Soul Bound

The First Dinner

Kuvira groaned as her eyes opened slowly. She looked around the room and started to feel panic at the realization that she wasn't in her cell. The emotion soon ended as the memories of the last day came back to her. She looked back down at where she gripped the covers and forced her fingers to relax.

Despite the confusion at waking up in Lin's guest room, Kuvira felt more refreshed than she had in weeks. She was sorely tempted to lay back down and sleep the next few days away but her stomach grumbled at her. Kuvira laid a hand on it to quiet her stomach as she blinked a few times to get used to the darkness in her room. How long had she been asleep?

Her musings were cut short as a pleasant scent wafted over to her. She inhaled through her nose deeply and her stomach rumbled again. Kuvira wondered idly what Lin was cooking and how much she would be able to eat. Kuvira's eyes narrowed as she felt her hunger being echoed back by Korra who was apparently more ravenous. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the Soul Bond. Korra's energy was clear and she could decipher several emotions if she studied the other presence long enough. Kuvira sighed, both in dread and relief. Korra had to be in the house too.

Kuvira pushed off the covers and threw her legs over the side of the bed. She yawned and lifted her hands in the air, attempting to get a few good cracks out of her arms and spine before standing up and facing the others.

"Agh," she hissed as her hands flew down to gently grab at where the stitches were tugged. She felt Korra's own pain echo back at her and heard something shatter. She gingerly pulled up the shirt she had been given to cover the bandages. She didn't feel any wetness or see the bandages darkening so the stitches held.

Carefully, Kuvira stood and was glad that her legs were more cooperative than they were when she first got to the house. They were still unsteady but Kuvira thought she could make it to the kitchen without resting.

Her foot snagged a corner of the covers and Kuvira cursed herself for her clumsiness as she pulled her foot free. Something tumbled off the bed and rolled a few inches onto the wooden floor. Kuvira had to bend carefully to pick it up. As soon as she touched it, she recognized the feel of a meteorite. Kuvira stared at it for a few moments before placing it on top of the book Suyin had sent her.

When Kuvira opened the door, the delicious smell of meat cooking with spices filled her nose. Her mouth watered, which it hadn't done in a long time, and she took a few tentative steps towards the kitchen.

She sensed Korra before she saw her. The Avatar was kneeling near the dining table, a dustpan in one hand. She was using small puffs of air to airbend the shards of glass into the dustpan. Already whatever had been spilled must have been waterbent to the sink.

"You okay?" Korra asked when she got the last shards into the dustpan. She stood to face Kuvira and was glad to see the other woman on her two feet.

"Fine," Kuvira answered gruffly. She wished that Korra didn't sense how much her side ached and how much she needed to sleep. "I pulled at my stitches but none of them were torn."

"I know," Korra said casually as she went to put the broken glass into the trashcan.

Kuvira followed her with her eyes and saw that Asami was helping Lin cook. Both women were ignoring the broken glass Korra was carrying. She took the closest seat at the dining table and tried her best not to slump into it. Korra may be able to sense how exhausted she already was but she was going to hide it as much as possible from Lin and Asami.

She didn't have to wait long for the food to be served. She almost got up to get some herself before she saw Lin carrying two bowls, one of which had a much smaller portion of noodles.