Chapter 12 – High Risk, High Reward
She doesn't expect any special treatment. She really doesn't. She's delayed taking her class, but with so many engineering classes, she needs something to balance out the heavy course load.
Rumors about her class circulate around campus. She has the edge since she knows her outside of class. She already knows what to expect from her class. She already knows most of the material she teaches and could easily skip and still pass with flying colors.
Sato doesn't half-ass anything though. Plus, it's fun to debate with her about topics. Beifong doesn't show it, but she's happy someone is stimulating conversation at least. That's why she runs her class the way she does.
What she doesn't expect to encounter in her class though is Waters.
"If a big burly man breaks into my home, I'm not allowed to attack him with a knife?"
"No, Waters. Deadly force is never permitted to defend your property in the United Republic as well as many other parts of the world. You may only use as much force as is used against you for self-defense."
"What if the man's on a polar leopard? Let's say he breaks down my door and rides in. I get my knife, wind up to stab the leopard, and accidently stab the man in the chest. Then what?"
"You'll be incarcerated."
It's the second week of classes, but Sato's had to stifle her laughs so hard she thinks she'll get abs from the exertion. Waters was the same way last week the handful of times she got called on, but she didn't bother to match a voice with a face.
This week she does.
She swivels her chair just enough to see Waters. Sato's known she's bisexual since she was a teen, but something about her first look and impression of Waters ignites something in her.
She sees what she's wearing first. Sleeveless blue shirt with a collar, loose fitting dark blue pants, combat boots, and a skirt pelt that tells her she's from the Water Tribe. Then she notices the muscles flexing and relaxing in her arms. She hones in on her forearms which has always been a weakness of hers on men and women, but she also appreciates those biceps and triceps.
Finally, she reaches her face. She's propped her chin up with a hand. Clear ice blue eyes are lost in another dimension, paying no attention to what Beifong's saying. She's pouting about something and absolutely adorable. Those lips of hers look very tasty as well as her muscles.
Sato twists back so she's facing the front and listens to the rest of Beifong's lecture. Thinking.
Sato sneaks peeks at Waters the next class, hoping to catch her attention, but it's futile. After some very thorough research on social media, finding out that Waters' first name is Korra through their class registrar online, and enlisting the help of a friend to get gossip on her, she knows she's definitely not straight. She's at the very least bisexual. And apparently, she's also stubborn, a loose cannon, and fierce.
Everything changes when she feels the heat of a stare crawling on her back. In her peripheral, she confirms it's from Waters. If she's going to stare at her from behind, Sato figures she might as well give her a show and begins getting manicures every week before class.
Through her friend's many tangents on how she got the information about Waters, Sato assumes that if she is interested and the personality profile is correct, she would've approached her by now. Then again, most students in classes never talk to one another unless they know each other beforehand so maybe she's a little intimidated by that. She's also the heiress and future successor to Future Industries.
She could approach her. That'd make everything else a million times easier. But she kind of likes that Waters doesn't know that she knows that she watches her flirtatious hair twirling every class. Since she's a people person, she knows she's interested in her in some way. A girl doesn't stare at another girl's back and hair twirling for three hours a week if she's not at least curious about her.
Her father always says business is full of risks and rewards. The higher the risk, the higher the reward. It's all about making the right move at the right time for maximum value and benefit. Very much like the stock market.
Business and life are very similar.
Sato is reviewing the class syllabus and taps her pencil against the tentative weekly plans. A glass of red wine in hand, she thinks.
If Waters doesn't beat her to the punch, how is she going to make the perfect move?
By some miracle, Beifong brings them together which turns out to be the perfect icebreaker to get them to finally speak to one another directly.
Sato relentlessly teases Waters, wondering why she still isn't making a move on her. She has a little too much fun with her and is dropping hints all over the place that she too is interested, but Waters resists. She's a little surprised she knows Opal and Kuvira and that the latter is the ex-turned friend she mentioned. She'll have to keep an eye on Kuvira.
Waters finally asks if she's interested in her and looks like she wants to be run over by a bus. But that may not be a bad thing if she can get her tuition paid for. Sato's had her foot trailing up and down her leg the entire dinner and she thinks she's just being friendly?
Sato knows she should tone it down a little, but can't help it. She's too adorable not to and when Sato knows she wants something, she goes all in in calculates every move. Even the moves she doesn't anticipate work in her favor.
The brothers and Opal showing up unannounced, and Waters thinking it's her father.
Mako trying to make a move on Waters only for Sato turn it around on him and come out to them.
Her parents requesting her favorite dessert and having a little fun with Waters at the dinner table.
She even has fun with Kuvira and sees she's really no threat to her and Korra unless one of them wants to end up dead. She may even begin to platonically like Kuvira and wonder why she never bothered to make more than small talk with her or Opal when they were at functions together. Being called Salami does kind of annoy her though.
Asami lets Korra in on her carefully thought-out plans one night as a reward after enticing her to study for Beifong's exam for two hours. She stretches the truth on one part just a little, wanting to wait until the end of the semester to reveal that tidbit of information.
She shakes her head, clicking her tongue and says, "Sneaky, sneaky, Sato. You mean I could've been dating you since the beginning of the semester?"
They could've, but she kind of likes it this way. This story has character and depth. Plus, it seems they've both gained some new friends out of it. Almost instantaneously, they all seemed to click together like they were all missing each other. Korra's been with Mako and Bolin, and she's been with Opal and Kuvira, but the six of them have yet to congregate together.
She expects that to eventually happen assuming she and Waters keep dating. She has a good feeling about that though. Maybe they're moving a little fast, but who gives a fuck? Whatever works for them is what matters.
Posted: January 6, 2021