have to be so gentle about it, sweetie. You're right. We should see them."
Asami couldn't help smiling slightly and looked away in an attempt to hide it.
Korra squinted suspiciously. "What? Is something funny?"
"Sorry," Asami said. "I just didn't expect you to start using pet names so soon."
Korra was taken aback. "What? I didn't-," she began. Her face burned when she realized what Asami was talking about. "Oh, that? That was just, uh...a habit from...a past life?"
Asami laughed, and her sincere amusement put Korra's embarrassment at ease in a way she couldn't quite put her finger on. Korra thought back to a poem Pema had read to her when she'd asked for relationship advice while dating Mako:
Love lays bare the Truth; Truth connects the Spirit; the Spirit sings to Heaven, and Heaven reveals itself to be Love.
She'd found it confusing and pretty useless at the time, but when she thought of how it related to herself and Asami, the meaning of it struck her so suddenly that she ended up laughing until she was sure Asami must have thought she'd gone insane.
As Korra wiped the tears from her eyes and Asami patted her on the back, a shower of teal dust announced the arrival of Nescias. Korra waved a puff of it out of her face and looked at the strange spirit that had landed in front of them.
Asami asked, "How'd it go? Any destiny left in there for you?"
"I know this now," Nescias said proudly. "I waited until everyone left because I did not want them to know I still do not know my destiny, but now I do! I saw a human conflict."
"Hold up," Korra said, sobering. "What kind of human conflict? Like, a war?"
Nescias looked at her and shifted his weight between his legs a couple times. "I do not know. There were many people."
"Nobody died, right?" Korra asked, increasingly concerned.
"I do not know. Some were crying. I have heard that humans cry when other humans die." He swiveled his head from Korra to Asami, as though awaiting the next question.
"Sounds like it could be bad," Korra said, more to Asami than Nescias.
Asami stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Nescias," she said, "was there a big box with a person lying in it?" He shook his head. "Was there a lot of food there?" He bobbed his head vigorously.
"Well, that pretty much settles it," Asami said. "It's either a dramatic argument at a family dinner, or a wedding."
"Ha! You're probably right," Korra said. "Man, you really had us going there!" She scratched the top of Nescias' head, causing the feathers between his antlers to stick up.
"What are you going to do now, Nescias?" Asami said. "Live in the physical world until your prophecy happens?"
"No," Nescias said confidently. "I know I will be there to cause the conflict. I saw it."
Korra smacked her forehead. "Wait, now you're telling us you're going to cause the conflict?"
"Yes! I know this," Nescias said. He chirped happily and took to the skies once more, leaving Korra and Asami behind in a cloud of confusion and spirit dust.