Author Notes: Thank you TheToasterMarketingBoard for editing! Happy Holidays ya'll!

Asami dropped Korra off at the docks on her way to meet with President Raiko at his office downtown. It took longer for Korra to get into the ferry with her wheelchair, than the ride to the Temple Island. The crew also had to her up the stairs from the dock to the temple grounds. Bolin, Tenzin and Lin were waiting for her in the courtyard.

Bolin gave a small wave and offered to push Korra's chair as the four silently went to Tenzin's study. Tenzin closed the door and Lin crossed her arms with a snort.

"So what happened to being a more mature Avatar?" Lin barked. "Bo said the resident had accepted no for an answer and that you volunteered yourself to find her photo anyway."

Bolin, who was standing beside Korra's chair, turned away and cursed Bo's name under his breath.

Korra scowled and crossed her arms, mirroring the older woman. "I thought the more mature thing was going in myself, as a skilled professional instead of watching that woman throw herself in there."

"Despite taking the no, she did seem very much prepared to go in once our backs were turned," Bolin added.

Lin raised her eyebrows and jerked her head back in exasperation. "Skilled professional? What I don't understand is that you three professionals didn't have enough sense to try dismantling the structure first? Take the roof off before going inside?"

Bolin raised a finger as if asking for permission to speak. "The building was so precariously held together-"

"Then no one should have been going inside it," Lin said, cutting Bolin off.

"You should have seen this woman and her son… Their hearts were broken and they had already lost so much…" As Korra spoke, Bolin nodded earnestly in agreement.

Lin was not impressed. "It doesn't matter. What they lost was material. Replaceable."

"Well, technically the photo-" Korra started.

"You are irreplaceable Korra. You are the Avatar and you have to accept that your duty has to always come first. And your duty is not comprised of little heroic moments like that, but to keep the balance."

"Since when did you become the Avatar expert? That should at least be coming from Tenzin."

Lin ignored her and turned her intense gaze at Bolin. "And as her friend, it's your job to help her make the right decision, not egg her on!"

"You try telling Korra no," Bolin said, and then bent down to Korra. "No offense."

Korra clicked her tongue, then gave him an understanding nod.

Tenzin, who had remained silent for the exchange, finally cleared his throat. "Lin, I think your point has been made."

Lin put a hand to her forehead and squeezed her temples. She took a deep breath in, held it and then slowly let it out. Bolin and Korra exchanged glances as they waited for Lin to say anything else. Her body soon relaxed and she mustered a semblance of a smile. "I guess it doesn't matter now. I'm glad you're okay kiddo."

Korra cocked her head curiously. "Thanks Lin."

"Bolin, you're coming with us to the refugee camp, right?" Lin asked, motioning to the door.

Bolin grimaced and gave Korra a sideways glance. "Err… I dunno…"

"Just go, those people need the help," Korra said with a shrug.

"I'd rather play Avatar-sitter but…" Bolin muttered as he headed to the door, lining up behind Lin and Tenzin.

Lin pinched Bolin's ear and pulled him to her. "I've got rock lifting duty planned for you, kid."

"Hey, I thought we were all good now. Besides, I was already doing that for Asami and getting paid for it!" Bolin moaned.

"Think of this as penance," Lin said, giving a tug on Bolin's ear before releasing him.

Bolin clutched his stinging ear as he moved to Korra's chair to wheel her out with them. He parked her in the courtyard not far from where they met up earlier.

Korra watched Bolin drag his feet behind Lin and Tenzin as they headed towards the docks. Once they were out of sight, she was alone. Not even an acolyte was milling around the property. A sudden wave of loneliness washed over her.

"It's not going to be like before… my leg will heal," Korra said to herself, as she has done quietly all morning. It was becoming her mantra.

"Korra, we were so worried!" Pema said, wrapping her arms around the Avatar from behind, startling her.

Ikki and Meelo also appeared from behind Korra's chair and started inspecting her. Pema let go of her embrace and moved so Korra could see her, Rohan on her hip.

"Does it hurt?" Ikki asked as she moved to poke Korra's cast.

"Pretty bad, but the doctor gave me some medicine for the pain."

"Korra can we sign your cast?" Meelo asked.

Ikki clasped her hands together and gasped. "Ooo, I want to paint something instead."

"Well, I want to paint something too."

Korra smiled. "You can both knock yourselves out on it."

"Let's get supplies!" Meelo hollered as he charged towards the temple. Ikki trailed behind him.

Pema adjusted the sleepy Rohan on her hip and moved closer. "I read the article. Tenzin brought home a copy last night. They did a good job. It's history in the making."

Korra shifted in her seat. "I wish it already was history."

"I've already received a few inquiries over the phone. I'm guessing you are not up for any interviews about it today?"

"No, plus Asami and I agreed to only do interviews together anyways."

Both women turned their heads to the temple as they heard Ikki and Meelo sprinting towards them. Their satchels of paints clanked and crackled as they ran.

"Got the paint!" Ikki cried gleefully.

"Looks like you'll be stuck here a while. You mind watching Rohan while my children vandalize your leg?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Great, I could use a few moments without interruption," Pema said, passing her dozing son into Korra's lap.

Meelo squatted down and inspected Korra's cast. "I think we should split up vertically. You take the outside half, I'll take the inside."

Ikki agreed with a nod.

"Korra, could you lift your leg up and out straight."

Korra obeyed. "I can't hold it like this."

Meelo furrowed his brow to contemplate. He eyed the courtyard for a suitable footstool. "Let's wheel her over to the stone wall. We can prop the leg up there."

"Do I get any say in this?" Korra asked, holding Rohan a little tighter, anticipating being moved at any moment.

Ikki frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Korra, we're about to make your leg into a masterpiece."

"I see. Wheel away."

Meelo took the handles of Korra's chair and Ikki scooped up the paint supplies.

Korra watched Ikki and Meelo work for a while, but the stillness and warm morning sun began causing her eyelids to droop. She eventually gave in to her sleepiness, resting her head on Rohan's.

Korra roused when the small body in her arms startled to wriggle. She let go of her tight grasp around Rohan and he slipped from her lap.

"Rohan don't go too far," Korra said groggily.

"Don't worry about him, he's gonna be a powerful airbender just like his big brother."

"We don't necessarily know that Meelo," Ikki warned, not taking her eyes off her work.

"Grandma Katara said so. Plus how could he not be? Dad's a bender, Jinora is a bender, you're a bender, I'm a bender. We're all benders."

Ikki huffed and rolled her eyes. "Did you forget we have a mother? Mom isn't a bender."

"Do you not want him to be a bender?"

Ikki blew out a sigh. "No. I just think you're making assumptions and you shouldn't do that, right Korra?"

Korra shifted in her seat.

"Don't move!" Ikki commanded.

"Sorry!" Korra winced. "Ikki's right though, you shouldn't make assumptions about your brother or people in general. I'm sure people are making assumptions about me and Asami right now…"

"This is because you told everyone you're dating?" Meelo asked.

"Yeah."

"That's stupid. Nothing's different. You're still two of the coolest people I know."

"See and your brother would still be just as cool if he wasn't a bender either."

"I guess so..."

"So, you two ready to show me your masterpieces?"

Meelo dropped his brush. "I'll go first. It's a dragon. You got to have a fearsome beast to protect you. And they're good luck too."

Korra inspected the very realistic rendering of a dragon, a bit awkwardly since she didn't have the ability to turn her leg. "It's great, very scary."

"And I did butterflies and rainbows! They're to make you happy when you feel down about breaking your leg."

Korra looked to the outside of her leg to Ikki's more childish rendering. There were more colors than she had ever worn in her life in the small area.

"Thanks guys, this is nice. Now I like looking at my cast."

"You're welcome!"

"Kids, it's time for lunch!" Pema called out.

Ikki and Meelo hopped up from their seated positions. Meelo moved to the back of Korra's chair and Ikki ran to catch Rohan. The four then headed to lunch together.

Asami checked her watch against the clock on the wall, to make sure she wasn't early by mistake. She had been sitting in Raiko's reception area for over twenty minutes since she spoke with his secretary. She noticed the middle-aged woman had been occasionally looking up from her book to sneak a puzzled glance. No sooner did she think it, did the woman do it again. Self consciously Asami tucked a few loose tendrils of hair behind her ear. Was she having a bad hair day and didn't realize it? Before Asami could question it further, Raiko's door finally opened.

"Ah-ha sahmee?" Raiko called out, his voice a bit horse. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Asami?"

"President Raiko," Asami replied following him into the office, draft drawings in tow.

"I read a great article yesterday, did you see it?" Raiko asked before tossing the Republic Magazine on his desk at Asami.

For a moment Asami was curious what he must have read until she saw herself and Korra staring back from the cover. Before she could think of anything clever to say, Raiko continued.

"A warning would have been nice. Do you know how many calls I've gotten about this in the past twenty-four hours? And what, Avatar Korra broke her leg too?"

"She did," was all Asami could muster at the moment. Her mind was racing, she had completely forgotten about Raiko. Could he have even been trusted with the information? Maybe a day in advance. Asami's stomach tightened. They should have at least done that.

Raiko sat down in his chair, so Asami sat as well.

"I don't know what to say about all of this," Raiko started, poking at the magazine, pushing it a few inches farther away from him, as if it were a creature he was afraid might bite. "I just keep telling people I can't comment at this time."

Asami watched Raiko shift in his seat.

"What do I say about this? I'm asking you."

Asami cocked her head.

"You heard me," Raiko waved his hand at the magazine. "What do I say?"

Asami cleared her throat. "Well, what do you want to say?"

"Frankly a lot of things. I'm shocked. Confused. I don't get it." Raiko paused to rub his chin for a few moments. His brow was deeply furrowed as if in deep consideration. "You could have any man in this city, you know that, right? I guess if you're going to hop the fence for anyone, the Avatar is…" Raiko trailed off. "You know, I always wondered about her. She's not a feminine woman."

"Korra likes men more than I do."

"You're saying she switched for you?"

Asami let out a long sigh, giving herself a chance to collect her patience. "Korra likes men and women."

Raiko opened his mouth to speak but hesitated.

"Not at the same time. She's only dating me, but has the capacity to fall in love with a man or woman."

Raiko steepled his fingers and then subtly pointed them to her. "And you…?"

"At this point, I think I'm only attracted to women but I did date a man…" Asami trailed off and then winced. "This isn't anything you should discuss with anyone else. This is personal information I feel compelled to share since we may have forgotten to give you a heads up."

Raiko slapped his hands on his desk and then clasped them together. "Got it. I think."

Asami sighed again. The fingers on her right moved to her chin and then rubbed thoughtfully under her nose. "We need you to support us. You don't have to understand it, but at least support our decision to be open about it. You can phrase that however you like."

Raiko looked down at his hands. "You two are sure about this? This isn't just fling you two overzealously shared with the world?"

"Would you be asking that if one of us were a man?"

Raiko took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "No, probably not. I'll make a formal comment tomorrow. I'll have a staffer drop off a copy to you tonight for approval."

"You don't have to-"

"You and Avatar Korra have done a lot for this city… I know I haven't been the most appreciative of your efforts, especially Avatar Korra's. Consider my support a thank you. So, shall we get down to business? What have you got planned for our citizens to commute around that giant bug zapper in the middle of the city?"

Asami picked up her drawings that were rolled up and resting beside her bag at her feet. She placed the roll in the middle of the table and flattened out the large pages. On the bottom was a map of the city before Kuvira's attack. The next sheet was vellum with a drawing of the portal and vines, showing their placement on the old map and then lastly vellum showing Asami's new road map.

"We can salvage most of the area if we raise the roads over ground zero." Asami pointed to the small circle representing the spirit portal in the center of the map. It looked like a bullseye, with the ring around it representing the spirit vines, and then another circle for Asami's draft of the roundabout.
"This way we maximize the space without much interaction with the portal and vines. I think for aesthetic purposes we keep a good distance from the Portal. We'll have a roundabout going around the Portal, so it will be a bit of a nuisance for those who need to get to the other side, but this won't be the only way for people to cross the city. More a way to make the streets and buildings right next to the Portal accessible. I don't think we should have any formal roadways going to the portal itself. I know we have a temporary wall preventing entry, but I think some kind of secondary permanent fencing along the perimeter where the vines are still fairly dense should be built. This is now protected land and until we know what having a spirit portal entails we need to keep it fairly separate."

"I humored Tenzin's daughter by putting her in charge of things down there. Can you give me a more accurate idea of when this new claim to fame of ours can be profitable? At least for increasing tourism? That was the only saving grace of the spirit wilds."

"This is more complicated. I'm going to get the area around it up and functional again, but anything beyond that I would not expect until the next year or two."

"You know what buying back the land is going to cost? That area is prime downtown real estate."

"Even though the portal is not directly accessible, people will come."

Raiko waved her off. "After the road project, I need you to help me think of a real revenue generator for this city. We need to bounce back and bounce back fast."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Well if that's it, I say we go with whatever you got on these plans for the roads and be done with it."

"Are you sure he'll do it?" Izzi asked, trailing behind Shey as they traversed through piles of rubble. The pair had just wasted a good thirty minutes wandering around the Future Industries construction zone before finding out Bolin wasn't going to be there. They then tried the refugee camps, but came up empty, save for a tip to try downtown near the perimeter of ground zero.

"He's the darling of Republic City. Everyone loves him. He's perfect. Also, think of the excitement that will be generated just by people hearing he's coming out of retirement? All those Nuktuk fans!" Shey called back.

Izzi nearly tripped on a stray vine but caught herself. She took the long way around it to be safe. "This isn't the Nuktuk they're used to though… Nuktuk got the girl, not the guy. Speaking of, who is even going to play the other guy?"

"I'll figure that out once I know if Bolin will be our lead." Shey stopped and waited for Izzi to catch up.

"And what about our other project-"

"There he is," Shey interrupted. She stopped and waited for Izzi to catch up.

"What about the documover?" Izzi repeated once she was confident she'd be heard this time.

Shey shrugged casually. "We're not ditching it, besides we got lots of footage to slog through before we should shoot anything else. The plan is to cover all the reconstruction, which will take months, maybe even years to be completed."

"You really want to make this mover?"

"Timing is everything, you'll learn that," Shey said with a grin as she smoothed her slick black hair. With all their walking, they were both looking a bit more disheveled than Shey had hoped for their pitch to Bolin.

"Bolin," Shey cried out with a wave as they got closer. Bolin and Opal were sitting on a vine with a little picnic spread out between them. Before the pair had a chance to react, Shey and Izzie were upon them.

Bolin swallowed hard and looked to Opal for guidance. She could only offer a shrug. "So, what brings you by? Doing some more filming?" Bolin asked, despite silently noting the two women had no equipment on them. "Korra is going to be out of commission for a while I'm guessing."

Shey shifted awkwardly on her feet. She felt an unwanted heat rise on her face. "How is the Avatar?"

Bolin turned to Opal again, asking with his eyes what to say. Opal sighed and stepped in. "Her leg is broken, but she'll bounce back. I think it's more of a nuisance than anything else for her."

"That's good," Shey murmured.

Bolin nodded. "Thanks for stopping the tanks by the way. That probably saved her life."

"We couldn't just stand by and watch something like that happen. Besides, how many times has she saved all of us?" Izzi said with a smile looking to Shey. Her expression was hard to read, so she turned back to Opal and Bolin. "Anyways, we actually came here to speak with you Bolin, right Shey?"

At the sound of her name, Shey refocused. "We have a pitch."

Bolin cocked his head. "Yeah?"

"You ever thought about getting back into movers?"

"I mean, I haven't not, not thought about it," Bolin said trailing off at the end. He gave a sidelong glance to his girlfriend.

Opal rolled her eyes. "So yes."

Shey continued, "we have a film we want to make and you to be one of the stars."

"I'm interested," Bolin said leaning in.

"Really? You don't even know what it's about," Opal muttered.

"I have the script." Shey motioned to Izzi for the papers. "We feel it's very topical and a story that needs to be heard."

Izzi passed Bolin the script. Before he got a chance to flip through it Opal grabbed it from him.

"We'll give it a look," Bolin replied with an awkward girn.

"Here's my card. Come to our office if you want to get involved." Shey and Izzi both gave a slight bow and turned to leave.

Wu and Tu had spent the better part of their lunch break milling around the upper ring marketplace, a small cluster of shops located in an alley outside the gates of the palace.

"Shouldn't we get back to the palace to meet with Suyin?" Tu asked.

"Just this last little row and then we can go,"

The two men passed a small wooden booth selling newspapers and a few magazines. Tu lingered behind Wu checking to see if they had any fashion magazines when he saw two familiar women on one of the covers. "Wu, isn't that the Avatar?"

Wu stopped and walked back to Tu. "Yes and Asami Sato too," he muttered, pulling the magazine from the rack. "The two most powerful women in Republic City. They forgot to mention most beautiful too," Wu said wiggling his eyebrows.

"What's it about?" Tu asked, looking over Wu's shoulder.

"Oh, probably some article about them helping to save Republic City. I should have been interviewed as well, but I guess that would be hard with me here." Wu licked his pointer finger and flipped through the pages until he reached their article. The men silently stared at the two-page picture of Korra and Assmi holding hands.

"Quite a shocker, don't you think?"

Wu and Tu looked up, mouths agape, having forgotten the presence of the newsstand cashier.

The cashier rubbed his chin and continued. "Don't really get it myself. Couple of gorgeous girls like that could find boyfriends."

Wu, still in shock, slowly folded close the magazine and fished in his pocket for a few coins. "It's not like that… they're together because they want to be..." Wu placed the money on the booth's counter. He was about to grab Tu and walk away, but he hesitated and turned back. "Have many people purchased this magazine from you?"

"Naw, only got a few copies myself this morning. This may surprise you, but the biggest consumers of news are the middle ring. The richest and the poorest don't want to know what's coming, it's everyone else that wants to stay informed. I reckon it's because they want to know how to become rich and avoid being poor." When the cashier finished, he flashed a toothy grin.

Wu forced a chuckle and ushered Tu away from the booth. "We have got to go find Suyin."

Suyin held the Republic Magazine to her face one more time inspecting the cover. "And how many shops are selling this did he say?"

"Couldn't really confirm, but it's out there. So, you knew too?" Wu replied as he paced around Suyin's small palace bedroom. She had been given it for the duration of her stay. Just a bed with a small sitting area the three were currently occupying.

Suyin tossed the magazine on the coffee table separating her from the two young men, barely missing her teacup. "Yes, my daughter informed me. When did you find out?"

"From Mako, but not purposefully. I wish he had said something sooner; it would have helped explain his sullen behavior when he was here. So, is this going to be a crisis?"

"No. You remember our conversation about a month ago at the palace? These two are the perfect faces of the cause."

"I guess so… they're not getting married but… If you don't support the Avatar's relationship, then there is no persuading you on the matter. And I can't really see anyone defying the Avatar, not after all the times she's saved our hinnies."

"Hey, didn't they both date Mako…" Tu asked, breaking his long silence.

Wu started to laugh. "We talked about his dating history with Korra and Asami, and he's made peace with it, remember? This shouldn't rattle his cage. Though I'd pay to see the girls do something to cause that cute face he makes when he's exasperated."

Wu noticed Tu had fallen silent and was staring at the article. His eyes furrowed, mouth agape.

"Disappointed they're off the market?" Wu goaded with a light pat to Tu's hulking shoulder.

Tu shook his head and kept his eyes pensively on the magazine on the table. "No, I've just never known anyone like that before…"

"Do you have a problem with it?" Suyin started defensively, leaning in towards the table.

Wu held up his had to her and shook his head. He was about to mouth something to Suyin but Tu shot up from his seat.

"I should get back and check on the family. I've been gone too long today."

"That's fine Tu. Suyin and I will likely have some business for the rest of the day at the palace. Swing by my place later if you want to grab some dinner," Wu said, flashing a smile. Tu nodded and made his way out of the room. The door clicked closed.

"He seemed a little uncomfortable," Suyin said after a few moments of silence.

Wu tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair eyeing the open seat Tu once occupied. "Yeah, a little bit."

"I thought my soon to be son-in-law was a meathead, guess it runs in the family."

"He's a really good guy. Tu supplied the crew that helped us with operation 'she who will not be named'."

"He's pretty cute too."

"He's not bad-hey!"

Suyin smiled. "I don't think he's an option though."

Wu sighed and leaned onto the armrest of his chair. "I'm bombing with both sexes. Do you happen to know of a third option?"

"Air nomads recognized a third gender for those who did not identify with their sex of birth," Suyin said matter-of-factly. "I need to call Korra. I'm sure she will want us to do damage control for this in the capital. I wonder if they knew the paper would travel this far… I want to do it at your place though. I don't trust my phone here."

Bolin and Opal returned to Air Temple Island for dinner. Once the meal was over most had scattered save Korra, Ikki and Meelo.

"So I've been asked to be in a mover, what do ya'll think? Is it time for me to return to the big screen?" Bolin asked the group, giving his eyebrows a wiggle.
Opal rolled her eyes at Korra, who was seated beside her at the far end of the table. The Avatar's cast covered leg was awkwardly splayed out beside her. It was easier to leave it out from under the table, but it was in danger of getting tripped on in its exposed state.

"I don't see why not," Korra replied with a shrug. She dared a look at Opal who did not share her boyfriend's enthusiasm.

"A thousand times yes!" Ikki shouted.

"What's it about? Hopefully not more Nuktuk, right?" Korra asked.

Meelo's ears perked up. "Something with some action at least!"

Bolin rubbed the back of his head. "Well I haven't actually read the script yet, so I don't know what it's about."

"You have to read it before you agree to anything. You were just saying you were sick of being other people's mouthpiece? You need to know what you are signing up for before you do something like this again," Opal scolded.

"It's so long though!" Bolin reached under the table and plopped the stack of bound papers on the table. The thud made dishware wobble and clank. "The Nuktuk mover's scripts were just a few doodles made by Varrick and annotated by Zhu Li."

"And look where it got you, making propaganda."

"She's got a point Bolin, you should probably read it this time. Besides if that's the script, you're going to need to read it anyway to learn all those lines," Korra added.

"I can help you practice your lines!" Ikki offered, reaching across the table for the script. Her little arms struggled to pull the massive stack of papers towards her. She moved aside her dinner plate and started reading the script.

"So, where's Asami?" Bolin asked.

"Working late, but she should be coming here soon to spend the night. Did you see Mako last night at your apartment?"

Bolin thought for a moment. "He wasn't home, I haven't seen him since I ran into him at Little Ba Sing Se. I assume he's heard you broke your leg?"
"It's fine if he's too busy to visit, I was more curious if he was staying away because of the article."

Bolin pursed his lips as he considered Korra's words. "I mean maybe, but he was also telling me the other day that he just kinda needs space to do his own thing for a while. He's trying to get his career going here again. I think he felt like his time in Ba Sing Se was not a waste of time, but a distraction. Like an extension of the Wu-sitting he was already doing."

Opal touched Korra's arm and gave it a squeeze. "This will be the worst of it for him, but once everyone gets over you and Asami's announcement life will just all settle back into normal."

"Bolin, do you know who's playing your boyfriend?" Ikki asked, startling the other four.

"Boyfriend?"

"Yeah, I think this is a story about two boys in love. It's pretty good so far…" Ikki said, flipping to the next page.

Opal raised an eyebrow at Bolin, who was still processing the information. "You have my blessings to do the mover now."

"Give me that!" Bolin grumbled, pulling the script back over to his side of the table.

"Don't lose my place!" Ikki barked back.

Bolin folded the upper corner of the page Ikki left off at and flipped to the front of the script. At the top was a note stating Shey wanted him to read for the role of "Yang Lee."

The three girls watched Bolin read through the script. He was mouthing the words to himself.

Ikki rested her chin on her hands and leaned across the table. "You get to the kissing scene yet?"

Bolin flinched and his face quickly went pink. "Kissing scene?!"

"Well, this mover isn't going to be anything you're going to have to worry about being jealous of, Opal," Korra teased.

Opal grinned. "Honestly keeps sounding better and better. Strangely enough, I'm not put off by the idea of seeing Boling kiss another man."

Ikki was now blushing. "Wha?"

"This is getting weird, I'm out," Meelo announced standing up from the table. The other four had forgotten his presence since he was so uncharacteristically quiet. He then tucked a book under his arm and left.

"Meelo reading?" Korra asked no one in particular. "That's the strangest thing happening in the room."

"What strange things are happening in here?" Asami asked, walking in not seconds after Meelo vacated.

"Bolin's gotta boyfriend!" Ikki shouted with glee.

"In the mover he's going to be starring in," Opal clarified.

"A mover? Bolin, I thought you wanted to get into construction?"

Bolin cleared his throat. "Yeah, I think that would still be best. Nice and manly construction! You find me an apprenticeship yet?"

"Seriously, you're going to bail on this because you'll be playing a gay man? I think that will be revolutionary. What's the story about?" asked Opal.
"Two detectives…" Bolin muttered petulantly.

Opal slapped the table. "You love detective stories! This is the perfect opportunity!"

Bolin folded his arms and scrunched his body."I know… it's just…"

"You're worried if you do this movie people will think you're gay?" Asami asked.

Bolin bowed his head, sinking into himself more. "It's stupid and to say that in front of you and Korra. I-I'm ashamed."

"I mean, people might," Korra said with a shrug. "People who don't know you, or that you're engaged. Even then, they might wonder."

"Who cares though, right?" Opal put a hand over Bolin's. "We know who you are."

"I can allocate some of my press team to help make your wedding plans make the news," Asami offered.

"No, that won't be necessary. It's a stupid concern. Only weeks ago I encouraged you two to bravely tell the truth of who you are and I can't even handle the thought of people suspecting something similar of myself." Bolin rose from his seat on the floor and pointing a hand to the ceiling. "That's preposterous! If they think I'm gay, they are wrong, but there is nothing wrong with being gay!"

As Bolin was pontificating, Pema slid the door open and poked her head in, just in time to hear his final declaration.

"Phone for Korra."

Bolin's face reddened and he quickly shot back down to his seat at the table.

"Tell them to give me a minute, I gotta get back up in my chair."

Bolin and Opal both moved at the same time to help Korra and bonked heads.

"I got her," Asami announced.

Korra slid her mobile leg out from under the table and then scooted her whole body further away. "Man I didn't think this through when I got down here. Usually the transfer isn't from such a low place."

"What happened to your cast?" Asami asked, leaning over to get a look at it.

"Meelo and I did!" Ikki chimed in.

Asami smiled. "You did the butterflies and rainbows right?"

Ikki nodded enthusiastically.

"They are lovely. Thanks for giving my girlfriend a little glamour."

"Here I got you Korra," Bolin said positioning his body behind Korra and grabbing her under the armpits. "Now kick off the floor with your good leg!" Korra obeyed and her right leg pivoted her up into a standing position. Asami moved the chair beside Bolin and he aimed Korra in front of it, so Korra just needed to sit down.

"I should be able to do that on my own, I'm not weak, it's just my leg."

"We know, but you can't risk trying to use your left leg reflexively," Asami said.

"I know… I can at least go answer the phone on my own," Korra said, taking the wheels at her side and propelling them forward.

Once Korra was out of the room, Bolin and Asami sat back down at the table.

"So, who's putting on this new mover?" Asami asked.

Bolin flinched. He picked up the script and flipped it back to the first page, which featured the script's title and author. "I wonder if you might know her…"

Asami collected the script and inspected the name. Her cheeks reddened, but then her face quickly turned pale.

"What's wrong, Aasami?" Ikki asked moving closer. "Oh wait, now I know why that name sounded familiar. Isn't she?"

"Yes."

Ikki clasped her hands over her mouth.

"How about cluing us in here?" Opal said with a wave.

Asami pushed the script away. "Shey is my ex."

Bolin snapped his fingers and looked to Opal. "I knew there was something she wasn't saying the other day when she asked about you."

"She was asking about me?"

Bolin turned back to Asami. "I crossed paths with Shey at your construction site. We just had a brief conversation, mostly about what I was doing there, but you came up."

"Oh no, she's seen the article!" Asami grabbed her forehead with her hand and leaned onto the table.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Bolin asked.

Opal scrunched her face and elbowed her boyfriend "Why would that be good?"

"You know, that Asami's moved on… I guess not, even if you're broken up that hurts…"

Asami peeked out from her behind her hand. "I wasn't the most honest with her when we broke up."

"You left her for Korra," Opal said, more a statement than a question.

Ikki dramatically shook her head and leaned over the table with excitement. "Not even, Korra wasn't even back. She just loved her so much!"

Opal smirked. "My first impression of you Asami wasn't that you were the type to sit around and pine for someone for years."

"Did you like Korra that whole time she was sick?" Bolin asked, cocking his head curiously. Asami's blush deepened under his scrutiny. "You big old mush puddle. If only the rest of the world knew that the big bad businesswoman Asami Sato is a hardcore romantic."

"Why did you keep dating Shey from us though?" Opal asked. "Or were you not together long enough for that?"

Asami regained her composure. "I was going to introduce her to everyone but… I realized it wouldn't have been fair to her."

"So, what do you want me to do about the script? I can pass if it would be too awkward."

Asami looked down at the table for a moment. She noted the swirling and whirling grain pattern of the wood. The idea of quickly making this all go away with Korra none the wiser was very tempting. She looked over to Ikki; the young girl was staring at her intensely. Their conversation at the beach came back to her and then she knew what she needed to do. Asami gave a small nod and Ikki beamed.

"No, I want you to do the mover. I need to tell Korra the truth, just give me a little time to figure out the best way."

The halls were empty as Korra wheeled herself to the phone room. She was grateful she didn't have to face any sympathetic faces awkwardly dodging out of her way as she did on her way to dinner. She was used to people giving her a wide berth as she passed, but when she was in this chair it was ridiculous.
When she arrived, she kept her chair facing down the hallway so it was easier to just slide open the door. It then took her a minute to rotate the chair in the right direction to enter the room. It moved well enough forward, but any turns were easier with someone else pushing.
"Asami has got to take a look at this design and make some improvements," Korra muttered as she parked herself at the desk. She picked up the receiver and cleared her throat before saying hello.

"Korra, it's Suyin."

"Suyin, good to hear from you. How is reconstruction coming along in Zaofu?"

"Going well, but I am actually currently in Ba Sing Se. I wanted to let you know that your magazine has made it for sale out here."

"Oh… well, the word was going to travel at some point out there, at least people will find out from the direct source."

"You weren't aware it was going to come this far?"

"Honestly I don't know, it was the Public Relations team from Asami's company that was hired to take care of everything. Asami might have known, but I didn't even think to ask where this was and wasn't going. Do you know how it's being received?"

"Not yet, Wu and I wanted to know how you would like us to get in front of this, if necessary."

Korra craned her neck to look out the door to see if anyone was nearby. "That's more of an Asami question…"

"Is she available to join the call?"

"Yeah she's here, but in the dining room," Korra mumbled, scratching at the back of her head. "I'll have to go get her, I don't see anyone I can flag down. Give me five minutes."

"Five minutes?" Suyin repeated, but Korra didn't hear her, having already put the receiver back down on the table.

Korra grumbled to herself as she backed out from the table and propelled herself out the door. It was at least easier getting out than getting in. She again made her way down the hallway back towards the dining room. It wasn't long before she was in front of one of the closed doors into the dining room. She reached out and slid the door to the side, revealing Ikki, Bolin, Opal and Asami still hanging around the table.

"Hey," Korra muttered breaking up the conversation. All four perked up like they were being scolded.

"So who was it?" Bolin asked.

"Suyin, but she wants to talk to Asami too."

Asami shot up in her seat. "There wasn't anyone around to notify me?"

Korra shrugged. "Naw. I'll take a push for this now, for time's sake."

"What does Suyin want?" Asami asked as she crossed the dining room.

"We're going to be famous in Ba Sing Se."

"Ah."

"Tell my mom I say hi," Opal called out as the pair left.

"She just wants to know how we'd like her to handle damage control," Korra offered as they made their way through the halls.

"That's kind of her to take that on. Funny, I was speaking with Raiko today about the very same thing. He's going to respond to the public in our favor."

"I would hope so."

Asami parked Korra at the small desk in the phone room and pulled up a chair beside her. Korra passed the receiver over.

"Suyin?"

"Asami. How are you?"

"I am well. You are in Ba Sing Se?"

"Yes, I'm here checking in on how things are progressing in the capital. To be honest I am not impressed. I am speaking to you on Wu's phone, I am at his upper ring bungalow."

"How long are you going to be there?"

"In Ba Sing Se, I am now not sure. I have accommodations in the palace but, I might make a move to get some temporary lodging offsite. I have lost confidence in having any privacy there. I was going to mention this to Korra first, but I want your support as well. I plan to make moves towards holding an election here in Ba Sing Se for a leadership role that would oversee all the individual rulers of the states of the Earth Kingdom. With no centralized power, it again has created a vacuum for more powerful states to make a move to improve their own situations at the cost of the more vulnerable ones."

"May I assume you will be a candidate for this election?"

"Yes. I need Korra's support, along with any other politically connected individuals from the United Republic and elsewhere."

"It's a gamble Suyin, do you have any idea who would want to run against you?"

"I am trying to suss that out. I have few people I might guess, but honestly, I could see most of these scoundrels nominating themselves."

"Are you talking about our article?" Korra asked, leaning into Asami as if she could hear their conversation if she just moved a little bit closer.

Asami covered the receiver's mouthpiece. "Politics."

Korra nodded and slumped back into her seat.

"You have my support and I can speak for Korra to say you will have hers as well. I will catch her up to speed on what you told me. So are we the talk of the town there? What's the atmosphere?"

"I am not sure, it's still early days here, I think the magazine just went on sale today."

"I trust your judgment in your support. We only ask that you don't share any personal anecdotes about our relationship. What we told people in the article is as far in depth we want to go regarding our personal lives. I also ask when speaking public not get too into the weeds about sexuality semantics. You can speak broadly to them, but don't get sucked into a discussion that analyzes ours. And we are not getting married. I still want to support the right to, but I am not ready to do anything like that myself."

"Understood. May I speak to Korra again briefly?"

Asami unconsciously nodded, forgetting Suyin couldn't see her and pulled the receiver away from her ear and towards Korra. She accepted it and held it to her own.

"Suyin."

"Korra, any feedback of your own?"

"Naw, I think Asami covered it."

"I was wondering if you were maybe available soon to come to Ba Sing Se for a visit? Things are stable in the United Republic, so now would be a good time to visit and show your support. Let the Earth Kingdom know there aren't any hard feelings about… Kuvira."

Korra blew out some air. "I probably should… though I am not in the best shape right now."

"What do you mean?"

"I broke my leg the other day..." Korra muttered.

"How?! Was there an attack?"

"No, just a stupid accident in the warzone clean up."

"You should be more careful Korra-"

Korra cut Suyin off, not wanting to hear one more lecture about being careful. "I know, I know. I've heard it all. Let me think about it."

"We'll take you any way we can get you. I'll be in touch soon with any updates."

"Okay, goodnight Suyin," Korra hung up the phone and looked to Asami. "She wants me to visit Ba Sing Se."

Asami gave a nod. "It's not the worst idea, Ming did mention keeping us apart with good deeds was a good strategy… but for how long? And are you even up to it?"

"I dunno, in my current state I don't feel like I would be showing any sign of strength," Korra said with a shrug.

"Especially if Suyin wants you in her corner. We need to get you upright, maybe a pair of crutches over the wheelchair."

"Speaking of, I have some suggestions for improving the model. Think Future Industries would want to get into manufacturing wheelchairs?"

"For you, I'd have them make anything,"

"How do you feel about spending the night here?" Korra asked, reaching out a hand to Asami.

Asami accepted the hand with her own and massaged the back of it with her thumb. "It would easier since we're already here." She looked down at their clasped hands and took a breath. Asami almost had mustered enough courage to tell Korra about Shey when she noticed Korra was starting to lean in. The Avatar stopped and chucked.

"I can't move any closer, but I want to kiss you."

Asami let out the breath she was holding with a nervous giggle. "I'll come to you."

Asami rose from her seat and planted her hands on the armrests of the wheelchair for support. She then leaned down to eye level with Korra.
"This better…"

"Yes," Korra whispered as she closed the distance between them.

To be continued…