Chapter Text
[[This Book follows Book 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 in Shared Moments. Characters from those prior books will appear in this one as well. It's recommended that the prior books are read to get the full breadth of references and changes. Enjoy!]]
171 AG Summer
1 Month and 1 Week Since End of Unavaatu’s War, 1 week since Varrick’s Conviction
The vine curled up the side of the apartment complex and pierced it in three places. How the building still stood was not in Korra’s wheelhouse. Asami, on the other hand, perched on a nearby vine and carefully sketched the building and vine combination. The wind curled her hair sideways to reveal the smoothness of her pale neck. Her nose was wrinkled in thought, and she tapped her pen against her chin before drawing more lines. Korra wanted to reach out and trail her fingers along the smooth curve of her neck.
“Oh.” Asami’s eyes widened. “I get it.” She jumped down and showed her Idea Journal to Korra. It was a very detailed drawing of the exact scene Korra had been looking at before Asami herself distracted her.
“Get… what?” Korra scratched her head confused. “I see an amazing drawing.”
Asami pursed her lips and shut her Idea Journal. “The vine, Korra.” She pointed to it and swirled her finger up through the building. “Look at how it holds up the building. It’s replaced the main structural supports. That’s why it hasn’t fallen. The vine is holding it up. But why?” She put her hands on her hips to glare at the building, as if it had offended her by existing.
“How does this help me get rid of them though?” Korra leaned against her air glider. “I’ve tried everything. They just keep growing.”
“If you got rid of this vine, this building will crash.” Asami slapped her hand against her journal. “Like that. In fact…” She pivoted to look around them at the other buildings in the intersection. “See?” She pointed to two smaller buildings behind them. “Vines as structural support there, and there, and there…”
Korra followed her pointed finger. “Okay, so removing the vines in this area means nothing but rubble… but what about the areas that aren’t held up by vines? Surely those can be removed?”
“Can they?” Asami flipped to an earlier page. This one was an intricate drawing of downtown with each sector that they’d walked marked in green pen to signify vines. “See? Look at the pattern!”
Korra sighed. “Asami, even if we show off your drawings, do you think Raiko is going to care?”
Asami frowned and waved her hand as if to swat Korra’s words from the air. “Drawings!” The engineer huffed, offended. “These are maps and blueprints.” She tapped Korra’s nose when Korra stuttered an apology.
Korra hadn’t meant to offend, but what was the difference? She considered asking, but the look Asami had leveled at her made her wonder if Asami was teasing her or not.
“And politics is just storytelling,” Asami continued. “Share your story, Korra. Reassure the public that this isn’t a bad change. Raiko will be an ass regardless.”
Korra crossed her arms. “So what story should I be telling?”
“The vines don’t destroy. They merge with their surroundings. Thus, we can work with them.” Asami stabbed her finger at her map. “And we will prove it.”
Korra smiled at the determined look on Asami’s face, and how the wind had her hair flowing behind her like a black cape, still somehow keeping that perfect look. The engineer looked so unbearably cute that Korra couldn’t resist her. She stepped closer and kissed Asami on the mouth. She melted against Korra, her arm that held her journal draped over Korra’s shoulder. Korra couldn't get over how good it felt to kiss the engineer, to taste her, and feel the pressure of their hug.
“You’re so hot when you’re determined,” Korra whispered. The engineer's blush only made her even cuter. Ever since the press conference a few weeks ago, when the pair came out to the city to counteract false claims, Korra had decided she didn’t care who saw her kiss Asami. It had taken Asami most of the last two weeks to ease into the relaxed intimacy though, but then during the war, she had been the one to ask them to go slow.
“Well, your adorableness grows at an infinite rate,” Asami shot back.
“Math again?” Korra pouted. That was Asami’s go-to comeback, and it was cute but also baffling. Korra wasn’t entirely sure what Asami meant. Despite trying to read Asami's engineering texts in hopes it'd help explain, Korra had only given herself a headache and more confusion.
“It’s hard to think after you kiss me. Math’s an easy fall back.” Asami smiled and tapped Korra’s nose. “And you’re distracting us again. Focus, you cocky Avatar.” She stepped back and wiped her lipstick from Korra’s lips. “We need to finish this sector and meet up with…” she tilted her head to one side in thought. “…who was going to be there?”
“Probably Raiko and anyone who hates me.” Korra shrugged.
“Most people don’t hate you,” Asami protested.
“Oh come on, some do. Have you seen my poll numbers lately?” Korra kicked the ground with her boot. “Eight percent! Who are they asking!” Going from war hero to people angry at her hurt quite a bit, though Korra was reluctant to admit that to anyone.
“Okay, maybe people are frustrated, but that doesn’t mean we can’t win them around.” Asami lightly nudged Korra’s side with her elbow. “You’re the storyteller, right? And balancing spirits and people means not siding solely with what people want. There needs to be compromise.”
“That requires me to be able to word.” Korra threw up her hands. “And how do I compromise if the spirits talk in riddles!” She stomped her foot. “And apparently only in your dreams. I’m still closed, remember? “
For a long moment, Asami studied her intently, a furrow in her brow. Korra shifted from foot to foot, self-conscious under her sudden intense scrutiny. “Korra, does that really bother you?” Asami said, finally, concern in her dulcet tone.
“A little.” Korra rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed and frustrated. “I’m the Avatar. I ought to be talking to the spirits. It's my role, right?”
Asami turned to look further down the street toward the veil of vines that blocked the thicker areas. “And you do, or are, will.” The engineer sighed. “Me meeting that Lion Turtle really confused things, didn’t it?” She rubbed her temple. “I don’t recall most of the knowledge. You have it now, Korra, so what does it tell you about spirits?”
“Uh.” Korra crossed her arms over her chest and thought through that Lion Turtle knowledge gift. She'd gained it during the Harmonic Convergence, when she'd energy-bended it from Asami's head chakra after the engineer had painfully held it for several days. It had given Korra what she needed to defeat Unalaq and rescue Raava-Vaatu. It also held a ton of lore about the origins of the great spirits, how they were once one spirit but then a cataclysmic event split them, the battles between them to keep balance, and that one day would be one again - apparently inside Korra. It also showed her how to balance spirits instead of just purify. “It’s a lot, honestly. I talk about it with Tenzin, and sometimes I’ll say something, be surprised I said it, and realize it was from that knowledge gift.”
“Then keep probing it. The answer is there or somewhere. Can’t hurt to just ask a spirit.” Asami waved her hand toward the veil of vines. “Dozens of them in there.”
“What would I even ask?” Korra wasn’t sure it’d do much good considering the spirits’ love of riddles. Riddles was not her strong suit.
“I don’t know! I’m an engineer, not some spirit expert.” Asami rubbed her temple again as if nursing a headache. “Sorry. I’d give you the dreams if I could, Korra.”
“Ugh, I didn’t mean…” Korra winced. She knew this was a particularly sore spot for the engineer since Asami had thought the ordeal with spirits haunting her was over. To have the dreams start up again - she’d only mentioned two so far - Korra could tell it unnerved and upset her, and here she was piling on guilt when it wasn’t Asami’s fault. “I’m sorry. I know you can’t control it. It’s just… I don’t know what I’m doing. Everything feels so muddled. I’m not that great at riddles. I don't know what the spirits mean by 'closed,' the vines won't go away,” Korra sighed. “And the people need answers. I’m the Avatar. I ought to be able to fix all of this!”
“You’ll figure it out in time. And not all of that is yours to fix.” The engineer turned to face Korra again. She looked tired, her gaze unfocused. “Keep doing your best, okay?”
“But what if I don’t figure it out? What if all of this gets worse?” Korra didn’t like to admit it, but sometimes she felt like a failure. The way she couldn’t do anything about the vines, the fact the vines happened in the first place, the way Raava had been torn from her, how she'd stupidly trusted Unalaq at first, and all these little things that added up to her feeling like she wasn't a good enough Avatar.
Asami grasped her shoulder. “You will,” she said, firmly. “I know it. Look, it's been weeks since the Final Battle, the vines have mostly grown up. That’s not any worse than when they first appeared. We got time to figure this out.” She squeezed Korra’s shoulder. “Trust in yourself, okay?”
Korra nodded and smiled. She placed her hand over Asami’s. “Thanks. That helps a little.” For a moment, she met Asami’s gaze, and again felt that surge of affection. The intensity had only gotten stronger over time. “I love you,” she said, quietly.
“And I love you.” Asami rubbed her nose against Korra’s and smiled. “I’ll help however I can, okay? You may be the Avatar, but you don’t have to face it all alone.”
“As long as you remember that too,” Korra said. “Gotta build our rope together, right?”
That got a sad but tender smile from the engineer. “Yes. Do you have an idea of what to say for the press conference?”
“Honestly? No idea.” Korra threw her hand outward toward the veil of vines. “Hey people of Republic City! The vines are your friend! They mean us no harm! Except when the spirits are angry and dark, then call on me to balance it all!”
Asami raised an eyebrow. “That… is something you could say.”
“Do you have a better idea?” Korra hoped she did. Asami excelled at details, while Korra often was stuck in this big picture mode trying to piece together a puzzle with one hand tied behind her back. And puzzles were frustrating.
“Let me think…” Asami tapped her Idea Journal against her leg. Korra waited. When the engineer got that expression, it meant she had calculated a bunch of epic things in her head and plotted out the solution to the universe or something. “How about this: ‘We have taken extensive time mapping the Spirit Wilds and the growth of the vines. They predominantly grow upward not out. When they grow into structures, they often become part of the structural supports that hold up buildings…’”
“Uhhh. That’s Asami-talk.” Korra scrunched her nose in thought. “I guess to translate all that. Maybe…” Korra attempted a translation into plain-speak. “How’s that?”
“Fantastic.” Asami smiled and pulled Korra into a kiss. Korra felt it all through her body like an electric zap, and she melted into the engineer’s softness. Except, Asami pulled away, and the moment was lost. Like always. A quick, intense kiss that left Korra wanting more. “See! Storyteller. You just needed a jumpstart.”
Korra found it hard to focus on anything other than Asami’s lips, so she turned away and marched forward. “Yup! Jumpstarting my thoughts!” Asami trailed after her with a chuckle.
The pair headed down the road toward where Asami had parked their Satomobile. Usually for these mapping sessions, Jinora and Tenzin were with them, but Tenzin had a meeting, and Jinora, well, Korra wasn’t entirely sure where Jinora was at the moment. She’d been planning to fly with them for the mapping session, but Pema had called her back, so Korra flew alone to meet Asami downtown.
They walked in silence, only pausing for the engineer to mark something on her map.
“So, uh, did the interviews at the mansion go okay?” Korra realized she hadn’t asked about it since they’d met up here.
But then, she’d been too distracted by Asami herself. It was to a point that Korra felt a awkward and increasingly frustrated with herself. Why was her body so… weird around Asami lately? They’d been dating for awhile, and the past few weeks, every time they kissed, Korra found herself really wanting to just… touch Asami everywhere, and that made her feel very crude. Sure, they’d talked about sex but hadn’t done it yet. And, here she was in a cycle of thinking of Asami in that way, but Asami was so hot and cool and amazing, and shouldn’t Korra be focusing on whatever they were doing? And not on what Asami looked like naked?
“Korra, if you ask a question, you could at least listen.” Asami stopped and put her hands on her hips. “Is the press conference or spirits bothering you this much?”
“Uhhh.” Korra didn’t want to admit that it wasn’t the press conference nor spirits she’d been thinking about. “Can you repeat what you said? I promise to listen this time!”
Asami’s eyes narrowed. “Hmm. I said, yes, they went fine. Background checks, analyzed connections, free of triad influence.” She turned and walked toward her vehicle again. “I’m not repeating that if you failed to listen again.”
“Sorry! I heard it this time!” Korra jogged to catch up to Asami’s brisk pace. Great, she’d managed to irritate her girlfriend. Did that mean she’d sleep alone tonight? Korra didn’t want that. She lived for her nightly cuddles with Asami in that comfy mattress.
They reached her Satomobile, which was parked along a particularly large vine that curled up the side of an apartment complex. Asami turned and studied Korra with her Sato look, which Korra swore pierced through to her inner spirit and Raava-Vaatu. One of four Sato looks that Korra had identified thus far. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, mostly. More frustrated by the vine situation and Raiko. Why?”
Asami rose an eyebrow. “It’s more than that, though, isn’t it?”
Korra blushed. “Uhh. Why do you say that?” How did Asami do this every time? Korra couldn’t keep anything from her, not that she particularly wanted to do that, but Korra definitely didn’t know how to admit she was thinking impure thoughts about Asami a lot lately.
“Our talk about spirits. How distracted you’ve been lately.” Asami stepped forward and tilted up Korra’s chin. “You know you can talk to me, right?”
Why did her emerald green eyes have to look so pretty? Korra felt distracted just by the one touch of her finger against Korra’s chin and the look in Asami’s eyes. “I know…” Korra jumped backward and ran to the other side of the car. She was just too full of emotion, and Asami’s touch made Korra want to tackle her and do stuff that Korra wasn’t entirely sure how to do, but it’d be pleasant stuff that would make Asami, hopefully, feel really good. She hopped over the side and fell into the passenger seat, frustrated with herself. Korra wished she knew more about this relationship stuff. Sometimes she felt so over her head, while Asami, on the other hand, seemed to know everything.
Asami watched her, her expression full of an emotion that Korra couldn’t quite interpret. “I see.” Those words sounded almost like a judgment, and Korra winced internally. She opened the door to her satomobile, sat down, and shut it with way more grace compared to Korra’s own. “City hall?” She started up the vehicle and glanced sidelong at Korra.
“Yeah.” Korra slouched in her seat. Maybe she ought to admit it, but that was not easy to do. Left her feeling embarrassed. “Uhh. And I guess, the thing is, I don’t know how to talk about it?”
The satomobile rumbled into motion. Asami switched gears and upped their speed. “Is it related to the vines? Or spirits?”
“No. No, it’s not that.” Korra leaned her head back and groaned. “I just… it’s me being an idiot, and we sort of already talked about it? But I’m worried I’m going to mess it all up.”
“Oh.” Realization dawned on Asami’s face. “That.” She shifted again and veered around an intersection onto a more trafficked road. “Korra, it’s okay. Whatever we do together will be wonderful. You can’t mess it up. Just relax and be in the moment.”
“Easy for you to say!” Korra huffed and crossed her arms. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Does it help that I checked out a book from the library to research this very topic?” Asami smiled and gave her a quick glance.
“Wait, you did?” Korra stared at her open-mouthed. The great Asami Sato had to research sex?
“Yes. Very enlightening. I still have it if you’d like to review it.” Amusement colored her voice.
Korra was positive her face was a brilliant red. “Uhhh. Okay. Later?”
“Later,” Asami made it sound almost like a promise. “Now, focus, it’s time for speeches.”
Asami always made everything sound so easy. Korra sighed and decided to practice her words out loud. That ought to help clear her mind.
City hall never ceased to amaze Korra. The massive tree-vine hybrid grew in the front entryway, burst through the dome, and stretched up toward the sky. The rest of the building had two wings on either side of the tree and a back section where the offices and justice rooms were. Vines curled up the sides toward the branches of that great tree. Why a tree had sprouted there, Korra had no idea, but it did give it a nice touch. The Senators in parliament and the President seemed to think otherwise though.
Asami parallel-parked so quickly that Korra held onto the side of the satomobile out of concern, but as always, Asami’s parking was immaculate. “Got your speech down now?” That hint of humor still colored her voice, considering she’d just listened to Korra recite her words at least seven times now.
“I better have.” Korra hopped out of the vehicle, while Asami exited more stately.
President Raiko already stood at a podium set up outside of the City Hall’s entrance. A long microphone cord trailed up the steps toward the partially open City Hall’s doors. The reporters clustered around the podium, and from the looks of it, were only as far back as they were because Chief Beifong stood in front of the podium with her arms crossed. Korra counted eight reporters, which was surprisingly few for a press conference.
“Mr President, how do you feel about your approval ratings being nearly as low as the Avatar's? Have you seen today's headline? It says ‘Raik-oh no. Polls pan pres' plans.’”
Korra had to stifle a chuckle at the sound of that.
“I'm not concerned with snappy put-downs in the press. I'm facing this calamity just like every other citizen,” Raiko snapped. He pointed to the tree and the vines growing out of the building behind him. “There's a tree growing right through my office. You think I'm not doing everything I can to get rid of it?”
Korra took a steadying breath and marched up to Raiko. Asami hung back near the reporters and gave her a thumbs up. That helped a little. “Hi, everyone!” Korra figured she better talk fast before the reporters interrupted her. “I’ve been mapping the Spirit Wilds with Asami, Tenzin, and Jinora. We’ve learned a lot. The vines grow up not out. When they grow into buildings, they merge with them somehow, and the buildings stay up because of the vines. I believe it’s possible to work with them…”
A woman reporter interrupted her, “Why are you forcing the integration of spirits in Republic City?”
A man next to her shouted, “Avatar Korra, do you regret the way you handled Unalaq’s World War?”
Korra looked at them baffled. “I’m not forcing anything! And I did my best to reach Unalaq before he caused more…”
Another reporter interrupted her. “Why can't you fix this?”
“Are the vines here to stay?”
“Look! Harmonic Convergence was only a month or so ago. We’re facing a big change, yeah, but I’m doing —”
Raiko interrupted her. “The Avatar has put us all in a very difficult position, but my administration-”
Korra spun and shoved her finger into his face, furious. “Oh, I'm sorry. Did I put you in a difficult position by fighting the villian that was going to destroy the whole world?” She bobbed his chin up and down. “I’m sure your administration could have handled that.”
Lin Beifong stepped forward and separated Korra from Raiko by pushing them physically away from each other. Korra huffed and crossed her arms. “No more questions. This press conference is over.” She glared at Korra and Raiko both before stepping around the podium. She made a shooing motion to usher the reporters away. A few tried to stop and take a picture, but Lin stepped in their path and glared them down. They scurried away like frightened puppies.
“Your behavior is ridiculous!” Raiko snapped. He took a few paces up the City Hall steps and turned to glare down at Korra.
“And yours is any better?” Korra snarled. She really wanted to give him a good punch, but that wouldn’t solve anything despite maybe making her feel better.
Asami walked up next to her. “Korra.” She gently placed her hand on Korra’s arm. Korra breathed out her irritation. Asami had a point; her anger at Raiko wasn’t helping her solve this. “President Raiko,” Asami said, her tone neutral, “working with the vines is our best option.”
“I know what you’re up to.” He thrust his finger toward Asami. “The bidding process for the city? Your company’s ideas are preposterous. Wanting us to work with...” he gestured to the building behind them “… that? And does your mapping truly show they won’t grow further into the city?”
“So far yes,” Asami said, evenly, her expression icy, and her grip on Korra’s arm tightened.
That was a sure sign of Asami’s anger boiling under the surface. Since their return from the Unalaq’s World War, flashes of anger like this had been a sign of Asami’s struggle with painful memories from the war. Though this time, based on her words and facial expression, Korra decided it was less a bad memory and more her furious at Raiko. Which meant Korra could just enjoy the show.
“I fail to see your administration mapping the Spirit Wilds as extensively as we have. It would seem, perhaps, for your sake, you should listen to those with the knowledge to handle this situation.” She smiled sweetly, another dangerous expression. “Avatar Korra has the knowledge of the spirit world we need, and our mapping can aid us in recovery.”
“Typical for your to defend your girlfriend, is it not?” Raiko glowered at her.
“Hey!” Korra scowled. “That’s uncalled for!”
“Korra. It’s okay. The President knows he has no solution and thus has decided to lash out.” Asami smiled that deadly smile at Raiko again. “We will discuss this again when you’ve had time to cool down.”
Raiko turned with a scowl and stalked inside, the door swinging shut behind him.
“Okay, remind me to never be on the receiving end of that.” Korra looked at her girlfriend in amazement. “I wish I could handle him like that.”
Asami sighed and her shoulders drooped. “Takes energy. Let’s go.” She led them back to her satomobile.
A few of the reporters still lingered nearby, but Lin had kept them back by walking steadily toward them, which caused them to back up and try to get around her, only for her to keep up her pace. It was an odd game that mildly fascinated Korra. She’d never pulled off such a persona, but then Korra could just call Naga, and Naga loved scaring off reporters. Maybe next time she’d bring Naga along.
The drive to the docks was relatively quiet. Korra stole glances at Asami, but the engineer seemed deep in thought. A tired, almost sad expression on her face. “So, are you okay?” Korra finally asked when they had turned onto the road that led into the dock area.
“Mhm. Tired. It’s been a long day.” Asami parked near the ferry and turned to Korra with a heavy sigh. “Dealing with the mansion is… a complex network of emotions now. Takes a lot out of me.”
Korra scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The engineer leaned her head against Korra’s shoulder, and her black hair draped across Korra’s back and front. “Because of your mother’s secret workshop? And your Dad’s stuff?” Korra had been there with Asami when they’d discovered how the mansion had been broken into by Varrick, how triad’s had occupied it, and them ousting the triads. It had been a lot, and the discoveries they’d found had Korra worried that it impacted Asami more than she’d let on.
“Yes and yes. I still don’t know what to do with it.” Asami traced her finger along Korra’s thigh. “I had to call for repair work on my room. Considered fixing it myself, but it was hard enough cleaning up the debris.”
This was one of those moments that Korra wished she knew more about fixing things. Instead, she seemed to be better at breaking things or healing. Korra felt proud of her healing; Master Katara had taught her well, but that didn't work for fixing rooms or mansions. “Sounds like a good idea. One less thing on your plate?” Even though Asami was still technically on that leave thing for her work, the engineer never seemed to truly rest. Korra was at her wits end trying to think of a way to get Asami to actually rest, but then maybe her million and one engineering projects was resting for her? If so, it baffled Korra’s mind and frustrated her sometimes. The radio project came to mind. “Oh, that reminds me. I’m done with the resin for your radio.”
“Really?” Asami lifted her head and smiled that gorgeous, dazzling smile that made Korra feel weak and overwhelmed with affection. “Should be the last component needed.” She looked toward the ferry. “I hope they like it…”
“I’m sure they will.” Korra hopped over the side of the satomobile. It was nearing dinner for the air bending family, and as much as she was tempted to bask in Asami’s beauty, her stomach grumbled for food more.
Asami raised her eyebrows. “Are you ever going to exit a vehicle, correctly?” She exited slowly as if showing Korra how it’s done.
“Why do that when jumping is faster?” Korra grinned, grabbed Asami’s hand, and tugged her toward the ferry. A White Lotus guard sat on the boat with a book but immediately put it down and stood at their appearance.
Air Temple Island at this time of day bustled with activity, where monks and acolytes tended to the temple or made dinner in the dining hall between the dormitories. The smell of pickled food and ginger wafted on the breeze along with the shouts of Ikki and the other kids. Korra loved the atmosphere and the feeling of home this island gave her.
Her and Asami walked up the path from the docks to the rock garden. Different colored rocks had been carefully arrayed to resemble a stream moving through a grassy field of flowers, each stone placed with care. Though thanks to the air bending kids, the arrangement had to be fixed daily by acolytes. Korra loved the garden, and sometimes sat on the benches there when others were in the pagoda, her second favorite spot. She heard Pema bellow to the kids about dinner. Inside, the dining room Tenzin’s family used was between the den and Tenzin’s study.
When they entered, they were met with a bizarre sight. The airbending kids were in a fierce show off with the chopsticks. Meelo stuffed his chopsticks into either side of his mouth, and the boy pretended to growl at Jinora, who rolled her eyes in response. However, Bumi waved his arms wildly in front of him and nearly hit Ikki and Tenzin in the face. Kya sat with her elbow on the table and her head rested on her hand, a look of annoyance on her face. Pema looked exasperated with Rohan tapping a chopstick against their plate, and Bolin looked highly amused at it all.
Tenzin fumed in anger. “Stop waving your arms about! This isn’t funny anymore.”
“No really! I can do it! I can air bend!” Bumi waved his arms wildly in front of him. Wait, air bend? Was Korra hearing that correctly? The older man was a nonbender.
“What’s with him?” Korra asked, confused. She jerked a thumb at the older man, who looked far more disheveled than usual. Sand still stuck to his white beard and hair and his clothes were a rumpled old navy coat, shirt, and trousers, all with sand and bits of twig debris on them still.
“Bumi says he airbended earlier, but he can't now. Oh, and I guess he's not very good at knitting either.” Bolin grinned. “I gotta say, I love being a part of this family. You got the grumpy dad, the wacky uncle, the put-upon mom, crazy kids. It’s great!” He gestured to each party in turn.
“Uhh. Right.” Korra glanced at Asami, who was studying the commotion thoughtfully. “Where’s Mako?”
“Oh, that brooding teenager? Sleeping under his desk at the cop office,” Bolin waved his hand dismissively.
“Still?” Asami looked startled. “You know I told you two that you can live at the mansion, right? I hired a staff today too."
Bolin nodded. “I told him that! Plus Tenzin offered we stay here since, you know, his apartment is a vine habitat now. But,” Bolin styled his hair like Mako, “’I gotta focus on work’ he said.” Bolin pushed down his hair and shook his head. “Who sleeps at work anyway?”
Asami seemed a bit taken aback by Bolin’s words. “Uh, I have before.”
“Oh!” Bolin startled. “That’s right. You did! And we thought you were kidnapped, and we rushed to save you. Sorry, Asami! I didn't mean anything by that!”
Korra remembered that day a few weeks before their first trip south, before she'd made the poor decision to trust her uncle. Asami hadn’t returned for two nights in a row, and Bolin and her had gotten worried. They'd nabbed Mako at around midnight, and gone to her office to start the search there. Only to find her asleep next to the coolest model Korra had ever seen - a fancy airship. She took the seat next to Bolin, while Asami gingerly sat down next to her. “Well, you’re still on leave right? No sleeping under your work desk, ok?”
Asami smirked. “Why my desk when I got you?”
Korra flushed and found she had no comeback to that. Bolin guffawed and slapped his knee.
“Oh! Did you see that?” Bumi pointed to the napkin in delight. “It moved!”
Kya frowned. “Bumi, you blew on it.”
“Wait! Maybe I can only do it if I’m in danger.” Bumi tapped his chin then turned to Bolin. “Bolin, earthbend a huge boulder at me!”
“Uhhh. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Bolin looked back with wide eyes. Korra found the entire exchange mildly amusing. Bumi would be knocked out by anything Bolin earth bent, which at the rate this was going, Bumi might end up airbended out of the room by a furious Tenzin.
“If you're going to be bending giant boulders, you can do it outside,” Pema snapped. She adjusted Rohan in her lap and took the chopstick out of his hand.
“No one is bending giant boulders!” Tenzin threw up his hands in frustration.
“Look alive, Uncle Bumi!” Meelo tossed a plate at Bumi’s face.
To Korra’s astonishment, Bumi caught the plate in an air bubble. The plate spun and twisted inside the bubble, Bumi's hands outstretched on either side. Kya put both hands on the table and stared at her brother with wide eyes, while next to her, Pema shook her head in disbelief. Korra rubbed her eyes, but when she looked again, the plate still hovered in front of Bumi, who was… or rather used to be a nonbender. How... was this possible?
“See? I told you!” Bumi grinned. The air bubble dissipated at his split concentration, and the plate shattered onto the table.
Tenzin stared first at the plate then Bumi. “Unbelievable. You are an airbender."
For a long moment, no one spoke or moved. Bumi flexed as if it had been his arm strength to cause the air bending. Meelo broke the silence first. "Mom, can I have another plate?" That snapped Pema into action. She stood with Rohan and entered the kitchen at far end of the dining room.
“Seek the air,” Asami whispered. Korra looked at Asami, and the engineer looked unsettled and amazed all in one. Korra realized with a start that this must be what the spirits were referencing. New air benders!
Korra tapped her chopsticks against her plate. "Wow, so, okay. New air bender. I'm guessing you aren't the only one?" The idea of a search for new airbenders turned Korra's shock into excitement.
Tenzin nodded, slowly. "Perhaps... Asami, it seems your prediction was true.”
“Not mine,” Asami protested. “Sani, our spirit friend, shared it. Bumi, when did this start?”
“Today! Fell out of a tree and stopped my fall with a cushion of air!” He snapped his fingers. “I ought to tell you the full story since you missed out on it!” Bumi launched into the tale with gusto. Despite other's attempts to divert the conversation away from the story, Bumi kept interrupting to add further details. Korra was pretty sure there was no dragon-bird fights or spirit battles, but Bumi had added those in at one point. Tenzin's amazement had faded back into irritation at his brother's exaggerations.
Asami's expression showed regret for asking, and she took the bowl Kya offered her. After spooning the mashed root veggies onto her plate, she handed it off to Korra. As she served herself, Korra decided they'd just have to wait until after dinner to ask how they could search out any others.