Summer Dregs Challenge Prompt: Pets

Ending her shift before 2:00 AM was always great. As a bartender, Korra worked late hours and as much as she loved the nightlife, something about finishing up before the sun rose was rewarding. Especially when it meant she could see her furry baby quickly. Her pupper was barely three months old and she was an adorable white Shiba Inu.

However, despite their squeamish and dramatic nature, she was the sweetest angel out there. It probably helped that her boss threw her a favor and allowed her to keep Naga in their break room instead of being stuck in daycare. She was about to freely check on her during her breaks so her baby girl wasn't too lonely or scared. Speaking of which, Korra popped inside the break room before quickly being greeted by her baby.

"Hey, baby girl!" Korra quickly cooed before bending over and picking her up. "Did you miss me Naga?"

Naga let out the cutest high-pitched bark as she furiously wagged her curly tail.

"Yeah? Yeahhh, I miss you too!"

Korra cuddled with her for a brief second before setting her down. She then went over to her locker, with Naga on her tail, before changing into her clothes and finishing up for the day. Once everyone was clocked out, she locked up the doors before saying goodbye to her coworkers. Korra finally scooped up Naga as they parted ways before setting her inside her special backpack. She was wiggly at first but once she was settled on her back, Korra hopped onto her motorcycle.

"You want to stop by Flameo Mart?"

Naga just barked as she panted in bliss, looking left and right and exploring the area.

"Yeah? Okay, let's go girl!"

She started her bike and went in reverse before driving off onto the road. The ride wasn't too short or long but once they arrived at the 24/7 convenience store, Korra parked in the spot closest to the door before shutting off her bike. She got off before setting down her helmet onto the seat and walking inside. She quickly made eye contact with the part-timer before smiling when they spotted her dog.

"Oh my Raava! Is that a puppy!"

Korra laughed before turning slightly. "Yup, my baby girl, Naga."

"Aww! She's so cute! Can I take a picture?"

With a shrug, Korra walked closer. "Sure."

After the attendant snapped a few pictures, Korra worked her way down the aisles. She took her time staring at the shelves to kill time. She grabbed a handful of things, such as jerky and chips, before eventually pausing in front of the small pet section. She hummed at the sad selection, the usual canned foods and treats, before grabbing the seasonal flavor and walking up to the counter. She checked out after that before heading outside and hopping back onto her bike. She quickly gave Naga a few scratches before riding home.

It was a little after 3:00 AM when she made it back home. The first thing she did was take Naga out of her backpack; the second she was free, she ran around the apartment while wagging her curly tail. She then went into the kitchen, whipping up a quick snack for the both of them, before lounging on the couch. It wasn't until some playtime and a nap later that the two of them went on a morning walk, particularly at 6:00 AM.

"Ugh, mornings are evil…"

Naga looked unbothered as stuck her ground, trying to leave the door prematurely.

Korra shot her a look before asking, "Aren't you a Shiba? You don't like walks girl…"

That didn't stop her baby girl as she bounced in place, yipping to be let free.

"Alright alright, let's go."

They made their way down the street and after many distractions and sniffing breaks, they were at the park just as the sun peaked over the building. Korra let Naga do her thing as she walked the path and it was as peaceful as it could be until another dog started barking in the distance. Korra paid no mind to it since it wasn't anything out of the blue until it got louder and louder. She raised an eyebrow before looking up and the second she saw the source of the noise, her eyes popped open.

"Oh shit—"

The next thing she knew, she went flying before landing on her ass.

"Sparky, heel!"A distressed voice exclaimed in the distance.

Korra assumed it was this fella's mom and she turned her head away before getting assaulted by this big dog's tongue. Naga, on the other hand, was barking it up, shouting at the top of her lungs like the good Shiba she was. In other words, it was pretty damn dramatic for what was happening.

"Spark Plug! I saidheel."The dog's mom exclaimed again, in a firm and strict tone.

Her dog finally pulled away before sitting on their hind legs while panting happily and wagging their tail. Korra finally sat up with a groan before making eye contact with the most handsome boy out there, a classy German Shepard with a handkerchief. She grinned before reaching out and petting the underside of his ear.

"Aww… who's a good boy?"

He woofed happily as if he was going to be rewarded treats.

His owner finally caught up, half-winded. "Oh my gosh… I'm so… sorry! Are you okay?" She sounded panicked and worried while her dog shamelessly lunged forward and licked the heck out of her.

Korra laughed as the dog slobbered her with kisses. When she finally managed to pull away, she turned away before calming down her dog. "Naga, it's okay girl, come say hi. It's just a friend." She eyed the large dog before adding, "Just a big friend."

Naga thankfully stopped barking but was still on guard with her little teeth sticking out. It wasn't until the other dog's mom kneeled over to greet her that her baby girl relaxed a little.

"Hey there, Naga was it? I'm sorry, my Sparky must have surprised you." She held out her hand so that she could sniff it. "He's just a big boy. He looks a little scary on the outside but he's a total softy on the inside, I promise."

Naga growled at her before sniffing her a few times. Her nose twitched and her tail wiggled slightly before she licked her lips. Shortly after she whined before looking at Korra. Her mom was finally upright and Korra finally took a look at Sparky's mom. Her eyes widened in surprise. She wasn't expecting to… see such a stunning woman. When Sparky's mom realized that Korra was looking at her, she turned to face her.

"Hi."

"Hi."

There was a second of silence and their dogs were the only ones who weren't frozen. Sparky finally ran over to his mom before nudging at her legs. His mom only frowned before she commanded again.

"Sparky, sit."

He was a good boy this time and sat down without fuss as he wagged his tail happily. She sighed at him before walking over to give Korra a hand.

"I'm really sorry once again, I swear he's usually more behaved than this."

Korra gave her an understanding smile before accepting her hand. "Hey, don't worry about it." She then pulled herself up with her help and once she was on her feet, she rubbed her neck before introducing herself. "I'm Korra by the way and that's my baby girl, Naga."

Naga was quick to run over to her feet at the sound of her name. Her tail was low but curly ass she rounded Korra's backside and tucked her head between her legs.

The woman smiled at her dog's gestures before introducing herself. "I'm Asami and this is my boy, Sparky." She then patted his head and the big fella woofed softly before rubbing his head into her hand. "I don't know what's up with him. He's usually well-behaved."

Chuckling softly at her, Korra rested her hand on her hip. "I guess I'm just popular with the lads." She looked at him and he barked at her before she remembered something. "Wait, didn't you call him Spark Plug?"

At that comment, Asami's eyes widened. She immediately got a little bashful as she rubbed her cheek. "Yeah, that's his full name. I usually call him Sparky for short."

Korra immediately started laughing out loud. "No way! That's great, let me guess, you're a car mechanic?"

Asami laughed before admitting defeat. "You caught me there, there's a story behind that, actually. I adopted him off the streets when I happened to be shopping for some spark plugs. On the way back, I accidentally dropped the box down a bridge, and when I went down to grab it, I ran into this rascal." She then scratched her dog's head before concluding, "And the rest is history."

"Nice," Korra smiled sweetly before crouching down to scratch Naga's head. "I recused my baby girl off the street too. I was out on a ride when passed by this white fluff ball on the freeway. When I pulled over and checked it out, it turned out she was alone so I nabbed her."

Smiling at her story, Asami scratched Sparky's eye. "Dogs huh? Popping up out of nowhere."

"True that." Korra laughed before standing up again.

Asami smiled at her before asking, "So, you ride huh?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, I do. It's the best way to get around town honestly. Get to weave through traffic and all." She paused before adding, "When cops aren't around of course."

Her comment made Asami laugh out loud before suggesting, "In that case, why don't you swing by my work? I'll give you a free check-up and oil change. That's the least I can do when my dog ran you over."

Korra thought about politely refusing her offer but when she thought about it, shedidneed to change her oil soon. She shrugged before yielding, "Sure, in that case, I'll take you up on that offer."

"Cool." Asami reached into her pocket before pulling out this card case. She then grabbed one of her business cards before handing it to Korra. "Here's my business card. My personal number is on the back too in case you can't get a hold of me."

"Thanks," Korra grabbed it before taking a quick Sato. CEO of Future took a second to register but the second it did, her eyes popped open. "Wait— Future Industries as inthatFuture Industries?"

Asami rubbed her cheek bashfully before confirming, "Yup,thatFuture Industries."

"Shut the front door." Korra deadpanned before gawking at her. "No way I just got run over by the CEO of Future Industries' dog. Huh, what a small city."

Her comment only made Asami laugh. "I guess so. Anyway, I should go now." She took a peak at her watch before frowning, "I'm going to be late to a meeting at this rate."

"Oh! Sorry— don't let me keep you from your uh… CEO business."

Asami gave her a weary smile. "Spoiler, it's not as fun as it sounds. Lots of business talk and men."

Korra's lips parted in understanding. "Ah, men."

"Mmhmm, anyway, it was nice meeting you Korra." She then looked down at the base of her feet. "And you too Naga, I hope you'll get along with Sparky if the occasion arises."

Naga paid no mind, busy eyeing down the bird in the distance.

"Come on, let's go, Sparky." Her dog just barked before panting at Korra one last time. He wagged his tail a few times before chasing after his mom.

Korra waved Asami off and once they were a decent distance away, she looked down at Naga. "Well then, shall we?"

Naga finally noticed this squirrel that was not too far away. She pounced forward before chasing after the critter and Korra had to chase after her since she hadn't grabbed a hold of her leash.

"Oh, come on Naga! Stop! Heel!"

And… just like that, she was gone. It took Korra a solid thirty minutes to grab her leash and by the time they were at home, she sighed before taking off her harness and dropping onto her couch. She then pulled out Asami's business card before flipping it around and looking at her phone number.

"Asami Sato huh?" She stared at her business card, reliving their morning, before shaking her head in disbelief. "No way I just ran into the most successful babe in this city." She smiled before shaking her head again. "There's just no way."

And that was the start of their new-found friendship, and possibly more. Pets were the first thing they had in common with each other but who knows? There was a lot to learn and a lot of time for them to explore this newfound relationship.