80 Days
A/N: This is the third chapter folks! And I would like to thank to whomever that read this story. Also the adventure isn't starting yet, but at least there will be another character from the series introduced here… I think. Anyway, happy reading guys
All color must've been drained from my face. There is no way that I can describe how I react to Korra's statement. That answer alone could've mean a lot of things. I mean, all along I've been talking to her, and she might have despise me. Was all the laughter before… all the moment that I thought were a genuine one… was just her being polite to a stranger? A stranger that, perhaps, his great-grandparents involved in the massacre of Cherokee people. The idea alone is sickening me, to the point that my stomach is lurching at the mere image of thousand of white-skinned militias dragging the native from their home and torturing them… In fact, I'm going to stop thinking that, because I'm sure that Korra can see the look in my face when I'm in my train of thought.
"You look shocked."
To be honest I am more a combination of shock and nervous. You see, for me ladies in particular are a complicate creature. Sometimes they can be quite open about what they are feeling. Other times… they're not. The key to have conversation with a lady is to know what's on their mind. Apparently, Korra isn't making it easier, what with her emotionless expression plastered on her face. I can't read what's on her mind and that alone makes me nervous.
Or perhaps it's because my talent of being awkward in front of a lady. Seriously, it's a miracle right now that I manage to strike a conversation without stuttering a single word. Either way, what I said before was stupid, and I won't blame it on my natural awkwardness. I hope I won't repeat the same mistake again.
Before I know it, Korra once again has her focus on the window staring long to the horizon. "It all started when Katara, the eldest member of our group, told us the story of 'nu na da ul tsun yi' ─the place where they cry. I didn't understand until she finished her story, and suddenly it all sort of makes sense. Now I know why there were so few of us living in the group, or why some of us had this look when they saw a white people ─a look of pure hatred. And I have to admit I too share the same hatred to the pale skinned, blood-sucking leech that sucked up all life on this very earth."
Well this is getting more and more uncomfortable. But what can I do? I just can't trust my mouth at this moment. The tension is so thick that I can smell it in the air, and all I can do is just glancing around nervously trying to change the subject of this conversation.
A chuckle from Korra catches my attention. "It kind of stupid when I think about it. I was just a little girl that hates everyone who wasn't a Cherokee. All that came up on my brain was how to punish everyone for what they've done to us. I want them to suffer the same pain my parents suffered; I want them to feel it so bad. But in the end… no matter how much I wanted it… it felt… wrong. It was already bad that my people went through such torment. I wanted to protect my people in the least harmful way so that no more massacres like that ever happen again."
There's a pause, then a silence follows. Neither of us says anything; I'm drumming my fingers on the table while she's still looking out the window. It is a bit less intense now and while I'm not the most pious man out there, I pray to God up there that I won't screw things up again. "And that's why you studied law?"
This time though God is on my side, as she perked up at my question. Finally, I manage to pry her attention away from the window. I can see a smile forming on her lips, a good sign so far. "Exactly. I'm sure that it always been my dream ever since I was a kid. I always wanted to bring peace to every people in America; you know equality and stuff. It's just… sometimes I doubted my decision on boarding this airship."
"Why would you doubt your decision? You have a once in a lifetime opportunity to study in the most famous university in the world. What else bothering your mind?"
She scratches the back of her neck and ducks her head low. Apparently, that's her gesture when she's nervous. I should take note of that. "N-no… well… you know how they treat me back home? What if… what if they would treat me like that too in Cambridge? I don't want people treats me different just because I'm not one of 'them'."
"A gentleman is a gentleman from the way he acts like gentleman, not from his appearance," I say indifferently. "I believe the same thing applies to woman."
To be honest, I don't know a thing or two about being a gentleman. Hell, I don't even qualify as one, so I'm just saying an empty fact there. At least I manage to turn Korra's frown upside down, and for me that's a good job done.
And suddenly, as an answer to my prayer, a waiter comes with our order. It occurs to me that it's been an hour since we ordered the food, and when they serve it I can see a bit of the salmon still undercooked. Amateur.
Either way, I guess Korra doesn't mind the wait at all. She eats her salmon in a silence without sparing me a glance. Is she trying to act nonchalant? As if the conversation we had earlier never happened? Well I guess if she asks for it, who am I to say no? So I act like nothing ever happen and eats my undercooked salmon. There is this silence again, although this time I'm not going to say it is an awkward silence, but rather a peaceful ones amidst the sound of our cutlery moving across the plate, and the sound from many people eating here.
It's been nine hours since the sun is setting on the horizon. Our captain decided to lower the altitude of the airship since us getting closer to our destination. Most people were already in bed preparing for tomorrow, or some just lounging in the bar. But I feel restless. The night sky is just too beautiful that it is a sin not to watch it. If the night sky is a concert, then the moon must be the conductor. Its ethereal glow orchestrating a symphony of stars, while the ocean's mirror-like surface reflecting the light show above. I suddenly feel romantic just watching the sky, and perhaps I could write a poem for my artistic skill ─if such thing exist, anyway─ haven't been polished for a while. I contend of just watching it, for not a word can describe the majestic view in front of me.
"You should be in bed."
I recognize that voice, although it's a bit slurred by sleepiness, "You should be in bed."
I keep looking to the ocean, while a sound of footstep walking slowly towards me. Then a figure is leaning with its back to the railing.
"Aren't it a bit cold for you, Korra?" I ask to the figure besides me. She still wears the same garment that she wore this afternoon ─a bit unusual for this cold air.
"Nah, I used to it." she answer nonchalantly, "I've been through a much colder situation than this."
I open my mouth to form an answer, but no word comes out. I really couldn't blame her, especially after what happened this afternoon. After our awkward lunch, Korra just excused herself in haste and left our table. I'm about to stopped her but, well let's just say that I should have did. And right now here we are, in a situation where I wish that I have the ability to just fly myself away from this God forsaken airship. Or perhaps the ability to breath underwater. I mean the ocean down there must not be that bad right? It's just the water is so inviting. Either way I need to be as far as possible from Korra, maybe just for this night. Then after we land, I could apologize to her and forget anything ever happened between us. Sounds like a plan, Jack.
"Look─"
"I'm sorry Jack."
Well that's unpredicted. I have to be honest that I'm taken aback that my brain haphazardly thinking back for a comprehensive response. Instead, I just raise my eyebrow and say, "For what?"
"For being me back then. The young, stupid, naïve Korra. I'm sorry that I acted on impulse and left the table without explaining myself. It's just… the topic about my people is too sensitive for me, and your question opens up a wound from the past that I tried to heal so hard."
I finally gather enough courage to see her face ─instead of jumping from the railing─ and watch her face illuminated by the moonlight. I can see her expression very clearly, like watching a youth version of myself. Seeing Korra is like me watching a mirror, and I staring deeply at myself. We both ruined by our own past ─her dealing with her childhood and me dealing with the war─ but we manage to build a wall of façade that hid us well. I know how hard it is to maintain that wall, and so share the same feeling when I destroy hers.
"You never meant to hurt my feeling. You just being curious and I kind of overreacting. I'm sorry for treating you wrong."
"Well I guess in that case, I owe you an apology. I should have never asked about your life, and I'm sorry to did that. So… sorry?" I offer weakly while stretching my hand for her to accept.
She looks at my outstretched hand for a moment, before accepting it with her iron-like grip, "Apology accepted."
Contend with that, I continue gazing the sky. Out there in the horizon is a strange world, one that I will set my foot on.
"I always prefer the night over the day."
I look over to Korra, "And why is that?"
She staring the sky with a smile, clearly in a dream state. I'm waiting patiently for her response.
"I don't know. I just… attracted to its beauty. It might have something to do with a story I heard when I was a kid."
"What story?"
She breathes deeply, and I realize that this one will not be over quick, "My people believe that way back then there was once a time when the moon is dying and slowly losing its light. At one point, the light was gone and the natural day and night cycle was in jeopardy. Every corner of the earth was on chaos, people started blaming each other as a responsible party for angering the Spirits that control the balance in this world. So, in the next hundred years, war rages the earth. For every blood spilled, the Spirits got angrier and angrier. One princess from a warring tribe saw this. She's understand that this is not the way the Spirits wanted. But her people had been blinded and cannot see the truth. Therefore, she's planning to restore the balance herself ─and quite literally."
I'm awestruck by the power of Korra's story and cannot resist the temptation to ask a question, "And what did the princess do?"
"She planned to sacrifice herself ─to be the moon. Her parents were against it and so locked her in her house. But the princess' heart was too firm for a mere human to restrain. She escaped her parents and went to the cliff, where she prayed to the Spirits to accept her soul. The Spirits saw that her soul is of the pure one and accepted it. Of course, there's a catch in that; in order to replace the moon she must sacrifice her soul and her body. Still, thanks to her act of sacrifice, the moon gains its power back and became alive again, bringing balance and peace to the world."
"So… the princess was dead?"
"Not dead, Jack. She's still alive every time the sun is gone and the moon come. She watches over the sailors that travel the ocean at night, guide the living creature beneath the sea, control the tides and the winds, and lullaby us to sleep. She protects us from the day's heat and together with the sun, brings balance to the earth."
I know very well that that story is just legend or a myth, but when Korra tells it, the story feel like it actually happened. "Do you believe a story like that?"
She sighs, a long one. Her eyes still fixed to the moon not once leaving it. "Not really. But the meaning of the story that intrigues me. It shows that people will go an extreme length to sacrifice for a thing they believe, even though their life is at stake."
The gleams in her eyes as she look to the moon, make you wonder if she can actually talk to it and she's basically retelling the story told by the princess itself.
"And you want to be just like the moon." I say to her. "The one that sacrifices and protects; that sounds exactly like you."
She blush a crimson red, though it quite difficult to see with limited light. "I want to be the princess in that story. It's actually what inspire me to study law all the way in Cambridge; I want to sacrifice for my own people. Especially in my tribe, my dad is the chief and that make me technically a princess so it's more of a duty for me."
I point my finger to the moon, "I'm sure you will be brighter than that moon up there."
She raises her eyebrow in a skeptical manner, "Really now?"
I smile and nod. "And in the future I will your name in a newspaper headline 'Korra wins another case for the Indians!' with your picture on it."
Korra laugh wholeheartedly and punch my shoulder playfully. Suddenly it feels natural again to talk like this, to laugh like this with Korra. I can't help myself to not laughing together, earning a few glances from other people in the deck. But do I care? I say phooey for them! Phooey!
After our laughing fit turns to a giggle, we watch the night sky together. Neither of us makes any sound because, I think, there's no need of it. Now we're just contend with this silence. After a while, I can hear Korra stifling a yawn ─although she quite fails in that.
"You should go to bed."
Korra rub her eyes trying her best to suppress the tiredness in it, but after a few attempts to stifle her yawn, I can hear sighing a dejected tone, "Guess I can't fight it."
"No one told you to." I speak calmly to Korra, "You can't do anything the way you want it, and you'll soon learn that."
I can't shake the strange feeling Korra's stare gives to me. I don't know if she offended or not, but she only smiles at it. "You're right on that one."
Her tone betrays her expression but I make no comment on it, instead I just watch her shuffling away with a heavy step clearly exhausted. She stops at the doorway and glance back at me with her usual smile.
"See you tomorrow Jack!"
"I look forward for that."
A moment after that Korra leave, leaving me alone in the cold Atlantic night surrounded by the sky above me. It takes me awhile before I realize that I'm the only person in the balcony. I guess I should be going to bed soon but I'm not tired yet. Or perhaps I'm too afraid to sleep, afraid for what waits me across this ocean.
