"…Oh my god… what…?" Asami opened her eyes slowly her head was pounding like she had hit a brick wall and her limbs felt like weights. She looked around and noticed that she was lying in bed. The blankets around her were soft and warm, the pillow felt like it was filled with clouds. She looked around the room and saw a young man sitting at the desk in the room writing something. "Who the hell…? Where the hell…? Why the hell…?" She looked down and she noticed that she was handcuffed then it all came back to her. "Oh shit…" Asami groaned.
"Oh you are awake," The man sitting on the desk turned to look at her. He black army pants, hiking boots and a tight fighting long sleeve grey work out shirt. He black hair was slicked backed. "So how are you feeling?"
"Like I just died but for some reason I am still alive," Asami turned to face him. "You're the guy who I am supposed to be 'given' to?"
"Umm, yeah," He cleared his throat. "My name is Phoenix."
"Well Phoenix… fuck you." Asami said bluntly.
"Wow! Alright then, I like that." Phoenix laughed. "Listen you don't have to worry about me. I won't force you to sleep with me, but if anyone else is around then at least act like you like me okay?"
"I don't even know you," Asami said coldly.
"Fair enough. Ask anything you want."
"Who are you really and why are you working for them?"
"That would be your first question." He leaned back in his chair. "First my real name is Miklos Yamada. When I was eleven my whole family died in a house fire, the fire actually started because of some guys who my uncle owned money to decided to just burn our place to shit." He paused for a second. "I somehow survived and after that I just lived on the streets. A few months later I met a woman when I was in the park. She was with her three year-old daughter and her seven-year-old son. Want to take a guess about who they where?"
"Mrs. Alston, Riku and… Eliza," Asami looked at the ground. "Fucking Eliza… that bitch…"
"Correct. So she saw that I was dirty, poor and hungry and bought me some food. I quickly became friends with young Riku in only a couple of hours. We played tag and hide in go seek for hours. But everything changed when Mrs. Alston let me hold Eliza." Phoenix smiled to himself. "Eliza's eyes haven't changed, they are still that same innocent pale green color."
"I wouldn't call her innocent…" Asami said under her breath. Phoenix ignores Asami and continues.
"When I looked at her I felt like I needed to protect her, I don't know why but I just felt that way. I think Mrs. Alston felt it too because after that she asked me to come home with them for dinner. They lived in a small house, I met Mr. Alston there. When I told them my story right then and there they wanted to me to live with them so I did. At this point Mr. Alston was the right hand of a powerful drug lord name Remy but since he had kids he was taking a break from the thug life. A couple of years went by like normal. I learned that I could fire bend, which kind of put an arrow right through my relationship with Riku because their whole family is non-benders and Riku wanted to be able to bend so he became jealous of me." He sighed. "I started to work for Mr. Alston and his 'company' when I turned thirteen. Remy ended up dying from a drug overdose so Mr. Alston took over and we all moved into the underground base that we have expanded and now call home. Riku and Eliza started training the gang became name Jester's Knife and here we are today." Phoenix took a breath.
"Wow, just wow," Asami nodded her head. "So this is something you just because you went with the flow."
"I had no where else to go. And you haven't eaten." Phoenix turned back to his desk and picked up a plate with a plastic cover over it. He put it down next to Asami on the bed. "It is eggs bacon and toast, much better then the stuff you where eating before." He took the top off of the plate and steam began to rose filling the room with the smell of breakfast.
"Oh my sprits…" Asami inhaled the smell indulging in it. She picked up the fork on the plate and took a bite of eggs. "Mmmm this tastes so good…"
"Well good, now it is my turn to ask you a question. What is your story?" Phoenix sat back down in his chair.
"Well that is easy." Asami took a couple more bites chewed for a moment then swallowed enjoying every piece of food. "I was born a very rich girl. I lived a normal life, I grew I want to school… I fell in love."
"Love?" Phoenix smirked.
"Well maybe not quite love, but very real feelings. Haven't you ever loved?"
"Yes I have…" Phoenix's face grew somber. "But she gone now. What about your great tale of love?"
"Well when I was middle school, we had to do a group project for art. I was put in a group with four other kids, but the only one that mattered was Korra."
"Wait isn't Korra the name of the avatar?" Phoenix smiled in awe and confusion
"Yes, that is her," Asami smile. "And she is amazing…" She took a bite of toast before continuing. "Korra isn't the best at making art but she came up with good ideas. We had mutual friends so we would see each other often. Whenever our friends got together I always wanted to talk to her and whenever I did I couldn't have been happier. When we got to high school things changed, we didn't hang out as much but that didn't stop how I felt. We would have some classes together but we never talked much, sometimes I would see her at randomly around town." Asami sighed. "I started to have feelings for Mako, you know him," Phoenix scoffed. "Yeah, well my feelings for him started but I had feeling for Korra too and the ones for her were much stronger, but I still went out with Mako. Last week I found out Korra liked me back; I couldn't deal with it so I pushed her away. Then Mako and I broke up that tore my heart apart but then I couldn't deny my feelings for Korra. So I told her how I felt."
"Wow that is interesting," Phoenix nodded.
"Yeah well about a minute after I told Korra how I felt Eliza kidnapped me so yeah."
"Oh right…" Phoenix scratched his neck. "And don't be so hard Eliza she never wanted this. Her parents did."
"Whatever,"
"Listen I know you are mad but I can tell you this is how she was raised not what she choose. When she showed for the first time her skills in combat her parents became obsessed. They gang is even named for her." Phoenix explained.
"Wait… what do you mean the gang is named for her…?" Asami looked in Phoenix's eyes for answers.
"When Eliza was younger she made everyone laugh," Phoenix smiled softly. "She was so happy and full of life. She was a jester who was turned into a killer." Phoenix paused for a moment. "She became a jester who killed with on quick motion." He grew very serious. "A knife as fast as a humming birds wings, to make sure you didn't suffer long. To make sure that they would soon go laugh in the heavens." He looked straight into Asami's eyes with his shining like coals in a furnace. "A jester's knife."
End of Chapter 52
