"Yo, Korra!" Mako called from behind the Avatar, causing her to spin around with a big smile on her face. Mako was her best friend, the guy that was always there for her, which with her schedule was every other night. "That was a fantastic show, you lovely girl."
"Thank you, Mako, I try," She fastened her robe over her costume as she grinned at the man. He was her best tipper as well as her best friend, tossing hundreds of dollars onto the stage each night she performed. She often wondered how he could afford such hefty tips, but she figured she'd keep her questions to herself. Not everyone was so keen on sharing financial information.
"There's someone I want you to meet, baby doll," Mako took his hat from his head and pressed it to his chest as he sidestepped to reveal a handsome man. "My baby brother, Bolin."
"Bolin," Korra purred the name as she gave him the once over. He was shorter than Mako, though not by much, and was bulkier. Obviously an earthbender, she decided. "I'm Korra, the Avatar."
She held out his hand, and when he took it, he pressed his lips to the smooth back.
"My pleasure," He smiled widely as he stood, and Korra felt her breath catch in her throat.
"Mako, where have you been hiding him?" She asked breathily. The fire bender laughed at her tone, the sound filling the backstage dressing room. Other dancers looked up from applying makeup to glare and the rambunctious group.
"Bolin here is a mover star, Korra," Mako answered. "He's usually out of town, and he just happened to be here on the night you perform."
"I'm very glad I was, too," Bolin winked at her. "You're an exquisite dancer, Korra."
"Well, thank you," She smiled. She didn't like to boast, but she was only second best to Asami, who had been in this business long before Korra even thought of it.
"Korra, dear, why haven't you changed, we were supposed to go out for drinks," The feminine voice snapped Korra from her trance that was inspired by the earthbender's face.
"Sorry, 'Sami. Mako here brought his baby brother in for my show," Korra said as the woman walked up. Her raven hair was pinned from her face in curls, exposing a dainty jaw line and smooth, milky white neck. Though she spent most of her time on stage half naked, her blouse had the first three buttons open, a black lace brassier teasing from underneath.
"I am Asami, the head dancer here," The girl held out her hand, which Bolin shook firmly.
"Name's Bolin," He smiled slightly.
"Would you like to join us for drinks?" Asami asked the brothers. Mako stepped right up to the offer, like a starving dog to food.
"You know me, 'Sami, I'll always follow you," He grasped her hand to spin her around into a dip. He kissed her then, a kiss the woman gladly returned. When she was returned to her upright position, there was a visible blush on her face.
"Mako, not here," She tapped his arm lightly in a playful manner, then turned to Korra. "Korra, go change for spirit's sake, we don't have all night."
"Of course," Korra gathered her duffel and ruched to the dressing room. Slipping back into her day clothes made her a bit uncomfortable, as there was a very eligible, very handsome man out there that she was hoping to seduce. Frankly, she felt her plain-Jane dress wouldn't do the job. Luckily, Asami already knew that Bolin had been coming, and slipped a few choice pieces into Korra's duffel. The blouse and skirt waiting there fit Korra's physique perfectly, accenting her already full hips by cinching her waist with a belt. Wiping the stage makeup from her face, her natural beauty shone back at her. Korra felt confident in her skin, and had a feeling that she wouldn't be going home along tonight.
"Are you ready now?" Asami asked, giving her a once over and nodding subtly. Korra nodded.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. She loosed her hair from its ties and shook it out. She decided this had an effect on Bolin, as she heard a sharp intake of air from his direction. "We all ready to go?"
"Indeed, we are," Bolin smiled and held out his arm. Korra gladly took it, and they ventured out the back door to the bar down the street.
The night was brisk, and Korra being Korra forgot to bring her jacket from home. It was the time of year where it was still hot during the day, but as soon as Yue rose in the sky the night became frosty. Lacking foresight, Korra always managed to forget her coat. She silently promised to start bringing a sweater from home. The city was making her soft.
"Are you cold?" Bolin's voice in her ear made her jump nearly out of her own skin. She looked up at him to find a smirk. She shook her head.
"No, I'm fine. I am from the Southern Water Tribe, you know," she told him.
"Oh, are you?" He snickered. Korra decided that this man was goofier than he let on, relevant in the fact that his eyes twinkled as he spoke.
"Of course, can't you tell?" She pressed on. "My costume is always water tribe based," she saw him swallow.
"I did notice," He replied. He took his coat off and draped it over her shoulders. "Doesn't change the fact that you're cold."
Korra laughed at this.
"You're right, it doesn't," She looked behind them to find Asami and Mako smiling. She shot them a secret thumbs up with a grin. As the group reached the bar, Bolin held the door. As Korra walked past him he began speaking.
"You know, in my first film, I was from the Southern Water Tribe. My character was named Nuktuk," He told her. She waited on the inside until the other couple had passed before resuming the conversation.
"I think I saw that one. You look much different now," She replied. She remembers the main character had looked like a child, no older than sixteen. The man beside sported a short beard, styled in the latest Earth Kingdom style. His lime eyes seemed to scream "EXPERIENCED!" and she was quite okay with getting lost in them.
"I do?" He asked, surprised. "I suppose the beard does change a lot.."
"You're very handsome, so don't get self-conscious on me," She teased. His eyes twinkled again.
"You're being nice to my baby brother, right, Korra?" Mako asked as they say in a booth. As a waiter came around he ordered a round of Fire Whiskey.
"Of course I am, Mako. He is your baby brother," Korra replied smugly. Her attitude shifted then, and she was hell-bent on getting the earthbender in her bed.
"I never got a chance to ask, Korra," Bolin interrupted. "How did you become a dancer?"
The group fell quiet. It wasn't a story Korra was particularly proud of, but she supposed it was a part of herself. She took a deep breath.
"I used to be a prostitute, to be completely honest. Back when I first came to Republic City, I had nowhere to go, and a man, who I now wish I had never met, took me under his wing," She began. Asami motioned for her to stop, but Korra pressed on. "He gave me food and shelter, and all he asked for in return was a fuck every now and again. It was simple, really, but then things got weird. He would have his friends over, and he'd make me sleep with them. Greasy guys with deep pockets. He told me that if I didn't, I'd have to find another place to stay, and I wonder now why I hadn't already left. It got worse, and I turned to drugs to numb the emotions. Of course, he provided them, enabled me, so I would stay with him…"
She steadied herself with another breath.
"I ended up pregnant," She whispered the words. "His kid, I already knew that, since he was the only one that never really worried about protection. He denied everything, but I cleaned myself up and really tried to take care of myself so my kid would live a good life…
"When I started showing, he couldn't use me for profit anymore, and promptly kicked me out. That was almost a year since I had gotten to the city, and I was homeless once again. I remember sitting in the alley next to his apartment, crying. It was pouring that night. That's where Mako found me."
Mako reached over and took her hand reassuringly. She smiled gratefully at him as she wiped her tears away.
"He cleaned me up, took me in, kept me fed, and when my baby was born, he tried his best to help me through the grief."
Asami tried to hide the sparkling on her cheeks. Bolin watched Korra's face, the anguish there made his heart ache.
"My son was stillborn, and even though I only knew him for a few brief minutes, he's the love of my life," Korra threw back her drink.
"What was his name?" Bolin asked.
"Nooruk," She replied. "After I recovered from the complications of bringing him into the world dead, I looked for any work I could find. The club took me in, and even though I still had the baby fat on my belly, the patrons welcomed me. That was almost six years ago, and I've been there ever since."
"Why didn't anyone meet you when you got here?" Bolin wondered aloud.
"There wasn't anyone to meet me in the first place," Korra answered. "I'm already a fully realized avatar, had been the day I set foot in the city limits, but I didn't know what I was doing, and I got lost."
"That's really upsetting," He replies. He stretches, his arm falling in place behind her as he relaxes. Korra admits to herself that the rough thumb running over her shoulder was comforting.