"Absolutely not."

"That's not what Vacation-Lin would say."

"That's because Vacation-Lin isn't a real person."

Ember Island—azure water lapping at powdery white sands. Sure, it looked every inch the tropical paradise. But the wind whipping around Lin's face and creeping up her bare ankles didn't feel too tropical at the moment.

She wasn't going to be coaxed out of the blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders much less into what was surely freezing water.

"It's cold." It seemed like a perfectly reasonable excuse and one that should really have gone without saying, but Kya stalked off towards the tide just the same, calling over her shoulder, "I thought we'd left Chief Crankypants back in Republic City."

Lin dropped their bag and sat down in the sand, drawing her knees up to her chest. She really couldn't thank Korra enough for sharing that little jewel with Kya. And what was so cranky about not wanting to swim in frigid water? Most sane people avoided hypothermia.

Even Kya had stopped just short of the water's edge, Lin noted. Her blue dress was tangling around her legs, the wind carrying the soft fabric in waves from her calves to the back of her knees—to her tops of her thighs—then higher.

Kya yanked the dress over her head and dropped it to the sand at her feet, kicking it clear of the foam reaching just short of her toes.

If gravity was unfairly kind to earth benders as Kya so often teased, then time itself must favor water benders, Lin thought. Same long legs giving way to such lovely curves—softer now, sure, but also fuller in all the right places.

Spirits, she was perfect.

And naked.

And watching her now with a sly smile spreading across her face.

Lin allowed herself another moment to appreciate the picture her water-bending exhibitionist made before stating dryly, "This is a public beach."

Kya looked pointedly in one direction, then another and back at Lin. There was absolutely no one in sight. The beach was deserted from horizon to horizon.

"Looks like the public is just you and me." Kya punctuated her observation with bedroom tones. She took a few steps backwards until the shallow waves were reaching her knees, bent and scooped up handfuls of the water to pour down her chest.

The wind blew the bulk of her hair directly into her face mid-seduction. Silver now—that had changed over the years, but it honestly suited her. Set against her dark skin and blue eyes, it looked exotic.

She was perfect, Lin thought again, laughing.

But she still wasn't getting in that water.

She leaned back, easily sloping the earth into an incline that comfortably fit against the contours of her back. She dug her bare feet down into the sand and flexed her toes.

"I'm good here."

She laughed harder at the rude gesture Kya sent her way and shook her head in disbelief as the other woman took a few more steps out into the ocean before diving out of sight.

It was cold, damn it.

But she had to admit that she actually preferred the beach in the fall. That's one of the reasons she'd finally agreed to this little get away to Ember Island. It was the off season. No tourists and screaming children. No sun baking down and threatening to turn her skin blazing pink. Just soft sand and the sound of the ocean sweeping in, a few gulls crying in the distance. With her blanket and a book—which she fished out of their bag now—and the lingering image of her lover so unabashedly naked in mind—she couldn't find a lot to be cranky about at the moment.

"Uhh!" Lin sputtered. A shower of icy water rained down, spattering on her face, blurring the words on the pages of her book. "What-"

Kya, wet and shivering and still naked, dropped to the sand beside her, wringing water out of her hair.

"You're wet," Lin protested half-heartedly, opening the warm cocoon she'd created with the blanket to let Kya curl against her. The water started to seep through her clothes almost immediately, through the sleeve where her arm draped over Kya's shoulder, where Kya's legs met hers. A damp cheek pressed against her neck and made her shiver. "And cold!"

"Warm me up then." Kya's hand snaked inside Lin's tunic, finding her stomach, tickling with icy fingers, until Lin threw her neglected book to the ground and pulled her closer. When she kissed her, Kya's lips were salty from her swim and unusually cold, but when they parted, her mouth was as warm as ever.

The hand inside her shirt slid to her hip as Kya leaned up, pressing her forehead against hers. Lin felt teeth tug at her lower lip, teasing kisses planted to the corners of her mouth, before Kya's mouth curved into a smile and her own followed.

"That's better."

Lin dog-eared a page—though she really doubted she'd get back to it—and tossed the pulpy detective novel away again.

The beach was lovely. It was relaxing. But it was also boring.

Kya was still tucked against her, sound asleep as she had been for the last hour. "Swimming makes me sleepy," she'd said. "And you're so nice and warm." She—and her blanket—might have been nice and warm but Kya had still kicked her legs free in her sleep.

A sheen of sand shown from knees to toes, still clinging to her now-dry skin.

Lin smiled.

She let her right hand hover over Kya's hip and concentrated on the tiny granules covering Kya's ankle. They felt sharp, all awkward, irregular angles.

She curled her fingers ever so slightly in the air and the sand quivered. Another flex and it parted into two streams along the hill of bone. Subtle motions sent it slowly flowing up Kya's calf. The two paths of sand wound together and separated, swirled into a knot at Kya's knee and proceeded again as one to disappear under the blanket.

Kya's hand absently brushed at her thigh.

Lin moved her hand again and waited.

The warm, steady breath on her neck changed. She let the sand fall where it wanted.

"I take it you solved the mystery."

"The killer was obvious by the second chapter."

Kya sat up and yawned.

"Sorry," Lin offered. "I was bored."

"Vacation-Lin doesn't get bored."

"Maybe she doesn't, but I do."