If there was anything that could make her already rotten day worse than it was, it would have to be the flashing lights behind her. Korra groaned as the shrill sound of the siren cut through the traffic, alerting the rest of the drivers of her mistake. She pulled over onto the shoulder and put her car in park, waiting for the inevitable with a sour expression.
The patrol car pulled in behind her, the siren no longer blaring but the oscillating lights bouncing off the rearview mirror were starting to give her a headache.
"Fantastic. As if I needed anything else to go wrong today." She grumbled under her breath, turning her attention to the rest of the cars zipping by with envy. There had to be other idiots out there who were breaking laws. Why did the cops always pick her out of the crowd to write her up? The first few times were admittedly her fault, her impatience getting the better of her more than once.
A quick procession of taps on her window made her jump, bringing her out of her thoughts. Korra rolled her window down and tried to put on her best smile given the situation.
"Is there a problem-"
"Do you know how fast you were going, miss?"
Korra bit back a snarky remark at the officer's rude interruption, taking a deep breath before answering that no, she wasn't aware of her speed. She would bet anything this guy was fresh from the academy, his sense of authority almost worthy of mocking. She looked at the polished name plate on his chest. Iwamatsu. It probably wouldn't hurt to remember that for later just in case things got bad.
"I'm going to need your license and registration."
She reached for the documents and held them out to him, shaking her head and wondering how hefty the fine would be this time. If it was going to be as much as she was thinking, then she would have to work double shifts for the rest of the month to get enough for rent. He walked back to his patrol car, leaving Korra with her thoughts for several moments before walking back and returning her papers.
"Fourth time this year for speeding. I almost feel sorry for having to do this." He said, pulling out that damned pad of paper she was dreading.
"I guess that means you aren't going to let me off with a warning?" She asked with an edge of hope to her voice. Korra watched as the officer stilled before leaning down to look at her.
His dark hair stood up and outwards, making Korra wonder if it was against regulations in the force. His eyes were hidden behind a large pair of sunglasses, her own distorted reflection looking back at her. He couldn't have been any older than she was, which made the experience that much frustrating for her. This lanky brat thought he could act this way to her? She could laugh if she wasn't trying to talk her way out of the mess. He was quiet for a few minutes before the corner of his mouth pulled back in a tired smirk.
"Afraid not."
Her shoulders slumped as he went back to writing her ticket, leaning forward and letting her head bump into the steering wheel.
"Great. Just great." She said flatly, already hating the thought of extra work to pay off the ticket… and rent… and insurance. She could already taste the cheap ramen from her poor college student days. From the corner of her eye she could see him shift in his spot before sighing loudly and leaning back down to see her.
"Here. Just remember to keep an eye out for your speed and keep others in mind while you're out on the road." He said, handing her ticket out to her. Korra didn't get a chance to reply, watching the officer stand quickly and speed walk back to his own vehicle. She looked down at the paper in hand, frowning deeply at the fine. She was about to put the ticket in her glove compartment when she spotted an attachment on the other side. Korra flipped it over to see a hastily scribbled message on a crumpled receipt.
"Try to get u Urick. Nice judge. Probably let u off easy."
Korra looked up in her rearview mirror at the officer behind her. Either it was a trick of the light or he was actually smiling in his car. What was his name again? She looked at the ticket and read it over.
"Iwamatsu… well I'll be damned."