*Varrick Industry's Republic City manufacturing plant, Ground Floor, 174 AG*
Varrick's jaw hit the floor. He couldn't speak. He couldn't breath. He was even surprised that he didn't go blind or have compulsive shock. His brain was screaming, making it hard for him to concentrate on anything at all; much less form words. He simply just stared at his wife, flabbergasted by the news he just heard. His breath became heavy. Zhu Li thought her husband was going to exploded.
And he did. With one final large breath, Varrick freaked. He screamed like he had just gotten shot, and then, as his brain came down from the damage, he formed his first words since the 3 minutes of silence had passed.
"Zhu Li!" He shouted bewilidered.
Zhu Li shot a look to Korra, "Korra," she shouted in a pleading voice.
"Zhu Li?" Korra rebuttal with a 'what the hell do I do,' look on her face.
Varrick turned, angry eyes glaring at the Avatar. "KORRA," he pronounced angry.
"Varrick," Korra shouted back with a 'F**k you' attitude.
"Varrick," Zhu li also stated with a similar tone of voice.
Varrick turned back around. "Zhu Li?" he shouted in amazement.
"WU!" The prince shouted, wanting to get involved in whatever game was happening before him.
"WU!" Zhu Li, Varrick, and Korra shouted at the same time - pointing at the oblivious former prince.
Varrick's jaw hit the floor once more, but this time, it didn't take him nearly as long to form words. In fact, he actually was starting to create a line of inquiry.
"Strip club?!" Varrick asked his wife, flabbergasted.
"Waitress," Zhu Li informed her husband.
"That's not much better Tiger Seal," Varrick told his love.
Zhu Li's eyes cascaded down to the floor. Korra and Wu just stood back and watched the drama unfold before them. It was like something out of an intense one act comedy play. Varrick's demeanor went from surprised, to shocked, to sadden, and now was in a weird limbo between desperation and grief.
"You told me you were working at a pancake house," Varrick said, his innocence ever so present in his tone. Then, with a tiny amount of hope in his voice, he asked, "Is it a strip club pancake house?"
Zhu Li sighed, knowing that Varrick - while angry - was just more sadden and shocked by the situation than angry at her. Like a mother trying to reassure her child, Zhu Li comforted Varrick with the only piece of information that could comfort him.
"It's just a strip club," Zhu Li stated. "And I'm just a waitress."
"It's not even like a strip-club," Korra added to the conversation, trying to be useful. "It's more like a private gentlemen's retreat."
Wu then received a revelation. "So, it's like a wild naked chick preserve?" the former prince asked.
"TUMORS!" Varrick shouted at the top of his lungs as he almost collapsed to the floor in agony. "I CAN FEEL TUMORS GROWING IN MY BODY RIGHT NOW!" Then, smacking Korra on the shoulder, Varrick declared to her, "Erase everything you saw from your brain."
"Done," Prince Wu answered a millisecond later, not realizing he was not the one being commanded to erase memories.
Varrick, still staring at Korra, was turned around by Zhu Li, who gripped his arms tightly in a reassuring grasp.
"Varrick," Zhu Li told her husband. "It's not like they saw me naked."
"No, but they saw you around women who were naked," Varrick proclaimed. "And if Korra has the same mindset as I do, if I see someone not naked around naked people, I SEE THEM NAKED!"
"I should've been the one to see Zhu Li naked," Prince Wu exclaimed. "I haven't seen a naked girl in 6 months, it's only fair."
Korra then turned to face Wu. Her mannerisms were akin to a snotty lawyer.
"I've been friends with Zhu Li a lot longer than you have," Korra told Wu, "and I like her as a person more than just her looks. And since I'm the bisexual in this equation, if anyone should've seen Zhu Li naked, it should've been me." She finished her sentence with a 'hmph' and turned back around -
-to face an angry Varrick glaring right into her eyes with his face only mere inches away from hers.
"…and if I did, I would look away," Korra stated in an encouraging voice. And with that, she walked away and into the office to grab Asami's papers.
Varrick was snapped out of his rage-filled gaze with Zhu Li turning him around again.
"Varrick, you're overreacting," Zhu Liu told him. "I just sold drinks there."
"AHHH!" Varrick screamed, eyes going wide and jaw dropping lower. Then, turning back to his wife, in informed her, "That's worst!" Pacing to the other side of the fugly mobile, he explained why. "Cause men think 'I have to pay to see the stripper naked, but i can get the waitress for free!"
Zhu Li's frightened and desperate gaze reverted back to her stone cold eyes she possessed long ago. With dead pan disappointment, she said, "Wow…it's like you've been in that situation before."
Varrick 'hmphed,' in defeat. "I was a bachelor long before I had you as my assistant, but that's not the point," Varrick exclaimed. "The point is that you could've done any other job in the world, BUT WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WORK IN A STRIP CLUB!?"
"It was the most down key place I could find work," Zhu Li informed him. "No one who enters the club knows who I am. The bouncers and the manager keep my identity a secret. It's an easy job that pays well, and all I have to do is suffer a few random jerks grabbing my ass here and there."
Varrick was practically crying. "They grab your ass?!"
Suddenly, Prince Wu snapped. Holding onto the bolt cutters from early, he rushed out from his side of the funny Satomobile.
"THAT'S IT," He exclaimed like a mad-man. "THAT'S IT, I HAVE TO SEE SOMEBODY NAKED!"
Silence.
"…There's a mirror in the bathroom down the hall," Varrick informed the former prince.
And with that, Wu ran off faster than a bolt of lightening.
Varrick turned back to his wife, where she was waiting with a very important piece of information.
"Honey," Zhu Li pleaded. "I wanted to tell you for so long, but I knew you would act like this."
"That may be true," Varrick replied, "But remember-"
Suddenly, the tables turned again, and Varrick was the one pushing his wife's cheeks together with his right hand. She wasn't reacting like Varrick did. Where he responded with fear, Zhu Li responded with annoyance. Nevertheless, they almost reenacted the entire scene from before.
"We're a team," Varrick informed his wife. "Say it."
"Team," she grumbled through her squished cheeks.
"And we make big decisions together," Varrick told his wife.
At the word 'Decisions,' Zhu Li's eyes went wide, and she broke from her husband's grasp and pulled his hand down. She looked him dead in the eyes.
"No! No, No, No!" Zhu Li exclaimed. "I specifically stated we make big financial decisions together. You can't just go off and make big Industry decisions without me." And with that she walked away.
Varrick chased after her and stopped her. "YEAH, WELL YOU CAN'T MAKE BIG NAKED DECISIONS WITHOUT ME!"
Suddenly, as if the spirits deemed him as the comedy relief, from down the hall and in the bathroom, both Zhu Li and Varrick heard Wu exclaim to himself, "Oh, that's right! Shake it big Wu. You know that's how daddy likes it!"
They briefly glanced their heads in the direction of the outburst, both unsure of how to react to such a bizarre statement.
"You know what?!" Zhu said, angry and out of her right mind. "I'm going to work. And just to show you perhaps tonight will be the night that Zhu Li does the thing!"
And with that, she started walking towards the door, with Varrick walking after her. But before they could get anywhere.
"Varrick, are you here?" they heard President Raiko proclaim aloud. "I came here a little early for our meeting about the clean up of Republic-"
President Raiko came into view. Both he and Zhu Li locked eyes.
And like magic, both he and Zhu Li turned away from each other, with the same tint of embarrassment on their face like Korra and Zhu Li had done earlier. They even addressed each other the same way.
"President Raiko," Zhu Li quickly said embarrassed.
"Mrs. Varrick," Raiko announced at a fevered pace.
Zhu Li informed me that I passed out for two minutes. I have no reason to doubt that she was telling me the truth.
* "The Flash in the Pan," Strip Club. 1 month ago*
"Hey pretty lady," Raiko stated, stumbling drunk. "Do you wanna hear about the time I banished the Avatar from Republic City?"
Zhu Li felt the jerk behind her grab her ass. She had already suffered enough tonight, and therefore snapped.
"WHATCH IT BUB!" She screamed.
Her and Raiko locked eyes.
"OH SWEET SPIRITS," they both screamed in alarm.
*Varrick Industry's Republic City manufacturing plant, Ground Floor*
"Raiko, you saw Zhu Li working at a strip club? Well, gouge your eyes out," Varrick asked quickly and polity, holding out a screwdriver.
Before Raiko could even answer Varrick, the door from the office opened up behind Varrick.
"Ok Varrick," Korra anounced as she walked out. "I just got the papers so now i'm…leave….ing." Her eyes landed on President Raiko.
This time, it was just the president who turned away with a face full of red. Korra stood with another shit-eating smirk painting itself across her face.
"Ahem, Mrs. Korra Sato," President Raiko addressed the Avatar nervously.
"…I don't even want to know," Varrick proclaimed.
"I got two words for you Mr. President," Korra exclaimed mischievously. "Community Theater." Walking away, she stated "you can't hide your talent forever."
Unbeknownst to her, in her walking, she accidentally ended up at the end of the hallway where Wu was located. Wu, not even sure what was happening, opened the door.
"Hey Korra, what's happening?" He announced.
Korra saw everything.
"MY EYES!" The Avatar screamed as she used her air bending to run 300x faster than normal out of the plant. "MY EYES, THEY BLEED FIRE!"
And with that, The Avatar had left the building.
It was just now Raiko, Zhu Li, Varrick, and an unseen Wu who had re-entered the bathroom.
"I know I'm against the abuse of women," Varrick began his weird argument. "But Raiko, in your case, I would've gladly let you drag my wife the heck out of that strip club."
"Coming from the man who once told me inebriated that 'you don't drag a woman out of a club. you put a 20 in your fly and bait her out.'" Raiko counterattacked.
Zhu Li tapped her husband on the shoulders, whom when he made eye contact with her, she gave the most befuddled look of all time.
"I told you," Varrick stated. "I was a bachelor long time before I hired you."
Varrick turned back to President Raiko. But before Varrick could make a word, the President said, "Mr. Varrick, we should discuss some matters privately, outside, now!"
And with that, both Varrick and President Raiko ended up outside.
"What's going on?" Varrick asked .
Not even flinching, the President took out a check book. "How much do you want?"
"…What?" Varrick asked confused.
"3,000?" Raiko stated as he prepared the check.
"What are you talking about?" Varrick asked confused; still not sure what was happening.
"5,000?" Raiko offered, this time looking Varrick in the eyes.
And that's when the genius finally got it.
He grew a disappointed grin, chuckling at the absurdity of the situation. He backed away from Raiko, trying to conceal his anger. Once he did, he looked back at the president, anger clearly evident by his tone of voice.
"You know, it's funny," Varrick explained. "My business starts going under: you don't help us out, even though we and Future industries are single handedly helping you with the clean up. I can no longer afford to donate to the orphanages of my choosing, and you tell us to get back to work. BUT…but…my wife makes you self conscious about your marriage and about having to check each deranged former cheerleader's face before you pinch their ass, and all of a sudden you want to make a deal. WELL YOU KNOW WHAT PRESIDENT RAIKO?!"
silence.
"…I'LL TAKE THAT DEAL!"
And with that, Varrick accepted a check from President Raiko for 5,000 yauns.
When Varrick got back to his wife, he had the biggest grin on his face. All the anger, frustration, shock, and sadness he felt earlier had dissipated. Like a child at his surprise birthday party, Varrick beamed a great smile and swooped Zhu Li up in a surprise hug.
"WHOA!" Zhu Li stated as Varrick spun her around. "Varrick, what's going on?"
"I just snubbed the President of the United Nations out of 5,000 yauns," Varrick proclaimed. "Now you don't have to work at that Strip Club anymore."
Zhu Li, unsure of what exactly was happening, accepted the check that Varrick held out in front of her, and read it carefully; inch by inch. Varrick meanwhile, stood idly with the biggest smile on his face. He knew for sure that the entire conflict had been resolved. Zhu Li would be so happy.
After 1 minute of detailed reading, Zhu Li looked back up at her husband…
… and smacked him on the arm roughly with her fist.
"OW!" Varrick yelped, rubbing his arm which by now had been bruised. "What was that for?" Varrick asked a very irate Zhu Li.
"You did it again!" Zhu Li responded. "Explain this to me: first you sold my car, and then you sold my job without asking me!"
"I manipulated money off the president and I made it so you don't have to work at the knocker locker anymore-" Varrick answered before Zhu Li interjected.
"-YEAH! Without asking me!" She informed Varrick.
"Do you like working there?" Varrick asked confused. "Do you get off on it or something? I don't understand."
"What I like is making my own decisions," Zhu Li told her husband.
"You can make your own decisions!" Varrick replied.
"It doesn't seem that way," Zhu Li responded. "Twice today, you made two big finical decisions that affect us as a unit, and twice, you never asked my opinion on it."
"It still doesn't make since," Varrick exclaimed. "You think too highly of yourself to do what you're doing now. I know you! This job is the most degrading thing on the planet to you. What are you thinking of while working there that keeps you coming back?!"
Zhu Li opened her mouth to respond.
And then immediately closed it.
Varrick caught this and realized that something deeper lied beyond the surface. Zhu Li gave Varrick a glare that would send any reasonable man running in the opposite direction. It would shivers down the backs of lighting rods. Thunder would tremble at the mere look upon Zhu Li's face at the moment.
"You don't want to have this conversation," she told Varrick. She began to walk around the funny mobile again.
Varrick - like always - chased after her.
"Well what is it then?!" Varrick inquired. "I'm a genius and I don't get it. I'm insane and I still find this to be the most ridiculous situation ever. The job is degrading, it's humiliating-"
"This conversation is over!" Zhu Li interrupted. Varrick wasn't buying it.
"Is it some other guy? What are you getting out of it? Why do you work there?!" Varrick exclaimed.
SLAM!
Zhu Li snapped. Her hand came down on the tool chest, hard. She didn't even notice that one of the tools pierced her skin, cutting it open real bad. She didn't notice the look of shock on Varrick's face as he noticed his Wife's eyes open like black holes. All she knew was that she had been holding a piece of information in her body for months; but it felt like years when it exploded out her mouth.
"I WORK THERE BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SUPPORT US AND I DON'T THINK YOU'LL EVER BE ABLE TO AGAIN!"
The room drowned itself in absolute silence once more. But this silence was much more dreadful. Zhu Li look a couple of deep breaths in and out before she realized what she had said.
Varrick stood before her, hurt evident in his eyes. What she said nailed him to the core. It rumbled him up and brought the dark truth back into the matter. All of this came down on him. While it wasn't necessarily his fault that she was working at a strip club, it was the consequences of his bold moves that finally laid to rest on his shoulders. All of this, came down to him; and it was his attitude to blame.
Varrick moved back a couple of feet and sat on a stool. He possessed a thousand-yard-stare. His emotions were running wild, and his mind simple took a small vacation as his body tried to calm itself down after such an emotional blow.
Zhu Li felt like shit. She couldn't face her wounded man for quite some time. When she did look up, she only had two words to say.
"I'm sorry."
Varrick briefly made eye contact - still in his deep-thought-trance. Then a voice filled with frustration and anger came through softly.
"You know, if I suck so bad, why do you stay with me?" He asked bitterly.
"Honey, you don't suck," Zhu Li explained. "You just think of these ideas sporadically. You dive in head first before you tell me what you're doing, and half the time you don't have a plan."
Varrick scoffed. "Tiger-seal, I bought a fugly mobile!"
"Ok, Ok," Zhu Li assured him sarcastically. "Great. So you're plan is you're going to race the fugly mobile, and win some money."
"No, it's not that at all," Varrick explained. "I rebuild the fugly car, run some test on it, and then we use it as a model to build 19 other mobiles; that makes 20. These 20 cars can be sponsored up by up to 45 different companies. That's 900 sponsors. These 900 sponsors throw in money into a betting pool. The more they throw in, the larger their advertisement on the car is. Each sponsor hires a driver, and every weekend I plan on hosting these races. The winning car receives 50% of the money from the betting pool of all the sponsors. The winning driver receives 50% of the money in the pool. There is a 25 yaun entrance fee for each sponsor if they want to enter a car/advertisement into the race, and those yaun's go directly to us. We host the event and get money from concession stands and 50% of merchandise sold there by the sponsors who can set up booths for each driver to meet, greet, and give out autographs to fans. BOOM! Varrick Industries has a new enterprise and we're booming again. Not only that, but we create a sports event that happens every weekend, and provides entertainment for all ages. Eventually we'll globalize and races will be happening in every major city on the planet. The first race can happen within 5 months, I guarantee it. And I'm looking at the testing grounds of Future Industries to be the first place where we host a race."
Zhu Li was stunned. "Wow….that's actually not a bad idea," she proclaimed. "A little extreme, but not bad. And it took you-" she looked at her watch. "-less than five minutes to tell me."
"well, why didn't you tell me?" Varrick asked, making mocking humping motions with his hips.
Zhu Li gave Varrick the death glare again. "I didn't tell you because I was ashamed."
"Well you don't think I'm ashamed?" Varrick invited Zhu Li to think. "I'm ashamed that I can't support you. HAPPY?!"
"NO!" Zhu Li retorted. "I WISH YOU COULD SUPPORT US!"
"WELL SO DO I!"
"SO WE BOTH WANT THE SAME THING!"
"EXACTLY!"
"SO WHY ARE WE YELLING AT EACHOTHER!"
"BECAUSE WE'RE TWO PASSIONATE LOVERS PASSIONATELY TALKING ABOUT OUR PASSIONATE LOVE PASSIONATELY!"
They both came down from their reconciliation, breathing heavily. Silence came between them once more.
And then Varrick noticed Zhu Li's hand.
"Oh sweet spirits!" He shouted. He jumped off his stool and rushed to her. He elevated her right hand in his hands. "Tiger Seal, you're injured!"
Zhu Li looked down and noticed the nasty cut on the palm of her right hand. The pain didn't even factor into the equation. Perhaps her emotions were running so wild as well that she was in shock.
"It's ok Varrick, I'm fine," Zhu Li told him.
"No, No, No, you're not fine!" Varrick stated. Then, running towards the business office, he said. "I'll be back!"
Literally, within 20 seconds, Varrick was back with a first aid kit that included stitches. Varrick really could pick up everything. Zhu Li never thought Varrick possessed any medical knowledge. However, in under 2 minutes, Varrick disinfected the wound, stitched her hand up, and was starting to apply medical tape around the palm of her hand.
All of this was done in absolute silence.
And then, as Varrick wrapped her hand up….
"It couldn't have been just some other guy?" He asked his wife with a goofy grin.
Zhu Li laughed, hard. The emotional roller coaster that she was on was finally coming to a happy ending.
"I mean - another guy: that situation is easy to deal with," Varrick said. "All I have to do is kick his ass."
With her hand finished, she smiled warmly and placed it softly on Varrick's cheek. The two stared into each other's eyes. This is where they belonged. No matter what hardships they faced, no matter what hills they had to climb; they belonged together. Zhu Li loved her man - callouses and all.
"Varrick," she said softly. "…Hi."
The billionaire winced. "Ohh no. Not hi again."
"No," Zhu Li said softly, and reassuringly, with the nicest smile Varrick and ever seen his wife sport ever.
She kissed him softly on the lips.
"It's a good 'hi,'" she explained when she pulled away. Then the two embraced in a hug.
"…REALLY?" Varrick stated excited.
They looked into each other's eyes: Zhu Li frantically nodding her head "yes."
"YAY!" He exclaimed as he took his wife by the hand, and pulled her along with him.
She laughed at his antics. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"We gotta do the thing in the funny mobile," Varrick said with glee.
If one sees life big, he or she cannot just tell someone else to see it big. They have to show the other person how big life can be. Once they see it, they see it. You got em' old sport.
And once they see it, you have someone to be stupid and irresponsible with you: together, forever, doing stupid and irresponsible things.
Both Varrick and Zhu Li placed on their goggles. Varrick stood to the side of the engine. With a wrench over the ignition, with one twist, the fugly mobile would be on. Zhu Li sat inside the drivers seat; gripping the steering wheel tightly - face showing an enthusiastic grin that wouldn't turn into a frown against anything.
"You ready Tiger Seal?" Varrick asked his love.
"Ready Sir," she told him.
Varrick had to surpress a moan. His blood would boil with lust anytime she referred to him as 'sir.'
"Ok," he announce. "Let's DO THE THING!"
He twisted the engine and the fugly mobile came on with such power and veracity, it sent shivers down both their spines.
But then something happened.
Thankfully, the vehicle had one of the most powerful breaks ever in neutral, so it wasn't going anywhere.
However, what Varrick didn't know was that the gas pedal was stuck on the floor, and as soon as the engine came on, it started revving up wildly. Within seconds, smoke started emitting from the engine. Flames spurted out of the pipes. The mobile shook violently with Zhu Li in it. The sound coming from the engine was so loud, the window in the office shattered to pieces.
Before Varrick could even yell at Zhu Li to shut off the mobile -
BAM!
The engine's belt snapped, and the entire engine shut off automatically as a safety measure.
Both Varrick and Zhu Li sat dumbfounded. They were in completely shocked.
But they weren't as shocked as Prince Wu, who came out of the bathroom naked, holding his clothes to his crotch so that his "little wu" wasn't exposed to the world.
"What the heck just happened?!" Wu asked in a shout.
Varrick, snapping himself out of his fear induced 'waking coma' smiled and pointed at the fugly car.
Wu, happy, gave Varrick a double thumbs up -
Dropping his clothes in the process.
Varrick immediately passed out in shock.
Zhu Li however…perhaps she stared at Wu's 'little wu' (which was anything but little) for too long.
If you want something bad enough, you've got to make a bold move.
I have an update on this saying. "Make sure you clear the bold move with the lives that it's going to affect."
Avatar Aang had to get everyone on 'The day of black sun' to agree to a suicide mission.
Avatar Korra had to crank a couple of elbows to make sure no one ever made fun of her or Asami.
And Iknik Blackstone Varrick…
He worked President Raiko for 5,000 yuans to make sure Zhu Li didn't have to work in a strip club every again.
I got this editorial piece approved by my wife.
Not sure if I got it approved with Raiko…
…
I know, it's complicated.
-Varrick