AUTHOR'S NOTES: Happy New Year! This one was a day late because I was in no condition to post it yesterday, but with that aside, this is one of the few chapters where we take a little breather and get to explore the dynamics of the relationship between Asami and Korra. While subtle, one of the aspects of the relationship that was in fact in the show, was that the two always seemed to operate on very similar wavelengths, which just made them all the better for one another. This fic (and this chapter) kind of crank that up to 11, partially because of how long they've known each other, but also simply because their personalities balance each other's well enough that they can properly capitalize on their differences.
Happy Reading!

BOOK TWO: CHANGE

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: KWONG'S CUISINE

The finale of Korra's Avatar Gauntlet could not have gone any better, with Korra taking home a flawless 21-win victory as the perfect way to end her season. Despite this victory, Korra was frankly too busy walking on air once it was done to worry about how much money she had just won. It was a sizable amount, however, to the point where Asami was even impressed.

"Just give it to her," Korra gestured from Butakha to Asami as she went to go get changed. "She'll know what to do with it."

"You've got a good and trusting friend, Ms. Sato," the businessman smiled as he handed her the sack of cash, "as well as the best Probending maniac this city has ever seen."

"Oh, she's so much more than that," Asami giggled coyly, "Thank you, though."

She met back up with Korra a few moments later after Korra had changed into her street clothes, going as far as doing her hair up and actually wearing her boots, skirt, and belt this time.

"You, me, date tonight." Korra pointed from Asami to herself before doing 'finger guns' and flashing a smug, shameless grin.

"How could I say no to Republic City's Probending Champion," Asami pretended to swoon, "how about Kwong's Cuisine, tonight at eight?"

"Where would you like me to meet you?" Korra played coy in return, knowing full well that since their rooms were only down the hall from one another that they would not have to worry about meeting up anywhere.

"The usual place," Asami winked. "Don't forget to look sharp!"

"I don't think I know how to look sharp," Korra confessed, which was made funnier by the fact that she was being half-truthful with this joke.

"That suit you wore to the Equalist Rally was a knockout," Asami bit her lip just thinking about it, "I'll even help you do your hair."

"I'll save the pretty dresses for you then," Korra chuckled, "sound good?"

"I'm actually going to take you shopping sometime soon," Asami asserted, holding up Korra's bag of prize money, "that's what this is all going to go to."

"Wait, isn't that my money?" Korra laughed as they reached Asami's car and got in.

"What's your point?" Asami riposted, starting the engine up before taking off down the road.

"I should be able to decide what I want to do with my own money." Korra crossed her arms and pouted in her telltale comical way.

"Love, I could have pocketed the entire bag and not said a thing, and you would have never even given it second thought," Asami teased. Korra tried not to laugh, but gave in moments later, especially because she knew that Asami was spot-on in her assumption.

"Fine, it's yours… thief." Korra stifled another giggle.

"Don't make me steal your sweatpants and tank tops, too," Asami quipped, "because I will."

"You do that, I'm going to cut my hair out of spite," Korra retorted.

"Touché," Asami licked her lips, "Fine then; truce?"

"Truce," Korra laughed as they pulled up to Asami's estate. "Keep that stupid money too."

"Hmm…" Asami looked at the bag before adding a tag to it. "'Avatar Korra's Shopping Spree Fund' has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you say?"

"You're not going to let me get out of this, are you?" Korra pouted again.

"Your schedule just cleared up, so absolutely not," Asami ruffled Korra's hair. "But don't stress about it—that's not for another week or two. Tonight's the date you need to worry about."

"Worry about?" Korra still played along, "You should be the one worried that some big buff Avatar is going to sweep you off your feet."

In a deft and rather impressive move, Korra did exactly that, sweeping Asami off her feet and into her arms as she stole a kiss right on the lips. Asami was wide-eyed as Korra spun around and gracefully managed to set her girlfriend right back on her feet without incident, and the kiss had only made her grin.

"Small buff Avatar," she teased in response, putting her hand to the crown of Korra's head and measuring it against her own height, where it was clear Asami stood a few inches taller, even when she wasn't wearing heels.

"Ouch!" Korra put her hand over her heart. "Right here…"

There was a pause, and the two of them burst out laughing, with Korra's laugh resembling the wholesome, cheerful giggle she had had on her date with Bolin a few weeks earlier. It was a delightful sound, and one Asami would never tire of hearing. Korra was a handful much of the time (as her parents could surely also confirm), but much like Tonraq and Senna, Asami found Korra's spunk and liveliness to be endearing and part of her charm.

And of course, Asami was the reason Korra believed (pretended) she had confidence issues. Korra was absolutely stricken with her, partially because of her looks, but primarily because of her loving personality. Asami's caring, reserved, and realistic approach on life was a stark contrast to Korra's blunt, outgoing, and imaginative views, which was part of why they meshed so well together.

"So… tonight at eight then?" Korra clarified.

"Be there, and dress sharp." Awami affirmed, "The place does have a dress code."

"Damn," Korra pretended to be upset, "so if I went in looking like a hobo…"

"You'd end up right on your backside in front of the restaurant," Asami giggled, tugging Korra's ponytail affectionately.

"I'll just say this," Korra bit her lip subtly as Asami pulled her hair, "after tonight, you might want to wear your hair down for a few days…"

"And why's that?" Asami was not one to leave such a warning unheeded.

"Oh, no reason," Korra stuffed her hands in her pockets and whistled, "so hey, I gotta go say hi to Naga and stuff. See you around!"

"Fine, keep your secrets." Asami giggled.

"Right; will do!" Korra grinned smugly as she strode off, and to her slight surprise, Asami didn't follow her. Still she had her ideas, and was sure Asami would fail to disappoint as well. Time would tell.

=Several Hours Later…=

Korra took a great deal of time to prepare for the evening, including taking one of the most thorough baths she had ever had in her life. She spent a great deal of that time scrubbing her hair and trying to de-knot it, but even with forceful waterbending, this proved to be a chore that resulted in a great many 'shit's and 'dammit's escaping her lips through gritted teeth.

Korra couldn't exactly flex her legs the way she could with her arms, but as she buttoned her shirt, she struck a pose in front of a mirror and grinned. Thankfully Asami did not barge in on Korra half-dressed, because with the silly poses she was making, it would have just made it that much more awkward.

She was fully dressed within a few minutes, straightening her cap as she pouted at the mirror, checking to make sure everything was on straight and looked good. The only problem this time was her combustion tattoo, which was easier to hide when she had her eyes down at an Equalist rally. It'd be a little shady to walk into a restaurant with that exposed though.

She decided to see what Asami had to say about it, and so was "early" to their meeting place, hunting Asami down a little beforehand. To her slight surprise, Asami was waiting for her, wearing a long, high-necked sleeveless red dress with a trio of golden bangles around her right wrist. Korra's eye twitched only slightly as she saw a little golden hairpin on the left side of Asami's head, while the rest of her hair was worn down, covering the right side. It was a trivial thing, but Korra was picky about the favourites she played.

"Hey," she gave a small free-hanging lock of Asami's hair a little tug, "you did your hair that way on purpose, didn't you?"

"I can't say I know what you're talking about, Avatar Korra," Asami hummed, putting her hand to the base of her neck on the right side where Korra had kissed before, "But you look amazing. I shouldn't say in good company the effect a sharp-dressed Avatar has on me—and unfortunately for your curiosity, I'm in the best of company right now."

"Speaking of which…" Korra moved a few bangs aside, revealing her forehead, "I don't think showing this off at Kwong's Cuisine is a good idea; do you?"

"I don't, but I have just the thing," Asami smiled, gently tugging Korra's sidelocks to coax her to follow, "you sport a natural look well enough, but I think a little makeup job would cover that up nice and easy without anyone noticing."

"As long as you don't paint my whole face or something," Korra shrugged, "I mean don't get me wrong, it looks great on you—but I think I'm less the type."

"Don't worry, Korra;" Asami assured her, "It won't be too much."

True to Asami's word, she was able to conceal Korra's tattoo under a layer of cosmetics that gave some of Korra's skin a lustry sheen, but she blended it so proficiently that unless someone got within inches of Korra's face they wouldn't notice—and the only person Korra was going to let get that close to her was Asami, and she already knew about it anyways.

The drive was quiet, but not tense or awkward; it just seemed both women wanted to save their remarks for when they actually got there. That, and they both bit their lips at different times as they stole glances at once another—Asami much more so than Korra more because that was her thing. Korra's body language was—perhaps ironically—much more subtle.

Kwong's Cuisine was as ritzy as it looked, but even without taking Asami's fortune into account, Korra could have easily paid the exorbitant prices ("gourmet fare") without putting much of a dent in her scattered savings.

"Are you really using my money?" Korra couldn't help but ask after they had been seated and placed their orders, "Or was that just a jest."

"It was no jest," Asami tugged Korra's left sidelock since the Avatar had deliberately chosen to sit on Asami's right at the heart-shaped booth. She was glad it was out of the way, because she knew full well that she was not going to keep her hands off of Asami the whole time.

Instead of reacting, Korra's blue eyes darted around the establishment, and in a second of realizing that no one was paying any attention to them, she leaned over, nuzzling through Asami's hair to nip her ear.

"Remember how I advised you to wear your hair down for the next few days?" She whispered, causing Asami to simply raise her eyebrows with a slight 'hmm?'

"Here's why." Korra whispered again before delving behind Asami's neck, seizing a small bit of flesh near the base of Asami's neck between her teeth and gently rolling it. Asami bit her gums to keep her reaction quiet, but knew that Korra was deliberately leaving a mark back there.

"You…" She put her arm behind Korra to pull her ponytail, although that just increased Korra's gusto, her left arm wrapping around Asami from behind in turn. "...know just how to drive a woman wild, Miss Avatar."

Despite the blatant PDA, both of them remained alert enough to sit upright and act casual when the waiter approached them with their entrées. Both of them hardly even glanced at each other as they ate, and didn't even speak until they had finished. Rather than being from tension between the two young women, it was more because they were both operating on the exact same wavelength, and seeing who would 'crack' first.

Korra took the loss not more than two minutes after they had cleaned their plates, but before she could reach Asami's neck, Asami pivoted her head and let her lips meet Korra's. While once again caught off-guard by this suave move, Korra realized at once that she did not oppose it, and so went with it. When Korra tried to pull away, Asami left a lipstick mark on her left cheek after tugging her hair to pull Korra's face back towards her lips.

"Well I ain't washing my face for weeks now," Korra joked, grinning.

"You're so set on leaving your mark on me," Asami riposted, "I had to return the favour."

"Mmm…" Korra hummed, stroking her chin with her fingers, "you're just so… relaxing to be around. You drive me wild, but also help me keep my cool. Considering that whole stunt with Amon, my lack of recent Avatar State outbursts, and my improved emotional control, I'd say I'm almost getting a bit better at this whole 'getting a grip' thing, wouldn't you say?"

"I would," Asami smiled, putting her hands around Korra's, rubbing them with her thumbs, "and I think you're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. The fact that the Republic City Council is trying to make an aggressive move on Amon while you managed to restrain yourself despite your power… that was commendable to me."

"I still want to introduce that council to the underside of my boot," Korra grunted, "They're just going to make things worse—except Tenzin. I don't imagine he voted for that task force."

"It was in the papers too," Asami unintentionally gave Korra another memo to start reading the news more often, "They didn't mention you by name, but I think they're going to try and recruit you for this task force thing of theirs."

"Not happening," Korra shook her head resolutely, "I'm not just going to become a piece in some power-hungry Councilman's games. I need to deal with Amon personally, since he made it personal. I just… need the right time and right place."

"Don't do anything too rash," Asami warned, "Amon knows you're too strong physically to take him, and so he's going to target your mind. And no offense, Korra, but…"

"Ugh, I know…" Korra's hands slipped from Asami's gentle grasp and she pulled her own hair. "I've had nightmares about him too, and that's not helping."

"That wasn't entirely what I meant, but I suppose that's a valid concern too," Asami admitted. "And while you're no less of an amazing person despite your trauma, you need to make sure you don't allow it to define you."

"I'm…" Korra wringed her hands, "I'm really trying my best on that. It's hard though; and now with the fear of losing my bending—one of my favourite things about myself but also one of my most prominent and defining traits? That's scary to me, Asami."

"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, Korra," Asami put a hand on Korra's shoulder, "but even if you somehow lost your bending… I wouldn't think any less of you for it. I love you for who you are, not what you are… Avatar Korra is nice… but I'm in love with Korra."

"That's terrifying," Korra muttered, although a warmth swelled up in her chest that made her want to just grab Asami and make out with her on a vicious scale, "but… you don't know how much that means to me…" She sighed, leaning against Asami's shoulder and closing her eyes. "Or maybe you do, and that's the most amazing thing in the world to me. There are only a few people that respect me as Korra rather than Avatar Korra… and I mean, don't get me wrong, I love being the Avatar and everything… but it's gotten me a lot of really nasty and unwanted attention. It's… stressful."

"I don't envy you for it," Asami lightly tugged at Korra's ponytail, this time more affectionately than suggestively, "but that's why we're here—to unwind and enjoy ourselves, right?"

"Mmm…" Korra hummed, "that's a fair point. You really know just what to say to get me smiling again, don't you?"

"You have such a beautiful smile and an intoxicating laugh," Asami winked, "how could I not?"

"Well then," Korra licked her lips, "Don't expect me to stay this calm when we get home though. Consider it a warning." She followed this up by giving Asami an uncharacteristically hungry look that made Asami's cheeks flush.

"I cordially accept your warning… Avatar." Asami batted her eyelashes as they made preparations to return home. The night may have been young, but the game was on.