It was already nearing midnight in a bar near downtown in Republic City. The bar had a rustic feel to it. The wooden counters were well complimented by the warm yellow lighting with pool tables at the back. Only a few people would frequent these kinds of bars nowadays, with most of the young people preferring the night clubs with their laser lights and bass heavy music. The serene classical music relaxed all of the people who were just looking to unwind their troubles after a long day. A bartender was serving a lone muscular woman. Her short brown hair covered her face slightly, just enough so no one would see her eyes. The woman's fists were clenched tightly. Her figure radiated an aura that she wanted to be left alone, just to think. If it weren't for the bartender replacing her beer bottles some would assume her for a broken-hearted drunkard drowning their sorrows away. This was far from the truth, however.
The soldier could still hear the loud firefight taking root along with the simultaneous screaming of her fellow soldiers. Memories seemed to seep throughout her entire vision even if it was her thirteenth bottle already. It was all too real for her. The woman could hear it all, "Lieutenant!" or even the silent groaning of the soldiers who have been hit by bullets that seemed to just fly out of nowhere. The soldier looked at the outline of the medal hiding in her pocket. Some honor she deserved. Her entire crew died and only she had been the lucky one to survive. The medal was just that: a reminder of her fallen comrades in battle.
Korra took in another swill of her beer. She couldn't savor the flavor, it started tasting like water after her fourth bottle. The soldier kept pace with her drinking. She still had the mind to keep in control to avoid trouble. It wasn't that long ago either that she found herself awake and full of adrenaline. This was the reason Korra came in the first place. She hoped that sleeping earlier than usual would help her sleep properly and yet she was still greeted with nightmares. This frustrated her to no end.
On the other end of the wooden counter, a woman with long wavy black hair sat while drinking her whiskey in peace. She was wearing a black blouse and pencil skirt that only reached until her knees. A red turtleneck sweater was casually hidden in the blazer. From time to time, she would observe the only other person sitting in the counter with her. It was hard to ignore the unusual growling and grinding of teeth. Sometimes, she wondered if the other woman realized that she could be heard in the relatively peaceful bar. The black-haired woman had frequented this bar especially after a long day of work. It wasn't until a few months ago that this muscular woman would frequent this bar too and do what she was doing now. She was curious as to what would make such a woman get this frustrated and angry with herself. Something also told her that all this anger carried sadness within it.
"Hey, give me another." The short-haired woman ordered, signaling to the empty bottle she had.
"That was your thirteenth bottle already." The bartender noted, unamused with how much this person was drinking. "Fine. You have to go home after this though. Storm's coming."
The soldier gave an irritated look but immediately withdrew it. "Yeah, yeah."
The long-haired woman signaled for her second glass of whiskey for that evening. Curiosity finally struck her as she heard how much the other woman was drinking. What could possibly be that depressing it would drive someone to finish two cases of beer by herself? So she asked the bartender in a soft voice as to what her story was, if he's ever heard of it.
He looked at the other woman pensively, "She's a war veteran Ms. Sato. She is a recipient of the Medal of Honor after a gruesome firefight in the Fire Nation civil war. That's what I gathered anyway. She came here once, still clad in uniform with that medal showing." The bartender explained.
"You're so silly, just call me Asami." She casually replied, then turned to look at the other woman who seemed to be aloof yet deep in thought. "This must be hard for her."
The bartender tried using the name a few times in his mind but found it impossible. "I think I'll stick to Ms. Sato. Anyway, got a lot of grit that one. She comes here, drinks a lot, and goes home. Not a word to anyone else."
Asami had a ruminative aura about her. She thought that maybe if someone tried to reach out to her she would be able to smile again. Something about imagining the soldier smile across the counter made her smile too. "Thanks."
Asami straightened her blouse and skirt. Reminiscing her day earlier, she continued to enjoy her whiskey. The tiring battle with her board of directors and investors were put aside and she just started to unwind. Asami stared at the red lipstick imprinted on her glass. The day had indeed run its course on her. Fatigue had slowly crept into her body and it was already begging for some needed rest. Yet something urged her to stay. Something told her to stay a little longer and enjoy this little luxury. So she stayed, slowly sipping and enjoying her whiskey.
It was close to one in the morning when Asami heard the skidding of a chair to her right. The soldier took a few unsure steps before straightening and continuing to walk towards the exit. This was when Asami realized it had been raining outside for quite some time now. It was literally pouring outside. The soldier seemed unfazed by this fact and simply shrugged her hands into her pockets. The short-haired woman had only been wearing casual jeans and a shirt. There was no way she would be able to go home with only a few drops on her head as they were in the middle of the downtown area. Asami noticed the bartender motion for something under the counter.
"Ma'am please use this to get home. It's pretty hard out there." He said, politely giving the umbrella to the soldier.
The brunette simply waved it off. "I'll be fine. I'll just soldier through it." The joke was hollow and her smile too small to find anything humorous.
Something about the statement tugged at Asami's heart. It was painful just to listen to the monotone and the smallest smile that she barely even saw. She looked at the precious blue eyes that were filled with so much anguish and frustration. Suddenly, her voice reached her throat, "I could drive you home. I was just about to leave anyway."
The soldier's features turned into a light frown. She immediately withdrew when she saw the most beautiful green orbs, simply staring at her almost pulling her in. "I'll be fine miss…" She began.
"I'm Asami, Asami Sato." Asami replied simply. She didn't think anything else was important at the moment.
"Yeah. That." The soldier replied, her sarcasm dripping like venom.
It pained Asami to see such cynicism from such an innocent offer. After all, who wouldn't be mad at just wanting to help another out? It was Asami's turn to become irritated at the girl but she didn't quite show it. She couldn't help people who did not want help.
It was then the bartender decided to intervene. "The lady is making a nice offer you know. Not everyone in Republic City is nice enough to offer drunk strangers a ride home."
Korra shot the bartender an angry look. In all honesty, she just felt like being alone. The pain she shouldered, she didn't want to share with anyone else. She most certainly did not want to be disturbed that night with some idle chit-chat that would just bring the other person to thank her for what she's done for the city and give that irritating look of pity. She almost spoke, when the bartender returned the angry look back at her. Almost signaling that she wouldn't be allowed back in here if she didn't go with the girl. For a second, Korra looked at the girl who was still looking at her curiously. The soldier scratched her head and sighed.
"Fine. Whatever makes you serve me more drinks when I need it." Korra replied, looking back to the lady. "Let's go."
Something about that agreement made Asami's heart flutter. She immediately grabbed her wallet and left her payment plus huge tip on the counter. The brunette in turn, grabbed the bartender's umbrella and immediately headed outside. Asami followed suit and met the soldier outside. Asami then realized that she was a few inches taller than the brunette even if she didn't wear her heels. She doesn't mention anything and leads the soldier to her car.
Korra noticed the fit legs the taller woman had and made a note that she probably knows how to run fast or fight. Something in the light contact their arms were in sent both people blushing slightly, though it was hardly noticeable. The chill in the air didn't seem to impact them as the slowly walked to the black car. Korra was surprised at the bright red interior when the interior lights opened. Then she took notice of the red turtleneck that the taller woman wore. Silently, she got in the car too. Slowly, the taller woman drove out of the parking lot and went onto the main street.
Korra was now genuinely curious as to why this long haired woman decided to help her. There was truth in the bartender's words. It's a rare occurrence for someone to help a drunkard. "Why did you decide to help me anyway?"
Asami hoped that Korra wouldn't ask that question. It would make it awkward to say she did it out of a whim so instead she used her booklet of excuses and formulated a very good one, "You weren't that stable when you got out of your chair. Besides, it's impossible not to get drenched in this rain. I just wanted to help, you know?"
Korra unnecessarily fumed, "And what? You had two glasses of whiskey?"
Asami flinched but held her ground. "Actually, I did. I was just drinking to unwind from the long day at the office today."
Korra heard sincerity in Asami's words and mentally scolded herself for unnecessarily being a pompous jackass. She breathed deeply, trying to keep her temper in control. "Make a left here. My building is just over there."
Asami obediently followed the soldier's directions. Her gut told her that this person was not used to being questioned while being in command. Slowly, she pulled over in front of the soldier's building. The heater was set at a normal temperature but Asami felt slightly warmer for some reason. She hoped that the darkness was concealing her face well. When the soldier was about to get up Asami motioned for the other girl to wait. She fished out her calling card from her purse and handed it to her. Something inside Asami wanted to keep in contact with this woman.
"That has my number and the address where I work. I'm there most of the day, if ever you want to talk… or anything." Asami said, her words almost fumbled in the end. She could only hope the darkness covered the blush that formed on her cheeks.
Korra stared at the card for a moment before she grabbed it and put it inside her pocket. "I'll keep it in mind. Thanks, Ms. Sato."
Then, the most intense stare followed. Green eyes met blue ones and seemed to pull each other closer. They weren't moving at all though. It was like the world suddenly became smaller for the two of them. The feeling was unexplainable. Something in their blood sort of just… lit on fire, like misplaced passion that was put front and center for them. It was exhilarating yet dangerously frightening all at once. Korra then shook her head and finally got ahold of herself.
The short-haired woman went out of the car and made a mad dash for her building, leaving Asami alone in her car. Asami felt a little confused at first then she found herself breathing deeply and looked at the steering wheel. This was when Asami realized that the soldier she just met hadn't even introduced herself. She may never know her name. The long-haired woman could only hope that the soldier would call back or that they would meet at the bar again.
Asami laughed humorlessly at herself. "Great. Some line that would be. 'I never really got your name, mind if I got it now?'"
The woman found herself gripping her steering wheel tightly before she shifted into first gear and drove home. Hopefully, she would be able to forget the blunder of not asking the soldier's name before she slept tonight.
I would like to thank Aziraphale for being my beta. The two cents you gave helped a lot here. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this :)