Thank you Toast for editing and keeping me consistent!
"We've got to follow them," Kai called out as he used a burst of air to launch onto the next roof. Once he cleared the gap, he darted close to the edge and peered down at the chaos of bodies as he ran.
The crowd was so thick with people. Arms were raised and waving as people hooted and hollered. Kai couldn't see Kuvira any more. All he could do was follow the townies, moving like a swarm, and trust Kuvira was still somewhere in the middle of it.
"Are you crazy? And what about our mission?" Yung asked as he stumbled to keep up with Kai.
Kai glanced back to see the Airbender group following after him. "Anyone who wants to stay, that's fine, but I'm going."
"We should get Lefty. They're probably going to take her to the state capital. That's the closest airfield," Yanten shouted.
Kai stopped. The rest did as well, skidding a bit on the sloped tiles of the roofs.
"Good idea," Kai grunted, his breath starting to fail him. "We can catch up with them on Lefty, no problem."
Kai rushed back at the group, passing between Cheng and Chang. "Let's go!"
The wind blew hard against the bow of a Cabbage Corp shipping vessel as it cut through the rough and icy waters near the Southern Air Temple islands. A few moments ago, the captain had made an announcement; they'd have to take the long way around the islands.
Kya cursed the rough seas under her breath from the balcony of the upper deck. Hitching a ride on a Cabbage Corp cargo ship was obviously not her and her mother's first choice to get to Republic City, but it was still their fastest option despite the bad weather.
It's going to be Korra all over again, Kya thought after taking the call from Tenzin urging them to start treating Rohan as soon as possible. How many years had her mother worked on Korra, with an unbreakable persistence undeterred by Korra's surly moods?
Kya had recently learned part of the reason for the slow progress in Korra's recovery was that she still had the metallic poison in her body, something she and her mother were blind to. Even now, Kya wondered if she could detect that presence in a body if faced with a similar healing challenge again.
Kya was hoping she could make time on this trip to have a conversation with Korra to learn what she could about the poison, how it felt once she was made aware it was still in her body.
"It's rougher than a grumpy polar bear dog out here," Katara muttered, pulling her fur collar to her neck. Kya jumped. She had been in too much of a daze with her musings to notice her mother had joined her.
"Ma, you shouldn't be out here."
"I want to see the islands. They remind me of your father."
Kya softened. She took a few steps closer to Katara, so they were side by side at the balcony. She put her arm around her mother, quietly marveling at how short she had become. "Me too…"
Suyin looked around the conference room, feeling quite pleased with herself. Unlike the larger conference room used for the meeting of all state representatives the other day, the one she occupied now was intended for intimate meetings. Sofas and plush armchairs were littered around the perimeter, creating a circle. A few small end tables sprinkled here and there. Green and gold walls. Green and gold furniture. Green and gold coloring right down to the teacup she held in her lap. Suyin utilized Earth Kingdom national colors in decor as much as the next province, but she found the palace was excessive.
Suyin took a sip of her, no surprise, green tea. She was half-listening to the meeting, but it wasn't anything too important. Her anxiety was now replaced with productive energy. After the presidential proposal meeting went so well, more talks would be happening soon, and candidates would start coming forward. She had her campaign to begin planning.
Suyin traded her teacup for a notebook to write down who to call back in Zaofu. She needed to assemble her own campaign team. She already had a few advisors in mind to be flown out as soon as possible. It was looking like she would be here for a while, so she should probably send for her family; Wing and Wei at the very least. She stole a look at Wu, who also seemed to have his mind elsewhere.
The door to the meeting room opened a crack, then swung wide and slammed into the wall with a loud clang. Everyone turned to the open doorway, startled.
Nine male Dai Li agents entered the room in a small v-shape, not unlike a turtle-goose flock. The one break in the circle of furniture around the room was at the entrance. The Dai Li had a captive audience.
"It's the Dai Li…" someone whispered, followed by a chorus of murmurs.
"This is a closed meeting for state officials only," a stout male representative of Chin called out to the intruders.
"The Dai Li. I've been wondering where you all snuck off to," Suyin grumbled.
At the point of the Dai Li's formation was a man with a golden armband; he stepped forward to speak. "We never left."
Suyin blinked, surprised he had heard her.
"You have no right to be at this meeting," the representative of Chin repeated with a pound of his fist. A few other members echoed the sentiment pounding on the tables nearest them.
Wu scooted a bit closer to Suyin in the loveseat they shared. "I don't have a good feeling about this…"
Suyin patted Wu's knee. "We can't let them intimidate us," she whispered as she rose. "So," Suyin started, walking behind some of the other seated members. "Where have you been these past three years? I would have assumed your organization would have seized control of the capital when the queen fell."
"We found our own path through the change of power."
"Is this all of you? Is it safe to assume the majority of your organization merged with Kuvira's forces and are now in prison?" Suyin asked as she continued to make her way around the room.
The Dai Li leader smirked. "Thank you for providing the perfect segue. It has come to our knowledge that Kuvira is alive. She was spotted outside of a farming village in New Gaipan."
The room filled with gasps.
"Impossible, Kuvira is dead," Suyin said with a wave of her hand. "And why would we be hearing this from you and not-"
Two palace guards and the staffer Satchi who met Suyin on the airdocks the day of her arrival, darted into the doors left open by the Dai Lee.
"News. From the aviation tower," the staffer started between wheezing breaths.
The representative from Chin bolted from his seat. "Out with it, Satchi!"
Satchi nodded as he sucked in a few breaths of air. "Kuvira has been found alive."
The Dai Lee leader smirked. "They are bringing her to the palace. She's about half a day's ride away."
Satchi's eyes bulged, having just had the words taken right out of his mouth.
"How can they be sure it's her?" A stateswoman from Gaoling asked aloud.
The Dai Li leader didn't wait for Satchi to answer. He stepped towards the woman. "A positive identification will have to wait until she arrives at the palace, but in the meantime," his head swiveled and locked on Prince Wu.
"We are here to arrest Prince Wu for conspiracy to release Kuvira from her execution."
The whole room gasped.
Wu clutched a decorative pillow to his chest and shrank behind it. "What?"
"No!" Suyin shouted, moving to stand in front of Prince Wu.
The governor of Omashu rose from his lounge chair. "That makes no sense. Kuvira, for all intents and purposes, stole the crown from Prince Wu. Why would he suddenly conspire to set her free?"
A majority of the people nodded, and again, the room filled with cries and side conversations.
"That's preposterous!"
"Had to be someone else," another added.
"She's dead!"
"I can't believe we were honestly going to execute the woman," a representative from Omashu said to the woman seated beside her.
"We'll she ended up dying anyway," the other replied.
Suyin turned to address the group. She held up her hands in an attempt to silence the many shouts and cries. "Everyone, please!"
"I thought it was fishy crashing in the desert," cried out one more representative as a hush fell over the room.
Suyin turned back to the flock of Dai Li. "You have no authority over this matter."
"We don't need your authority. The Dai Li serves the Earth Kingdom. Kuvira is an enemy of our kingdom, and therefore anyone who aids and abets her is one too. We are taking Prince Wu into our custody."
Four Dai Li agents pushed past Suyin and were swiftly on either side of Wu. Two grasped him by the arm. The other two stood in front of him and behind him once he was on his feet. The agent behind Wu bent a pair of metal hands connected by a chain to cuff the prince's wrists.
"Suyin!"
Suyin turned to the two palace guards beside Satchi. "Stop those men!"
When the guards hesitated, Suyin took it upon herself to raise her arms and hurl some metal plates onto the calves of the men holding Wu. The blow from the metal caused the men to stumble, but they did not entirely lose their footing.
"Suyin, what are you doing?" said Bashir, a representative from Omashu Suyin had befriended the other day in her quest for supporters, as he grabbed her by the back of the arm.
"No bending in the palace!" Satchi warned.
"We can't just let them take Prince Wu…" Suyin whispered to Bashir.
"I'm afraid we're going to have to…"
The rain made erratic tapping on the glass window above Mako's desk at the station. He turned around in his chair to look outside to see just how bad it was coming down, but it was too dark. His window faced the lightwell, and there was no lamp out there to shine any light on the situation.
Mako looked down at the stack of paperwork Lin had dropped on his desk before taking off to the island. She didn't even ask if he was going anymore. He had desperately been trying to keep a low profile, but it seemed that the people in his life were making that impossible; Korra's accident, her magazine article, and now Rohan's injury. Mako needed to visit but just couldn't seem to bring himself to.
Mako leaned down and opened the bottom drawer of his desk. He pushed aside a few folders and pulled out a copy of the Republic Magazine. It had been placed on his desk a few days ago with a note that read 'Mako the dyke-maker.'
Mako had crumpled the note and trashed it immediately but couldn't bring himself to do the same with the magazine. He didn't have the strength to read it either. He stared down at his two past girlfriends. They confidently looked back up at him. Mako's attention focused on the small text below the headline indicating the page number of their article.
The fingers on Mako's left hand fidgeted as he considered reaching out and finally flipping to page twelve. Just read the damn article and move on. Instead, he pulled a folder from his to-do pile and was about to open it when the phone in Lin's office rang. He looked over to Tan, who was getting ready for the night shift. Tan appeared to be unmoved by the phone, most likely because Lin's office line was not the main number.
Mako ignored it for a few rings, and then curiosity got the better of him. If it was important enough to call Lin directly, he could take care of it, not like he had better plans this evening.
Mako walked around his desk and then jogged into Lin's office to catch the phone in time.
"Republic City Police headquarters, Detective Mako."
"Mako?" a familiar-sounding female voice called out.
"Speaking."
"It's Suyin. I take it Lin has left for the day?"
Mako unconsciously nodded. "Yes, she's on her way to the temple."
"Okay, I'll call over there… I wanted to talk to Lin first on this, but…"
"Is something wrong?"
"Yes, it's Prince Wu…"
Mako's stomach lept. "What's going on? Is he okay?"
"Listen, we probably shouldn't even be speaking on this line, but he was arrested by the Dai Li who have emerged from hiding because somehow Kuvira has been found alive."
"What?!" Mako shouted, taking a few rapid steps backward. The phone's cradle came with him, nearly reaching the edge of the desk. His eye caught Tan's, who had looked up from his boot shining. Mako took a few steps and pushed the phone cradle back to a safe spot on Lin's desk.
"Go to Airtemple Island. I will call over there. Actually, do you by chance know how to get in touch with Tu?"
"I have the phone number of my family's new residence in the lower ring."
"Great, see if you can reach him there and have him meet me at Wu's house, right away. I am going there now and will call temple island when I arrive."
"On it," Mako said and then returned the phone to its cradle.
Tan lazily looked up from his boots. "Anything I need to worry about?"
"Negative, just some drama with the soon to be in-laws."
"Your brother is a smart man, marrying into money like that," Tan said with a chuckle and a shake of his head. "Had things turned out differently, you both coulda been marrying rich broads."
Mako commandeered a police vehicle and drove home as fast as he could, flipping on the siren only a few times to get through congested areas. He figured it wouldn't be missed till morning, and even then, not even.
Once in his apartment, he threw off his uniform jacket and keys onto the couch by the door. The place was a mess. It has essentially become a storage locker. The boys would come in, dump off old clothes, and leave without giving the apartment a second look.
Mako noted that he and Bolin needed to talk about taking better care of the place. As he flipped through piles of mail and random flyers on their small kitchen table, looking for the postcard Grandma Yin had sent with the family's new address and number, he wished that conversation had already happened.
Defeated, Mako plopped down in one of the two chairs, resting his elbows on the table as he grabbed the back of his head. He rubbed his hair a few furious times, then looked up. On the refrigerator was the postcard, held up by a souvenir magnet from Little Ba Sing Se, of Little Ba Sing Se.
Mako dashed out of the chair, ripped the postcard out from under the magnet, and grabbed the phone. He tapped the card on the phone cradle as he impatiently waited for someone to answer.
"Hello?" a hesitant female voice asked.
"Grandma?"
"Mako!" Grandma Yin said, perking up immediately. "It is so nice to hear from you! When are you and your brother going to come and see us with his fiance?"
Mako pinched the bridge of his nose and prayed for patience. "Soon, Grandma."
"He better not turn out like his father and never let us get to know his bride."
"Grandma, I need to talk to Tu. Is he around?"
Grandma Yin clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "That boy has been so aloof lately. He comes and goes whenever he pleases, barely works a shift at the new fruit stand. I thought he was working with Prince Wu, a good government job, but now he's saying that's not happening anymore."
"So he's not home?"
"No, and I don't know when he's coming back," Grandma Yin said with a sigh. "Will you tell Prince Wu to come by and talk some sense into that boy?"
Mako let out a stifled laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. Wu actually needs to see Tu, urgently. But Tu has to go to Wu's place. Please pass this along to Tu as soon as you see him."
"Alright... I don't know when that will be, but…" Grandma Yin muttered.
"I know, but please tell him as soon as you can."
"Alright, Mako dear, and don't you forget to come to visit real soon."
After Mako hung up with Grandma Yin, he rushed to Air Temple Island. The group that received him was small; Lin, Korra, Asami, Bolin, and Opal, basically team Avatar. It did mean they could cram into the phone room to listen to Suyin.
"We'll leave first thing in the morning, mom, don't start any more fights until we get there," Opal said as she held the receiver close with two hands. "I love you." When she heard her mother repeat the sentiment, she passed the phone to Lin.
"Suyin," Lin grumbled, taking Opal's seat. "You're certain you don't want me to come?"
Opal let out a sigh and turned to the group. "It can't actually be her, right? We dropped her off in the Fire Nation, how many weeks ago?"
Lin turned around and eyed the group. "Can you kids take it outside?"
The group nodded and filed out of the phone room to stand in the hallway.
Bolin rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he stepped out the door. "Mako and I had this job when we were teens catching pygmy pumas. Did you know Republic City was crawling with them at one point? So we'd set traps in the alleys and cage them. Then drive them out to the city limits to let 'em go, and sure enough, they'd be right back where we found them a few days later."
The group groaned.
"What?" Bolin looked around, confused. "It's instinctive. Creatures want to return to their home."
"Kuvira turning up in New Gaipan is odd, but Bolin's theory could support it. If she caught a ferry from any of the Fire Nation islands to either around the United Republic at a port in north or south Chuli or even Hong..." Asami said as she looked up at her mental map.
The others shared a look, having been unable to follow Asami's geographical knowledge dump. She continued undeterred. "...Or she braved a port in the United Republic, some of those Fire Nation islands are so close to the river from West Lake. Though if she were heading to Ba Sing Se, she'd be better off staying on the river versus trekking through the region…"
Asami looked around the room. "But going to Ba Sing Se is a death sentence. When you dropped her off, she seemed committed to living a quiet life, right? No secret intentions for world domination?"
Opal shrugged. "I mean, she seemed to have made peace with it all, but I guess who the heck knows? We didn't stick around to see if she had her fingers crossed behind her back when we asked her to play dead in the Fire Nation."
"It can't be her. Not unless someone found her in the Fire Nation and brought her to the Earth Kingdom. I believe in Kuvira. She would not have left willingly," Korra urged.
"I trust your Avatar intuition," Bolin offered.
"Are we expecting Tenzin to come back tonight?" Opal asked.
Korra shrugged. "He and Pema still haven't slept here. Now that I think about it, Pema hasn't come back once. The girls or Tenzin have been bringing her fresh clothes."
"I'll try calling the hospital, and if I can't get through, we can send a junior airbender over with a note. You all can go ahead; I'll wait for the phone to free up."
As they moved through the halls, Zhou Rhen stepped out of the shadows. "I'm sorry to have eavesdropped, but I would like to accompany you on this mission. If you'll have me."
"Yeah," Korra said with a weak smile. "Tenzin suggested you come with me anyway. Pack your things and be ready by six am by the docks."
Zhou Rhen gave Korra a slight bow. "Thank you." He then hurried down the hall to the male dorms.
Mako quickened his step to walk beside Korra's wheelchair. "Who's that?"
Korra looked up, a bit confused for a moment. "Oh yeah, you might not have met him. That's Zhou Rhen. He's with the White Lotus. He's like an advisor, I guess? I'm mostly just humoring him at this point."
"Does he know?"
"That I'm placating him?"
Mako groaned. "No, the other thing."
Korra thought for a moment. Zhou Rhen came into her life after returning from her parents. Had Kuvira ever come up? "Shit, I don't think he does."
"Don't say anything until you talk to Suyin first," Asami added.
Korra nodded. The four traveled in silence for a while until they reached the dining-room door.
"I'm going to go check on Ikki and Jinora, make sure they are all set for bed," Asami announced, stepping away from the handles of Korra's wheelchair. "Anyone want to take over driving?"
Mako cleared his throat. "Let me." He took Asami's place at Korra's chair's handles and started pushing her into the dining room.
Bolin and Mako helped Korra hop out of her chair and down to a pillow at one of the long dining tables.
"Is it okay if I don't go this time?" Bolin fidgeted with a divot on the table, worrying it with his pointer finger. "I really want to do this mover, and I'm a terrible liar… I don't want…"
"Bolin, of course, it's okay. Opal, Suyin, and I, and even Zhou Rhen can handle this."
"I'll come," Mako blurted out. "Wu, he's a pain, but he's my friend. I've got to be there for him."
Korra smiled. "That's great. And you've got experience dealing with these government types. That'll be a big help."
Mako allowed himself to smile back.
"So what was the big news?" Ikki asked as she pulled her sheets up to her chin. She shuffled her lanky body as she tried to find a comfortable position.
Asami kneeled beside the bed to be at eye level with the girl. "Suyin asked Korra to go to the Earth Kingdom tomorrow. She needs Korra's help sooner than she anticipated."
"Are you going to go too?"
Asami shook her head. "No, I'm going to stay here. It's best if I'm not meddling in world affairs alongside Korra just yet."
"I'm sorry, I know you're going to miss her an awful lot," Ikki sighed, relaxing into her pillow. Her mouth opened for a small yawn. "We're going to miss her too, right, Jinora?"
Asami had seen only the back of Jinora, curled up in bed on the top bunk. She had been like a skittish creature all night, hiding her eyes, staying only as long as necessary. Asami assumed it was because she and Korra hadn't had a chance to talk since her outburst the other day. Asami had a feeling Korra had already forgotten, but clearly, Jinora hadn't.
"Of course," Jinora murmured from above.
Asami pressed her hands on the fabric of Ikki's sheets, ironing out a small area. As she fidgeted, she prayed the words about to come out of her mouth would sound as casual as possible. "And you're sure you're good sleeping here the whole night?"
A snort came from above. Asami looked up, but couldn't see Jinora as she looked back down to Ikki, whose cheeks had pinked after Jinora had pipped in. Feeling a bit awkward, Asami tried to tuck a few strands of her hair that had fallen loose behind her ears.
"All good," Ikki whispered.
"Okay then. If you want to say goodbye in the morning, I'll come to wake you before I leave," Asami said as she used the bed to help ease herself off the floor.
"Night!" Ikki called out as Asami left.
Mako left soon after Asami returned to the dining room. They agreed they all should go to bed early. Asami and Korra bid Bolin and Opal a good night, and they went to their separate quarters.
Asami began to slide Korra's bedroom door shut. As she did, she snuck a peek outside to check and see if anyone was lurking in the halls. Satisfied, she closed the door entirely. Her hand lingered on the wood, wrapping it a few times with her fingers.
Asami could feel Korra, who was already in bed, looking over at her.
"I'm going to miss you…" Korra murmured, fidgeting with her hands.
Asami bowed her head for a moment, letting the fact that this was their last night together for a long time sink in. "I'm going to miss you too…" she uttered, barely above a whisper.
"I'm doing the right thing… right?" Korra asked.
Asami chewed her lip for a moment. "Yes," she said before moving to sit behind Korra on the bed. Asami's body pressed against Korra's back and her legs down beside Korra's own. Asami slid her arms to wrap about Korra's waist and then rested her chin on Korra's left shoulder.
"I don't want to let you go without me, but I have to," Asami whispered, turning her head to kiss the spot where Korra's neck met her shoulder.
"Another mission without you… It's not the same. I always feel reassured when you're there to think things through…"
Asami kissed the space again. She moved upwards, dragging her lips along the soft skin of Korra's neck until she reached her jawline.
Korra closed her eyes and turned her head towards the side Asami was on, nuzzling her cheek into hers. "We shouldn't…"
"Why?" Asami asked.
"My leg… I can't…" Korra weakly protested.
Asami continued to plant kisses on Korra's neck. "You don't need your legs for what I'd like to do."
Korra turned her head as far as it would go to meet Asami's lips. As they kissed, Asami moved her hands up and down Korra's torso, lifting her nightshirt. She used her left hand to hold the fabric up and her right to trace Korra's firm abdomen's curves and muscles.
Asami let her hand rise a little more, teasing the soft skin just beneath Korra's breasts. Korra arched her back, wriggling a little at the ticklish sensation. Asami raised her hands further, using only her middle two fingers up to caress her way up the slope of Korra's breasts until she reached her nipples. She then pressed her two fingers into them and massaged them in a circular motion. Moving her thumb over to give them the occasional squeeze, causing Korra to let out little gasps.
Asami's pale right hand moved from the breasts and slid further down to the rim of Korra's pajama bottoms. Her index finger dipped down below the waistband, skimming the skin above her pubic mound and then back out.
Asami moved her lips to Korra's ear. "Is this okay?" she breathed, darting her fingers beneath her bottoms again, tracing the line where Korra's leg met her torso.
Korra nodded, moving her hands to Asami's legs at her side, clenching them for support.
Asami took Korra's earlobe in her lips and gently tugged at it while her right hand entirely disappeared into Korra's pajama bottoms.
Korra's breath started to return to normal when Asami removed her hand. She wrapped her now free hand around Korra's middle and gave her a squeeze, while kissing her neck a few more times.
"Come sit in front of me now," Korra said between breaths.
"Are you sure, your leg-"Asami started.
"I think the same logic applies. Come here," Korra said, patting the spot in front of her. Asami slid out from behind Korra, who scooted herself back up against the headboard. Asami then crawled into the free space.
Korra's attention swiftly moved to the bottom of Asami's night slip and started to pull it up and off. Asami raised her arms, allowing the removal of the garment.
Korra then pinched a bit of Asami's underwear and tugged. "These too."
Asami obliged. As she slid them off, Korra embraced her, pulling their bodies close.
"You know it's not fair that I get naked when you didn't," Asami whispered, instinctively wrapping her arms over her breasts as she rested her head back towards Korra's. Korra gave her cheek a peck, then another, moving downward.
"I want to take in as much of you as I can before I go."
Korra pressed kisses down Asami's neck, to her back. "I'm going to miss your smell," Korra said, crossing over Asami's shoulder, to her armpit. She raised Asami's arm up and kissed what she could reach beneath it.
Asami squealed and leaned her body forward in an attempt to free her arm from Korra's grasp but couldn't. "I worked all day. You don't want to go under there!"
Korra nuzzled her nose in Asami's armpit. "I do. I think your real smell is even better than your perfume."
"I'm dating a polar bear dog," Asami sighed, lifting her other arm. "Then don't forget this other side."
Korra moved her head to Asami's other armpit, giving it a few pecks, and ran her hands up and down Asami's raised arms. Eventually, she grabbed Asami at the wrists and guided their arms down to Asami's lap.
"Besides my stink, what else do you like?" Asami asked, leaning back again.
Korra chuckled. "You don't stink, well, at least not right now."
"Rude."
"I really like your hands," Korra said, raising them so she could see them over Asami's shoulder. "Such delicate-looking hands can do so many amazing things."
Asami chuckled and stretched them out to admire. "Yeah, they know a thing or two." She fluttered her fingers like waves.
Korra moved her hands to Asami's hips and squeezed them. "I like your hips. They are so soft and curvy. I like your legs. I think they're what make you taller than me since our torsos seem to be the same length. But it's okay, cus I like looking up to your face."
Korra's right hand moved downward. "I like touching you everywhere, but especially…"
Asami pressed her body into Korra's explorative touch.
Korra rested her face on Asami's shoulder, at the crook of her neck. She closed her eyes to focus solely on where she was touching and the sensation of that part of Asami.
Despite Korra's efforts to go slow, she could sense a build-up by the way Asami's back became straighter, and her breaths grew more rapid.
Without notice, Asami moved away from Korra's touch and turned her body around, now facing Korra. She supported herself with one arm around Korra's neck and sat back down between Korra's legs, with her own straddling Korra's thighs. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to Korra's a few times.
With Asami's free hand, she took Korra's right, brought it back down between her legs, and guided two of Korra's fingers inside her. Then moved her own hand to meet the other around Korra's neck, pulling her in for another kiss.
Korra eagerly returned the kiss but took her time before moving her fingers. She closed her eyes to strengthen her other senses to remember this moment, this feeling. Cautiously she curled her fingers forward. Asami responded by rocking her hips into Korra's touch and deepening the kiss, encouraging Korra to reach further as she pressed back up inside.
Asami startled Korra by moving her hand between her legs and started stimulating her again. Korra broke their kiss to take in a sharp breath as Asami entered her.
"Is it okay if I touch you again?" Asami breathed into Korra's mouth.
Korra nodded and brought their lips together again.
They gently swayed back and forth in their tangled embrace. The tension inside both of them rapidly grew, feeding off the sensation of each other.
Asami pressed her face into Korra's neck as she lost control in an attempt to stifle her cries. Her sounds sent Korra over the edge too.
Asami could feel Korra moving to leave her, so she leaned her hips in to keep Korra inside.
"Stay," was all Asami could breathlessly whisper into the crook of Korra's neck. Korra nodded and rested her head on Asami's shoulder.
Crickets sang as they silently held each other. Asami absently played with Korra's hair with her free hand.
"You'll be careful, won't you?"
"Yes," Korra whispered back.
"Don't take any unnecessary risks or go anywhere alone. Even if it's that putz Zhou Rhen, just keep someone with you."
"I will."
"And call me. You don't have to every day, but whenever you can."
Tears burned at the corners of Korra's eyes. "I promise."
The sun was just starting to creep up when Korra wheeled herself towards the temple docks. Her travel bag was packed and resting in her lap. Opal and Bolin were already there waiting. They walked over to meet her.
"Where is Asami?"
"She already said goodbye and left."
"I see where the rest of us stand," Opal said with a snort. She shot Korra a reassuring smirk and then cocked her head when something caught her eye. "What's this, I see?"
Opal stepped closer to Korra and dipped two fingers into her shirt collar. She pinched the fabric and pulled it down to expose a shockingly large hickey. "No wonder Asami snuck outta here; she didn't want to face down this display of affection."
Korra slapped a hand to where Opal was prodding. "What?"
"You mean, you don't know?" Opal swung her head back and let out a cackle. "Bolin come here. You've got to see this."
Bolin lumbered over and tried to peak at Korra's neck, but her hand was protectively covering the spot. "C'mon Korra, let me see!"
Korra reluctantly let her hand relax and slide off her neck. "How bad is it? Be honest."
Bolin leaned in and moved some fabric away from Korra's neck to get eyes on it. Bolin winced at the dark blotches that ran from the middle of Korra's neck to her clavicle. "It's pretty bad. I mean, you can just barely see it peeking out from your collar, so as long as you keep that shirt on at all times…"
Korra blushed and shielded her neck. "I thought it was weird she was making such a fuss over adjusting my collar this morning…"
"Clearly, she was trying to make a statement. Why back away from that now?" Opal asked with a big grin.
Bolin put a hand to his chin. "I'm sure it was just a moment of passion. Hickeys seem like a good idea until the next morning."
Korra's blush deepened as she slumped in her chair. "Can we please be done talking about this now? Before anyone else shows up and notices."
"Can we just get a quick measurement on it? I honestly think that's the biggest one I've ever seen," Opal teased, pretending to look for someone who could take measurements. Zhou Rhen came around from behind a building and was heading towards them.
"I bet he's got something I could use."
"Opal please!" Korra moaned.
"Alright, I'll save it until he notices it on his own. We've got a long ride together."
"Shall we get going?" Zhou Rhen asked as he got closer. "Or are we waiting for anyone else?"
"Mako's going to meet us at the docks in the city, so we can get moving now," Opal said, waving them to the steps. "Bolin, you want to bend us down one last time?"
Bolin nodded, then motioned his arms to summon the earth below them to create a platform. Lin had shown him the technique she used to get Korra up and down from Jinora's ceremony after Korra got out of the hospital. He then eased the group down to the water level.
"You good to do that for yourself in Ba Sing Se?" Bolin asked as they descended.
Korra smirked. "I just let you do it now to ease your guilt for letting me go into that damn building."
"Hey!"
"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Who knows, I might be in crutches by the time we meet again."
Bolin smiled and leaned down to give Korra a crushing hug. "Hurry back soon."
Korra felt a pang in her heart as her bones popped, the reality of leaving sinking in as Bolin pressed her organs together. He eventually let go.
Korra felt a few tears sneak out as her body returned to its decompressed shape.
Opal moved in to give Bolin a hug and kiss, then she, Korra, and Zhou Rhen boarded the small motorboat that would take them ashore.
Jinora watched the boat carrying Opal, Korra, and Zhou Rhen skim through the choppy bay waters with ease from atop a large boulder. A pang of guilt began to gnaw at her stomach. She let Korra leave without making things right between them.
Jinora wanted to apologize, explain herself, but the words kept dying at her lips. She was too mad, and it wasn't even with Korra. Korra just happened to be in front of her when the wrath she felt for Rohan's circumstances had first escaped. The boat was almost out of sight. There was nothing she could do about Korra for a while, so it was best to set it aside in her mind.
Jinora eased herself down on the rock. It was big enough for her to sit in the lotus position. She closed her eyes and joined her fists together. In a few deep and steady breaths, she was in the Spirit World.
Jinora looked up to the vine-tangled mess where the Wang Shi Tong library now rested. "I've got to try for Rohan."
Jinora did the climb up the gnarled tree until she reached a point where she could just walk up the massive vines like a staircase that spiraled around the tree's trunk. As she neared the entrance, she came upon a few Knowledge Seekers resting outside. They slept curled up in splotches of light that managed to pierce the thick foliage above. Jinora smiled as one fox-like creature rolled on its back, long slender legs in the air, blissful in the spirit world sun's rays.
As soon as Jinora crossed the threshold into the library, she could hear Wan Shi Tong swooping towards her.
"You again," his deep voice boomed.
Jinora looked up and saw his black form spiraling down upon her. Even though she had faced down the giant owl before, she still felt her stomach clench nervously. "You remember me?"
Wang Sh Tong landed in front of Jinora. His talons flexed on ornate tile floors. "Not a lot of human faces make it this far anymore."
"I thought you said no humans were allowed."
"Yet here you stand, a descendant of Avatar Aang."
Jinora felt her body relax a little, reassured she would at least get the opportunity of seeking information. "My brother, he is badly hurt. I don't know if there is any way to heal him."
Wang Shi Tong opened his wings. "Then you better get looking." With a few blustering flaps, the owl was gone.
Jinora wandered through the aisles, racking her brain of where the best place to start was. A Knowledge Seeker brushed past her without giving her a second thought. It stopped a few feet in front of her and eased up on its hind legs. Carefully with just its teeth, the fox-like spirit slid a book out far enough so it could grasp it in its jaws. Then with a swift jerk of the head, it got the book free and scampered away.
"I should probably see if one of them could help…" Jinora muttered to herself as she walked over to the section where the Knowledge Seeker just took a book from. Jinora traced the characters with a finger. "Physics…"
Jinora heard a shuffle and looked up. The aisle across from her had another seeker sniffing around. Its bushy tail was beating against the books' covers. Dust particles flew off and hovered in the still air.
"Excuse me, if you aren't busy, can you help me please?"
The seeker's head perked up as it continued to dust.
"I need help finding information on advanced healing techniques."
The seekers tail twitched a few times, finishing off the row of books it was cleaning, its eyes locked with Jinora's for a few long moments until finally, its eyes closed, and it gave a slight bow of the head. Then it began to trot away. Jinora hurried after.
Jinora followed after the seeker through the maze-like aisles of the library. They passed the occasional break in bookshelves to see entrances into other rooms, artifacts in display cases, and study nooks. One such nook caught Jinora's attention. A small desk sat tucked in between two bookshelves with a lit oil lamp hung over it. Books were piled, with dozens of slips slicking out like little tongues bookmarking pages. What caught Jinora's attention was the folded paper that looked like a desk placard that read 'reserved for Yorru.'
"Has another human been coming here?" Jinora asked, but the fox spirit was gone. Jinora stepped over to the desk and inspected the contents. She tentatively reached out a hand to pick up one of the books when she heard a sharp yip. Jinora lept and turned around. A seeker was right behind her, a scroll in its jaws. It motioned with its head for Jinora to step away. The spirit plopped the scroll on a stack and then sat down in front of the desk. Jinora stepped back a few feet, and when it was clear it wasn't going to leave until she did, she started down the direction she last saw the seeker assisting her.
Jinora never did find that Knowledge Seeker. It must have been leading her to a place at the far end of the library. She found a section on different devices created to assist people with mobility issues. Nothing worth bringing back home since what was available now was likely more sophisticated, but it was interesting seeing how people learned to adapt.
Jinora wanted to keep searching, but she could feel her worldly body calling her back, aching for breakfast. She quickly jotted down a few notes and then allowed her spirit to dissipate.
To be continued….