Nadia found herself thoroughly captivated by the narrative, her anger temporarily suspended by an overwhelming curiosity.
Sensing her friendās undivided attention, Korra shifted even closer to the camera, her body language transforming into that of an excited, energetic teenager as she began to vividly recount the adventure.
"We navigated through the entire subterranean complex together, Nadia!"
"We squeezed through incredibly tight, crumbling brick tunnels and emerged into these massive, sweeping ceremonial hallways covered from floor to ceiling in ancient, intricate engravings."
She had a look of fascination in her eyes like she could still recall the same feeling of excitement she felt back then.
"We took so many ridiculous photos together on his camera, and he handed me these tiny brushes and scrapers, teaching me how to gently clear centuries of debris off the artifacts we uncovered."
"I was giggling like a madwoman the entire time because, honestly, I had absolutely no clue what I was looking at!"
"I would also just pick up random, useless chunks of stone, run over to him excitedly, and demand to know their historical significance and monetary value."
She let out a bright, melodic laugh, bouncing slightly on the mattress like a young girl.
"And there were traps everywhere! So many traps. Dangerous onesānot enough to kill me, but enough to be thrilling."
"Mika taught me how to spot them, how to avoid them. I actually learned things. Normally Iād hate that, but the way he explained it was so fun."
Her voice grew warm.
"I didnāt think there was a single moment where my heart wasnāt racing. And through it all, he was so gentle. So tender. He made me feel...safe."
Korraās voice slowed, falling into a deeply gentle, reverent tone as she remembered the way heād looked at her in the dim light of the ruins.
"The sheer kindness and tenderness in his eyes throughout that entire day...it did something to me, Nadia."
She glanced up at Nadia and admitted saying,
"Iām entirely certain that if Iād been down there alone, or if literally anyone else in the worldād been standing by my side in those trenches, I wouldnāt have enjoyed it even a fraction as much as I did with Mika."
"I canāt fully articulate it..." She clenched her fists. "...but he possesses this undeniable, magnetic charm."
Her eyes lit up as she explained,
"The effortless way he commands a room, the gentle manner in which he pulled me along into his world, making me feel so incredibly lighthearted and safe...it made me completely forget about my husband, my royal duties, and every single worry eroding my sanity."
Despite the gravity of the situation and the anger still lingering in her chest, Nadia couldnāt suppress the small, knowing smile that crept onto her face.
Hearing her son described that way struck a resonant chord deep within her.
"Thatās just how Mika is" Nadia murmured softly, her voice carrying a mix of maternal resignation and pride. "Heās always been a natural magnet for people. It doesnāt matter if someoneās young, old, human, or what specific demi-human race they belong to.
"Mikaās got this uncanny ability to adapt himself perfectly to whoever heās with, making it impossible not to feel drawn to him."
"Once you enter his orbit, itās only a matter of time before youāre pulled completely into his gravity."
"Yes! Exactly! Thatās precisely what I experienced down there, Nadia!"
Korra nodded her head frantically in agreement, her eyes wide.
"He felt like a sun I couldnāt look away from. And by the time we finally emerged from those ruins back into the sunlight, carrying a bag full of ancient artifacts and an unforgettable day of memories, a terrifying realization washed over meāI didnāt want him to leave my side."
She blushed like she hated to admit this to Nadia.
"Weād only spent a single day together, yet for some strange, inexplicable reason, I felt a bond with him that felt just as deep and close as the one I share with you."
She twirled her hair with her fingers like a shy girl in love.
"It felt so incredibly sudden, and so entirely wrong given who weāre...but in that moment, it felt so profoundly right."
Korra then let out a beautiful smile, her eyes sparkling with the warmth of cherished memories.
"Luckily, Mika invited me to dinner that he had set up." She said enthusiastically. "It was the perfect opportunity to spend more time with him."
She described how they roasted meat togetherāanimals that Mika had caught himself in that desolate realm.
Her voice grew dreamy, almost reverent.
"It was probably one of the most delicious meals Iāve ever had in my entire life." She said, her face glowing with pure nostalgia and happiness. "And then we just...talked. About everything. Nice things. Silly things. Deep things."
Nadia watched as her friendās expression became almost vulnerable in its honesty.
"Mika told me about his own strugglesāhow difficult it was to manage all the daughters in the family, how he was being pulled in every direction by everyone wanting his attention."
"He said he didnāt know what to do anymore."
She chuckled, shaking her head.
"I just nodded and smiled. I could understand his worries perfectly. Being wanted by too many peopleāitās not the worst problem to have, but itās still a problem."
Her voice dropped to a lower, more intimate tone. She fiddled with her fingers nervously.
"And eventually...I started talking too. About my own frustrations. About my husband. About how lonely I felt, how my entire marriage was falling apart."
She shook her head slowly.
"Normally, I would never do such a thing. These were things I would only tell someone I was extremely close to, someone like you, Nadia."
She pointed at the screen.
"But I donāt know why...in that moment, I felt like I could tell Mika anything in the world. And he would accept it. He wouldnāt judge me."
She looked down, her voice growing softer.
"And I was right. He just...listened. Most of the time, he just listened. But in the perfect moments, he knew exactly what to say to comfort me."
"He didnāt curse my husband or call him names like anyone else would. He didnāt take sides. He just...focused on me. On how I felt."
Her eyes glistened.
"And it worked. I completely broke down. I started crying in his armsāall the things I had been holding back for years just came pouring out."
She let out an awkward, embarrassed laugh.
"As embarrassing as it isāme, so much older than him, crying like a child in his embraceāhe just held me. He held me and said nice things, comforting things, until I felt better."
Nadia listened to all of this, her expression unreadable.
But inside, she felt a genuine sense of alarm.
āMika really was the incarnation of a playboy!ā
He knew exactly how to break down a womanās defenses and go straight to her heart just like he had with the Elven Empress.
He had managed to break through Korraās walls and make her share everything.
āBut this time.ā She thought. āIt was probably because he genuinely wanted to take care of Korra.ā
āHe wasnāt planning anything. Her relationship with the dragon king was decent, and there were no major political conflicts at stake.
Mika had simply seen someone in distress and wanted to help.
The thought made her feel a small, quiet pride. Her son was kind. He took time out of his life to care for others.
Korra continued, her cheeks flushing.
"Honestly, his words and the entire experience that day worked a little too well on my heart. When I looked up with tears in my eyes and saw Mika smiling down at me..." She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I couldnāt help myself. I pounced on him. I started pulling at his clothes."
Nadia leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. This was the juicy part.
Korraās face was bright red now.
"I was so worked up, so overwhelmed with emotion that I just wanted to do something with him.ā
āMika resisted at first." She let out a awkward cough. "He said everything would be awkward if things went too far, since we were family friends."
"But honestly, I couldnāt hold back. I was too far gone."
She looked down, her face turning much more vulnerable as she said,
"Mika must have noticed that if he pushed me away completely, I would have been devastated. So he stopped resisting. He embraced me."
She looked back at the camera, her eyes filled with love and remembrance.
"And under that starry night, we had our first passionate night together."
A small, dreamy smile crossed her face.
"It was probably the best night of my entire life. Iāve never felt anything like it beforeānot just the physical pleasure, but the emotional connection, the sense of truly being seen and desired and cared for."
"It was...transcendent."
Nadia felt her own cheeks flush slightly.
She wondered what exactly had happened that nightāwhat had made Korra feel such pure euphoria.
The look on her best friendās face was almost...holy.
Korra seemed to realize how she was acting. She shook her head, embarrassed.
"S-Sorry, Nadia. I shouldnāt be saying such things."
She quickly changed the subject, her voice rushing.
"After that night, I thought it would be so awkward in the morning. I immediately regretted what I had done. I thought Mika would feel the same way. But the next morning..."
She smiled softly.
"Mika acted just as casual as ever. He didnāt make me feel weird at all. He even made me breakfast. He talked to me like nothing had happened, like we were just two friends who had spent a nice evening together."
She shook her head in wonder.
"The awkwardness just disappeared. Everything felt so natural. After that, Mika and I developed a very close relationship."
She waved her tail nervously, like a shy schoolgirl.
"At first, we tried to keep things normal, just a friendship. But whenever we would sneak away together to have our own adventures, to blow off steam, things would always end up with us tangled in bed together."
"We tried to resist at first, but as time went on and we grew closer, we both just...accepted it."
She looked at the screen, her expression embarrassed like she couldnāt believe she was accepting such things.
"After that, we became quite a hot and passionate pair. Despite everything, the age difference, the fact that I was married, we just snuck around together."
"Whenever we met, we couldnāt hold back. We were all over each other."
Nadia felt a strange mix of emotionsāembarrassment, curiosity, and something else she didnāt want to name.
Then a thought struck her.
"Hold on a second, Korra."
Korraās gulped.
"In previous years, whenever we had family events and you were there, Iād often notice you missing. And Mika would also be missing at the same time."
Nadiaās eyes narrowed. "Donāt tell me..."
Korraās face turned crimson. She nodded shyly.
"Itās exactly as you think. Weād sneak off together and have our own...passionate moments.
"While everyone else was eating dessert..."
She paused, then added with a sheepish grin,
"...Mika would be eating something else."
The moment she said it, she realized what sheād said and clamped her mouth shut, blushing furiously.
Nadia felt her own cheeks flush slightly. She had a good memoryāshe could recall those times clearly now.
Korra would come back from wherever she had been looking messy and sweaty, and Nadia would always ask what happened.
Korra would simply say that as a dragon, her body sometimes overheated.
Now she knew the truth.
It had been her son. Playing around with her best friend. While everyone else was blissfully unaware.