She couldn't explain it, but Asami loved to hang out at bars. Not the seedy, questionable ones that dotted the rougher parts of the city, but the upscale, classy establishments that served name brand liquor. And it wasn't about getting tipsy and going home with some random stranger which didn't run with Asami's style, it was more like the atmosphere was electrifying. It was more intoxicating than the free booze she got from guys thinking they had a chance with her. One particular bar that Asami frequented was Raiko's, a large two-story building with tall blacked-out windows. The first floor was mostly taken up by a large dance floor with a gigantic DJ's booth, which almost always had someone famous in it, and was more like the club. Asami spent most of her time on the second floor which was smaller but much more elegant. A small stereo set up near the counter played softer tunes than what was often bouncing downstairs. The bar was much smaller as well but was much better for meeting and chatting with new people, which is why Asami loved it so much.
That Wednesday night, she walked through the oval front doors after flashing a smile at the bouncer who knew her by name. After a long and rather frustrating day at work, she really just wanted to unwind. The dance floor was packed with intoxicated college students grinding on each other to a loud EDM song while the DJ jumped to the beat. Multi-colored lights flashed back and forth wildly, reflecting off the decorative shards of glass that hung from the ceiling. Asami bypassed several drunk guys that offered her drinks, heading up the stairs into the quieter part of the bar. She looked forward to catching up with Tenzin, the bartender who was immensely interesting and wise, often entertaining her with stories about his time training as a monk in Asia. She especially admired the bright, blue arrow tattoos on his hands that distinguished his high rank. She opened the door and expected to see the older man's friendly face but was he was nowhere to be seen. Instead she was met with a stranger who had their back turned, inspecting the bottles of expensive liquor.
The new bartender was obviously female. She had her sleeves rolled up to the elbow, showing her dark tan skin and muscled arms. Her hair was also dark and pulled up into a ponytail. Asami couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed and frowned to herself, wondering where Tenzin had gone. She took a seat at the bar, figuring she might as well get acquainted with the new bartender since they would probably see each other often.
"Just a minute," The bartender said, back still turned. Asami saw a notebook in her hand with what looked like a list of alcohol brands which meant she was probably still a rookie. The bartender muttered something and scribbled on the notebook.
"Are you being tested on this?" Asami asked.
"Actually that is correct." The girl replied with a laugh, "I have to show that I'm proficient before I get a permanent position."
"Don't you have to go to bartending school though?" Asami said, "Isn't that enough proof?"
"You would think," The girl sighed, "But apparently not. There's alcohol here I've never even heard of." Asami heard the notebook snap shut. The bartender slid the pencil behind her ear and finally turned around. Asami's response lodged in her throat as she caught full sight of the girl's front. She was smiling warmly, the dark features of her face seeming to light up. Asami was especially thunderstruck by the girl's absolutely beautiful blue eyes that stood out even more against her tan skin. Asami's eyes fluttered down to the name tag pinned to her teal waistcoat which said "Korra".
"W-what kinds of alcohol?" Asami stammered, trying to regain her composure.
"Ever heard of snake wine?" Korra asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No. What's it made from."
"Snakes."
"You're full of it."
"Wanna bet?" Korra reached behind her and pulled out a dusty looking box, looking left and right to make sure nobody was looking but the bar was almost empty. She opened it and pulled out what looked like a jar full of liquid honey; but upon further inspection, Asami found that there were, in fact, snakes in the jar. She jumped back, looking at the bottle with absolute revulsion.
"There's snakes in that jar holy-"
"Told you." Korra smirked, twisting the jar around to better show the animal inside.
"Isn't that dangerous though?" Asami said, staring at the triangular head of the snake, "What about the venom?"
"The alcohol actually offsets the toxic qualities of the venom, making it safe to drink." Korra said knowledgeably, "People claim that drinking it actually extends your lifespan."
"So why doesn't everyone drink it?" Asami asked curiously. Korra shifted uncomfortably, looking around the room again.
"Uh, it's actually illegal in the United States, " She said quietly, "Don't ask me how the boss got it but we're only allowed to serve to select customers."
"If you're so selective about who gets to see it, why show me?" Asami said.
"I dunno," Korra muttered, tugging at her collar, "You just look trustworthy and I'm usually a pretty good judge of character." Asami's stomach squirmed slightly as Korra looked around for the third time, "Do you want to try some?"
"Aren't you going to get in trouble?" Asami whispered, "What about Tenzin?"
"He's off tonight," Korra said mischievously, "What do you say?"
"Look at you," Asami said smugly, "Trying to get me drunk without bothering to learn my name."
"I wasn't-" Korra uttered, a slight blush staining her cheeks.
"It's Asami. And you're Korra." She said, pointing to the name tag pinned to Korra's waistcoat.
"Well then Asami," Korra said with a smirk, "You in or out?" If it was anyone else offering an illegal substance to her, Asami would've immediately declined. But.. something about Korra made Asami definitely want to try the snake wine; after all, she was always willing to try new things. It also didn't hurt that this new bartender was unfairly attractive, and attractive people made Asami do stupid, impressive things
"Let's do it." Asami said, "You may proceed to intoxicate me." She sounded brave but in reality she was heavily eyeing the dead snake in the bottle as Korra gave a beaming smile. She unscrewed the top of the jar and held it out for Asami to smell. She leaned over and took a sniff, her nostrils burning slightly at the pungent scent. Korra poured the golden liquid into a shot glass, swirling it around a little and placing it front of Asami.
"Tell me how it is." She said, looking at Asami expectantly.
"Pour yourself a glass and we'll make it a toast." Asami said, looking hesitantly at the shot glass. Korra grinned even wider, eagerly pulling out another shot glass and filling it. She stowed the bottle back into the dusty box and put it back in its hiding place. They held up their drinks.
"To an extended lifespan?" Korra suggested.
"And your job proficiency." Asami added. They clinked glasses, knocking back the drink in one gulp. The bitter taste attacked Asami's tongue and made her throat sear with an usually painful burn. She pressed her fingers to her mouth, shuddering at the unpleasant sensation. Korra was smacking her lips, momentarily deep in thought.
"I just felt my lifespan shorten," She said, placing her glass upside down on the bar, "That was disgusting." They both burst into laughter, already feeling a buzz coming on from such concentrated alcohol.
"How about a round of legal alcohol?" Asami suggested, feeling warm and happy.
"What's your poison?" Korra said, hand poised to grab a bottle.
"Hit me with some more shots," Asami said, "Whiskey please." She saw Korra look slightly confused before moving her hand away from the vodka section of the shelf and over to the dark liquors.
"Didn't have you pegged for a whiskey girl." Korra said, grabbing a square bottle and setting it on the counter.
"What you think I can't handle my alcohol?" Asami scoffed, "Can you keep up with me?" She reached over and set Korra's shot glass right side up, gesturing to it with a challenging look.
"I'm really not supposed to get drunk on the job," Korra said nervously, looking like she wanted nothing more than to fill her glass.
"It's deserted up here," Asami said, "And your boss is nowhere to be found." She took her shot without a grimace, raising her eyebrows at Korra who poured herself a drink and drained it. Asami signaled a refill for both of them, a smirk teasing her lips. They went back and forth throughout the night until Asami knew she was hitting her limit. The alcohol was burning worse every drink and the room was starting to rotate.
"What number was that?" Asami slurred, nearly gagging on her drink.
"Eleven," Korra said back, grinning as if she wasn't being affected at all, "I think you should stop." She added humorously as Asami gave a wobble on her stool.
"Nonsense," Asami said loudly, "I hate losing."
"Sometimes we have to accept defeat," Korra said, stepping out from behind the counter to help Asami off her stool, "Come on my shift is about to end I'll take you home."
"Wait what time is it?" Asami said, looking around for a clock, making herself stumble again. Korra looked down at her black wristwatch.
"Almost 3." She said, "I have to clean up but come lay down in Tenzin's office okay?" She led Asami to a small office back behind the bar and sat her down on a decorative couch in the corner.
"This couch is comfy." Asami said dreamily, nestling her face into the cushion.
"I promise I'll be back in a few minutes," Korra said, "Enjoy that couch." She shut the door, leaving Asami alone in the office which was decorated with a heavy Asian culture influence. Framed pictures of meditation techniques hung on the walls and many signs of Tenzin's experiences of being a monk were scattered around the room. Asami got up from the couch and decided to explore a little since being drunk often shortened her attention span considerably. She wandered over to Tenzin's desk, picking up a framed picture of his family. His wife was hugging three children who looked deliriously happy as they all waved at the camera. Asami felt a stab of sadness in her gut but smiled at how beautiful Tenzin's family was.
She picked up another frame which made her double take. A teenage Korra was smiling broadly with her arm slung around Tenzin's shoulders. He was wearing his monk robes and showing the bandages on his hands which meant the picture was taken shortly after he'd gotten his tattoos. The oldest of his children was also in the picture with her arms wrapped around Korra's waist, smile equally as bright. Even teenage Korra was attractive with her hair loose around her shoulders but partially hidden under a maroon beanie, also showing off her muscular arms in a tank top.
"That was a fun day." Korra said, making Asami jolt in surprise.
"I'd ask you to tell me about it, but I'm afraid I won't remember in the morning." Asami said, swaying.
"Well let's get you home," Korra chuckled, "God forbid you get behind the wheel of a car." They walked out of the bar, Asami being steered towards a dark blue compact car that was parked near the employee exit. She felt herself being lowered into the passenger seat and the seat belt crossing over her waist and chest. The door closed and Korra slumped down in the driver's seat, firing up the engine.
"Where do you live Asami?" she asked.
"East Court," Asami answered with difficulty, her brain felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
"Ooh the fancy side of town," Korra teased, backing out the parking lot.
"Oh hush," Asami said, leaning her head on Korra's shoulder, "Y'know I wish we had gone to high school together."
"Why's that?"
"Teenage me would've lost her mind if she saw you in the hallway." Asami laughed, not even realizing what she was uttering. Everything seemed like the right thing to say and her word filter seemed to have shut off completely.
"Hm," Korra hummed, "I would've probably lost my mind over you as well."
"Get outta here!" Asami said excitedly, "That's awesome." She slumped down in her seat, the ache of exhaustion starting to take a serious toll.
"Asami!" Korra yelped when she looked over, "Don't fall asleep I need to know where you live!" Korra's voice faded into the background as Asami's eyes drooped lower and lower. She tried to fight it as hard as she could but sleep was clearly winning the battle.
"You're unfairly attractive," was the last thing Asami muttered before she began to snore gently.