Swish, swish, swish! Korra stood in front of a mirror, staring at herself while scrubbing her teeth with the tiny brush designed for such a task. She was fresh out of the shower, wrapped neatly in a blue towel. For the moment, her attention fixated on the tooth brush. It differed fundamentally from the type of brushes used in the South Pole, and though she since switched to this sort since coming to Republic City, she still wasn't used to it. She plucked it from her mouth to inspect it closer. It had a more defined and purposeful shape to it, unlike the tools from her home that were usually designed out of necessity. It was intentionally easy to hold and to use. Asami had a word for that. Ergo-something? She couldn't remember.
Korra spit into the sink, following it up with a cup of water. She found herself lingering by the faucet, resting both arms on the countertop. She needed to get up and finish getting dressed, but there was plenty of time before Asami would be ready. Plus, she felt a sudden vacuum of motivation. She didn't want to move, or have to think too much. Maybe it was the mansion. She'd grown more used to it over time, but she always thought it lacked coziness. It felt big and empty, not much like home at all. Even Air Temple Island was smaller, with a simple charm to it.
She thought for a time that she must suffer from whatever the opposite of claustrophobia was called. Maybe there was a word for that, but she didn't know it. Asami probably knew. Korra just knew that long periods of time in the mansion tended to keep her from completely relaxing. Being tucked away in this room made it easier, so she was in no hurry to leave. Once her mind finished wandering, she was left in the silence, looking to her reflection in the mirror. She showcased a pouty expression, her eyes half-lidded, gazing with complete disinterest.
She sat up. Her hands pushed down, catching the edge of the counter so she could lean closer. Her head cocked to one side, and she focused her attention straight on the Korra in the mirror. She opened her mouth, sticking her tongue out as far as it would go, and making a sound similar to, "Myeh!" The mirror Korra mimicked her face, so she quickly changed it. Korra raised both hands, holding them to the sides of her head and pulling down on her lower eyelids. At the same time, she scrunched her chin, exposing her teeth to herself in the mirror. After the second face, she made another, and another, until she started chuckling at her reflection and came to a stop. She merely smiled, striking a pose and pointing at the glass to issue a statement to no one. "I'm onto you." With that important task complete, she turned in place and paraded to the closet.
Korra found herself face to face with a large selection of Water Tribe clothing. Asami went out of her way to keep a variety of different outfits in stock, each one in Korra's size. She was dumbfounded trying to take inventory of the array of options. The outfits ranged from summer to winter wear, hunting, hiking, swimming; there was even a collection of formal robes and gowns. Korra never had this sort of availability before, and with it staring her in the face, she didn't know what to do with it.
She finally decided to put a hand over her eyes. She reached blindly to an outfit and pulled it free of its hanging. When she reopened her eyes to assess the choice, it struck her more as something that Katara might wear. The outfit was primarily blue with a thin white outer trim; a furless design, intended for warmer seasons. The sleeves were short, though the lower half extended further down into what amounted to a knee-length skirt. Korra shrugged to herself. "As good as anything else." She threw the outfit over her shoulder, letting it crumple into a pile on the bed.
She next tried to pick out boots. As far as she could tell, the only real option was black or brown. Some had fur along the tops, and the lengths were different, but they barely seemed to matter. She picked up two different sets, only realizing upon very close inspection that they did vary in style and shape. One pair sported a thicker sole, with the second pair displaying an exaggerated lip in the front. She sighed to herself and discarded the pair in her left hand, keeping the other set with the heavier base. She returned to the bed, discarding the wet towel to the floor, and started to get dressed by flopping the selected clothing over her head and tugging it down.
After pulling the boots on, Korra planted both feet firmly on the ground and bent her knees several times. She made a short hop, then took three steps in either direction to make sure they fit properly. Once satisfied, she finished the outfit by pulling on the white cloth around her middle, adjusting it and finally tying it off to serve as a belt.
Now fully dressed, Korra returned to the mirror to give herself a final inspection. She realized that she forgot to address her hair, and although she immediately considered leaving it as-is, she opted to brush it instead. She picked over the collection of instruments along the counter and in connected drawers. Several of the items had an unknowable purpose to Korra, though she did pass over a large powder puff, smirking at the memory of stumbling into one in Asami's house several years ago and making a mess out of it. There were all different kinds of makeup available, some for eyes and some for lips. She possessed a mild curiosity, but would need to practice it some other time. She could only imagine the look on Asami's face if she showed up with poorly-applied lipstick. She resumed her original task, locating a brush and doing her best to straighten out her hair.
Korra stopped long enough to look herself over one more time. She looked presentable, in her opinion, and she thought that she did a fine job keeping her hair organized. The clothing she picked out didn't look that bad once she squeezed into it. She felt a boost of confidence, and even struck one last pose in front of the mirror before turning away. She swooped low enough to pick up the towel, and returned to the washroom to collect her dirty clothes. Once gathered, she finally relocated to the door, crossing through it and back into the main hallway.
Korra took a detour on her way back to the kitchen. She wound down a separate hallway in order to drop off the clothing and the towel in a series of baskets. Asami employed people who did the cleaning for her, and while Korra was initially hesitant to utilize such services, Asami assured her it was okay.
Leaving the laundry area, Korra's wandering returned her to the kitchen. Now that the sun was up, she easily caught sight of the dried mud tracks along the floor. She halted in front of it, stretching a hand up to rest on the back of her neck. It took only a minimal assessment to conclude that she probably tracked it in earlier. She walked around the mess, to the side door leading outside, giving it an opening push with one hand. Korra's feet then moved and planted in a wide stance. She brought both hands forward and made a swift motion. The first motion caused all the crumbles of dirt to slide along the floor and collect against the wall. A second thrust with one hand then moved all the mud toward a single pile in front of the doorway. And a third wave of her hand threw the entire mass back outside and into the grass where it belonged.
Korra lingered a while after. She waited in front of the door, eventually crossing her arms and tapping a foot. Asami said they'd meet back here, but did she really intend to take a whole hour? She took to pacing, walking outside and making a quick trip around the yard to make sure the nonbender wasn't looking for her elsewhere. After looping back to the mansion, she re-entered the kitchen and stood near the central counter. While her eyes wandered in boredom, she noticed she also previously left behind dishes and trash, quickly collecting it up and putting it away so as not to leave a mess. She might be careless, but not a slob.
Five minutes passed, and then another ten. Korra made her way to the nearest table and slumped forward on crossed arms, laying her chin on the bonier part of her wrist. In her boredom, she took to bobbing her head up and down, and started drawing an invisible lion turtle on the table with a fingertip when Asami finally appeared.
Korra sat up to greet her. She wore a new outfit, though Korra always knew Asami to have a remarkable fashion sense and find new and interesting things to show off each day. Her typical attire was black and red, and today was no exception. Asami had some way of doing her hair that made it mostly straight with only a mild wave, other than a small twisting curl on her left side. Korra never actually asked if that was intentional.
Besides her physical appearance, Asami certainly appeared brighter. She didn't look as drained as an hour ago. She was now standing up straighter, with a more cheerful, content expression on her face. Korra used the opportunity to return a smile and exchange playful pleasantries. She elevated a hand quickly, resting straightened fingers against her forehead in a salute. "Miss Sato."
"Avatar Korra," Asami shot back with a mocking, militaristic tone. Both girls laughed. Once the noise died down, Asami's weight shifted into a more relaxed stance, with one hand on her waist. "Are you ready to go?"
"I've been ready," Korra replied. "Let's do it!"
Korra stood to follow once Asami started outside. She gave chase with a casual stroll, taking in the sights of outside again. She walked in a more relaxed state, raising her arms behind herself, intertwining her fingers to rest both hands against the back of her head. She briefly watched Asami from the back, swearing that she was somehow taller. Her face contorted into mild scowl, mentally scolding whoever was in charge of making other girls taller than her. Asami was already winning and didn't need any more help.
Lost in her thoughts, Korra nearly bumped into Asami when the other woman came to an abrupt stop. Korra lowered her arms and settled into a standing position at her side. She took a long look around the immediate vicinity before casting a confused look in Asami's direction. "Why'd we stop? I don't see your car." She wasn't paying any attention to where she was going due to the lack of Satomobiles in her peripheral vision.
"It's being worked on, so we're going to take my bike today." Asami pointed to the small vehicle in front of herself.
Korra's vision panned down, only just noticing it. A small but sleek two-wheeled cycle, with more flat and solid surfaces than the more exposed parts she was used to seeing. The outer coating was a dark red. As nice as the bike looked, Korra couldn't help state the obvious. She shifted her legs wider apart and thrust both hands forward in emphasis, her face showing bewilderment. "That thing is way too small, and way too scary to carry both of us!"
Korra's expression softened into one of faint embarrassment when Asami began to laugh. She didn't look to take the criticism seriously, instead moving to the motorcycle's side and picking up two helmets. "I'm not going to make you drive, and there's room for two."
Despite a skeptical look, Asami handed one of the helmets to Korra anyway. She took it, though she couldn't help feel ignored. "Those things are noisy, and bumpy, and—"
Asami's upward glance silenced Korra. She didn't look frustrated, but Korra still didn't want to cause her to be. "It's not so bad once you get used to it. You ride on Naga all the time. And on airships, and you fly around with your glider. You're the Avatar! Don't tell me you're afraid of a little motorcycle."
"I'm not afraid," Korra muttered out of the side of her mouth. She looked back and forth from the helmet to the bike, and then back up to Asami. Asami displayed a sunny glow on her face. She was good at staying chipper when Korra felt down. In defeat, Korra waved a hand at the bike. "What do I need to do?"
In answer, Asami turned, fitting the helmet on top of her head, though a great deal of her hair still sticking wildly out from the lower edge. She reached down to grasp the handlebars and swung one leg over the bike to settle onto the cushioned seat. The application of weight caused the bike to bounce once on its wheels before settling. Korra noticed the minuscule amount of room on the back end of the bike, behind Asami, and already knew what was going to be said next and prepared a verbal protest for it. "Just get on the back. There's enough room, trust me."
Korra found it hard to argue, and she had already been talked out of being afraid of the machine. She raised the helmet over her head and carefully put it on. She became aware she was stalling when Asami shot her a glance after she took extra time to wiggle it side to side, as if to make sure it fit absolutely perfectly.
She stepped in closer with a sigh and proceeded to hop on the back. She realized partway up that the knee-length outfit she ended up with was not ideal to riding a bike. This was most likely the reason Asami warned her against wearing anything loose. She found it awkward enough that she knew her cheeks must have been glowing red. But she did eventually manage to fold the fabric forward enough that she could fit on the bike. Even if she was forced to increase the amount of leg she showed by a degree. Once satisfied, she leaned back and clutched what looked like a handhold on the rear of the cycle.
"You're going to have to hold onto me," Asami said from the front. Korra wasn't too surprised by the statement. It was sometimes a necessity when Naga carried more than one person. But she did feel as though she had less room and would have to sit uncomfortably close to do so. She followed the instruction, though, and slipped both hands around Asami's waist.
"Are you ready?" the taller woman asked.
"No." She probably never would be.
"Better hold on, then!" Asami revved the engine hard and loud. Korra gritted her teeth and clung tightly to the other. All her weight leaned into Asami's back as the vehicle lurched forward. She could feel the sudden pressure and momentum against her body, making her stomach sink quickly. She shut her eyes.
The next few seconds were in total blindness. She was left with only the sensation of movement and the roaring motor to fill her senses. With the sun brightly shining in the sky, even her tightly-clenched eyelids were letting through a bright red coloration. So, reluctantly, she began to open her eyes. At first all she could see was the back of Asami's helmet. She moved in so close that they were very nearly butting heads. She shuffled in place and turned her head to one side, looking out past the length of her nose and at the scenery speeding by.
Korra saw the smooth line of the street cutting through rows of grass and the occasional tree. It whirred past as if she was riding on Naga, although with much less up and down. The ride appeared to be smoother, more like riding in a car. The hints of a forming grin showed on Korra's face while the initial adrenaline shock started to wear off. She finally began to appreciate the sights.
The sound of the engine soon drifted off into nothingness. Korra's eyes were now darting from one sight to the next. She tried to read signs, and to catch a glimpse of people and animals moving in the distance. She inhaled deeply, catching the mixture of outdoors and the more industrial smell of the moving vehicles. She also picked up a much more pleasant scent, something closer to flowers, even though it was more concentrated and consistent to be something they merely passed. It took several seconds before she realized it must be Asami's perfume she was catching, sitting so close to her. It was nice.
The rapid motion and the sweet smell allowed her mind to drift. The steady background blur felt familiar enough to many previous rides, though she was now thinking of a specific incident. She thought of rare flowers set out on a table as she was hurriedly sneaking through the front door of her home. She was much younger then, during her initial training, and had become frustrated from an earlier fight. She didn't remember the argument at this point, only that she became fed up and decided to run away.
In the memory, she snuck out of her house at midday, when no one was watching. Korra quickly made her way to where Naga slept, and hushed the polar bear dog while retrieving her saddle. Korra swiftly attached it, and Naga was already wagging her tail in anticipation of being taken out for a ride. Korra hopped fluidly up into the saddle and ushered Naga to the open entryway.
The initial escape was the most important part. The quick bolt away from the buildings and civilization and out into the vast fields of snow. Once she and Naga were out of sight, she'd be free to do whatever she wanted. After checking her surroundings, she leaned forward in the saddle, tightly clutching the ropes to direct Naga into a full run. "Go, girl, go!" Naga dug her paws into the snow to gain traction on the ground underneath, leaning all of her weight into a sudden burst of speed.
Korra felt the cold air on her face, blowing over her cheeks and through her hair. It was longer back then. Harder to manage, but it felt good in the wind. She gritted her teeth too, holding her breath for the several tense seconds it would take to escape eyesight of anyone who might catch her running away from home. Her pulse was steady and strong, her heart sunk low in her chest.
Naga finally broke through, crossing the outer boundaries of the landscape and sliding down the opposite side of a snowy hill. Korra was acutely aware of the tightness in her muscles being alleviated. She began to grow calmer, now far enough away that no one could stop her. She made a motion with her hands, allowing Naga to slow her pace and continue along. Korra had no real direction or intention. She just wanted to get away. Too much to think about, too many responsibilities. She knew, of course, that Aang did the same thing in his youth. Katara told her all about it. She knew how he felt. While Korra usually felt a lot of pride in being the Avatar, the pressure was sometimes too much to deal with. She needed to get away. Maybe find another place to study, and another way to fulfill her duties.
Korra's lack of direction carried the two of them to a frozen lake. She brought Naga to the side and finally decided to stop. It was as good a place as any. Dismounting, Korra worked for a minute to remove the saddle, then patted the polar bear dog on the forehead in appreciation and turned to address the lake. She briskly struck a waterbending pose, extending both hands away and apart. A large crack formed across the top of the ice, breaking with a resounding crack that cleaved the lake in twain. Crumbling in an outward shock wave, more and more of the ice peeled back to show the water underneath.
Korra stood straight once more and turned, jerking a thumb over her shoulder to gesture toward the newly-exposed water. "Want to get some fish, Naga?" she asked. At the very least, the animal understood the word fish, and happily leaped into the water to find something to eat.
Surveying the surrounding area, Korra decided that a lakeside camp made the most sense. Over the course of several minutes, she carefully crafted blocks of ice to form a shelter out of and stacked them. Not neat, but functional. She'd eventually need to collect materials to run a fire with, but for now she could rely on firebending. Assuming Naga returned with any fish and didn't eat them all herself.
Korra lingered by the lakeside for a further two hours. She crafted a small camp, and once she ran out of ideas, a snowman. She found a spot to sit, kicking her feet in idle boredom when she realized she didn't actually have anything to do this far out. She had a long time to think about the argument and how little it seemed to matter now. How running off on her own was starting to seem like a bad idea. Where would she go, anyway? She could take care of herself, but what would she be doing? Living on a lake, eating fish and sleeping like Naga all day? She glanced sidelong, looking at her snoozing polar bear dog.
With a heavy sigh, Korra spoke. "Naga." The sleeping animal opened her eyes, sitting up in place with her head canting to one side as if trying to understand. "Let's go home, girl." Naga's tail began to wag with apparent excitement.
Korra's return to reality happened around the time she heard her name being called in a raspy voice. Her senses pulled inward, vision un-blurring and nose picking up the faint floral smell of perfume once again. She turned her head, trying to look around at the person in front of her. The strained voice called out again, and Korra realized Asami was talking to her. "Korra. Too tight!"
Korra promptly became aware that she was clutching Asami's waist very tightly. She felt Asami attempting to move, while Korra squeezed her hard enough around her stomach that she felt Asami's ribcage poking her wrists. She quickly let go with both hands, face switching to a wide, embarrassed grin. "Sorry! Whoa—!"
Caught off balance, Korra's attachment to the bike faltered. She gripped tighter with her legs to keep from falling backward, and swung her arms forward once again to reattach them to Asami. This time, her hands landed on the middle of Asami's chest, holding her around the middle. This caused Asami to turn her head and glare back at Korra with widened eyes. Korra lowered her hands, returning them to Asami's waist, apologizing again. "Um, sorry."
Korra turned her eyes away to the side, leaning her head forward so that the helmet rested on Asami's shoulder. She felt very stupid. She remembered feeling the same way in her daydream. After she returned home from running away, she found out no one even noticed she left. She thought she ran away and that her parents would be worried and promise to never fight with her again, but nobody even knew she went out to the lake.
Her eyes snapped open as the bike passed water. She elevated out of her pout to sit up straighter on the bike. She extended one hand toward the pond, pointing to the side while carefully holding Asami with the other hand. "Asami, let's stop here!" she yelled over the blaring motorcycle engine.
Asami's head tilted back, eyes flickering in Korra's direction for only a moment. "At the park? Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
She held on as the bike veered to the side. Asami checked the surrounding area with a surveying glance before carrying the two of them to the sidewalk. Slowing down the vehicle, she brought it to a halt and moved to kick the stand down to park it. Korra's attention drifted though, looking out at the body of water. Once the motorcycle slowed enough, she hopped off the back and removed her helmet. She shook her head side to side to settle her hair, though she noticed Asami out of the corner of her eye doing the same thing, and her hair-toss looked much nicer. Korra shot her a jealous stare and a quiet huff, though Asami didn't look like she caught it.
Asami collected both helmets, resting them on top of the bike. After watching Asami adjust her hair for a few seconds, the green-eyed woman finally spoke up to ask, "So, what'd we stop here for?"
Korra shot Asami a warm smile. She recognized that Asami stopped on her request without really knowing why. She just assumed Korra had a good reason. Well, good or not, she elaborated while starting to walk across the grass to the water. "This is the first place I came in Republic City. It's changed a lot, though."
She looked back to make sure Asami followed her, which she did. The snazzy woman moved to catch up, moving alongside Korra all the way to the water's edge. "They even named it after you a while ago."
Korra beamed with pride, nodding her head in affirmation. "Kind of funny. The first time I came here, it was just me and Naga. We got kicked out for fishing in the pond." Her head turned, looking across the water. "I thought we could eat here instead!"
"Eat… here?" Asami asked. She elevated a slender eyebrow, her face showing total confusion.
"Sure! There are plenty of fish. If we only take a few, it won't hurt the population."
"Are you sure we should do that?" Asami asked cautiously. The look on her face definitely expressed that she didn't believe Korra's idea was a good one. "I don't even know how to fish."
"You said yourself, it's my park now. They can't kick me out of my own park!" Korra moved her hands expressively, leaning forward to emphasize her words. "You showed me something new by taking me out on your bike. It's my turn to teach you how to fish."
"I guess," Asami murmured, but she didn't sound convinced. There was a concentrated look on her face. Her featured showed some doubt, but she apparently decided to trust Korra. Korra appreciated the effort Asami went through to go along with her antics. She knew of course that she frequently got herself into trouble, and maybe she deserved it, but Asami always remained loyal.
"Great!" Korra returned. She spun on her heels and started to stalk around the edge of the water. She scanned the ground, along the grass and shrubs growing everywhere. But it didn't take long to understand how tidy the park was kept, and she couldn't locate what she was looking for. She returned to Asami, who observed with a curious expression. "There are a lot of ways to fish. Naga catches them herself, and sometimes I can get one away from her. I usually just waterbend them out, but I can't teach you that. We could use poles, but we don't have the supplies for that either."
"So, how are we going to fish then?" Asami asked. She unfolded one arm, elevating her hand into the air in a partial shrug.
Korra made a spinning motion with her body. She twirled in a circle, her hands flowing around at waist-level. As she moved, she bent the nearby water, drawing a thin stream of it from the pond and into the air. It snaked through the air and followed Korra's motions to swirl around her. Eventually, she focused it in front of herself and into a long and thin shape, which she solidified into a sturdy spear of ice. She then turned, in a showy flourish, bringing her arm forward with a strong throw, launching the spear from her hand and toward the water at a fish swimming nearby. The spear flew brilliantly through the air and into the water. And missed.
Korra slapped a hand sharply against her forehead. All that show for a complete failure of a demonstration! At least she managed to make Asami start giggling. Korra lowered her hand to her mouth, clearing her throat into a balled first. "Well, you get the idea." She moved her feet, spinning in place once more to replicate the waterbending technique that she used moments ago. After a few seconds of movement, she reformed a new spear, underhanding it gently to Asami, who caught it easily in an outstretched hand. "Now you try."
Asami held the spear of ice in her hand, focusing her green eyes on it and swinging it with some motion. Korra thought she might be trying to judge the weight or the balance of it. Asami did always seem particularly sharp about those kinds of things. Not just in the technological sense, with the gadgets she and her father worked with. But she embodied a great deal of physical training and experience as well. Korra watched while Asami moved her feet into a more comfortable position, then stepped forward and threw the weapon into the water. She missed, and by a fair margin. She looked disappointed.
Korra remained positive. She smiled widely, making sure that Asami could see her encouragement. She took a step closer and bent her knees, kneeling on the grass with both hands resting on her thighs. She tried to strike the pose of a wise teacher, attempting to show Asami a new technique. "Not bad, actually. But the throw needs to be more steady and direct. You kind of have to let it roll right off your fingers when you let go." She held up one hand, repeatedly making a motion by bending her wrist and extending her fingers, trying to show how the release worked.
Once she was confident Asami understood and was ready to go again, Korra drew more water from the pond and formed it into another long spike. Asami caught it, and took the necessary time to find a target and line up her shot. Korra sat silently as the nonbender went through the motions and launched another spear, missing once again.
"That was really close," Korra said. "There's one more trick, though. Even if you throw it hard, the water deflects the spear, pushing it off course."
"So how do you adjust?" Asami was already holding out her hand for another spear. Korra drew water to herself and made several more spears, handing one off to Asami.
"You have to make it spin. If it's rotating enough, it stabilizes and can't be pushed off course." She made another motion with her hand, showing how the release was intended to impart a certain amount of rotational force on the spear. And with Asami paying her close attention, Korra suddenly felt very intelligent. Even if she learned the technique from others back home, and most of the verbiage was not her own. It was refreshing to see Asami impressed by her own ingenuity for a change, rather than the opposite.
"That makes a lot of sense," Asami concluded. She waved her hand to practice the motion before finally trying the real thing. Korra watched the lance pierce the water, but again fail to strike an actual fish.
She smiled in order to keep the atmosphere friendly, though she knew Asami would be unlikely to actually skewer a fish on her first time out. She tossed more spears, one after the other, to an increasingly determined Asami. Korra watched in silence, allowing Asami to work through the finer details with trial and error. She watched spear after spear fall into the water, making the shoreline resemble the backside of a boar-q-pine, although much of the ice was melting. She was about to pass another spear to Asami when she saw the latest lance sink beautifully into the water and pin a fish to the bottom of the pond. "I—I think you got one," she said in disbelief.
Asami transitioned into a stationary dance in celebration. She thrust one fist into the air and hopped up and down on her feet, prancing where she stood. The motion made her hair bounce like a spring. She also shouted excitedly, "Woohoo!" Korra moved to stand up, pushing from the ground to walk to the water's edge with Asami to inspect it. Asami managed to pierce the fish through its tail fin, immobilizing it, but not harming it. "Now what?"
Korra realized she didn't actually think that far ahead. Normally she'd hold it over a fire and cook it, usually with firebending, but without a proper skewer it would be disastrous. Ice might work as a replacement spear in a pinch, but she couldn't keep it near any flames. "Uhh, well, we need to catch several more, and then find a way to put them on sticks so I can cook them. And then we, um, eat them."
"That sounds like it's going to take a while. And I'm not so sure about eating otherwise unprepared fish," Asami replied with a slight frown.
"It's not so bad once you get used to it—" Korra said back quickly, though she stopped herself. Of course, she ate a great deal of food with minimal preparation. But Asami did grow up wealthier and with more well-prepared meals. Asking Asami to bite into a charred whole fish might be a little too much. She waved a hand in the direction of the spear, lifting it from the bottom of the pond to let the fish free. "See you around, little guy." Afterward, she turned to address Asami. "I guess we can continue onto the restaurant, when you're ready."
Asami looked to be stretching, taking a few paces around before sitting down in the grass closer to Korra. "Whenever you want to, I don't mind killing some more time. It's not quite lunchtime yet."
Korra settled into a position with her legs crossed, putting a hand on either outfacing knee. She shuffled enough to face Asami. "Well, that was my only idea. I thought maybe I could teach you something new. You've shown me a lot of things, especially on how to adjust to Republic City life in general. I thought I should return the favor." She slumped her shoulders, pouting.
"You did show me something new," Asami replied. "I'll practice more later. We could go on a fishing trip sometime?" Her tone was polite, trying to give a helpful suggestion to cheer Korra up. "Plus, you showed me the Dancing Dragon. It's not like this is a one-sided relationship."
Korra perked slightly, reducing the arch of her spine to sit straighter. "I guess that's true." Her eyes flew across the street, inspecting the row of buildings to try and get an idea of what else they might be able to do to pass the time. Her scan stopped on a small grayish building with a large logo plastered on the side. "We could go to the hat store."
"Hat store?" Asami asked with a confused look. She turned her head and examined the other side of the street, where Korra was looking. "What hat store?"
"That one right there. The gray building. Jiang's." She pointed.
Asami started snickering, cheeks reddening in laughter. Korra was momentarily confused, but Asami elaborated. "Korra, I'm pretty sure that's a dojo. The logo says 'Practice.'"
Korra tilted her head and squinted. She re-assessed the symbol next to the name. She could see how the sharp lines might be confused with the symbol for 'practice,' but it would have to be an awfully stylized font. "Looks like a guy in a hat to me. See? He's facing to the left and looking down at an angle. It's a big square hat, with a long bill. I'm certain." She paused in her consideration of the logo. Asami giggled the entire time she was quiet. Korra then added with less confidence, "Or it could be an arrow. Or the head of a turtle duck."
"Are you looking at clouds now?" Asami chimed in. Her voice was bubbly, fluttering with the remnants of her previous laughter, adding extra syllables to every word.
Korra reclined, extending her arms upward and behind her head. She stretched while swinging back, laying down in the grass. Her eyes shot upward, staring straight into the sky while she expressed a smile. "We could do that, too. See, that one's a jackalope."
From the corner of her eye, Korra saw Asami shuffling. She turned to one side and stretched her legs outward. With a slight turn, she ended up laying in the grass as well. After a brief silence, Asami raised a hand in gesture. "That one looks like Naga."
"Hmm, I suppose you could say that. What about that one?"
"Definitely a frog squirrel."
"Well I think it's a squirrel toad."
They both laughed. Korra enjoyed the company, and couldn't remember the last time she felt so at ease, by herself or with a friend. She couldn't have been happier.
