Conflict Resolution

Chapter 6

Korra stared down at her official brainstorm sheet – a.k.a. the office whiteboard – and groaned. It was blank. Her date was in hours and she had no idea what to do. "Should I order some roses for her?" she asked Naga. The dog whined and cocked her head to the side. She decided Naga was sympathetic to her cause. "Maybe I should buy tickets to the opera? Is it too late for those? Does Asami like opera?"

Naga pawed at her leg but Korra ignored her. She started scribbling on the board. She jumped when her phone went off. It was Asami's ringtone, too. She scrambled for the device, pausing when she saw the picture of them she had saved for Asami's profile. It had been from college. They were in their second year and Asami had dragged her along to a game of ultimate Frisbee hosted by student activities. They stood with arms draped over each other, laughing and completely scuffed and dirty.

Korra smiled and answered the phone. "Hey there."

"Hey Korra," Asami replied, a faint lilt to her tone giving it a hint of suggestiveness.

"So, um, what's up?" She had to calm down. This was Asami. They had done so much together. The last thing Korra needed to do was impress her with a grand gesture.

"Well, I was calling to find out what we were doing tonight for our date."

Date. Just the word made her insides jump. Korra laughed uneasily. "Uh, yeah. The thing is it's a surprise."

"Oh really?" Asami asked.

She's onto me. I just know it. Korra swallowed and tried to inject more confidence into her tone. "Yeah. Aren't I allowed to surprise you? Isn't that what dates are about?"

Asami laughed. "Sometimes. Generally, I think they're ways to let people get to know one another better."

Korra frowned. "But we know so much about each other already."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm sure there's still much for us to uncover about one another." The way Asami spoke caused Korra's core to tighten. She bit her lip and tried to force away the mental image of what Asami wanted to uncover– "Korra? You still there?"

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry, I just got lost in thought for a moment." Asami laughed and Korra tried to relax. "I'll see you later today, all right?" She had come into work to finish paperwork and attend the weekly meeting, both of which were already finished.

"Sure. I'll stop by after work."

Korra spent the rest of her time searching on her cell phone, trying desperately to remember the name of an event one of her coworkers had mentioned weeks ago. Finally she managed to stumble across the website, and book tickets. With a smile she sent Asami a text: Dress casual. She figured Asami would want to know what to wear for their date. Korra tried to ease her nerves by reminding herself that Asami had instructed her to relax when interested in someone. It'll be just like we're hanging out. Except that I want to kiss her... Korra blew out a breath and sank into the chair. Finally she grabbed Naga's leash.

"Come on girl, I'd better walk and feed you before I go out; hopefully I won't be home until late."

I'm here. Your chariot awaits. Korra smiled at the text from Asami. She took a deep breath and checked on Naga one more time. The dog was curled up in her bed. "I'll be back later, girl," she said, then stepped outside. She locked the door and glanced at the curbside. Asami sat in the driver's seat of some hotrod. Korra did not recognize the model, but it looked expensive and impressive.

She let out a low whistle as she opened the car door and sat down. "This is casual?" she asked, pulling her seatbelt across her chest.

Asami smirked and patted the dashboard. "I left the Rolls at home. This is definitely a step down in comparison."