An earsplitting scream erupted from the speakers of Republic City's first film house. The stalker had finally caught up with the film's leading lady, kidnapping her just feet from her own home. Asami tensed, only to frown at the wonky cut between scenes. The technology for filmmaking was only a few years old, but she couldn't help but think more filmmakers would have been able to figure out how to not have members of the sound and light crew panned at.
To her right, Bolin sat, half hidden behind Opal and to her left Korra's eye were glued to the screen. Mako would have liked this one too, if only he hadn't been saddled with the night shift. It was a horror, the genre Opal tended to favor, but instead of involving some rubber-suited monster it was more of a crime thriller.
Despite some of its technical problems, it was a pretty good mover. Her heart raced as they followed the detective on the case, just putting the pieces together now who the criminal was. His voice crackled around them and echoed throughout the theater "I know where to find him!"
The scene cut (well this time too!) to an unknown place. A basement maybe? Underground? The woman was tied up by her hands and her feet. Korra's grip on her hand tightened. The villain approached, his back slowly coming in frame. What will he do? Will the detective get there in time? Can the woman free herself to safety?
There was a sharp intake of breath beside her. Asami glanced over to see Korra pushing her back up against the seat. She shook, a pained expression on her face, but her eyes were wide and unblinking. She knew this look well, whenever Korra woke with nightmares it took hours to help her out of it.
Korra felt each cord of the sloppy soundtrack vibrating through her bones. She was there, she tried to fight it. This was a mover, just a mover, but it was her on the screen. It was her wrists tied. She wanted to pull at the chains, to fight them, but she was paralyzed. The poison had taken over her arms and her legs.
Asami placed her hand on Korra's shoulder but she wasn't at all aware. Korra's mind was in another place entirely.
She leaned to her right and whispered, "Korra and I are going for snacks, want anything?"
Opal made a shushing gesture. Bolin waved his hand absently and a whispered back, "we're good!"
Asami pulled Korra from her seat and moved her free hand to Korra's back to guide her out of the auditorium like a nurse guiding a heavily drugged patient out of surgery. Korra was only absently aware that she was moving. She didn't feel safer away from the film, just very confused. She was trapped, she had been captive just seconds ago but she was very clearly in the lobby of the theater. Korra closed her eyes. She shook her head back and forth, hands on her temple.
"Korra," Asami said gently. She had sat the two of them down at a table in the back of the lobby. It was the best they had for privacy, but there were still a few mover goers meandering about and theater workers lounging at their stations. The last thing Korra wanted was to have this happen in a public space, but if they went out to the car – there would be more people in the streets at this hour and she moved them to the restroom – then they wouldn't have anywhere to sit. She had to keep Korra somewhere she could relax else risk the Avatar going into a fight or flight response, neither safe for anyone or anything involved. "Korra," she repeated, "you are not in any danger."
But Korra could feel the chains, she could feel her heart racing, she could feel the metallic poison moving through her blood. They weren't there. It's not real. She could open her eyes and prove it to herself, but it was terrifying. Her eyes had lied to her before.
"We are at the Amano Brother's Theatre in Republic City, Korra I want you to take a deep breath." Her hands hovered at Korra's shoulders. Korra did as she was told, taking in one long breath of air. Asami gently rested her hands on Korra's shoulders. She didn't flinch away, that was a good sign.
"Breathe out," Asami directed. She was glad that after all their trial and error they had found something that worked for Korra, most of the time. "I'm going to take your hands, and when I do I want you to open your eyes."
Korra shook her head. The eyes of the people in the lobby lingered on the pair and Asami mentally willed them to go away.
"Breathe," she repeated. Asami moved her hands up and slipped her fingers through Korra's, bringing them down into her lap. Korra looked up at her, her eyes dull with exhaustion and fear.
"I know where I am, I know I'm fine," her voice dropped to a whisper when she spotted other people, feeling her shoulders tense up even more. "I don't feel fine and it's confusing and I'm mad and I don't know about what and why does this keep happening to me?" Korra hid her face in Asami's shoulder. And everyone out here knew. Or didn't. They probably guessed. She didn't know. They were staring and it wasn't helping.
She just couldn't shake the feeling. It had been so intense. Korra was away from the mover now sure, but it was at the forefront of her kind like a mask over her face. And she couldn't say what she wanted to say or let herself feel what she was feeling. She wasn't safe out there with anyone who wanted to watch could.
Asami wrapped her arms around Korra's back. It was all she wanted, to be somewhere just the two of them, to be held by her and to let her voice soothe her. Korra instead fought the urge to stand up and make some grand gesture that whatever film she had been watching had been terrible, even though she really enjoyed it, and prove to the maybe ten people present that she wasn't weak and hadn't been beaten by some stupid moving pictures.
She shouldn't care what anyone thought, Korra knew that. But what if one of them worked for a newspaper or some other rag? What if someone there tipped one off? What would the article even be? 'Avatar In Shambles After Horror Flick,' 'Avatar Korra and Future Industries CEO spotted leaving cinema early; lover's quarrel?'
Those thoughts were just the tip of the iceberg, just a nagging from some corner of her mind while every other part of it was in full on alarms blaring, red alert, YOU ARE IN DANGER mode. It took all she had just to give off the appearance that she wasn't going to bolt off in a random direction and not stop running or that she wasn't going to break down in hysterics and assume the fetal position at any given moment. It was that skin crawling, adrenaline fueling fear. It grabbed at her insides and waited, holding her over the edge of a cliff, letting her feel the jolting realization of the fall.
"I can't go back in there," Korra's voice cracked. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. Why did this have to happen? All she wanted was to have some fun with her friends and now she was some strung out, inconsolable mess.
"I don't expect you to. We can wait out here if you like or take a walk outside…" Asami could see confliction growing in Korra as she spoke. There were pros and cons to each suggestion and only one thing would weigh out the negatives. "Or we could go home?"
Korra gave a reluctant nod.
Asami took a deep breath and rose from her seat, "I'll have to tell Bolin and Opal we're leaving." Korra knew that, Asami had, as usual, given the whole group a ride. The Avatar made a face as if she were going to say something but didn't. Asami knew what she wanted to say, she didn't have to say it. Opal would feel terrible if she knew the mover she had picked had triggered Korra.
Korra got up with her as she made her way back towards the theater's entrance, her hand locked tight around hers. The music echoed out into the hall, Asami's whisper just above it. "I'll be back in a second," her hand on her shoulder to ease out of Korra's grip.
She ducked into the theater and nudged Bolin. It looked like the detective had managed to save the woman but the man was still out there, hunting her and they would try to chase him down. The film had evolved into a cat and mouse game with the woman's life on the line. Bolin looked up at her. "I've got a stomach ache, so Korra and I were going to head out, are you okay getting home?"
Bolin gave her a thumbs up, "that's too bad, feel better Asami!" Opal nudged him and made a shhh-ing motion again, too engrossed in the film to notice Asami.
As soon as she left the theater, she retook Korra's hand and walked with her to the car. Asami wasn't going to spare another moment. She remembered to pull up the car's retractable roof, so that the wind wouldn't be able to whip up around Korra and remind her of Zaheer's attack when she was already on edge. The closer they got to home the more Korra seemed to ease back, ever so slightly.
Naga bounded over to greet them as they came in the front door and the three took to the living room floor where she listened to everything Korra would say. Asami let her cry into her shoulder as they rested against the olar bear dog, nodding and assuring and rubbing her back. She let her talk and vent about all the things that flew through her head and all the things she'd rather have happened. She let her apologized for making them leave, only to respond that she didn't need to. Asami let Korra feel vulnerable only to hold her until that fear and shame fell away.
"Thank you," Korra muttered, "for making me feel safe."