Behind the Curtain
Asami tossed and turned under her silk sheets, unable to silence the mass of swirling energy seething under her skin. Regret, fear, resentment, affection, validation; was there any emotion she didn't have to suffer from all at once? Her hair fell messily out of her bun and frayed around her head like a halo as she plopped onto her back. She slowly opened her eyes and languidly gazed around her dimly lit room. A few candles were lit as part of her nightly routine to help calm her nerves. There was something about being under their warm glow and soft flickering light that would always lull her to sleep. Similar to taking a nap under the sun on a warm day.
The interior of her room was still quite plain as she was waiting on more furniture and paintings to arrive. The vaulted ceilings reminded the heiress that she was now in her new lodgings. A bit unsettling to no longer sleep in her childhood bedroom anymore. She now resided in a modest sized home just on the edge of Republic City business district. She had moved in earlier that week after Hiroshi thought it best that she was displaced from Sato Estate. It didn't matter to her though what he decided to do, the home or anything else for that matter wouldn't belong to him in the near future.
Iroh lived here already so thankfully she didn't have to suffer in solitude, even though most nights she did, just like tonight. Too hell-bent on her thoughts to be brought to a peaceful slumber. She ran through the week in her minds' eye, recalling all of her bundled up nerves. All those fake scenarios she'd image for when she finally saw Korra again. She couldn't count how many times she bought a new dress trying to gauge Korra's taste. How she secretly wanted to fulfill the desire to enthrall her like before.
Was it wrong she still thought this way? No matter how much she wanted to move on there seemed to be this gaping lack of closure. There was no period of mourning when Korra and her were forced apart. She didn't get to cry on a friend's shoulder, or eat her weigh in a tub of ice cream like every lame romantic comedy. Not even the sweet escape of a drunken night and the fleeting release of a one night stand with another wayward soul.
No, Asami went straight to work, devising her plan. Relinquishing the chokehold her father had constricting her life. That was her only form of atonement for the way she treated Korra. Diving into her work head first was the only thing keeping her sane, as fucked up as that sounded.
However Korra was coping, it must of been working out great if she-
Asami stopped her thoughts as her chest twisted. Korra had every right to say what she did earlier this evening, but Asami couldn't deny it still hurt.
I think we both know deep down, this isn't what we want anymore...
Tears welled over her lids and she wiped them away. That wasn't even close to where she thought their conversation would go.
She was expecting the typical awkwardness, the fidgeting of hands, and stuttering of words. At Mako's promotion they just seemed to click again, fall naturally into rhythm. However later on, Korra recoiled. She pulled away when Asami least expected her too.
Why? She thought. The pads of her fingers brushed along her lips as she reminisced on their chaste kiss.
A kiss goodbye?
No... It couldn't be. Her intuition screamed at her, telling her it was something else. Maybe it was Kuvira, Korra mentioned they had gotten close...
She accepted Korra's "blessing" to pursue Iroh only because she could tell Korra was trying to save face. The water-tribe princess was only acting like a good "friend". Trying to soften the blow that she shouldn't wait around for her anymore...she had moved on.
Today began so perfectly, she thought with a defeated sigh.
The sun was shinning so high, illuminating the smiles on their faces as they gathered around Mako in celebration. The four of them linked in union like they had always been for years. That was the trouble with dating friends, you break up and everything gets awkward for a time. Thankfully Korra opened her arms to her and for a moment she felt genuinely at peace.
When they hugged...she felt like she was home.
Asami frowned, maybe Korra was moving on and she was too busy stuck on "what was"..
If she could go back, she would have defended Korra and their love. She wouldn't have hid their relationship, it was foolish to allow someone like Korra to slip threw her fingers. Her loyalty to her family was great. Great and naive. She'd be forever apologizing for her mistake, for her blindness.
Now she felt like she was running out of time! In this ghastly stage of limbo waiting on her joint salvation. Everything was going to plan, her chips were in place, pieces all lined up. Now she was ready to launch, she had lost so much already she just wanted this to be over.
Asami looked down at the jewel incrusted engagement ring on her finger blankly. Perhaps in another life, where Korra hadn't swept her away, Asami would have married Iroh as their family's intended, but that was history now. Truthfully Iroh was Asami's dearest friend and that was all they ever agreed to be.
He wasn't much for traditions either and fully supported her preference for women. His motive was the same as hers after all this time, to arrest her terrorist of a father. Asami knew Hiroshi was intercepting her communication with the Fire Nation and they needed a cover. One in which he would never discover the truth. The safest bet was to keep everything a secret, unfortunately from everyone.
When Mako called her months ago asking about Korra, after having randomly ran into her himself, she told him about their unfortunate break up and how unfairly her father tried to disown her because of her bisexuality. Then she told him her "plan" of marrying Iroh and so on, however that wasn't the truth either. They were never going to be married.
Two weeks prior to Mako's promotion
He shook his head in arrogant defeat, "better to marry rich than wasted intelligence!" She winced as he slammed the door with a powerful gust of wind.
Asami sat back down in her plush office chair and dropped her head in her hands. Being around her father was unbearable now. He filled her with so much resentment. After several deep breaths she looked up at the screen to see the results of her search. The most common explanation came as a bit of a shock to her.
When you dream of sex with someone who is not your partner, granted it's not just a wet dream, can be a subconscious way of revealing that there is something that person has that you want.
Social status, wealth, relationship, career path, whatever the case...
"You want something they have..." Asami whispered.
She swiveled in her chair and looked out her windows bewildered. The heiress didn't need to search deep to find her answer.
The water-tribe girl defied her families prejudice, their archaic belief systems, and stood up for herself. She moved away from their control and made a name for herself that wasn't inherited.
In college she became the first female pro-MMA fighter on an all boys league. Hell, she was the first in her tribe to have a college degree. If someone told her she couldn't do something, it just made her want to do it more.
Asami recalled watching Korra lean across the bar and kiss Kuvira. Yes she was a bit upset by that, but it was deeper than she realized. Even in the business of the gala with hundreds of people around, she could be her authentic self.
Korra had her freedom.
That is what Asami needed, it's what she truly craved and she was now so fiercely determined to get it. Her freedom would ultimately bring her closer to Korra with the prospect to make amends for their uprooted relationship.
Mako's promotion was next Saturday and she was a bit anxious to see Korra again, but hopeful. Their last encounter went horribly wrong and Asami felt even more guilty knowing all of it was fake.
Once she saw Hiroshi storm out of the building, just below her view of the street she turned to her desktop and signed into her account. After several security blocks and password protected walls she accessed their confidential emails.
Asami typed quickly, laying out her demands clear and concise.
-I've done as you said, all the numbers are accurate as you predicted-
She glanced over to the files her father threw down on her desk. The graphs indicating the company's failure, or so he thought. After a few minutes she got a reply from her anonymous business partner.
-Good Miss Sato. Everything is working out perfectly.- He sent.
From the moment of conception Asami had been secretly dealing under the table when it came to Sato Industries. She was draining her father's funds, funneling her percentage into an off-shore account. To a gentleman who claimed to be a wealthy investor of the water-tribe. Her father was unknowingly funding all of Asami's charity work in the Earth-kingdom, which wasn't technically illegal since he demoted her to a glorified employee at this point with an inherited share of the company thanks to her mother's will. The money was being used by the company for the betterment of the business.
The homophobic bastard deserved to have all of this stripped away from him. Asami wasn't going to let him take advantage of her anymore, but for now she had to play the part.
-When will I be able to meet you, I'd like to know who I'm doing business with.-
The only thing she disliked was how eccentric this man was. His ideas were brilliant but he was odd in his practices, apparently he had a lot of different business endeavors, all of which under a different name. However, he was a very wealthy man in very high places of society so Asami was fortunate he agreed to take on her rapport. Once she had a face to his name, she'd feel a lot more confident. Iroh was going to get his end of the deal, sending a war criminal to prison and she was getting her legacy back. No matter how long it would take to scrub it clean of her father's sins.
The years the Equalists stormed Republic City were some of the most terrifying times in her life and when she found out her father was behind all of it, she felt sick to her stomach. The weapons he had created that cost so many people their lives. Then she mindlessly defended him, protected him against the world... Asami took a deep breath, erasing the thoughts from her mind before she fell into a pit of self loathing.
She received another email, -You'll be hearing from me very soon-
That was two weeks ago, soon wasn't coming soon enough.
Asami picked up her phone and glanced at the time, it was only around 8 o'clock and she was already in bed. She could have stayed longer at Mako's reception down at the police station, but after her talk with Korra she had no more social stamina left. There was only so long you can plaster a fake smile across your face.
As she dropped her phone it chimed, signaling a new message. Curiously she read the lock screen to see it was an anonymous phone number. She shot up in her bed with her phone practically glued to her face as she read the message.
-Secret Tunnel 9pm...-
"Finally!" She yelled in a hush. She unlocked her phone and read the flood of messages coming in. They detailed a location and instructions on what to do once she arrived to meet the man behind the curtain.
-O-
Asami knocked on Iroh's door and entered the room at his discretion. He was standing in-front of his bedroom mirror, buttoning his shirt casually. Asami approached him, her red bottom heels clicking along the marble floor. Iroh looked up at her through the reflection in the mirror, his brows jumping before settling back down again. Although they lived together now, he had never seen Asami this scantily dressed before. Her legs were so long and lean, her feet pointed ever so slightly to fit into her heels. She had never shown this much cleavage before either. It wasn't an unwelcome sight, just new to him.
"Is this man really trustworthy?" Iroh asked. His amber gaze hard and skeptical.
"I think so." Asami replied. "I don't know much about him but he has a solid reputation so I've heard...Although I'm not so sure about this attire."
She shrugged, showing off her skin tight black dress that stopped only a few inches below the swell of her ass. A diamond shape was cut out of the fabric offering a framed view of her breasts. She paired the ensemble with black sheer stockings and red pumps. General Iroh was also dressed much more casually than usual. His shirt one size too small, highlighting the curves of his shoulders and arms so deliciously well. His pants were fitted and pressed straight, Asami never noticed how firm his ass was until now, the think diameter of his thighs. As far as well built men were, Iroh was definitely one to look at.
"Well, we're playing the part well in my opinion" He chuckled sending her a humorous wink. Asami smiled, allowing his calm demeanor to lull her anxiety. She approached him and unbuttoned a few of the notches of his shirt, revealing his firm chest. Even when he was trying to look clean and alluring he gave off an aura of brooding, but Asami didn't mind it. He was so soft underneath that tough exterior.
"yeah we are..." She sighed, seemingly lost in thought. He cocked his head to the side, noticing her change in tone.
She looked up at him with her eyes gleaming and red lips slightly pursed. He leaned closer to her as his vision bounced from her lips to her eyes. They shared a quick but deeply passionate kiss. Their first since this whole ordeal began and the heiress found herself scrumming to his embrace. As they pulled away Asami searched his eyes for any sigh of displeasure but he seemed just as intrigued as she was, although they couldn't dwell on it much as of right now.
"Alright let's go." She declared.
"lead the way." He spoke.
-O-
Iroh sped into town toward Upper Republic City with his GPS guiding him along the way. Asami was well accustomed to this side of town but was curious to find their destination as she had never heard of a restaurant called the "Secret Tunnel". There wasn't many places that suggested such interesting clothing requirements so her curiosity was perked. She stubbornly pulled down the length of her dress as it rode up higher on her thighs. Her guard was certainly up as well as they got closer to their destination. The large coat she wore did offer a bit more discretion and made her feel less exposed.
"This is the place?" Iroh asked as he turned into the parking lot of a vintage looking restaurant. It wasn't too busy as people in coupled groups entered and existed the building.
"Yes, this is the address I was sent." she flipped through the texts just to be sure.
They stepped out the vehicle and was greeted by a worker instructed to park their car for them. Iroh handed the man his keys and noticed his choice in makeup. His eyeliner was smoked out making him look more grunge in comparison to his pressed suit. Asami took his arm and they promptly headed inside.
From the moment they stepped foot in the venue they were engulfed in the smells and sounds of fine dinning and instrumental Blues. The band played a smooth tune that instantly set the mood for such an ominous place. Almost like clock work she reicieved another text. She searched around skeptically, feeling as though she was being watched. How else would they know she arrived? Nonetheless, they carried on.
"This way," She said.
They ventured past seated individuals who sipped on martini's and smoked thin cigarettes. They didn't seem to mind them at all and Asami began to feel like she was in a completely different realm. Transported to a vampiric 1920's speakeasy where everyone spoke like they were writing poetry. Iroh stayed close to her side getting the same sort of mysterious vibes.
They strolled past the dinning hall, heading toward the opposite side of the building. They entered one hallway that strangely lead to another and then another, seemingly growing further and further away from civilization. The music from the main corridor grew too faint to hear and Iroh started to worry. Perhaps they were putting too much trust in this anonymous man.
"Asami." Iroh spoke, she could hear the tension in his voice but she wasn't turning back just yet.
She stopped at a locked door and opened a latch on the side. She typed in a code given to her in one of the text messages and the door unlocked accordingly. They walked into a room which looked to only have one way in and one way out. Across from them were two large elevator doors and as they approached them Asami got the feeling they weren't in the restaurant anymore.
"We're here." She whispered. Iroh nodded and reached for the call button on the elevator. To their shock it buzzed before he could reach it and the doors opened.
Standing before them was a tall, lanky man dressed clad in black.
Asami gasped, feeling as if she had been duped. "Tahno?!" She yelled, "You're...you're K-Korra's friend?!"
The man looked up from his phone after sending the last message of instructions. His gaze widened as he recognized the woman yelling at him.
"Asami Sato...You're...You're his client!"
"What do you mean! You're not the guy?" She replied.
Tahno groaned and rolled his eyes. "No, I work with the guy you're looking for...Just get in."
Iroh and Asami stepped into the lift and it began to descend down several flights. Tahno checked Asami's phone number and sure enough, she was the one they were sending the emails, texts, and calls to all this time.
"Fuck.." He groaned under his breath.
"What seems to be the problem?" Asami asked crossing her arms over her chest.
"Nothing," Tahno sighed, he wasn't mixing business with his personal life. His date with Korra last night was fucking amazing and he wasn't going to breath a word of it to Asami. I mean his friend was literally fucking a girl that looked just like her a day ago and now here she was in the flesh! What kind of dramatic irony was this?!
Whatever the case, as far as he was concerned he she was just another patron. Although, he couldn't help but think of what his Water-tribe friend would say.
"..Im assuming Korra knows nothing about this?" He asked.
"No," Asami shook her head, "No one does."
Great, Now he was roped into this secret too. He pushed his worries to the back of his mind and straighten his jacket. "Let's get a few things straight before we proceed-"
The elevator came to a stop and they exited to a dark corridor with multicolored overhead lighting. Asami hugged her coat close to her body as she noticed some individuals around her were dressed way more revealing than she thought she was. Iroh respectfully averted his gaze and guided Asami out of the lift.
Tahno approached a counter and greeted the bouncer, he handed him a metal card that was swiped up to three times. "Tahno Le Pham...and others."
Prince Iroh noticed Tahno's last name. It was the surname of a wealthy family, their roots were spread throughout the Fire and Earth Kingdoms respectively. He wasn't aware they had a son.
The bouncer peered at Asami and Iroh almost as if they didn't belong there. His eyes read straight through their attempts to look 'seductive' in order to blend in.
"This way."
As he lead them to a door on their right Asami glanced over her shoulder toward the opposite end of the room where she could hear music blaring just on the other side. She was still trying to wrap her mind around just what sort of place this was. Although a part of her thought it best not to know.
They stopped at a large and heavy sliding door with velvet drapes hung around the frame. The bouncer left to attend the other guests but not before eyeing Iroh up and down a few times on his way out.
"Go inside, don't sit down unless he tells you to, he's gonna talk your fucking head off but pay attention..." Tahno paused and looked over his shoulder to make sure they were listening attentively.
Asami nodded, although felt like all of this build up was a bit unnecessary.
Tahno's phone rung and he promptly slipped the device out of his pocket. He hissed seeing Korra's caller ID flash across his screen. Of course she'd be calling now, it's not like she didn't have both Mako and Kuvira at her disposal for the night.
He held his phone to his chest so that Asami didn't see, "Something's come up. Just walk through those doors and he will be waiting... I have to go." He briskly walked away as Asami nodded her head firmly and followed his instructions.
Tahno walked back into the main corridor, keeping close to the corner of the room so the music didn't overpower her voice.
"Hello?" He chimed.
"Are you busy?" Korra replied, her voice sounding a bit shaken.
"Some of us don't have the luxury of parading around in fancy dresses all day princess." He looked around to make sure no one was easy dropping. "I'm at work."
"I'll go there then." She replied ending the line.
Tahno pulled his phone away from his face and stared at the screen.
That was random as hell and why did she sound like that? Usually if Korra wanted to drop by she did. She knew his work schedule pretty well so it was strange of her to call first. He got the intense feeling that something was wrong. He didn't even have time to tell her that when he said he was at work he didn't mean his vanilla job as a bartender. He figured the bar was where she was headed and checked the time to see if he could beat her there. Caleb was closing around 11 and it was almost 10 o'clock. He was supposed to be working for his partner tonight, Asami was a big contender...He looked back toward the end of the corridor with a small pout.
"Fuck it." He scoffed. If Korra needed him he wasn't second guessing a damn thing.
Tahno quickly slipped away, leaving Asami to her own devices.
Iroh and Asami walked threw a dark corridor and entered the room. It smelled like the incense Korra would burn at her house. The mixture of water-tribe herbs creating that distinct aroma Asami remembered. There was a large round table with a singular spotlight above it and randomly scattered tea-lights around them. The furniture was velvet and leather, with deep and vibrant colors. Everything was close to the ground as they sat on lush floor pillows and embroidered carpets.
At first the group of people who sat around the table glanced up at the pair dubiously, as if waiting to see how the main person in charge would react. Said man in charge sat amongst the individuals twirling his thin mustache smugly.
Asami puffed up her chest a bit and elongated her spine. "My name is Asami Sato. Apparently you're the man I'm looking for..."
He smiled, lifting his head enthusiastically. "Asami Sato, it's a pleasure to finally meet you!" His blue eyes sparkled excitingly as he extended his hand across the table.
"The names' Varrick!"