There were twelve people, arranged in a circle surrounding Asami. She shifted her heels, adjusting her balance as she studied them. Bringing her fists up, glove sparking, she prepared for the inevitable. They converged on her at the same time. She jabbed back with her elbow, flipping over one man and landing on her feet outside the circle. A kick, then another jab, and a shock from her glove and three men were down. Asami bounced back, pulling something out of a pouch on her belt. She threw three orbs. They bounced off of the ground, each striking a man or woman in the chest. Electricity crackled and they screamed before dropping to the ground.

Asami rolled forward, popping up with a hand spring and slamming both of her feet into an attacker's face. She used her momentum to ride him down then kicked off of his face. Her knee broke someone's nose and he crashed to the ground beneath her. The remaining four attackers turned and ran as something sharp cut through her back. She coughed up blood and it dribbled down her chin.

"Wake up," a woman's voice whispered in her ear.

Bolting upright in bed, Asami gasped for breath. Her hand flew to her chest, but nothing was sticking out of it, and the only thing on her chin was a little drool. She pressed her face against her palm until the panic subsided. Slipping out of bed and padding to the washroom, she splashed water on her face. Asami couldn't remember the last time she'd had a nightmare, let alone one as vivid as that had been.

Skipping her shower for now, she wandered out of the bedroom and down the hall. Asami and Korra lived in a penthouse suite overlooking the spirit portal. It took up the entire floor and was lavishly furnished. There was a small gym and Asami had a large workshop hidden behind double doors. Asami had also installed as many modern amenities as she or her engineers had come up with. There was a large radio, all rounded edges and intricately carved wood, as well as one of Varrick's prototype Radiomovers with it's gently rounded screen. He was researching ways to transmit pictures over the radio airwaves and she'd volunteered to help. So far, he'd only sent old Nuktuk movers over the air. The quality was less than stellar but there was real potential, especially for live broadcasts.

Asami often field tested her products in her own home. The self-cooling icebox had proven to be a massive boon for Future Industries, and she had recently installed an automatic dish washer. She had hope that the technology she'd developed to track aircraft could eventually be used to cook food quickly, but that was still in early development.

The door to the icebox was open and she could see Korra's rear end sticking out while she rummaged through it. She immediately relaxed, her nightmare fading from her thoughts, and walked behind her wife. She rested her hands on Korra's hips and pulled her back against her body. "I'm finding the Avatar in a very compromising position, what should I do with her?"

Korra jumped, hitting her head on a shelf. "Oof." Rubbing her head, she straightened and turned around. Her grin was sloppy as she slinked her arms around Asami's waist. "I was going to make you breakfast in bed, but I guess I took too long."

Asami glanced at the clock. She was a little surprised that Korra was even up at this hour. She must have really wanted to make breakfast for her. "I don't have anything scheduled until later."

"Get in the shower," Korra ordered. "I should be done by the time you get out."

"Are you telling me I stink?" Asami pretended to be offended, but when Korra turned towards the stove she reached out to run her fingers through long brown hair. "Let me just get this for you first…"

"You act like it's bad luck if you don't get to braid my hair."

"Are you complaining?" Asami felt a momentary disquiet, then shook the feeling off.

"Mm. No. I was going to just put it up today." It would be quicker.

"I don't mind."

Korra's hair was braided by the time breakfast was ready. On the quieter mornings, when they had no plans for the day or she wasn't needed at work, she took her time. Asami had gotten very good at braiding quickly, but she preferred the slower days.

Korra put out the plates, and Asami sat down to dig in. "I've got an R&D meeting before noon, then I'm having lunch with Bolin before a shareholder meeting later. Got any plans today?"

"Nothing really. I was going to hang out in the city with Naga, see how people are doing, maybe pester Mako." Korra waved her fork around. "Taking the pulse of the people or something like that. You know, Avatar things."

"Avatar things," Asami repeated. She raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Less exciting than shoring up a dam I think."

"How are the repairs going?" Korra shifted forward, giving Asami her rapt attention.

Asami loved when Korra listened. Over the years she'd gotten her wife to understand more and more of the technical details, simply through repetition and patient explanations. Korra sometimes tried to study up on her own, which was endearing. "The dam has passed inspection and right now an artist is sculpting the rock you used to hold the dam into something decorative."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Avatars. Kyoshi, Aang. A couple others."

Korra nodded. That made sense.

"And you."

"What? But I didn't really do anything!"

"Without your efforts and the efforts of the Air Benders, the Earth Kingdom would be a lot more unstable than it is now. You were very visible, helping out where you could. And you did stop Kuvira. A lot of people are grateful for that."

"A lot of people would have been perfectly happy if Kuvira had won," Korra pointed out. She'd spent the better part of a year helping refugees and taking down the occasional loyalist. She was pretty sure some of that would come back to bite her, eventually. But it had been years, and things were relatively peaceful. Except for natural disasters and the occasional spirit related dispute, Korra's life had quieted down. She was still trying to figure out what the Avatar's duty even was in this new world.

"Not as many as you think." After the camps were revealed, King Wu had ordered them heavily documented and the information spread as widely as possible. A lot of Kuvira's support had soured after that and Wu had proven to a popular figurehead. His position was now officially ceremonial, and his powers limited to all but a few functions. Asami still found it hard to believe he'd grown as much as he had. He was still a goofball. But then Korra could be a goofball too. Double dates with Bolin and Opal sometimes ended in food fights.

"I guess you're right." Korra settled back in her chair, and Asami rested her chin on one hand and watched her.

Korra looked back at her."What?"

"I'm tempted to take the day off, but I really need to do this R&D thing."

Korra smirked. "And the shareholders?"

"Screw them, I'll have Jia handle it. Lets go out to dinner tonight."

Looking a little dejected, Korra shook her head. "Tenzin invited us over to Air Temple Island for dinner. Jinora and Kai are back in town. I think Mako and Bolin are going to be there too. No romantic dinner for us."

"Think they'll have room for one more?" Asami chewed on her lip. She didn't see any of them as much as she really wanted to.

"Asami, of course there's room for one more. The invitation was for the both of us." Korra stood up and walked around the table to stand at Asami's side. Asami leaned her head against Korra's stomach, and closed her eyes as fingers threaded into her hair. "We'll just have to do something later to make up for it. Still want to miss your meeting?"

"The company practically runs itself these days. They won't miss me." She let herself be tugged up, wrapping her arms around Korra and squeezing her. "Besides, I may or may not be grooming Jia to take over some day."

"We'll never get anything done if you keep that up." Korra's hand slid down Asami's back as she inhaled that scent that was so very much Asami. Citrus and oil and leather and something indescribable, almost electric.

"That's the plan." Asami's fingers squeezed at her biceps, and then she was pulling her wife into a kiss. Korra's eyes snapped shut and she pushed Asami against the table, grinning as her wife's teeth nipped at her lips. Then she pulled away, trying to ignore a pout that made her knees weak.

"You have an R&D thing, remember? And you still need to shower and get your make-up ready." She waggled a finger. "You'll just have to be patient."

"Patient? Who are you and what have you done with Korra?" She pouted at Korra again, then laughed as she scrambled out of reach. The pout wasn't fair and Korra knew that Asami knew it.

"You're going to be late! Or do you remember how I kept making you late when we were first together and no one will ever let us live that down?" Korra planted a hand on her hip and made a shooing motion at Asami. Truth was, that hadn't really changed.

The memory brought redness to Asami's face, and she chose to flee, rather than let Korra claim some kind of victory.

Time in the shower gave Asami a chance to mentally prepare for her day. Jia could handle her meeting after lunch, so that was a weight off of her shoulders. She'd learned to trust the woman and the two had become good friends over the past three years. With some urging from Korra, Asami had made a concerted effort to build a network of friends outside of her small bubble of Korra, Mako, Bolin and the airbenders after she'd realized how easy it could be to end up alone again if the unthinkable were to happen.

Asami had spent too much of her life alone to ever want to go back to living like that again. She hurried up with her shower, drying off (with some 'help' from Korra) before getting her face put together. She had an audience some mornings, and this was one of them.

"You know how there are some caterpillars that are really gorgeous, right? And then they turn into a cocoon and come out looking like even more beautiful butterflies? Sometimes I think of that when you're putting your make-up on."

She turned towards Korra as she closed her kit. "That was...actually really profound and sweet. I'm touched."

Her wife grinned proudly at her, then moved her hand towards her hair and plucked a strand. "Oh hey look. Grey hair!"

Asami groaned. "And then you go and do that. That's not a grey hair, you're just messing with me!"

Korra held it up to the light. "Totally a grey hair!"

"I am going to murder you," Asami warned, standing. Korra backed out of the bedroom, still waving the hair like it was a kind of prize. Then she darted down the hallway laughing as Asami chased after her. She might make Asami late for work, but it was worth it.

Asami was actually late to work, but it was a slow day as she was walking into the Research and Development department of Future Industries. The department stretched three stories, with the roof far overhead. There was a different platform for each project, linked by catwalks. The floor was dominated by a dozen large cubes, each cube serving as a testing room for sensitive projects. A small office was built into the south-west corner, and it was there that Asami met with her project heads.

"So what do you have for me today?" She looked at each of her project heads in turn. There was Eito, a tall, spindly man with a nervous disposition who was in charge of her appliances division. Next to him stood Ai Li, a firey woman about Korra's height. She ran the aeronautics division and had been pursuing a new engine technology she and Asami had dreamed up one late night. The Satomobile division was headed up by an Earth Nation woman in her forties named Nuan. Arriving just as Asami did was Xun, the man she'd put in charge of researching entirely new technologies.

Eito stepped forward first. He bowed his head respectfully, before unrolling a schematic. He possessed a slight stutter. "W-we had a breakthrough yesterday in food storage. By flash-freezing the product under high pres-pressure, we can freeze food for long-term travel or storage. It would...would allow remote populations access to everything from exotic vegetables to..to fish."

She nodded as he spoke. "Is it safe after thawing?"

"Yes." He rolled the schematic back up and squeezed it in his hands. "and if we can perfect the wave c-cooker and make it affordable, that would doubt...doubtless increase the market for...for frozen foods."

"Make the cooker the top priority, the convenience practically sells itself." This was the part that Asami liked best. All the business stuff, the marketing and the dealing with investors were things that she hated. Sometimes she wondered if she'd be better served stepping down. But coming up with new ideas, working with her teams to make them realities, those were the things that kept her going. Besides, Future Industries was her baby. There were hardly any traces of her father's work left.

"Nuan?"

Nuan adjusted her glasses. "I've nothing new to report. Work on the new line goes smoothly. The special project is on schedule."

"Meet me in my office tomorrow, I have some ideas on improving engine efficiency again."

Jia stepped up to Asami's left, holding out a clipboard. Asami took it and looked it over, then signed her name. She handed the clipboard back.

Xun and Ai Li kept exchanging glances, and Asami folded her arms, looking at them both. "What is it?"

"I have something exciting to show you, so I think Xun should go first." Ai Li shot a devious smirk at her co-worker.

Xun rolled his eyes, and unveiled his schematic. It resembled a series of desks with springs and rods in it. "I call it the differential analyser. It will allow us to perform complex equations much faster than by hand."

Asami picked up the schematic, excitedly mulling over the implications for both business and research. "How soon can you build one?

"Give me a month and you'll have a prototype."

"Get on it, right away." She held the schematic out to him. "And if you manage to size it down, I want one for myself."

"And here I was hoping to be the one to get you all excited." Ai Li flashed a grin at her boss. "But it's ready for a full scale test."

To her credit, Asami managed to sound like the proper executive she was, and not the excited twelve year old Ai Li's words made her feel like. "Really? So soon?"

"Just waiting for you before firing her up. I thought you should be there to see it, it's your design after all."

Asami waited for Ai Li to turn her back to lead her away before she bounced a little in place and silently clapped her hands together. Jia shook her head, but smiled and said nothing. Once Asami had calmed down, she gestured for Jia to come with her and followed her engineer through the building and out onto the test track.

Ai Li's team had set up a cylindrical object on the test track, secured by dozens of wires and a steel platform. Bigger than a Satomobile, the object was wider at one end than the other, and the wider end had some kind of grating over it.. Asami was suddenly very glad she'd come in today.

Cupping her hands around her mouth, Ai Li shouted, "Okay boys! Fire her up!"

There was a quick, rapid fire banging sound, and then the object started to hum. A stream of fire burst out the thinner end and the entire platform shuddered. The men and women at the platform erupted into cheers and Asami found herself pumping her fists in the air and cheering right along with them. She enveloped first Jia and then Ai Li in an enthusiastic hug. "It works!"

"Of course it works! You built the scale model." Ai Li patted Asami's shoulder and then expertly stepped out of the hug. "The design was sound. We had some problems scaling it up until we figured out how to deal with the load from the turbines."

"How soon can we mount it to an airship or a plane?" Asami glanced at the engine as it was shutting down. "We're going to need to design an entirely new fuselage and wing system aren't we."

"Already working on it. But two of these things on an airship should nearly double their speed."

"It's so loud though." Jia rubbed a finger into one of her ears. "Passengers aren't going to like that."

"No, but for a cargo ship it will be fine." Asami tilted her head, tapping a finger against her chin. "And with the right kind of sound proofing, we can build an airship for quick journeys that won't disturb the passengers."

"They won't be able to go on deck," Ai Li pointed out. "Not at those speeds."

"That's not the point. Use the engines for part of the journey, then cut them off to cruise. Use then again for the rest of the trip. The most boring part is when all you can see is ocean."

"Okay." Ai Li nodded. "I see what you're getting at. We'll get the engine mounted to a ship for some test runs, see how loud it gets, and if there are issues with vibrations."

"And a plane?"

"Honestly, Mrs. Sato? I'll try to think of a design, but we're probably years off from an engine small enough for one."

Asami looked a little disappointed. "Lets start with the airships then and go from there. Maybe see about putting one on a boat."

She looked back at the engine, still feeling giddy despite the disappointment about improving aircraft. There were still so many potential uses for it, and it worked. She decided she ought to let herself be happy over that.

"Jia, walk with me?"

Her assistant fell into step next to her as Asami bypassed the R&D building and made her way towards the main office. "There's a shareholder meeting this afternoon. I'd like you to handle it."

Jia nearly tripped over her feet. "I'm sorry?" She cleared her throat. "I'd be delighted."

A soft smile crossed Asami's lips, and she touched Jia's arm. She didn't think she'd seen Jia look this rattled before. "You'll do fine. You know this stuff better than I do, and I trust you to stand your ground for me."

"If you have faith in me, I won't let you down." As though she hadn't just had a momentary panic attack, she smoothly and cheekily asked, "Shall I assume your wife convinced you to play hooky?"

"Would you believe me if I said no?" She spared a glance at Jia and pouted at the wide smile on the woman's lips.

"Not in the slightest."