Korra stared out the car window, trying to decide where Asami was taking them. She had assured Korra that their date would not be interrupted. Everything had been taken care of, according to Asami.

She glanced at Korra while they drove out of the city. "Hey, just relax."

Korra tried not to pout. "You're really not going to tell me where we're going?" After spending a week without Asami to come home to, going out for the weekend had not been on the top of her list to begin with. She could only hope Asami took her to a secret condo getaway or something.

Asami chuckled. "No."

"Or why exactly you brought along wetsuits?" She nodded toward the trunk, where Asami had packed an odd assortment of items along with the cold water suits.

"No." Asami placed a hand on Korra's thigh. "Just let me do something nice for you."

Korra covered Asami's hand with her own. "I'm sorry, I've just been really tense lately."

"I know, which is exactly why we deserve to have a nice day out." Asami turned her attention back to the road. "We're almost there."

Korra raised a brow and looked back out on the road. She had no idea where there could be. A few minutes later, she saw a sign indicating the turn-off for a sealife center was approaching. Asami took it and Korra glanced at her. "An aquarium?" she asked.

Asami smiled. "Better. It's a marine sanctuary that Future Industries donates to regularly. They are closed today to set up some of the new habitats, and I asked them if we could come by and just...hang out."

"We're seriously going to have this whole aquarium to ourselves all day?" Korra stared at the large building looming in the distance. The ocean lay on the horizon. She smiled at Asami. "Did I ever mention what a wonderful girlfriend you are?"

Asami shrugged. "I'm getting pretty used to hearing it." She flashed a smile at Korra. "I'm still not telling you what the wetsuits are for."

"Like you need to tell me. I bet ten dollars I'm swimming with dolphins."

Asami arched a brow at her. "Care to bet anything a little more interesting?" They pulled into a mostly empty parking lot and Asami stopped the car. She leaned over and kissed Korra on the cheek, then moved down to her neck. Korra shuddered.

"Um...I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose, now that I think about it," Korra muttered. She turned and tried to capture Asami's lips, but she pulled away.

"And would that be so bad?" Asami asked. When Korra could not find her voice to answer, Asami laughed and leaned in close, kissing her softly on the lips. Then, she unbuckled and climbed out of the car, while Korra fumbled to undo her own seat belt Asami pulled the duffle bags with the wet suits out of the car.

"I wouldn't want to distract you and ruin your surprise." Korra followed Asami to the sea life center. Instead of taking the front door, they made their way around the side. Asami pulled out her phone and sent a text. A few moments later, the door swung open.

An employee greeted them with a smile. "Ms. Sato! Right on time, come inside." He stepped aside to allow them through. They entered the building and Korra looked around, seeing tarps over several of the displays. "Pardon the mess. We're resetting some of our exhibits today."

Korra looped an arm around Asami and leaned in close. "I'm so excited," she whispered.

Asami chuckled and gave Korra a warm smile. They were led through another side door.

"You two can get changed in here." he gestured to the door to the right.

"Thanks!" Asami pulled Korra into the changing room.

"Uh, what are we doing?" Korra asked.

Asami shut the door and tossed her a wetsuit. "Get dressed. You'll really want it to protect you against the coral."

"The...coral?" Korra asked, pulling her shirt off. When Asami did not elaborate, she grinned. "You mean as in a coral reef?" Asami smiled back, pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it at Korra. "As in we're going to see one up close?"

"As close as you can get in scuba gear. The water is shallow enough that they'll let you down there with a guide."

"Asami, this is awesome!" Korra tore off the rest of her clothes and tugged the wetsuit on. She struggled to pull it snug, catching her limbs in the sleeves until Asami came over to help. She kissed Korra on the cheek.

"Calm down. We're going to have the whole day to explore this place. You, me, and no one else. The news reporters can't find us here." Asami finished pulling on her own wetsuit. Korra watched as she gracefully pulled the suit on, zipping it up with practiced ease.

"How often do you come here?" Korra asked. Asami took her hand and led her out of the changing room.

"I don't go diving every time I visit, but I do try to check up on the center every few months. It's good to have a presence with the organizations you're funding." They stepped out into a hallway. It led into a large chamber surrounded by tanks of water. Fish flitted by the glass, dancing through reefs and weaving through the rays of sun that speared the water.

"Wow." Korra walked up to one of the tanks, staring into the underwater menagerie. "It's a whole different world."

Asami walked up next to her. "They do a lot of studies on coral reefs and ecosystems, here. It's also a great place for novice divers to practice." She crossed her arms and watched a school of fish float in front of the glass. "I remember coming here as a girl. I wanted to touch them so bad...so my father started me on scuba lessons."

Korra raised a brow. "You used to come here with your dad?"

Asami nodded. "All the time." Instead of elaborating, she stood there and watched the sea creatures. Korra turned her attention back to the tank. A small school of fries disturbed a ground fish from it's rest. It kicked up sand as it floated up and resettled nearby. Finally, Asami stepped away from the glass. "Let's get started, then."

Before she was actually allowed in the tank, Korra had to receive an extensive lesson in scuba etiquette. After receiving as much training out of the water they could muster, Korra was allowed to finish suiting up and slither into one of the less populated tank with Asami. The trainers explained to them that it functioned as a holding area for newer species they would introduce to other tanks later, meaning Korra did not have to worry about disturbing anything aggressive or fragile.

The water engulfed them quickly as they sank into the tank. Korra fought to control her breathing as she got used to the sensation. She felt Asami's hand grip her own and she squeezed back tightly. At first, she blinked too rapidly to see anything noteworthy, but as soon as her heart stopped pounding, she was able to take in the sights.

A trigger fish swam by them, the bright colors standing out clearly in the water. For a second, Korra worried the fish would brush against her, but it moved around her limbs gracefully enough. She stopped panicking a little, realizing none of the fish would swarm her. She glanced over at Asami and caught her studying her. She kicked her feet, propelling forward. It was an incredibly isolating experience, being underwater. There was something satisfying about knowing that none of the reporters or photographers would reach them there. They were in a different world, one untouched by their problems.

After diving, they took a tour of the center. Some of the tanks were empty and half-drained. being cleaned for later use. The aquariums intact, however, were beautiful. Korra was reluctant to leave the sea life center, but she also looked forward to a calm evening along we Asami. They still had the rest of the weekend ahead of them, after all.

When they got back in the car, she asked, "So, any other stops we're making? or is it time to go home?"

Asami smiled as she drove out of the parking lot. "Well, we won't be going home until tomorrow, actually. I already asked Bolin to take care of Naga. If you'd like, I booked us a night out at a small resort lodge just north of here." The words tumbled out in a bit of a rush. Korra could tell Asami was nervous about springing the surprise on her.

"I think that's a great idea." Korra reached over and took Asami's free hand, giving it a small squeeze. "It'll be nice knowing I don't have to dodge a reporter for a little bit."

Asami sighed and let go of Korra's hand in favor of keeping control of the steering wheel. "And I am sorry about that. The investigation is nearly through. Once it goes to court, the reporters will flock the courthouse rather than our private residences."

"Going to court is going to be an improvement?" Korra asked. This had been the first she heard Asami talk about it. The nonchalant way she stated it made the whole thing seem trivial. For a moment, Korra wondered how many times Asami had to defend herself in a trial. Probably too many, since her father's imprisonment.

"It will be an improvement in that we'll have a little peace and quiet. My company is innocent. It would be a joke for Future Industries to be punished with anything more than a small fine." Despite her confident tone, Korra saw the familiar worry lines etch into Asami's face. "Let's...just listen to the radio, yeah?" Asami leaned forward and turned it on. She leaned back and allowed Korra to mess with the dials.

Many of the stations featured their talk shows at this time. She skimmed past many of the voices, ignoring the chatter for the most part. She stopped, however, when she heard her name. "...I'm just making the case, you know? Why does San Francisco even need Conflict Resolution? If you ask me, Korra is robbing the people of their chance to solve their own problems."

There was a pause, and Korra's blood chilled. She did not recognize the voice. "Shall we find some music?" Asami asked, casting her a glance.

"No, just wait a minute," she said.

"Yes, but you've made your case, as you put it, for a few nights in a row now, Zaheer. Why continue?"

"Because I want San Francisco to understand that it has a choice, that we do not need to rely on the poorly thought-out words of a self-proclaimed expert." Korra felt heat rise in her cheeks and she clenched her fists. "I say none of this out of spite, I assure you. I respect Korra and her show, but we've clearly out-grown our need for an advisor. I'd rather those who have questions turn to a professional, if they truly feel like they need to."

Korra did not hear any more. Asami leaned forward and shut off the radio. "Don't listen to that garbage," she said.

"No, I want to know who this Zaheer guy thinks he is." Korra leaned forward to touch the dial again, but Asami smacked her hand away.

"Don't, I mean it. We don't need you stressing about anything else this weekend." As they drove, Asami avoided looking at her. "And I don't need to get arrested for punching the guy in the face."

Korra sighed and crossed her arms. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She glared out the window, watching the green hills streak past. She tried to let go of the words, but she found herself constantly turning over what the man on the radio said. He's crazy. He has to be. Just some attention-seeker jealous of my success. Still, the doubt crept into Korra. She could feel it under her skin. Was she qualified to give advice to people?

"You're a good person, you know that?" Asami said, as if she could sense Korra's self-deprecating thoughts. "What you do has value. It's important. Don't listen to that ass."

With a small, forced smile, Korra took Asami's hand and squeezed it. "I won't if you won't."

A/N: Sorry for the long wait between updates. This chapter was a struggle to finish, but I think we'll get there. The rest of the story shouldn't be as long of a wait...we hope. I honestly think we're getting to the end of this, sadly. Maybe 5 more chapters? Who knows? We've enjoyed the ride with you all so far, though!

As always, we stream on the twitch channel Luraline every Friday starting at 5 pm Pacific time. Check it out!