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Characters: Asami (

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Date: January 17th
Location: ME-2A
Situation: Moving in!
Warnings/Rating: N/A

After her conversation with Asami, Korra just left her door wide open since she knew Asami would be over soon and Naga took the advantage to go outside.

The suite most had the same layout of ME-2B so Korra didn't have to think on where to start putting anything. The hardest part was out of the way now that all her furniture was in place, the rest of it was just unpacking her stuff.

One of the first things Korra did was get out some of her fish jerky, a small boost of energy to get her ready to hang out with her friend so they could tackle the task.

That alone made her smile. Now that she was home and feeling like herself, Korra wanted to get back with her friends. Have her home in Keeliai feel more like her home world. Their home world.

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Her initial intent was to have a discussion about the state of things between herself, Korra and Mako. It's something they've never quite stopped dealing with as long as they've known each other, nor has there been a conversation beyond whatever is said to Mako.

Now, it feels almost imperative to talk to Korra about it. Asami knows their breakup was hard, and that doesn't make her feel any better about renewing her relationship with Mako. There are so many things left unsaid and feelings gone unheard that she can't begin to guess how this will go, but it has to happen.

She really wishes she'd stayed faceless behind the console.

As she steps in per her instruction, part of her thinks that maybe today doesn't have to be the day to hash things out. Korra is probably stressed with unpacking and surely whatever else, right? Right.

She looks to her left, to her right, stepping carefully until she spots Korra.

"Hey, Korra! Nice place."

Between her consolation from Jim and hanging out with Bolin, Korra’s retreat only lasted a week and she was ready to jump right back into the swing of things. Work would resume as normal, her exercise and training would pick back up, and she could even look forward to having some pro-bending.

Looking up from opening a box in her lap, Korra grinned and waved her in. "Thanks, Asami. It’ll look just like my other one did when I get settled in. I’ll have to find see if I can have the floor upstairs be magically painted again though."

It was an idle thought as she took out a book and a lamp to set on the ground next to her.

"Oh, did you see my satomobile? It’s here! But I haven’t driven it yet." Obviously, it was still intact.

"That was yours?" A thumb gestures in the direction she'd seen a car sitting. "No kidding! Why on earth did you get one?"

Korra's one of the last people she'd expect to get anything on four wheels, at least as long as Naga is around. She knows it isn't fair of her to judge her potential to drive based on one incident, too, but there are just certain things that don't go together in her head.

Who knows, maybe she'll have to change that.

She uses a key to cut open a box, just to get started.

"It was a gift from Tarrlok when he was trying to get me to join his task force." She rolled her eyes as she spoke. That barrage of gifts was not the way to get on her good side and she really did hate how he finally managed to get her on that pet project of his.

"It was actually where Tu Vishan made landfall last month. Sometimes things from home show up that way, even Naga was at Sinbrilee under the ocean the landfall before that."

After thinking about how she got the car, Korra shook her head and ripped open another box. "That one's got breakables, think."

Maybe she should have marked the boxes...

"Oh." She ponders that for a moment. Besides certain amenities, like her toiletries and wardrobe, she isn't sure there's anything at home she would ever hope for on the off chance she would receive something. Certainly not the burden of a failing business, and her car situation is already being taken care of.

So, vanity supplies it is. She'll mentally keep her fingers crossed for that much.

She glances down at the box she's opened and carefully sifts through some dishes. Out come a stack of bowls. She'll address the broken cup in a second.

"Say, if the Satomobile isn't getting any mileage, would you mind if I showed it to Tony sometime? Just to give him an idea of the specs I'm used to, if he's interested." She shrugs hastily. "Then maybe I could teach you how to drive it."

Stopping from taking wooden symbol of Air out of the box in her lap, Korra looked over at Asami, eyebrows raised.

"Really?" A boat, Korra knows how to drive a boat. A car is another creature entirely and she was resigned to let the car sit out there. "Sure! I know Tony would probably want to see it."

Even thought it's not the same Tony that had given her the slinky that she absent mindedly pulled out of the box along with the symbol, it was the Tony that let Mako keep his job because she talked to him.

He was good people from what Korra made out of him. Even if he did drunk dial her console once.

"I'll do my best to pick it up!" If there was one thing Korra was confident, it was being a fast learner. Usually anyway. There was the whole airbending block she had to work through.

She likes the positive answer. Asami sets down the bowls and carefully picks out the broken cup like a used tissue.

"You'll get the hang of it. I learned when I was pretty young, and you probably have better spacial awareness now than I did then."

She's stuffing her issues in the back of her mind as if she's trying to pack too many clothes in a small suitcase. In her attempts to keep making eye contact with peachy keen smiles, she catches sight of the slinky and her brows go up.

"Oh, what is that thing?"

"This?" She held up the slinky briefly before moving it from hand to hand. "It’s a slinky. Tony gave it to me. He doesn’t have any memory of it because he’s one of the ones that left and came back."

The sound of the slinky coiling back up into one hand pierced the air when Korra look at Asami after saying that.

"Like us. You and I were here before, at the same time and I don’t remember any of it. I bet you don’t either, huh?" She held it out for Asami.

"Take it." The message Tony left for Korra along with the toy finally made sense. It was nice, but the title he mentioned wasn’t for her. That was obvious.

The slinky is curious enough for her to be entertained for the moment she sees it in action, but the air for her turns somber enough as Korra explains why she has it. Asami hadn't been aware that Korra and Tony were here previous to their own memories. A corner of her lips curls into a frown, gaze dropping with her expression to signify that, no, she doesn't remember her previous time either.

She glances up again to Korra's offer.

"Oh." She tentatively begins to take it, but her palm only rests at the top of it. "But Tony gave this you, didn't he? I don't think I can accept this."

Edited 2014-02-05 03:07 (UTC)

"Yeah, he did. Which means it's mine, so I'm giving it to you. He told me 'every tech genius needs one' and, well, you don't have one." She gave a light snort. "And you can't just buy these anywhere."

Korra picked up the rest of the broken cup and took the piece Asami had. "You'll thank me when you see it go down the stairs." Said as if that was some huge selling point.

Tech genius. It brings a flattered smile to her face, but there's an arch to her brow, as she carefully takes the slinky from Korra's hand.

"Well, I have to thank you now. This is so kind of you." She slinks the toy from one hand to the other, thinking she'll be able to casually put it away after a single effect, but instead it remains in her hands.

Now is not a time where she feels giddy over a gift, least of all from a friend she feels she could potentially be hurting very soon. Their dynamic here doesn't feel quite the same as it is back home; it doesn't make as much sense to her, especially as the third party who was never present to witness Korra's history with Mako in Keeliai. Yet here she is, operating on how things "ought" to be, and pretending with everyone else that the reality of this realm doesn't weigh as much as that of their tangible Republic City.

But Mako seems to disagree with that kind of logic and she's fallen too deep for him to insist that it isn't right. Not that she knows anything, and maybe their relationship was as crazy as it had ever been, but breakups still hurt and they probably hurt even more when home is so far away. This is more than trite relationship drama; this is telling Korra she needs to find another way of coping with her surroundings, that things are changing as she's acclimating.

Things aren't good enough to warrant the memento sitting in her hands. Her shoulders drop with a kind of resolve before she looks at Korra.

"Korra, I really am here to help get you settled. But that's not why I originally tried to reach you..."

Keeliai had been so radically different from Republic City. The Avatar was hardly needed to keep balance with the population of powered beings that equaled or easily dwarfed her bending, the stress that came with training was gone since Korra was doing it herself, and her spiritual connection wasn’t nearly in demand or as relevant as it was back home. Everything that had caused an exorbitant amount of stress and the people that gave it weren’t present.

Something Korra had adapted to over nine months.

"Oh yeah. You wanted to catch up on things!" She turned over a small, gray stone figurine of Naga in one hand as she got to her feet and placed the box next to the doorway to her bedroom, setting them up later after they talked. "I know we just went over the big points, but there’s tons of other stuff that’s happened since I got here."

Asami almost takes the bait to let her digress and talk about something else. Heart too heavy and shoulders stiff, she answers dryly, "Actually, there's something I wanted to tell you. I don't know what it's going to mean to you here."

At home, to be fully honest, Asami felt justified. She didn't owe Korra any explanations. Maybe she doesn't now, either, but the way and why their dynamics are changing makes even her feel uneasy.

It's almost as if this is for her sake, too.

The change in tone caused Korra to slow to a stop. ‘Here. That didn’t mean her new suite, and Korra raised an eyebrow at Asami while he bottom lip protruded slightly. She saw her future and what happened, but if not Keeliai then the catching up had to be from home.

"What happened?"

"Well... Mako and I got back together. Again."

She sighs. "I just didn't know how much being here for so long would change everything. He said it makes more sense. I guess I'm feeling a lot of whiplash." But that's not the point. She shakes her head. "Anyway, I wanted to try communicating with you personally this time."

That sunk it a lot faster than Korra would have liked it to, and she stood there listening as she worked it out in her head. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it instead and furrowed her brow.

Part of her wanted to be angry, the way she would have been when she first arrived months ago; before she settled in and saw her future. But that was washed over by the repeating wave of the words 'It's over...' and Korra folded her arms, her fingers on her ribs.

"A lot of things can change here." It wasn't much of an answer, but she had no idea how to even broach the subject.

Asami doesn't quite know how to respond to that, except somewhat agree with a short nod of her head. She figures as much. It also answers her own question as to how Korra might feel about all this.

She straightens her legs to stand and keeps her hands at her sides.

"I didn't want you to find out by surprise."

I know how that feels is on the tip of her tongue, almost a knee jerk response to Korra's tone even despite her concern, but she isn't trying to burn bridges here.

Re-trace her steps.

"Thank you." said quietly as she looked more at the wall behind Asami than the girl herself.

As she spoke, she went back to the time where Asami needed Mako and Korra encouraged him to go to her. Be supportive of both of them instead of being selfish and focusing on herself. Harder now because of how she spent the last six months with him, unfettered by any influences from home, but she managed to get there.

The past week wouldn't go to waste, Korra wasn't going to allow that. "If you need anything, let me know." It was the offer she made when Asami posted on the network and repeating it was the only way she could think of at the moment to let her friend know that she was still that.

Her friend.

Asami thinks her offer is out of place, but she grants her the leeway of an awkward moment. It's a nice gesture, and she could have said something far worse. She only wishes they wouldn't leave things unsaid for once, and with that the conversation they could have had feels shut down.

But it's possible Asami is readier for it than her counterpart. Even then, she isn't sure if she'll ever be prepared to just hash out feelings with her. All she wants is a friendship. She likes Korra, a lot.

So for now she'll count her blessings.

She quietly says in return, "Thanks." She musters a small smile. "I'm here for you, too. Right across the hall, in fact."

"I might take you up on that." It’s forced out along with the small smile. Blaming anything on Asami wasn’t fair, and she knew that. Not when her friend arrived in the middle of all of this, and cleared the air instead of letting her find out on her own.

Returning back to her previously functional state, Korra went to get another box. While it did feel like all the air was sucked out of the room momentarily, there was relief in Asami’s face and she could only wonder how hard that was for her. "Still feel like unpacking, or do you want a break?"

Asami isn't completely relieved. She certainly doesn't feel loosey-goosey enough to resume unpacking like nothing just happened. While Korra finds her functionality, Asami continues to stand there. Her forced smile ceases.

"To be honest, I figured you would've wanted me to leave. I can give you space."

Looking down at the box in her hands, Korra knit her brow and stopped from unfolding the flaps. Admissions were becoming something she had to do a lot lately, and it never got any easier with each time. Especially when it was one she only told one person, but if she was going to be honest with her friends from home she needed to start somewhere.

"You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to." She had her space, coming off of being by herself for more than a week was taxing even for her. "But, I don’t want to be alone." Korra didn’t want to rely on others and what Asami just told her were both big reasons why it was hard to say.

She appreciates the honesty. Asami feels sorry for Korra without moving or saying anything for a moment, and another part of her is making up her mind. Even if she doesn't want to be alone, Asami doesn't feel like the best company for her to have around.

The comment worries her, however. She resolves to stay, and without any kind of announcement of her decision, she begins to break down the box she'd just emptied.

"Does it have anything to do with this past week? I didn't hear from you for a while there."

"Yeah." Lying wasn’t something Korra could do easily in general, and she even held it against others who did lie to her. "I was staying with some friends I met here. They had a family member return home, a friend of mine." Leo departing the turtle was the original reason she went, but the audience changed that.

"It was only supposed to be for two days." Unpacking the next box was easy, it was just sheets and blankets.

Even if it could be in someone's best interest to leave, to consciously experience their original home without worrying about this alternate reality, Asami understands how difficult it must feel to suddenly miss someone's company. She looks at her sympathetically as she crouches down to key open another box.

"So what held you longer?"

Taking a brown tribble blanket, Korra rubbed her fingers against the incredibly soft fur slowly and without much interest. The question strained her a bit, but there wasn’t anything she could do at this point but just be truthful.

"The audience. I needed some space." She didn’t even think of it that way back then, but Jim had told her as much and it made more sense now that she can look back on it.

In other words, Asami really did have a bit of bad timing with this. She preoccupies herself with drawing folded clothes from her box.

"Hopefully things will start to look up soon. I mean, you have a driving lesson to look forward to now, so there's that. Just keep yourself busy." She offers her a short, encouraging look. "You're pretty good at that."

"You have no idea." Said more to herself than Asami while she piled the blankets. With as much volunteer work, training, and jobs as Korra had; the Avatar piled herself with distractions before any this even unfolded.

"Thanks. I'll try to do a better parking job this time."

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I kept reading "Leo the departing turtle" ah ha haaa

It’s even interchangeable, omg

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