Avani thought Kasai’s thumbs up was the cheesiest thing she’d seen her do. She didn’t quite know how to react, so she scratched her neck and coughed. “I don’t care about medals, but I find it amusing that you do.” She grinned. “I thought you said several times you weren’t doing any of this for recognition or yourself?”

She shrugged, and sighed. Her reasons didn’t matter, and she shouldn’t have brought up that argument again. It had caused enough damage already. “Oh well, let’s hope it turns out for the best in the end. I’m sorry if I dampened your mood for the whole thing.” Avani smiled and caressed Kasai’s cheek. She didn’t much care for the paper, some medal or what the mayor did. She certainly cared for Kasai though, so she was willing to put up with all of it as long as it made her happy. Maybe Avani’s behaviour and mood had made that more difficult than it needed to be, though she doubted Kasai would have been particularly happy after disclosing how her friends died either way.

“I just don’t like being silent when people may be trying to trick me, or you for that matter now, but that’s a more recent occurrence.” Avani smiled. They needed to cheer themselves up somehow. All this reminiscence to one of their worst days wouldn’t do any good. “It’s probably better if I save cash for our upcoming world tour, but how about getting some booze and spending the rest of the day packing?”

Right now, returning to the haven that was Kasai’s apartment felt like a great idea. Just the two of them for the rest of the day, letting loose and getting ready to leave this city behind. She was rather curious how Kasai would act if she did get really drunk too, and after the meeting with the reporter alcohol could help them both forget once more.

“Come on, let’s get some sweets and drinks then go back to the apartment.” Avani said, took her keys out of her pocket and walked over to where she had parked her motorcycle. She waited until Kasai had climbed onto the motorcycle as well, then drove off towards the stores that would carry the items they needed to have an enjoyable final night before the trip.

A couple of hours later, Avani pulled into the parking lot close to Kasai’s apartment complex and turned off the motorcycle. “I guess we can’t pack too much if we’re gonna travel with my motorcycle.” She stepped off and picked up the bottles she’d paid for. “I like the idea of traveling light, being more creative and having to survive with what we got though.”

"Sounds good to me." Kasai joined Avani on the motorcycle as they set off to gather a few supplies for their last night in town. When they arrived back at her apartment, she looked up to the floor where the windows showed the view into her living room and she had to keep herself from frowning. Snapping out of it, she grabbed the rest of the things and began walking with Avani up to her apartment.

"Good point, looks like we'll be roughing it on our little adventure." Kasai smiled and led the way up to unlock the door. "Though I don't doubt our ability to get creative with it." Opening the door, she waited for the other woman to enter before she shut it behind them. The groceries were set on the counter in the kitchen and glasses were retrieved from the cabinet.

Glancing at the phone, Kasai wondered when Naomi would be calling. She almost didn't want her to. It was true that she had brought up the idea to bide herself a little more time to prepare for leaving, but now that she had less than 24 hours to do it she was trying to accept the fact that she was going to do this. Change wasn't something she welcomed happily, and she wasn't proud of how she had tried avoiding it.

Looking from the phone to Avani, Kasai studied her a moment while pouring them a couple drinks. The woman was excitable, filled with anticipation for their trip. Kasai wished she could be like that. She had plenty of confidence to go around, but her confidence lied elsewhere. Thinking of how far she, they, had come already, she reminded herself not to go back to her old ways and to embrace the change.

You can do this, Kasai. Thirst for adventure, don't fear it. She thought to herself as she poured them each a glass of sake. Instead of thinking about leaving her home, she thought about how it would feel without Avani in it. Instead of the fear of change, the excitement of the unknown. Her mood quickly began to turn back around and she brought the drinks to the coffee table and sat on the sofa with a smile.

"Well, I guess this is it then. Pack our bags and be on our way tomorrow. Cheers." Raising her glass, she smiled again and then took a drink. "So tell me, what destination do you have in mind? I don't want to be too unprepared, of course." Raising an eyebrow, she grinned. "If I have to pack light I'll only need the essentials... shoes, shirts, handcuffs..." Kasai teased, laughing as she did so.

Avani noticed Kasai glancing at her phone, seemingly nervous or unsure about something. She didn’t comment on it though, and when Kasai turned to look in her direction she acted like nothing was out of the ordinary. There certainly wasn’t anything out of the ordinary in a negative way, even if having enough money to make a longer journey with her girlfriend was a very special occurrence for her. That she had a girlfriend she wanted to do it with was rather rare in itself. Avani would try her best to make Kasai forget all about her life in Republic City, and just enjoy their time together.

“Cheers.” She took the other glass, raised it and downed the contents in one swing. “I figure we’ll spend some time in the earth kingdom at first, since it’s the closest… and I’ve got relatives there.” Avani wasn’t sure whether she should have mentioned that, but it should be obvious to a cop without her mentioning it. It wasn’t like they needed to visit them, perhaps it was for the best if they didn’t. There was plenty to do in the earth kingdom regardless.

“That would indeed be packing light.” Avani responded with a grin. “Maybe I should just pack a whip and some toys if you’re feeling that frisky?” She joked. “Really though, I think the basics would include a tent and food. Maybe some survival gear, or tools, but I don’t know much about that. Don’t they teach you stuff like that as a cop?”

She moved closer to Kasai, picked up the bottle and drank some from it. “Have you ever done anything like this with anyone before?” Avani giggled, and shrugged, as she kind of knew the answer before asking the question. “Here’s to us either way.” She drank from the bottle again before handing it to Kasai. “Let’s hope nothing too bad happens.”

Back to packing for now though, Avani wanted to be out of Republic City by the end of tomorrow if not earlier. It felt doubtful that the reporter would have finished her article by then, but she’d warned Kasai what would happen if she refused to come with her. Avani would just have to put her words into action in that case.

She stepped into the bedroom to grab some of her clothes. If they were going to be roughing it like Kasai had expressed it, there were certain clothing items that she didn’t want or could bring with her. Ruining her finest clothes because there she wouldn’t be returning soon was unnecessary.

"The Earth Kingdom sounds like a good place to start," Kasai said before following Avani's lead and finishing off the glass of sake before setting it on the table. Kasai chuckled at the notion that she had gone through some kind of survival boot camp or something of the sort with the police academy. "Not exactly, Republic City isn't what I would call 'rural' by any means. We did get some basic survival training way back in the academy, though."

Taking the bottle from Avani, she shook her head at the next question. Kasai drew a long swig from the bottle and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sure nothing too bad can come of it. Plus, between the two of us we'll always have fire and sturdy shelter." A grin played across her face as she took another drink from the bottle and watched Avani disappear into the bedroom.

Her eyes scanned the room, gaze finding its way to rest on the telephone again for a few moments before moving on around the familiar space. There were things here she would miss. The spot on the couch she sat at every morning while she had her coffee. How the sunrise slowly lit her apartment through the large wall of windows that overlooked the cityscape every morning. But then she looked towards the bedroom and smiled to herself.

Kasai stood and joined Avani in the bedroom, reaching into the closet to grab a small bag to pack her things into. "I guess we can pick up some supplies before we head out tomorrow. Don't want to crowd the bike so we might as well just get what we need as we go." Grabbing a few shirts and pants, she shoved them in the bag along with a few other essential items. Then, she moved over to the woman she had shared her home with for the last several weeks and wrapped her arms around Avani's waist from behind her.

Kasai stayed like that for a brief moment and rested her chin on Avani's shoulder, looking over into the closet. Giving a squeeze with her arms, she let go and stepped back. "I'll get us another drink, you finish up your packing." Kasai walked back into the living room and headed towards the kitchen. They had bought plenty of booze to celebrate their last night in the city, and Kasai poured two more shots to take back to the bedroom.

Before she could make her way across the living room, the telephone rang. Kasai flinched and set the liquor down on the coffee table before picking up the phone with a "Hello." Turns out, it was just her landlord saying that her lease was set and her apartment would remain untouched during her leave. Kasai thanked the man and hung up the phone. In just a few seconds, she made a spontaneous decision and reached down to unplug the phone from the wall, the cord hanging loosely from the end table it stemmed from.

Kasai picked up the shot glasses and made her way back into the bedroom again. She met Avani with a grin and raised eyebrows, holding the glasses up. "Alright, drink up. We need to have a fun little send off before we leave tomorrow. Here," Kasai brought the two glasses closer to her mouth and quickly blew out a breath of flame, setting the alcohol on fire. "Huzzah! Party tricks," a wide grin donned her face before she downed the shot. "Okay, so it's not that cool but still."

Avani nodded at Kasai’s suggestion, though it would probably end up being quite a bit more expensive if they were going to buy everything along the road when they needed it. It was a shame she couldn’t attach a second sidecar to her motorcycle, one on each side. Actually, maybe she could, but how would she do that, and where would she find someone to help her do it? She supposed she could start asking around once they entered the earth kingdom. There wouldn’t be enough time to find someone in Republic City considering when she wanted to leave. Besides, the few mechanics she’d known had been associated with the gang.

She was surprised that Kasai seemed to be less concerned with how she packed her clothes than she was herself. If they were folded carefully she could fit more into a bag. Avani didn’t say anything though, because then she might look like a proper woman or some housewife. She blushed when Kasai hugged her from behind, and enjoyed the feeling of her girlfriend’s bosom pressed against her back. Avani closed her eyes, wondered if Kasai would let her get back to packing before she was forced to turn around and give in to desire. The final squeeze almost made her do it, but then Kasai left to get them drinks. She sighed. Avani made sure to finish packing her clothes at least before Kasai returned. Thankfully, the phone rang and gave her some extra time. When Kasai returned she was sitting on the bed, trying to remember if she’d forgotten anything.

She grinned when Kasai set the shots on fire, and clapped her hands. “I didn’t know you knew how to do that.” She said and laughed. “Well, it’s cooler than anything I could do with my bending. People don’t tend to like earth in their drinks. Can’t say I blame them.”

Avani hesitated a bit before downing the flaming liquid, unsure of whether it would harm her, then stood up on feet that were beginning to get wobbly. “And as far as I’m concerned, some of the things you do with your mouth are better than cool. They’re too die for.” She whispered into Kasai’s ear, and kissed her on the cheek.

“Did you not bring the bottle with you?” Avani asked, after feeling her girlfriend’s body up thoroughly, as if she couldn’t tell at first glance that she didn’t have a bottle. “If you take off your shirt, and lay down on the bed I can show you one of my party tricks.” Avani pushed Kasai down onto the bed after she’d finished speaking, and left the room to get one of the bottles they’d bought. She came back with a bottle in her hand before long. ¨

“Perfect.” Avani said when she saw Kasai on the bed. She opened the bottle to pour some of its contents on Kasai’s stomach and in the middle of her chest, grinning as she did so. “Wait, shit.” She said after she’d finished and put the bottle away. “I think you’re supposed to use glasses for this too. Oh well, better clean up this mess I’ve made.” It was rather obvious she’d not done it by mistake, and it became even more so when she decided to take off her own shirt, revealing her black bra, then sit on Kasai’s legs. She could have offered her a towel after all. Avani bowed down and began to eagerly lick the liquid off of Kasai’s stomach, moving upwards.

Kasai raised an eyebrow at Avani's suggestion, but she didn't protest as she was pushed down onto the bed. She removed her shirt and rather impatiently waited for her girlfriend to return with the bottle. It wasn't too long before Avani was back and pouring the cool liquid on Kasai's bare stomach. A smirk donned her face as she listened to Avani and watched her take her own shirt off.

Goosebumps rose in a wave across Kasai's skin, but it wasn't from the coolness of the liquid on her skin. Rather, seeing Avani on top of her and feeling her tongue work its way up her torso caused the sensation. When Avani made it further up to her chest, Kasai guided Avani's face up to her own and met her with a kiss. The taste of the alcohol danced between them and Kasai grinned before breaking the kiss.

"I don't see any need to clean the mess up too quickly. Let's keep it dirty for a while." She said before pulling Avani back towards her, her other arm wrapped around her girlfriend and pulled her closer.

---

Late the next morning, Kasai opened her eyes to the sun streaming into her bedroom. Clothes peppered the floor of the bedroom and she smiled to herself. A yawn escaped her and she stretched, trying not to disturb the woman lying in bed next to her. Carefully, she rolled out of bed and found a t-shirt to put on before she walked out to the living room.

Today was the day, she would be saying goodbye to the city for a while. Welp, might as well go and see what was left in the kitchen and get some use out of it. She pulled out the things that would certainly spoil and decided that even if they didn't eat it for lunch, they could pack it up and take it with them on the road.

Kasai started some tea on the stove and got the juice out of the fridge as well before she started cooking the things she had pulled out. It was a mixture of things, from chicken to potatoes. Kasai figured the smell would be enough to wake Avani up, seeing no rush to go and disturb her.

While some of the food was cooking, she went back to the bedroom and grabbed the bag she had packed yesterday. Ruffling through it, she made sure she had packed everything she would need for the trip considering she had stuffed it kind of carelessly yesterday. Grabbing a couple more items she zipped the bag and set it by the door, satisfied with its contents.

Kasai returned to the kitchen and got a few more things going on the stove before pouring herself a cup of tea and sitting down on the sofa and looking out of the windows at the sunny day that awaited them.

Their days always seemed to end in the same pleasant fashion since she’d moved into Kasai’s apartment. She hoped it wouldn’t change too much now that they would be taking to the road and traveling the world. Adventure awaited them. It was unlikely that it wouldn’t affect and ultimately change them, even if just a little bit. Was their relationship strong enough to endure hardships? It was kind of how it had begun she supposed, but it wasn’t the same to seek comfort in the arms of another as it was to stick by that individual through thick and thin.

Avani awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen. The taste of alcohol lingered in her mouth, and she had a slight headache. She felt incredibly lucky to have someone like Kasai that would cook for her, especially when she woke up with a hangover. It might be a bit of a pain in the ass to drive her motorcycle for too long if she wasn’t able to get rid off the budding headache. She knew a few tricks, but her preferred method was too just wake up and keep drinking. Few things worked as well against a hangover as remaining drunk.

She got out of the bed, didn’t bother getting dressed in anything else than underwear and headed into the living room where Kasai was sitting on the sofa. “Good morning, babe.” Avani said, after taking a seat next to her. “I could really use some water with breakfast to cure this minor hangover.” She wrapped her arms around Kasai and pressed herself against her, kissing her on the cheek. “But don’t worry, it’s not the first time I’ve driven a motorcycle with a hangover.”

She nuzzled her nose against Kasai’s neck, before relaxing, still rather tired despite what the time was. A moment passed without Avani saying a word, and it was uncertain whether she’d fallen asleep like that. “Did you hear anything from that reporter yet? Did we get in the paper?” She finally mumbled, half-asleep with her eyes closed. “I bet she screwed us over, probably didn’t even publish one of our good photos.”

Avani soon went silent again. The smells from the breakfast and being so close too Kasai made it feel a bit like home. Combined with still being tired and a minor headache she wasn’t all that eager to get going right away. They could probably spare a few hours before they left. They had no train to catch or schedule to keep. Maybe it would give the journalist a chance to publish something if she was even going too.

Kasai smiled when Avani took the spot next to her on the couch like she had done every morning for weeks now. "Good morning sleepy head." She took another sip of her tea before resting her head on Avani's. "That doesn't sound like the safest way to start our adventure." She chuckled a bit, "We'll get some food in you and let you sober up before you're driving me anywhere."

She smiled and enjoyed the calm silence that lingered between them, assuming Avani had fallen back asleep. When she spoke again the words were lazy and tired. "Hm? Oh, no I haven't heard anything. May have been a waste of time after all." She frowned and eyed the telephone that she had unplugged the evening before. If they had made it in the paper, they would surely find out one way or another. Right?

"Here, let me up. I've got to check on breakfast." She kissed Avani on the forehead before removing herself from the couch and making her way to the kitchen. A few things needed stirring or flipping, a pinch of salt here and a dash of pepper there. For the most part, it could all simmer away for a few more minutes and be ready to eat.

Kasai looked back into the living room and saw Avani still laying on the couch. She as she was making her way back to join her, she saw something peeking out from under her door. Curiously, she walked over and saw it was a note that said "Open the door. Next time, answer your phone." Kasai clenched her jaw and slowly opened her door, peering around it to see a paper lying on the doormat.

The paper was a barely-known daily circulation that Kasai herself had only read a handful of times. On the front was an image of a statue of an elderly man standing next to a cart full of cabbages, and some headline about Cabbage Corp. On the side column of the front page, however, was an index and one story was circled in red pen. "Mayor of Republic City: A Story He Doesn't Want You to Know."

Kasai turned to the indicated page and saw a picture of herself and Avani, and then skimmed through the article that recounted some of what they had told the reporter. A lot of it seemed to be exaggerated, blown up for literary purposes. The end of the article, though, took on a much more political tone. Calling for the people to recognize the mayor's faults, make him accountable for what happened, give the fallen the kind of honor they deserved for going out on his poorly organized and overseen mission. Hell, it even called for the Avatar to do something about it.

Kasai frowned and shook her head, carrying the paper back to the living room and tossing it onto the coffee table. "Well, there ya go. Lesson learned. It's not a widely circulated paper, but I'm sure it'll get some blood boiling on the mayor. Who knows what kind of effect it'll have. We'll be gone before it happens, if it happens." Kasai said, turning back towards the kitchen and clanking some pots and pans, putting plates out and getting the food together.

Avani grabbed the paper from the coffee table, suddenly feeling a lot more awake. She saw the title that was circled on the front of the paper, and turned to the indicated page. There she found one of the least controversial photographs they’d probably taken of them. Well, it could be worse. At least they’d included a picture of them, and not exchanged it with one of the mayor or something else. Avani’s face wasn’t visible, but Kasai’s arms were quite clearly wrapped around her in a suggestive way. They’d cut out where Avani had made her place her hands, showing nothing lower than her torso.

She read the article, even if she’d been more interested in the photograph than anything else. It was more critical of the mayor than she’d given the reporter credit for. She’d expected her to run, stick her head in the sand and not write anything about them. This was pretty good. Hopefully the reporter would only get a little flak for what she’d done. Avani was glad she didn’t need to beat someone up before they left Republic City too. It might have been a real pain to track the woman down, and a waste of time.

“Shouldn’t you be at least a little happy about it?” Avani asked, surprised that Kasai appeared more annoyed than anything. “She actually wrote the thing. That’s more than I expected anyway. Sure, it’s a small paper, but all it takes is one person in the right place to read it for the article to become well known.” She put the paper back on the coffee table, and was about to lie down on the sofa when she noticed that breakfast was done. Instead, she got up and took a seat at the kitchen table.

“Yummy. You’re the best.” Avani said, after Kasai had put the breakfast on the table. “I’m sure this will dampen my headache even more so we can be off before too long.” She grabbed food and put it on her plate, eating slowly and drinking as much water as she could without ruining her appetite. Avani took longer than usual to finish eating, even if she ate about as much. She felt somewhat better after eating. They’d probably be able to make it out of the city without problem, but she wasn’t certain how long she could drive before the headache got worse. “Thanks for the food, babe. I think I’ll be fine to drive for a while.” She got her plate and rinsed it before putting it down on the counter. It shouldn’t be too bad to leave it like that, right? Granted, she didn’t know if or when they would be returning.

Avani headed over to the bedroom, and grabbed the bag she’d put her clothes in last night. She picked up another bag on her way to the door. “Let’s pack everything into the motorcycle. Better make sure we’ve got everything we need with us after all.”

"Hm? Oh, no trust me I'm happy we didn't get screwed over and waste our time." She joined Avani at the table and put some food on her plate, pouring some juice into her cup to accompany it. "I don't know, I just hope it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass." She said after taking a sip of her juice. She took a few bites of food, realizing she very well may have cooked far too much. Oh well, it would have gone bad by the time they got back anyways. A bit of everything crowded her plate, but she did her best to eat as much as she could.

Kasai finished her meal and followed Avani into the kitchen to rinse her plate, returning to grab her glass and finish off the liquid it held. She nodded when Avani came back into the room carrying her bags. "Okay, I'm going to pack up some of this food real quick. Might as well take it with us, less we have to buy on the road." Returning to the food, she tossed what wouldn't keep in the garbage and then found some containers and parchment to wrap the rest in. Satisfied with the amount of food they would have for a while, she continued wrapping up the food and then quickly cleaned up around the kitchen.

After she finished, she tucked the food into the empty spaces in her bags and slung them over her shoulder, also grabbing the trash to take out when she went downstairs. Tossing the garbage in the dumpster, she walked over to meet Avani at the motorcycle with her bags. It would be a tight fit but they could probably manage all they had packed, even if they had to carry a couple of the bags on their backs during the ride.

"Okay, so do we have everything we need?" Kasai set her bags on the ground and unzipped them to quickly check them, ruffling through the contents until she was sure she had everything she would need. "I think I'm good to go, anything else to grab before I go lock up the apartment?" She was surprisingly excited, ready to get on the road and get out of Republic City. Still, she knew they didn't need to rush. They'd be worse off if they forgot anything essential anyways.

She didn’t mind Kasai bringing the food with them, though it would take up more space. It didn’t feel entirely necessary either when the lovely cook herself would be coming on the trip, but at least they wouldn’t have to cook any more food for a while. Avani supposed she would have to do some of the cooking herself since they were both on vacation. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d cooked when they’d lived together, but she had a feeling they both preferred when Kasai did it.

Shortly after she’d brought all the bags down to the motorcycle and put them inside of any available space, Kasai came down with her own bags. She hoped there wouldn’t be too little space for them. It would get uncomfortable fast on a longer drive if there wasn’t enough room. They could take a break as soon as they got out of Republic City if it was proving a pain.

“I’ve got everything I need, which is really just my money. I figure we can borrow stuff on the journey if we need it.” Avani grinned, after she’d implied that they could rob people if they lacked anything. She knew Kasai wouldn’t take kindly to that at all. “Seriously though, I don’t think much else would fit on the motorcycle even if you wanted to bring it. Go lock up the apartment and we’ll be on our way outta here.”

Avani took Kasai’s bag from her, so that she could go lock the door while she tried to fit even more bags on the already full motorcycle. Somehow, she did get all of the backpacks strapped to or put inside of the motorcycle in the end. Just in time too, as she noticed Kasai had returned. “Hope you weren’t just standing there watching me.” Avani teased. “It’s ready now, so let’s get going.”

She climbed onto the bike, careful not to break anything or make a bag fall. Once on, she put the key in the ignition and turned it. The motorcycle’s familiar humming began. It was time to leave, even though she could hardly believe she was actually doing it. A thought about where this path would lead crossed her mind as Kasai got onto the bike as well, then they were off.

Avani remained quiet for the first few moments, as they drove down streets she’d walked with friends, uncertain that she would ever return. Those friends were gone, and even if Kasai wanted to return one day Avani wasn’t as sure herself. It was a large world. Somewhere there had to be a better place for her than this.

Maybe moving back to Ba Sing Se after their journey was over wasn’t a bad idea. She hoped she would find an answer soon. She’d even cancelled the contract on her apartment, so there would be nothing to return too unless she moved in with Kasai for real.

"And what if I were?" Kasai smirked back at Avani. She nodded as she confirmed with a look over the motorcycle that all of their things somehow fit on there without tipping it over one way or the other. With the awakening roar of the engine, Kasai drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She climbed onto the bike behind Avani, careful as well to not knock anything loose. Her arms wrapped around her girlfriend's waist as they began on their way down the road.

As they drove down streets and passed by buildings, Kasai had a feeling of nostalgia for times of the past. Her entire life was in these streets and alleyways. From her young beginnings as a pro-bender fighting in alleys with her companions, to her days spent in uniform patrolling the streets to keep the citizens of Republic City safe. Now, she was leaving and didn't know when, or if, she would be coming back.

The wind blew through her hair as the city started to thin out around them. The thick concrete jungle was now disappearing behind them as open road and terrain rolled out for miles ahead. The view of the road ahead helped to push away any sad feelings of abandonment that Kasai was holding onto as they exited the city. Now, she could feel the sense of freedom and adventure building around them.

It was exciting, venturing to see new lands and experience essentially new cultures. Maybe eventually they would make it all the way over to the Fire Nation and she could see for herself how firebenders really live. She had heard of all of the festivals and how grand they were. Sure, there were similar celebrations in the city put on by the local population, but she had a feeling that the ones in the homeland were extravagant. That was a long way off though, if it would ever even happen. The world was a large place, and considering they were starting in the Earth Kingdom, they already had enough to try to see and experience in the worlds largest kingdom. Kasai knew that Ba Sing Se held a special place for Avani, so she was excited to get there and see where her lover came from.

All of these thoughts raced through Kasai's mind as they continued on their trip. She figured they wouldn't go a very long time without stopping to take a break from the not so comfortable seating on the motorcycle. Maybe she just needed to get used to the posture on the thing. For now, she decided to stop letting her mind race about the trivial things and enjoy the ride, her arms tightening around Avani's waist slightly more as she pressed herself closer to her.

Avani was surprised that Kasai was silent and seemingly lost in thought as well when they rode out of Republic City. She supposed they both had mixed feelings about leaving, but Kasai had more of a reason to stay so she wondered why she was being silent. She hoped it wasn’t because she’d changed her mind about going on this extended vacation. Perhaps it was just odd to leave her home city with no idea when she’d return, a form of goodbye then. Avani sped up a bit, not wanting to linger any longer in the city than necessary in case someone actually did change her mind.

Once they had left the city behind them, Avani felt a lot more comfortable and free. At least her mind could relax, her body was getting sore and tired. No surprise really, but she didn’t want to stop too early for a break either. The further they got from Republic City the better, and the sooner they would be in Ba Sing Se. She felt an increase in motivation to keep driving for a few hours more when Kasai tightened her arms around her and pressed her chest against her back. Suddenly the bags and corners poking her didn’t bother her as much.

“That’s certainly comfortable compared to these bags.” Avani said loudly enough to hear in the wind, and smiled. “Why did you ever ride in the sidecar when you make such lovely support for my back…” The last comment wasn’t said as loudly, and in a somewhat jokingly manner. She did think they should have done it this way sooner though.

After a few hours nothing felt comfortable anymore, not even Kasai’s chest squished against her back and Avani had to stop the motorcycle. They stopped on the side of the road, some buildings could be seen in the distance around them and they weren’t the only ones traveling this road either. It may not be the best place to take a break, but she’d tried to get them as far as she could in one go. Avani wasn’t sure how much further it was to the earth kingdom, or if they’d already entered it. The border was unclear to her, but she kind of knew how to get to Ba Sing Se at least. It had been a long time since she’d been there though.

She stepped off of the motorcycle, stretched and let herself fall into the grass next to the road. “Aw yeah, that’s better.” Avani moaned and stared up into the sky. “I need a moment before we continue. We definitely packed a bit too much, so if you want to throw some things away go ahead.” She joked, then motioned for Kasai to come lay next to her. “Or you could take a break next to me, babe.”

The constant humming and vibrating of the motorcycle had rendered the majority of Kasai's body numb. Her rear had lost feeling about an hour into the trip, and eventually her legs became sore from the straddling position on the bike. Now, they were numb as well. On the plus side, at least she wasn't aching anymore.

The scenery hadn't changed all that much. Of course, Kasai had never been to the Earth Kingdom, so she had no way of knowing whether they were in it or not. Shouldn't they have signs? 'Welcome to the Earth Kingdom' or 'You are now leaving the United Republic.' The Earth Queen hadn't seemed like a very warm person to Kasai when she had visited the City. Perhaps she was also not one for welcoming pleasantries.

At long last, Avani pulled the motorcycle off to the side of the road for them to take a break. Kasai was relieved, but ventured a guess that driving was even more exhausting than simply holding on for the ride. Kasai practically fell off of the motorcycle after Avani got off. She urged her muscles to work again, but ended up taking her girlfriend up on the offer to join her in lying on the grass.

Kasai landed next to her with an "oof" and let out a groan. "I had no idea traveling by motorcycle was so uncomfortable. Course, I guess I'm used to my satomobile with a backrest and cushy seats." She laughed a little and let her body relax from its stiff state. Other vehicles could be heard passing on the road, but getting run over wasn't really a concern Kasai had at the moment.

"So, how much farther to Ba Sing Se?" She questioned. It made her feel like some sort of annoying little child, pestering a parent about when a trip would reach its destination. At least it was the first time she had asked. "Looks like a town up ahead, if we need to stay the evening at least we won't be stranded." Camping on the side of the road might not be the best idea. Hopefully if they had to stay they would be able to find a more suitable camping spot.

Kasai stretched before rolling over and planting a kiss on Avani's cheek. "Don't let me lay here too long or I may fall asleep." The warm glow of the sun and the soft patch of grass they were resting in made for a dangerous recipe for a nap. Part of her could fall asleep right then, and another part wanted to continue with their travels so that they could get into the fun, adventuring part.

“Well, if we hadn’t brought so much stuff with us it would be fine.” Avani said, rolling her eyes. A motorcycle was so much better than a satomobile, though maybe they should have brought both. Kasai could have driven a satomobile with all their packing while Avani was free to enjoy the wind in her hair, superior maneuverability and speed of her bike. “Besides, a sidecar is more comfortable than any cushy seat. I used to fall asleep in one when an old… friend of mine was driving.” She could hear the slight annoyance in her own voice, but it didn’t have anything to do with Kasai. It was just traveling for several hours straight after waking up with a hangover. Thankfully the hangover hadn’t come back, but it was still a bad wake up.

“Honestly, I’m not sure how much longer. It’s been a long time since I was back in the earth kingdom, and even then I didn’t go to Ba Sing Se last time I was here. Let’s just hope we traveled in the right direction.” Avani joked, and laughed as she stared at the sky. She was sure they’d gone the right direction. There wasn’t many other directions they could have gone from Republic City without ending up in the Earth Kingdom, unless they’d traveled by sea.

“Stranded…?” Avani found the word choice strange. “Yes, luckily there’s a town over there so we won’t get stranded on a deserted island. Nevermind the fact that we’ve traveled away from the sea. Better watch out for those sneaky islands, don’t want any of that “water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.” stuff to happen.” The snark was strong, but she laughed to pass it off as a joke. That’s what she’d meant it to be.

She smiled when Kasai kissed her on the cheek. “Who is gonna keep me from falling asleep then?” Avani sat up, so that they wouldn’t both fall asleep next to the road and leave their belongings unguarded. It would be easy for someone to just get on the motorcycle and drive off.

Avani closed her eyes, and enjoyed the sunlight for a moment or two. They couldn’t stay there all day if they wanted to get somewhere though. She looked at Kasai laying in the grass next to her, and it did seem as if she’d fallen asleep. Avani snuck her hand underneath Kasai’s shirt, felt her up and then tried to shake her awake. “Come on, let’s go visit that town. We can ask about lodgings and how far it is to Ba Sing Se. At the very least we won’t be stranded…”

She returned to the motorcycle, and waited for Kasai with the intention to drive them over to the town.

The road to Ba Sing Se was an interesting one. Village after village and town after town began to pop up as their journey brought them closer to the heart of the Earth Kingdom. Every so often they would stop in a town to rest or eat or refuel. The first part of the road trip was somewhat familiar to Kasai as far as culture and traditions go. Seeing as Republic City and the United Republic used to be Earth territory itself, she could recognize things that had been passed along from the Earth Kingdom people to the mixed population of the UR.

As they got further into earth territory the scenery started to change. Far different from the bustle of the city she was used to, a more agricultural tone took over the landscape. It was interesting to her to see how life was outside of the city. It seemed that the technologies developed by companies like Future Industries and Cabbage Corp. were helping them, but the majority of it looked like good ol' hard work and sweat. Kasai respected that, the fact that what they had came from their own hands and not some machine. She figured things might become more industrial again as they got closer to Ba Sing Se, but then again she had never been there.

They probably could have made it to Ba Sing Se much quicker had they been a little more focused in their travels. However, Kasai insisted on doing a little exploring every time they stopped, even to just take a look around a small village or have a walk through the woods. She didn't decide to up and leave her life to travel to be stuck on the back of a motorcycle the whole time. Kasai knew she was probably getting on Avani's nerves with the requests, but she figured she could make it up to her later.

Finally they neared the capital city of the Earth Kingdom. Kasai's jaw dropped as the massive walls surrounding the city spread out for miles around them. She knew that Ba Sing Se was famous for its great walls that protected the city, but she never imagined they would be so impressive. The photographs she had seen did not do it justice.

"Whoa." She muttered, maybe louder than she had intended to. She held on tight as her girlfriend drove them down the road to enter the city. It was rather busy, many other vehicles clogging up the roadway. Not too surprising, because from what Kasai could tell, Ba Sing Se was practically the size of a small country. They neared the walls and after proper inspection and whatnot, they were allowed to enter with the other cleared vehicles. Kasai looked up as they passed through the massive barrier and entered the city.

"Alright. Consider me impressed." She said, looking around now at what lay within the walls. "Where to now, oh mighty tour guide?" She said with a smile. Even though it had been a long time since Avani had even been to Ba Sing Se, Kasai was sure she probably already had a few destinations picked out. Kasai now wondered what kind of fun, or trouble, they could find for themselves while they were here.

Avani found the first days of the journey somewhat tiresome, even if there were plenty of moments that were enjoyable. Maybe she could find someone that might be able to improve her motorcycle once they arrived in Ba Sing Se, add another sidecar to it or something. Some support for her back, and improvements to the engine so that the whole thing shook less would be great too. She began to find the trip more relaxing once the scenery changed to plains that reminded her of her childhood. Not much seemed to have change, but then she didn’t have any clear memories to remember it by.

She appreciated most of the breaks that Kasai wanted to make, even if some were more than a little unnecessary in her opinion.There wasn’t all that much difference between one place and the other out here. Ba Sing Se was the real treasure, but she kept her complaints to a minimum. Truthfully, she found it pleasant to take strolls while holding hands or making it out in a forest that weren’t infested with corrupted spirits, but the thought that Kasai would make it up to her later was too appealing for Avani to not act a little annoyed at least. She found herself less easily annoyed than the first day too.

Avani grinned when she heard Kasai voice her reaction to the city’s impressive walls. They’d finally arrived, and it felt good to be back. It was a massive city though, and it wouldn’t truly feel like home until the got to the middle ring district where she’d once lived. It took a while for them to even get through the gate, due to everyone else that was waiting, but she didn’t have much problem getting past the guards doing the inspection. Earth benders were highly valued here, and she only had to explain that she had returned to visit her childhood home.

“Tour guide, huh?” Avani scoffed with a smile. “I doubt I’d be any good for the cultural landmarks and all that, but I could probably find some fun places.” She was hesitant about telling Kasai where they needed to go, where she’d kind of expected she’d end up once she came back to the city. “Um, we should probably stop in with my family. I haven’t talked with them much since mom got locked up and I tried… Nevermind that, but they’d be offended if they found out I’d been in the city without visiting, and if we stay too long they’d just send someone to fetch me.”

It was mainly her cousins, aunt, uncles and grandmother. She doubted there’d be anyone else around. She hadn’t informed anyone she was coming after all, but imagined they would be cool with it. It wasn’t like she needed to crash with them, though it was likely they’d offer the two of them to stay. She wasn’t sure how to introduce Kasai either.

“We better get to the middle district before deciding on anything else.” Avani said, and continued struggling with the muddy dirt roads of the lower ring district. The district where all the peasants and poor people lived. “We could find an inn once we get there, or we could get the whole family business over with. Your call, but I don’t know how they’d all react to you know, us.”

"Family, right." Kasai said, scratching the back of her neck a little nervously with one hand as they made their way through the outer-most ring of the city. Family introductions hadn't exactly been discussed, and the topic made Kasai a little uneasy. Their relationship had already been hard enough, even though now they were on to the good bits. Having to pass the family exam wasn't something she thought she would have to deal with yet, but Kasai swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded.

"Sounds like fun. Let's just stop in with them first then." She said as she continued to look around the inner workings of Ba Sing Se. The outer ring bared a resemblance to Republic City's poorer neighborhoods, but she still found plenty to wander at nonetheless. Kasai couldn't help but think of Avani's family. Were they all as intense as she was? If they were, Kasai might not survive this trip. Then again, Avani herself said she didn't know how they would react to them as a couple, so maybe Kasai would get introduced as some sort of traveling companion instead. Not that that was quite how she wanted to be introduced either.

Regardless, they were here and it was happening. Kasai was going to suck it up and put on a smile and handle it the best way she could. It took them a little while to get out of the crowded lower district, but they eventually were let to pass into the middle ring. It seemed like there were a lot of residents from the lower ring who tried to flood the gate when it was opened for Avani and Kasai, but there were guards to make sure they didn't get through. Kasai wondered why it was so pertinent that they couldn't go into the next district, but it seemed very serious.

The walls they entered now held a very nice and quaint feel within. There were merchants on the sides of the brick-lined streets and people bustling around on the sidewalks. It was quite a change from just a few meters back in the outer edge of Ba Sing Se, and an immediate one at that.

"So, this is where you grew up, huh?" Kasai poked Avani. "Not going to run into any crazy ex-girlfriends are we?" She teased with a laugh. "'Cause I didn't plan on getting into any fights today."

Avani thought she could hear the hesitation in Kasai’s voice, but whether it was actually there or she was so worried herself that she projected it on others was hard to tell. Maybe it was a bit of both. She wasn’t sure what to expect if she introduced Kasai like her girlfriend, and she wasn’t sure how Kasai would take it if she didn’t either. She knew it would be a better idea to please the one person she spent most of her time with, rather than those she barely ever saw and didn’t really need.

“Are you sure?” Avani asked. “I mean, great. That’s great.” She hoped neither of them would come to regret the decision to visit her family. It’d been a long time though, so she supposed to some extent it would be nice seeing them again. She wondered how noticeable it’d be that they hadn’t seen each other recently, that they’d all gotten older.

Avani found the guards stopping the poor from entering the middle district tacky, especially when she was showing someone new to the city around. Oh, we don’t plan on helping them. We just want to contain them and make sure they don’t bother anyone outside their own area. She sighed as it seemed little had changed since she was last in the city. At least they had been allowed into the middle district without much protest.

“Yup, I grew up in the middle district.” Avani responded with a smile, and drove in the direction she thought she remembered her relatives lived. She coughed, almost choked when Kasai brought up crazy exes. It brought back memories of someone she’d wanted to forget. “Haha, no, that’s silly. I don’t have any ex-girffriends.” It sounded a bit too much like she was hiding something, so she went on. “I’d be the crazy ex anyway, so you better not leave me or I’ll cut you.” She joked, and tried to make her laugh sound natural. “Why would you fight them though?”

She was glad that it didn’t take long for her to recognize herself, and one house in particular, before the current topic of conversation went on for too long. Avani parked a short distance from the house, hoping to surprise her relatives rather than have them get the jump on her. It was a pretty large house, and it’d been in the family for a few generations at least. Avani hadn’t lived there much, as her mother hadn’t been the oldest child and therefore not in line to inherit it. Besides, her mother was a sort of black sheep now. Not necessarily because she’d committed a crime, but because she’d been locked up and brought such attention to herself.

“This is it, babe. I doubt there’d be any reason for anyone else than my family to be there.” Avani said, after getting off the motorcycle, and took Kasai by the hand to drag her along with her. She imagined she might need the support more herself.

As they got close to the house, they could hear the noise of children playing. When Avani was about to knock on the door there was a loud crash coming from inside, then someone swearing over damn kids breaking stuff, followed by an adult telling the kids to play outside. She stiffened and squeezed Kasai’s hand when she realized they were about to get the jump on her after all. Avani stepped back from the door, right before it swung open and hit the side of the house. Four kids rushed past them, not caring that they were there, maybe they hadn’t even paid that much attention.

Avani let out a sigh of relief, only to notice that an adult woman was standing in the open doorway staring at her. She was dressed in an apron, with her red hair tied in a bun on her head. “Is that you, cousin?” The woman eventually asked. “Avani?”

“Ye- yes, it’s me. Nice to see you again, Jaya.”

“I didn’t know you would be coming, but yes, it is nice.” Jaya said and reached for the door, to check if it was still in one piece. She looked at Kasai afterwards. “Who are you?” It didn’t take long for her to spot that Avani was holding Kasai’s hand. “Oh.” She paused. “Well it’s nice to meet you too. Come on in. There’s not really anyone else here than me and the kids at the moment.”

Avani was mostly glad to hear that. A slow introduction would be better than everyone at once.

“I heard that!” An older voice shouted from inside the house. A voice she definitely recognized.

“Oh, grandmother is here too.” Jaya said.

They followed Jaya into the house, and she lead them to the living room where their grandmother was seated in a chair. “I’ll get something to drink.” Jaya left them alone as she went into the kitchen.

“I feared I’d never see you again, child.” The short wrinkly lady said, and got up from her seat.

“I’m sorry about that, nana. Everything here got hard after…”

“Yes, yes. I understand. Give me a hug.” Avani did as her grandmother commanded, even if she had to bend down because the difference in height was considerable. The woman was still surprisingly strong despite her age, and Avani felt like she was trying to crush her. “Who is this young lady?” Her grandmother said after finishing the hug, and turning her attention to Kasai.

Avani knew her grandmother would hate it if she didn’t tell the truth, and Jaya would tell her first chance she got either way. “This is my girlfriend Kasai, nana.” She said, and worried over some kind of reaction of shock.

“Pleasure to meet you, Kasai. My name is Ekta.” She reached her hand out to Kasai to shake, then took her seat again. “Ten years ago something like that would have been a big fuss for me, but Avani couldn’t possibly drag more shame onto the family than her mother already has. Not by having a girlfriend anyway, it might bring us into whatever the future holds. Unless you get involved in some crime that turns into a publical stunt and you insist on everyone knowing who you are. Please, don’t do that.”

“Yes, nana.” Avani said, took a seat in a couch and gestured for Kasai to do the same. “We won’t.”

“The sins of the parents shouldn’t fall on the children. Who knows where this family would be if they’d taken responsibility for everything that I’ve done.” The old woman grinned, and looked out one of the windows. Her peace of mind was interrupted by more noises by the kids. “You should take one of those with you by the way. We’ve too many as it is, and you can’t get any of your own.”

Avani blushed. It was way too early to think about anything like that in this relationship. She’d hoped it wouldn’t be brought up when they came here, cause of obvious reasons yet here they were. She didn’t even know if Kasai had planned on getting kids back when she was still a proper straight girl.

“That was a joke!” Jaya shouted from the kitchen.

“No, it wasn’t.” Ekta shook her head, and whispered to them. “Take one if you want them.”

"Noted." Kasai replied when Avani claimed herself as the crazy ex-girlfriend. "But if I have to fight anyone off from trying to steal you away then so be it." She said with a smirk. Soon though, they were parking the motorcycle on the side of the road and Avani was motioning towards a house. It looked like a nice home, and Kasai entertained the thought of a tiny Avani running around barefoot causing a ruckus once upon a time.

That moment of daydreaming was interrupted when a herd of rambunctious children came crashing through the front door of the house, nearly taking the couple out in their treacherous path. Kasai blinked a few times and relaxed her tensed shoulders after the threat of being plowed down by the kids passed. Following Avani's gaze up, she was met with the first of her kin.

"Hi, I'm Kasai. Nice to meet you." She stuck her hand out to shake the cousin's hand, and then followed quietly inside. Thoughts of bolting out the door and escaping the horrid and unavoidable moments of awkwardness and judgement that were to come flashed through her mind ever so briefly. Why couldn't she be the supportive girlfriend? No, babe, don't worry! Everything will be fine, your family will love to see you and blah blah blah...

Unfortunately, whatever support she had to offer got left on the doormat. Kasai stood by idly as Avani reunited with her grandmother, a site that actually seemed to calm her nerves a bit over the whole situation. It was nice to see family bonds deep enough to forgive what seemed like timely wounds.

The calm that had found Kasai soon scurried away as Avani's grandmother turned attention onto her. However, she managed to put on a genuine smile and (hopefully) show as little nervousness as possible as she shook Ekta's hand.

"It's very nice to meet you, ma'am. You have a lovely home." Kasai said to the elderly woman before joining the others in taking a seat. "Don't worry, ma'am, I'll keep Avani here out of trouble," she said reassuringly. Well, she would try at least. Trouble seemed to find them.

Kasai thought the conversation was going fairly well so far. Slow, but steady. That is, until Ekta offered for the pair to take one of those with them. In that moment, Kasai's face was probably the same shade of red as a Fire Nation banner. She laughed nervously, smiling through it while she choked down the lump in her throat. It was quite comical, actually. She was glad Avani's family was humorous instead of austere, but that didn't make it any less painful or awkward for her. Still, she smiled when Ekta whispered to the two, having calmed from the immediate shock of the proposal.

"What a generous offer, what do you think?" Kasai looked at Avani with a grin. "I'm just kidding, I haven't even given any thought to children honestly." She said to Ekta, following her gaze out the window to the children who were playing outside. "Was Avani as boisterous as a kid?" She asked curiously. Well, it wasn't going to help to just sit here and act like a mute. Might as well get some good stories out of it. "I'd love to hear any embarrassing childhood stories that she'd never dream of mentioning."