"Are you sure this is a good idea?" you inquired incredulously, as Asami tied the ribbon on the back of your dress to secure you into the garment. "What if he thinks I'm trying too hard? Or that I look silly?"

Tonight was your second date with Desna, and Asami had readily agreed to help you when you requested her assistance in looking nice for the occasion. Although he didn't strike you as the type to place a great deal of importance on appearance, you still found yourself wanting to impress him.

"He's not going to think you're trying too hard, and I promise you don't look silly. I wouldn't let you leave here if you looked anything less than gorgeous, which you do," Asami retorted, finishing the ribbon with a bow at the top. "Go have a look at yourself."

You walked toward the large mirror in the back of the room, and found that you didn't recognize the person in front of you. The gown you wore was floor-length, which concealed your brown leather boots, and was made from a warm, ocean blue fabric, with a navy blue belt around your waist – to accentuate your figure, according to Asami. The dress hung off your shoulders, and the pale white fur that lined the collar was soft against your décolletage. The long, fur-lined bell sleeves made you feel unusually elegant – a feeling that was extremely foreign, but enjoyable. Your hair had been left down for a change, and neatly curled by Asami. In short, you looked incredible, and you hoped that Desna would like it.

You were still soaking in your appearance when there was a soft knock at the entrance to your hut. When you pulled back the curtain to greet your date, your jaw dropped as you realized you weren't the only one who had gotten dressed up.

Densa had exchanged the simplistic, floor-length coat he'd worn the night before for a more modern one: the same medium blue color, and still fur-lined, but shorter, coming to a triangular point at his knees. His pants were a darker, navy blue, tucked into his snow boots. The most breathtaking aspect of his look was that he had tied half of his hair back, similar to Chief Tonraq's hairstyle, and you then recalled an offhand comment you made about wishing to see him without all that hair in his face. The reason being that you wished to see his attractive face better – and that hairdo certainly did the trick.

For several moments, you were too busy ogling Desna to realize he was staring right back at you.

"You are... magnificent," he finally managed to state, as he finally drug his gaze upwards to meet your eyes. You noticed that his eyebrows remained raised and his mouth hung slightly agape, and you couldn't hide your grin at the fact that he was showing more emotion than you'd ever seen in him so far, all because of how you looked.

"Thank you. You look pretty incredible yourself," you observed, before tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear before letting your hand linger on his cheek. "I like the new hairstyle. I can see your face much better now. You're extremely handsome."

Seemingly a bit flustered, Desna wordlessly grasped your and placed a kiss onto your palm, before placing your hand in the crook of his elbow. The two of you began walking toward the city below, as you shot Asami a grin and a thumbs up over your shoulder, which she excitedly returned.

He took you to a very nice restaurant at the heart of the tribe, although he still remarked that it's nowhere as nice as the places he'd like to take you to in the North. The waiter escorted you two in a quiet area at the very back of the restaurant, and the candles in the center of the table gave the atmosphere a markedly romantic feel.

"I suspect you had something to do with this secluded seating?" you inquired playfully, as Desna pushed your chair in for you.

"Perhaps," was all he said, as he took a seat across the small table from you.

The date was going quite well, until you made the mistake of asking about his relationships with his family members. Although the conversation had been flowing just fine, it came to a halt once the question left your lips. Desna's posture became visibly more rigid, and you realized you'd inquired about a sensitive subject.

"Eska is, of course, whom I am the closest to. We share a great deal of opinions and beliefs, although we remain separate, distinct individuals, as you have noted. Mother has a kind heart, but she is complacent, effervescent, and I find her somewhat uninteresting. However, she is my mother, therefore I care for her. Father has always been the more hands-on parent, although only in respect to our bending and spiritual training."

"Do you get along with him?" you asked, and the question seemed to confuse him a little. "I mean, do you have a good relationship with him?"

"He is my father. It is irrelevant that I 'get along' with him, only that I respect and learn from him," Desna stated, and you frowned slightly.

"I mean, I got along great with my dad, and my mom. My dad and I would build things every weekend, like little wooden trains, and birdhouses to put in the yard. He and my mom taught me most of the self-defense that I know. Mom also taught me how to cook, and how to sew, and we'd gossip about boys from my school that I had crushes on. They were amazing."

"You speak in the past-tense. Are they no longer living?"

"No. They were killed when I was ten. They were the only family I had in Republic City, so I was homeless from then on. I met Mako and Bolin shortly after, and we stuck together, to protect and care for each other. That's why I'm so close with them."

"I am deeply sorry about your parents," Desna said with a small frown.

"Thanks," you said, then added, "I ended up getting two brothers out of it though, so I suppose it's not a total loss."

"I must admit that I am grateful to learn the reason behind your closeness to those two. I had feared it was the result of some sort of romantic attraction."

"Oh, absolutely not," you said with a laugh. "When we were kids, the focus was always strictly on finding food, figuring out somewhere to sleep that night – stuff like that. We didn't have time to have crushes on one another or anything like that. We're not in that kind of unstable environment anymore, but we developed that sibling type of bond early on, and that still stands."

Desna merely nodded, then a realization dawned on you and brought a smirk to your lips.

"Were you jealous?"

"Of?"

"Mako and Bolin. You worried I'd dated them or had feelings for them and that's why we're close. I also noticed you glaring at Mako at breakfast this morning when he and I were talking."

"Despite the fact that we have been acquainted for less than a day, I am quite fond of you, therefore I am attentive of anything that might jeopardize the progression of our courtship," Desna confessed, occupying his gaze with the plate in front of him to avoid meeting your eyes, causing your smile to grow.

"The word you're looking for is jealous," you teased, then chuckled. "Actually, this morning, I was telling Mako about our date at the festival, and how it's been a really long time since I liked someone as much as you, if ever."

Desna met your gaze then, and you saw a faint upturn of a smile at the corner of his lips, before you switched the conversation to a new subject.

The remainder of the evening went off without a hitch, and just like the night before, Desna walked you home. Once you arrived at your hut, both of you loitered outside, neither wanting the night to end. So, you invited him in, and he obliged, both of you opting to sit on the nearby couch and talk more. You were amazed that the two of you had not once ran out of things to say, and if you were ever unsure of what else to discuss, Desna did not hesitate to fill the silence with a new topic.

All too soon, however, you were both yawning, and you found yourself leaning into him, gently grabbing his wrist to drape his arm over your shoulders. (You had slowly begun to realize that he wasn't the best at physical contact, so you typically initiated it, which he seemed to appreciate.) Eventually, you became incapable of keeping your eyes open, and it felt as though sleep was threatening to overcome you.

"I should take my leave. You are tired, I do not wish to be a hindrance to your rest. And if I stay, then both of us may succumb to unconsciousness, which would likely result in a search party from Eska."

"I certainly don't want that," you said with a soft chuckle.

"I have greatly enjoyed my time with you."

"Me too, Des," you said with a yawn, and your eyes widened instantly when you realized what you'd said. "I'm sorry. That... that's sort of a little nickname that I've been calling you in my head, but I didn't mean to say it out loud."

"I have never before been referred to by an abbreviated version of my name such as that," Desna observed. "But coming from you, I do not mind it."

You smiled, then placed your hand on the side of his face to bring him into a kiss. Desna laid a hand on your waist, and his arm around your shoulders subconsciously pulled you closer. The kiss lasted as long as possible, and after pulling away to take a few gasping breaths, he went in for another. Although your first few kisses had been sweet, these were a bit more intimate. You weren't entirely sure of how long it had been before the kiss mutually slowed to a stop, before you two separated by a few inches to gaze into one another's eyes.

Eventually, you broke the eye contact and let out a melancholy sigh, as you knew it was time for him to leave. You stood and extended your hand out to Desna, which he took as he stood himself. You walked with him to the exit, and he leaned down to kiss your forehead as he held open the curtain doorway of your hut.

"Once again, I shall ask: may I see you again tomorrow?"

"I'd love nothing more, Des."

Desna smiled softly at the new nickname, before giving you a quick kiss and heading off into the snowy landscape, and you were once again left alone with the warm, happy feeling in your chest.