Author's Note: last time, Lin Beifong, aka "Rocksworth", managed to fool Asami Sato into giving her all of the heiress' photos and notes of the interiors of Bumi's Chocolate Factory. Now, Miss Sato is in for a very unpleasant surprise!
Two days after her meeting with "Rocksworth", Asami Sato was waiting outside the gates to the Bumi Chocolate Factory. It was a cool and overcast morning, and the heiress was waiting for someone to let her inside. The day before, Asami had received a phone call from Bumi at the Future Industries factory. He was quite agitated at her actions, but realizing he was in an almost no-win scenario, Bumi begrudgingly agreed to the terms of Asami's blackmail.
Under normal circumstances, Asami might have been somewhat suspicious. It all seemed too convenient. "Rocksworth" visited her two days ago about the Everlasting Gobstopper, and then Bumi phones the heiress out of the blue, and is willing to accept her terms. But Asami was so eager to get even with Bumi, suspicion never crossed her mind. She was about to expose all that had taken place within the walls of the chocolate factory. Nothing, from the majestic beauty of the chocolate room, to Avatar Korra's humiliating transformation into a massive blueberry, would be kept secret no longer.
Just then, the heiress spotted movement inside the factory grounds. The door to the factory opened and Bumi stepped out, dressed in his usual attire. Only now, he didn't fake limp towards the gates, although the pained expression on his face was the same as the day of the tour. As he reached the gates, he opened the man door.
"Miss Sato, please step inside quickly, as we don't want anyone else coming in here," Bumi said curtly.
"I just glad you finally saw things my way, Bumi," Asami replied with an icy smile. "I'm sure you already know what I want, but let's get it down in writing beforehand. We can at least attempt to behave like civilized people."
As Bumi ushered Asami towards the door, he made sure she wasn't looking and proceeded to tap his cane on the brick surface three times. Upon hearing this, Police Chief Saikan and two of his officers, stepped out from nearby buildings.
"Police! Stay where you are," Saikan ordered. "Get your hands up!"
For Asami, this was completely unexpected. She immediately held up her hands, and to her further surprise, Bumi did the same. But Bumi was only acting to not let Asami get wind of their sting operation.
"Excuse me, Chief, but this is private property," Bumi protested. "What is the meaning of this?"
"You and Miss Sato are under arrest, Bumi," Saikan stated firmly as he directed his officers to cuff the two.
"Arrest," Asami stammered. "On what charges?!"
"For you, corporate espionage," Saikan elaborated. "And for you, Bumi, felony tax evasion."
"That's preposterous," Bumi exclaimed. "I may be a recluse, but I've always paid my dues when the United Republic orders it!"
"You can explain to your heart's content downtown," Saikan gruffly answered. "You both have the right to remain silent. If you waive that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You both have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, the city will provide you one."
"And on that note, I would like one right now," Bumi replied.
"As would I," Asami added.
"You can call your attorney when get to headquarters," Saikan grunted as he and his officers led Bumi and Asami back towards the gates.
"Please officers," Bumi pleaded. "My office is right inside. It will only take about a minute. And I'm certain Miss Sato would like to do the same."
"I don't need you to defend me, candyman," the heiress snorted.
"Oh, I believe you do, Asami," Bumi said darkly. "If my charges turn out to be false, but yours hold up, you're going to need all the legal power you can muster, and fast."
Saikan and his officers were somewhat amused by the back-and-forth banter between Asami and Bumi. The Chief of Police then said, "Alright, you both may get your one phone call to your lawyers. But after that, you both are coming with us downtown."
Bumi directed the officers to a door on another building on the factory grounds, explaining that was the closest way to the Candyman's office. Once they arrived inside, Asami was perplexed at the office's interior. Almost everything inside was cut in half.
'This guy keeps getting stranger and stranger,' the heiress thought to herself.
"If you don't mind, I would also like to inform my silent partner and my future successor of this troubling development," Bumi said after making his call.
"Very well, but make it fast. The justice system would work so much swifter if lawyers were abolished," Saikan grumbled.
"Wait a minute, a silent partner, and a successor," Asami asked. "You never mentioned any of that on the tour!"
"There are many things I didn't show or tell all of you during the tour," Bumi said as he was surprisingly released from his cuffs. "Including this: you may come in now, Lin!"
Asami was shocked to see emerge from another door inside Bumi's office…
"ROCKSWORTH?! What is this, some sort trickery alliance?"
"First off, I'm not Rocksworth," explained Lin. "I'm Lin Beifong, Bumi's silent partner and former Chief of Police here in Republic City."
"You…you set me up," Asami stammered.
"Not just once, but twice," Bumi said smugly. "The little mission Lin gave you, the one where you were tasked with getting an Everlasting Gobstopper and bringing it to her, remember?"
"My job was to tempt every one of the golden ticket finders with untold sums to see if they were truly honorable towards Bumi," Lin elaborated. "And only one succeeded, and was named the legal successor to the chocolate factory."
"And that would be me," claimed a new voice. Asami turned towards it, and was thunderstruck to see Mako enter Bumi's office.
"You," Asami screeched. "You're the new Bumi?!"
"That's right. But don't be angry at Bumi or Lin. They just agreed to this sting operation. If wish to see its grand architect, look no further than yours truly."
Asami could hardly believe what was going on around her, even as Chief Saikan uncuffed her. She had been completely set up, and had fallen for the whole charade. She finally found her voice again as she asked, "You did all of this just to stop some form of blackmail?"
"Your darn right, we did," Mako said darkly as he stepped closer to Asami, who tensed up. "I actually came to love this place, Asami. And even though I may have had a right to hate Bumi afterwards, I stuck with my morals, and I'm not about to let anybody, especially you, destroy all of that! The fact that you were willing to even humiliate my girlfriend on a huge scale makes me sick to my stomach!"
The next few minutes were terribly sheepish for Asami. She was sworn by the police to drop any and all potential lawsuits against Bumi, and retract any stories about the tour and the factory that she may have been willing to submit to the press. If she held up these conditions, then the charge of corporate espionage would be dropped.
"However, if at any time in the future we even get a whiff of some sort of expose` on your behalf, the charge will be reinstated, and you will be prosecuted within the limit of the law," Chief Saikan warned.
Asami huffed in agreement and signed the binding legal document. After Bumi, Lin, and Mako had also swirled their signatures, everything was completed. Mako felt he could breathe easy again, and not have to worry about himself, Bumi, and Keira. But before Asami was escorted out by the cops, she glared at the firebender with resentful eyes.
"I thought I would be able to get even with Bumi," she grumbled. "I have always gotten what I wanted, Mako!"
"Well, looks like you only got what you deserved this time, rich girl," Mako replied with a smirk. "And instead of getting even, you just got squat!"
But Asami couldn't help but take one last personal jab at Mako. "I guess now all can hope for is that you don't turn out to be as good a candyman as Bumi! Or at the very least…"
Asami's lips turned up into a devious grin as she continued, "…that your girlfriend has a sort of relapse and explodes if she becomes a giant blueberry again!"
Mako nearly jumped towards Asami in anger, but was held back by Bumi and Lin. There was no point in making the situation any more personal. Asami's plan had been foiled, and the factory, along with all it's wonders and secrets, was safe.
A/N: Asami was caught red-handed, and hopefully, won't be causing any more trouble! So what's next for Mako and Keira, along with Bumi and Lin?