*Note: This is post episode 10, but without the events of episode 11 and 12. It is also assuming that Tenzin and his family meet up with Korra and the gang and they are taking refuge in another town.
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Asami took a deep breath, preparing herself, before pushing open the door to a rundown bar. The moment she stepped inside she was greeted with the overwhelming smell of booze, body odor and smoke. Wrinkling her nose slightly, she peered through the murky air, taking a look around the bar until her eyes came to rest on a familiar blue parka seated in the back.
Pursing her lips, Asami made her way to the back of the dilapidated establishment, perching on a surprisingly soft stool next to the young Avatar, hands resting on the counter in front of her. The bartender approached her, asking if she would like anything to drink. The heiress politely declined.
The young woman next to her stared into her glass, lightly swirling around the liquid inside. Even in the dim, smoky light, Asami could see that her eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red, cheeks flushed. Her hair was a mess, sticking up in odd placed and coming out of its normal pony tail.
"Never thought I'd find you in a grimy place like this," the Avatar said with a sniff, before cocking her head back and downing the shot. She placed the empty glass down on the counter and grabbed a nearly empty bottle to her right, pouring its contents out.
"I could say the same to you, Korra." She replied after a moment. "We searched everywhere for you. Tenzin, and Bolin and the others are worried sick about you. We thought you'd been captured by Equalists!"
Korra sighed and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms. Even after everything she had been through in the short time Asami had known her, this was by far the most worn out and depressed the heiress had ever seen her friend.
"I only came here on a whim," Asami continued quietly, after she received no response from the Avatar. "I had searched a few other likely places you would be, but when I passed this place instinct told me to check. How long have you been here, Korra?"
The young Avatar waved the bartender down and requested another bottle, before chugging the rest of her drink. Her eyes watered slightly and she blinked a few times before responding. "A few hours, I guess. Didn't bother to check the time, so I'm not sure."
"How long have you been downing alcohol?"
Korra shrugged. "The entire time. I've just been pointing at different drinks and downing them like there's no tomorrow. Turns out I'm not a lightweight." She gave a small, sad laugh. The bartender returned with her drink and she opened the bottle, glancing at Asami. "Want some?"
The heiress shook her head. "I try to abstain from alcohol as much as I can. The only times I drink are at socials, and that's usually wine, or champagne."
Korra sniffed again and glanced around, trying to find a napkin. Failing to spot one, she wiped her nose on her sleeve, much to Asami's disgust. After a few minutes of awkward silence, broken only by the rowdy occupants behind the pair, Asami made another attempt at conversation, hoping this time to get some information and get the Avatar out of here.
"Why are you here?" She probed. "You don't strike me as the type of person to drink."
Korra responded with another halfhearted shrug, raising the glass to her lips and and taking a sip. "Seems like a lot of people do it, so I figured they must be onto something, at least. It's not all it's cracked up to be, though. But it's O.K."
"Alright, but I asked why you were drinking."
The Avatar pushed away her empty glass and grabbed the bottle, guzzling half the liquor it contained. "Because everything has just been piling up, that's why." She explained. "One thing after another. First it turns out that Amon can take people's bending away, and then we had the whole Tarlock fiasco. Then the arena was shut down. Now the Equalists have control of the city, and we found out that they took the Chief's bending! So many people have lost their bending and I've been powerless to stop it. I'm failing all of them, Asami."
"No, you aren't." Asami said, resting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're doing all you can, and they know it."
Korra shrugged her hand off, and turned to face the heiress, nearly tipping over as she did so. Asami managed to catch and steady her before she toppled over. "I'm trying and I'm failing, that's all it is. I'm worthless. I can't even airbend, for Spirit's sake!"
"Korra, look at me." When the Avatar didn't comply, Asami reached out and touched the girl's chin, turning her head so she was facing facing the heiress. Icy blue eyes met brilliant emerald ones. "Do you want my honest opinion?"
Korra nodded slightly and visibly swallowed.
"Yes, I believe right now you are failing them. The citizens of Republic City are counting on you to help them, to reclaimer the city and put a stop to Amon. Right now, you're sitting in a musty old bar, consuming alcohol like it's your last day alive. Getting drunk and swallowing your emotions isn't going to help anyone. You need to let it out so you can move on. Then you can go out and do what you do best. Kick Equalist ass."
Korra held Asami's gaze for the longest time, her face a blank mask. Then she sighed and stood on unsteady feet. She fished around in her pocket, producing a wad of crumpled Yuans, which she placed on the counter. Without a word, she grabbed the bottle and made her way out of the bar, swaying once in a while and threatening to fall over.
Once outside, Korra collapsed against Naga, face buried in the polarbear-dog's soft white fur. Asami wondered if the Avatar had fallen asleep, but when she approached, the teenager began to climb precariously aboard her animal guide.
"Sorry Korra, but I can't let you ride drunk." The Avatar protested to this, but Asami wasn't having it. She nimbly hopped onto Naga's back and grabbed the reigns. "Better hold on, Korra."
She complied, wrapping her arms around the heiress's waist and then they were off, bounding down the nearly deserted street. It was a new experience, steering a live animal as apposed to a well oiled car. It was, however, fairly easy to get the hang of, and was by no means unpleasant.
The pair was silent the entire ride, Asami focused on the road, and Korra most likely sleeping for real this time. The heiress wasn't sure though. She couldn't see the Avatar from where she was seated, and the Water Tribe girl had her face buried in Asami's back either way.
When they reached the house everyone was currently calling home, the worried faces of the Airbenders and the two brothers greeted them. Tenzin rushed forward as Asami detached herself from Korra's limbs and hopped off of Naga.
"Where did you find her?" Tenzin asked hurriedly, just as the Avatar fell forward onto the saddle and the bottle slipped from her hand, shattering on the ground. The liquid inside splashed onto Naga's paws and Asami's boots a well.
She frowned. "In a rundown bar," she supplied, pointing at the shards of glass and the pool of liquor beside her. "Apparently she was there for hours, drowning her sorrows in alcohol."
Tenzin's jaw clenched. "That girl, running off and getting drunk at a time like this. We are going to have quite the talk when she wakes up." He fumed.
Asami felt bad for Korra. She was going to have a killer hangover later on, and getting a talking to was the last thing she needed. She opened her mouth the respond, but was cut off by Mako, who ran over with the same look on his face as before, when they found Korra after she escaped from Tarlock.
"Guys stop talking and get her inside. She obviously needs some space again and we don't know if she's hurt or not."
The firebender reached out to grab the young Avatar, but Asami stopped him. "You always say she needs to space, but you end up smothering her," she replied coolly."We'll handle the Avatar, and get her to her room this time."
The former couple shared an icy glance, before Mako turned away, placing his hands in his pockets. "Whatever," he replied, walking back inside the house. Bolin trailed after him, and Pema wrangled the airbender children and herded them back inside as well.
Silently, Tenzin lifted Korra off of Naga's back and carried her back inside the house and to her room, Asami right behind him. He set her down on the bed. "I'll bring up some tea later on, in case she wakes up." He said before leaving, shutting the door behind him.
"I suppose you still want to talk." Korra's groggy voice surprised Asami slightly and she turned to face the teenager, whose blue eyes were looking expectantly at her.
"Actually, I'm here in case you want to talk." Asami sat delicately on the end of the bed, crossing her legs.
Korra struggled into a sitting position, arms shaking as she pushed herself up. "Look, I'm really sorry I made you guys worry. I forgot these were volatile times. I didn't mean to make you worry about me. I just needed to get away from all the stress."
"You weren't getting away from the stress, though. You were merely suppressing it. Sooner or later it's going to come back."
Korra bit her lip. "I know. It was cowardly, running from it all. But it was easier at the time, to run instead of face it head on. On the bright side, it didn't taste all that bad." The young Avatar attempted a smile.
"At least you enjoyed it while you could. Tenzin is going to have your head for it. Now, try and rest a bit." Asami rose, taking a step forward before Korra grabbed her wrist, grip her firm. Before she could react, the Avatar had pulled her into a bone crushing hug, burying her face in Asami's shoulder as sobs racked her body.
Asami blinked, momentarily stunned. She'd seen the Avatar cry once, but that was only a few tears that had quickly been wipe away. This was the first time she had openly sobbed in front of the heiress.
"It's okay," She said, wrapping her arms around the Avatar as she cried. This close, the smell of alcohol coming from her intoxicated friend was overpowering, but Asami ignored it.
"I-I've failed so many people already. Who's next? Bolin? Ikki? Me? How many times can I fail before it's too late. It seems like every times I get into a fight someone else has to save me. It should be the other way around. I'm the Avatar, I should be protecting them!"
"Hey, Avatar Aang wasn't an ultimate fighting machine. He lost battles too, he was struck down in fights. His friends were always there for him though, to pick him back up and watch his back. We're here for you, Korra. We'll always have your back."
The Avatar pulled away slightly. Her face was streaked with tears, and a few continued to leak from her eyes. "Really?"
Asami smiled softly. "Of course. When have we let you down?"
"Never," Korra replied. "But I've let you guys down plenty of times! You were jailed because of me."
Asami shook her head. "There was nothing you could do about it. Besides, that's behind us now. It's nothing more than a story we'll tell when this is all over."
"What about all those people who lost their bending? It was their entire life and now it's gone."
"Korra," Asami took the distraught Avatar's hands in her own. "What happened to them was a tragedy, but beating yourself up about it isn't going to change anything. You may not be able to give them back their bending, but they aren't asking you to. All they want is for you to defeat the Equalists. They have faith in you. Everyone does."
"What if their faith is misplaced?" Korra whispered.
"Don't do that to yourself. Their faith is in the right place, and I know for a fact that you are going to be Amon."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because you are a better person than he is, that's how. Good always trumps evil and you are no exception. You're an amazing person and an excellent bender. Amon is nothing but a half-baked excuse for a criminal."
"Thanks Asami. For everything." Korra said after a moment of silence. This time she smiled for real, albeit a small, watery smile at best.
"Anytime, Korra." Asami replied as she stood, releasing the Avatar's hands. "Now get some rest. You're going to have a terrible hangover in the morning."
"Another reason to hate the morning," Korra grumbled, flopping back down on the bed. She was starting to sound like her old self, well, a drunken version of her old self, but Asami could see the tears swimming in her eyes.
"You'll get over this," Asami replied over her shoulder as she approached the door. "Nothing can keep you down, from what I've seen. Don't let that streak go."
Out in the hall, Asami met Pema, who held a small tray with a cup perched in the middle. She smiled warmly as Asami neared. "I think you should save that for morning," Asami said, returning the smile. "She's going to need it."
"Oh, I'm sure she will. The first hangover is always the worst." Pema's eyes twinkled in a knowing way.
"It usually is," Asami agreed. But the happy facade quickly fell, and a sense of sadness welled up inside the heiress. "I wish it was the worst thing she had to face right now."
"We all do, Asami. The important thing is that we're there for her, to help her through it all."
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Author's Notes: Well would you look at this. Another Legened of Korra fanfic. I don't know what the legal drinking age is in the Avatar universe, if there even is a legal drinking age. For the sake of this oneshot, though, let's just assume tat Korra is either of legal drinking age, or the owner of the bar simple doesn't care.