"Thank you for coming!" the chef called out from the kitchen. "Feel free to drop by again soon!"

"We sure will! The noodles here are the best!" Yeri exuberantly replied, immediately reaching for Irene's arm once she was done paying at the counter. Seulgi held the door open for the sisters, letting them go first and talk to each other more. She learned a lot about the two during their dinner, and one of the things she learned was that Irene just came back from a task in the Earth Kingdom that morning. It's been a week since both girls last saw each other, so the admiral thought it would be good for the two to catch up on things.

As she always did, Seulgi raised her head and looked to the sky, but was saddened when she saw that it was too cloudy to see even just a few of them. She was still fond of stars, but it was nowhere near her almost-obsession of them when she was a child. Though admittedly, the princess still slept better once she's seen one before going to bed.

Her thoughts were disrupted when Yeri suddenly shouted, "Aghhh, I'm so full! My stomach hurts!" Seulgi looked ahead and saw the girl holding her stomach.

"Then you shouldn't have eaten so much!" replied her older sister.

The waterbender pouted at that and whined. "But those noodles were so yummy!"

"If you're going to be like this almost every time I take you there, then we're not going back," the older girl stated and crossed her arms, though it didn't sound as firm as it should've.

As much as Seulgi found the siblings' banter amusing, she couldn't help but notice the subtle crease on the general's forehead and decided to help Yeri out. She approached the younger girl and asked, "Would you let me try something? I'm not sure how effective it would be, but it might offer you comfort."

"Please," Yeri looked at her with puppy eyes. "Anything to make it feel better."

The firebender then placed her palm on the girl's stomach, eyes closed in concentration to make sure that her hand only becomes warmer and doesn't produce fire. She opened her eyes when she heard Yeri sigh in relief and found Irene looking at her strangely, making the admiral tilt her head to the side in question.

"You know," the airbender began, a hint of playfulness dancing in her eyes. "Despite your can't-touch-me-I'm-a-badass-and-I-can-burn-you look going on, you're actually a softie in the inside."

Seulgi's brows furrowed at that and she was about to retort when Yeri suddenly jumped. "Ouch! Too hot!"

The firebender immediately calmed herself down and apologized to the younger girl before giving Irene a scoff, which resulted in the appearance of that annoying smirk on the general's face. The three continued walking in silence, with Seulgi to Yeri's left—her right palm still on the girl's stomach—while Irene was on her sister's right side. There weren't as much people about since it was past dinner time already, the air filled with the sounds of shops closing for the night.

When they arrived in front of the siblings' apartment complex, Yeri bounded up the steps and smiled at Seulgi. "It was really great meeting you, Your Highness!"

"Same here, Yeri," Seulgi smiled back. "And how many times have I told you that it's okay to call me by name?"

The troublemaker just grinned and continued her way up the stairs. "Thank you so much for helping me back there, Your High- I mean, Seulgi! You're really cool!" Yeri then laughed at her own joke before winking at Irene, eliciting a giggle from her sister.

"That won't be the last you'll see of her," Irene said in a light tone, mirth evident in her voice.

"Which reminds me," Seulgi turned to the general. "Why are you still here?"

"Ouch," the airbender feigned a hurt look and pouted. "Just when I thought you were starting to warm up to me."

Seulgi rolled her eyes at both of the sisters' humor, earning another smirk from Irene. "Don't you want to spend time with your sister?"

"I did say I'm taking you out to the city." Irene grinned at her and started to walk away from the building, urging Seulgi to follow her.

"We're not done yet?" the admiral asked from behind the older girl.

"No," Irene abruptly stopped walking, causing Seulgi to bump into her. The general turned around, held her by the waist to steady her, and looked her in the eye. "We're definitely not yet done."

They stood like that for a moment too long, blood rushing to Seulgi's cheeks as Irene's eyes held her gaze—an unreadable, yet strong look in them, until it was broken when they seemed to flicker and Irene took a step back, causing the tension between both of them to dwindle. The general looked back up at her and smiled. "Think you can fly?"

Seulgi, too perplexed and a bit stunned to form a coherent response, just nodded her head in reply before she felt another strong gust of wind and Irene ascended into the sky with a smile still on her face, beckoning Seulgi to join her.

The firebender then propelled herself into the air, already a bit behind Irene, and strengthened her streams of fire to catch up with the airbender. A corner of was upturned as Seulgi neared the girl, amused by the thought that her following Irene would be something that she'd always do from now on.

"Uhm," Seulgi let out as she and Irene neared Avatar Aang Memorial Island. "Isn't this illegal?"

Irene, who was now beside her instead of ahead, merely offered the princess a glance and smirked. "We wouldn't get caught anyway."

"Aren't you quite the hypocrite?" Seulgi teased, alluding to what the general said to her sister earlier during the day.

The airbender just grinned at that and replied, "I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss this."

She then led Seulgi towards the highest point of the statue, where she found a flat surface enough for two people to sit on. They landed on it and sat beside each other, silence engulfing them as Seulgi took in the view.

Before them was Republic City in all its glory, a city between the mountains filled with various structures of all shapes and sizes, the capital still buzzing with activity even during the night and teeming with bustling life. The bay was twinkling as the water reflected the countless lights of the city, seemingly making the place more alive as it was bathed in brilliance. At the center of it all was the Spirit Portal, something no one would ever miss, which opened up downtown over fifty years ago during the battle of Avatar Korra and Kuvira. The large pillar of swirling spiritual energy served as an enormous beacon of light that went beyond the clouds, illuminating the surrounding area with a resplendent glow. Numerous unique creatures from the spirit world could be seen flickering in and out of sight as they travelled from one world to another, the portal serving as a gateway between the two worlds, connecting them to each other.

None of them uttered a word as they each were entranced by the splendor before their eyes, an almost reverent feel filling the air.

"Beautiful."

The silence was broken by Irene and Seulgi just nodded in agreement, eyes still beheld by the city and all that it had to offer. She didn't see that Irene was looking at a different view than she did, instead having a soft smile form on her face as her eyes took in the sight of the girl in awe beside her. The general couldn't help but think that the water and Seulgi's eyes were similar, both twinkling as it reflected the city lights; and her face like the city, an unmatched beauty bathed in an otherworldy glow by the pillar of spiritual energy.

Seulgi looked up towards the sky to see if the clouds have somehow moved to make way for the shining of the stars, but was once again dissapointed when she saw none. Irene noticed the subtle frown that appeared on the princess' face and asked, "What's wrong?"

The firebender turned to her with a small pout which Irene found quite cute and said, "I can't see the stars."

If it were any other situation, Irene was sure that she'd tease Seulgi or probably even laugh at what the younger girl said, but something about how the princess spoke with such childish innocence made her want to fulfill what the girl wanted.

"You're lucky you're cute," Irene stated as she took out her bison whistle. She then giggled as the perplexed firebender's mouth popped open, at a loss for words. The airbender then blew into the whistle for a few seconds and after a minute or two, directed a triumphant smile at the princess as a large, white, and furry animal arrived in front of them.

Seulgi watched as Irene grinned and made a grand gesture towards the animal. "Your Highness, meet Baechu, your ride to the stars."

"Baechu?" the firebender asked, head tilted to the side.

"It's also my nickname," Irene said, causing Seulgi to laugh.

"You named an air bison after you?" Seulgi thought she saw the general's cheeks turn a light shade of pink, but wasn't quite sure because of the dim light.

"That's irrelevant," Irene answered, chin raised defiantly. She cleared then turned to Seulgi. "After you."

The princess hopped down from where they were seated and landed on the saddle fastened on Baechu's back. She was followed by Irene who sat in front and reached for the harness.

"Baechu, yip yip!" Irene commanded, educing another laugh from Seulgi. The general immediately turned around and glared at Seulgi. "What is it this time?"

"Isn't it weird for you to say that?" Seulgi asked, her voice still giddy from laughter. "It's like you're talking to yourself and basically commanding yourself to fly." The firebender laughed once again.

"Shut up," Irene said in a feeble voice, quite different from her usual cocky manner.

"It's cute though," Seulgi innocently stated, just speaking what was in her mind. Blood once again rushed to Irene's cheeks at the bear's words, causing her to just face forward to hide her embarrassment. She wielded the harness so that Baechu rose above the clouds, leading them to their destination. Once they were high enough, Irene commanded the air bison to remain in the same position.

"Wow," was all that Seulgi could utter, stunned by the magnificence before her.

"Do you like it?" Irene asked the princess who had a joyous glint in her eyes, causing her to have a small smile of her own.

"No," Seulgi said, contradicting what the general thought. However, before she could frown, Seulgi turned to face her—a huge and genuine smile on her face, making her eyes disappear into crescents—and added, "I love it. Thank you for bringing me here, Irene."

The general then felt something strange jolt through her at the firebender's words—it was the first time Seulgi addressed her by her name. A fluttery feeling settled in her stomach and she felt that it was something that wouldn't disappear anytime soon. Irene then remembered what the admiral just said and nodded in response, not trusting herself to say something that can be understood.

Seulgi, ever so oblivious, patted the space beside her and invited Irene to join her. "Come lay beside me."

The latter hesitantly went nearer the princess who was now in a supine position, gaze trained on the night sky. She did as Seulgi asked and lay down beside her, keeping half an arm's length between them. They remained that way for a while, basking in the twinkling of the stars, until Irene pointed out towards the sky.

"Look! It's a shooting star!" the airbender exclaimed then looked to the girl beside her. Seulgi's face lit up in excitement and then she closed her eyes. "Quick, make a wish!"

When she was done making her wish, Seulgi opened her eyes and turned to her side, only to find Irene looking at her, mouth upturned in a soft smile. She didn't realize that they slowly shifted towards each other while gazing at the night sky, resulting in the small distance between their faces. They were close enough to see every small detail on each other's features, but still far enough to not feel each other's breath.

Curiosity got the better of her and Seulgi asked, "What did you wish for?"

Instead of responding, Irene just tucked a stray strand of hair behind Seulgi's ear, that soft smile still in place, causing Seulgi to be still. The general then stood up and only answered the question once she held the harness, "It's a secret."

Seulgi was left laying on her side—a wide-eyed, reddened cheeks, and thundering heart mess.

author's note:

here's an extra long (kinda) update for you all!! i'm sorry it's already been more than a month since the last one ㅠㅠ i was busy preparing for a trip and reeling from it afterwards (T ^ T) i just wanted to put this up before classes start tomorrow //cries again// i hope you guys liked this though, despite my apparent lack of humor OTL from here on, expect lots of flirting and maybe more hehe :D to end this also extra long note, please pray for all the victims of the Orlando shooting and their families. if there is any way that you could help, even if it's just a very small thing, please do. it will go a long way. till the next chapter!! (p.s. thank you to v, l, b, and k for always being there and helping me out. i love you all <3)