He walks with her, side by side and hand in hand. There is an unmistakeable smell in the air as they get closer and closer - no matter how fastidious the Acolytes are in maintaining their pens, there is no escaping the simple fact that air bison smell. A few of the Acolytes mill about, doing various chores as the two of them approach.
“There’s Tsungi, Haki, and Fara,” Korro says, pointing out a cluster of adolescents chasing each other around the pens. “There’s Hakoda - I named him - and Lila-” -two juveniles napping in a bale of straw- “-and here’s Oogi. The pack leader.” Oogi dwarfs all the rest, his powerful jaws making short work of crushing a plate of offered greens between his teeth.
“We don’t really have a full herd right now. Master Tenzin’s taking the rest out for exercise.”
Hakoda chooses this moment to perk his head up and fly over to the two of them, stopping short in front of Asami. Korro chuckles, rubbing the juvenile bison behind his ears. “Hey, little buddy. How’re you doin’?” The air bison doesn’t respond, instead sniffing the air in front of Asami.
“I don’t think he’s ever smelled perfume before. -you wanna pet ‘im? He’s harmless. And fuzzy.”
Asami can’t help but note how warm Korro’s hand is within her own– and calloused, from hard labour or something else she isn’t sure. She likes it, though.
The pens are impressive, not that she expected anything less and air bison play or sleep or graze about. She listens to Korro as he names them, nodding politely as she watches the two juvenile bison play with each other. The smell doesn’t bother her, though. Having spent most of her time in a garage or under the hood of a Satomobile, she’s found that there are few things more lethal than the scent of gasoline. She’s grateful that all the bison, and Korro, seem to smell from her is perfume, because she dislikes the way gasoline lingers even hours after she’s left the garage.
When one of the bison flies towards them, she takes a step back. Not so much out of fear than caution. Having never seen one before she isn’t quite sure how they normally act, and she certainly doesn’t want to risk angering it— or its foreboding herd leader. A laugh escapes as Hakoda sniffs her and, at Korro’s reassurance, she extends a hand to pet behind his ears.
“He’s softer than I imagined he’d be,” she muses. “Are they all like that or just the young ones?"
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