Model Behavior
Summary: Modern/AU. Korra thought it was an ordinary day of art class at Republic School for the Gifted. But then, the art model Asami Sato walked into the room... Korrasami
Chapter 10: Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers
Rika hummed to herself as she ran a brush through her hair. She took noticed of the hickey on her neck and smiled while running her thumb over it. She tied her hair back with a purple headband before looking at herself in the mirror. She wrinkled her nose when she got a good look at her school uniform. "It'll have to do," she muttered.
"Rika, hurry up and come down for breakfast," a gentle voice called up the stairs. "Your friends will be here soon." Rika gasped and quickly started to shuffle around her small room, grabbing her books and notepads. She frowned when she accidentally bumped against the corner of a wall. Pieces of the fading yellow paint fell to the floor. Rika paused and looked around.
The paint on the walls had faded to a dull yellow over time and was starting to chip off bit by bit. The overhead light flickered a few times. Rika slammed her fist into the wall twice, near the switch, before it stopped flickering. A light hum filled the room. The wooden floor was swollen and creaked with every step she took.
"Coming," Rika called out as she finished gathering up her items. She threw her bag over her shoulder before rushing down the stairs. She ducked her head under a low hanging beam and brushed at her face as a spiderweb clung to her forehead. "What's for breakfast?"
"Sine oatmeal and toast," her mother answered while putting a plate down across from her at the table. She slumped into her seat before picking up a newspaper. She sighed hard and started to browse the articles.
"Mom," Rika said softly. She smacked her oatmeal with the back of her spoon. "When can we move back home?"
"We are home," her mother answered without looking up from the paper. "You know we can't. We're spending a majority of our saved money to send you to RITA and-"
"I don't have to go to RITA. I can go back to my old school," she suggested.
Rika flinched as her mother slammed the newspaper to the table. The smacking sound resonated throughout the room. Her mother got up out of her seat and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "No! You made it into the school with your own merit. You graduate in the Spring," she reminded her. "It's too late to change now. You are making your family so proud of you." She cupped Rika's cheek and gently stroked it with her thumb. Rika smiled softly before pulling away and attacking her breakfast. "So how is school going?"
"Great," Rika said around a mouthful of food. "I'm the top in my class." She felt her smile weaken and the corner of her lips twitch. She quickly dropped her head so that her mother wouldn't see the guilty look on her face.
"That's nice, honey," her mother patted the back of Rika's hand that was resting on the table. "How is that Sato girl, Asami? You don't talk about her anymore," she commented.
"We're not really friends anymore."
"Why not?"
Do you have three hours? "She just changed," Rika said evenly. "She started to think she was better than us. Now she has new friends and just keeps flaunting it. She is close with Avatar Korra and her group, apparently."
"Well, friendships do change," her mother said gently. "Maybe you just need to tell her how you feel."
"Right, mom," Rika sneered. Her mother closed her eyes tightly for a few seconds before opening them again. She flipped the newspaper to the front and scanned a few of the articles.
"I visited your uncle the other day," she announced.
Rika nodded. "How is Uncle Lau doing?"
"His company is slowly getting back on its feet," her mother explained. "After the whole Equalist movement and Hiroshi framing him, it's made things harder, I admit."
"Obviously, mom." Rika rolled her eyes. "I mean, look at where we live." She held her hands out and waved them around, motioning to everything in the small room.
"Rika, you know the family is trying to get back on its feet."
"I know, mom. I'm sorry."
"I just think it was great that you and Asami were still friends, at least up until recently," her mother admitted. "I'm sure it was hard knowing her father was involved. It's a good thing that she doesn't share his beliefs."
"Yeah, good thing," Rika muttered. She finished the rest of her breakfast before placing her dishes into the sink. She shuffled around the room grabbing a few pieces of food before putting them into a ziplock bag and placing them into her backpack. "I have to get going. I love you, mom," she said while kissing her lightly on the cheek.
Rika slipped on her shoes, grabbed her house keys, and exited the apartment. She flew down the metal stairs before running down the block. She didn't stop running until she reached the front gates to a large living community. She slowed her pace to a walk and breathed heavily while sauntering up to an older man sitting in the gate booth.
"Morning," Rika called out as she walked up to the window. She rested her arms on the windowsile and flashed him a bright smile.
"Morning Rika," the older man said. He tipped his hat in her direction before smiling warmly. "How have you been? You haven't stopped by my apartment in a while. Is everything okay with your mom?"
"Yup, everything is fine." Rika nodded. "And, school is okay, I guess. I mean, it's school."
"I bet you're ready to graduate."
"Yes and no." Rika sighed hard and ran a hand through her hair. "Sometimes I want to leave but then other times, I just want to stay. I don't want things to change too much," she admitted.
The older man nodded in understanding. He then pointed over Rika's shoulder. "I think your friends are here to pick you up," he said. "Why don't you just tell them? If they're really your friends they won't think any less of you."
"That's what you think," she mumbled. Rika then reached into her school bag and pulled out a large ziplock bag containing a banana, a carton of yogurt, and a sandwich. "Oh, here. I brought you something to eat. It's not much."
"Thank you Rika," the older man leaned forward and gave her a light kiss on the forehead.
"You're welcome," Rika patted him lightly on the arm. "I'll stop by for a visit later. I promise." She pushed herself away from the windowsill and started to walk over to the car that had pulled up.
"Have a good day," he called out.
"You too." Rika gave him a wave. She rushed over to the car and quickly climbed into the backseat. "What's up, guys?" she asked while buckling herself in.
"The whole town is abuzz with the tournament after school," Manami answered as she adjusted the rearview mirror. Kiyoko was fixing up her lipstick in the side mirror. "The Fire Ferrets are the most talked about team, aside from the Wolf Bats."
Rika made a noise of discontent as they pulled away from the living community's gates and into the city. "I'm getting tired of Sato
"What'd she ever do to you?" Kiyoko questioned. She adjusted the side mirror to get a better look at her reflection. Manami rolled her eyes and pressed a button in the car to re-adjust it.
"She just thinks she's better than everyone else," Rika said as she smoothed out her skirt. "It's really annoying."
"Whatever happened to your plan of 'knocking her down a peg'?" Manami wondered.
"I told her about me and Iroh." Rika smiled as she petted the hickey on her neck. She then started to giggle at the memory of Asami crumbling in front of her. "You should have seen her face. It was classic."
"I can't believe you stole her boyfriend." Kiyoko crossed her arms over her chest.
"It's not my fault guys find me irresistible." She gathered up her hair into a ponytail before letting go and having the strands drape across her back. A car quickly drove past them. A few high school boys let out cheers and whistles. Rika winked and waved back.
"I don't think the way you throw yourself around counts as irresistible."
"Harsh, Kiyoko," Manami commented.
"Is there a problem?" Rika leaned forward in her seat.
"No," Kiyoko said slowly, "I just think you should-"
"Since when do you think?" Rika snapped. "You have some of the lowest scores in our class." Manami let out a soft whistle as Kiyoko bit her bottom lip. She looked up into the review mirror at Rika and glared. The girl held her gaze, but challenged her with a raised eyebrow. Kiyoko shook her head before looking away. "That's what I thought."
It was the day of Republic's pro-bending tournament. Teams from various schools across the city would gather at Republic City's arena to face off later in the day. Asami wore her team jacket to school, but was only allowed to wear it during unscheduled periods and lunch. So, she also tied her hair back with a red and white ribbon.
Everywhere she walked, she had a bounce in her step and a bright smile. She greeted everyone she passed and basically had a sunny outlook to her. It made Rika sick to her stomach. She had watched her throughout the day, laughing at something on her phone, answering phone calls and texts, or showing off in class by answering every question a teacher asked.
Once the school day was over, Asami raced from her classroom and towards her locker.
She slipped her jacket on before grabbing her bag. She closed the door and started to lock it when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and placed a hand over her heart and turned.
"Ms. Sato, may we talk for a few minutes?" Bataar Sr. asked.
"Is something wrong, sir?" Asami locked her locker door before leaning against it. She brushed her hair off of her shoulder and gazed up at him.
"No, it's about your senior project." He cleared his throat before reaching and pushing his glasses further up his nose. It didn't really help since they slid back down. "The entire faculty is excited to see the final product but you have yet to turn in your form to declare your advisor as well as anyone you'd think would beneficial in helping you with your project."
"I know, sir. I just need more time thinking of someone," she quickly explained, "and as for the assistant, I don't need one."
"The reason we have the Senior Project require assistants is to make connections that could help advance the students in the field they'd like to pursue further." Bataar Sr reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper. "We've assigned one to you," he explained while handing it to her.
"Well, how proficient are they?" Asami asked, looking down at the paper. "Do I have to remind you about the Robot Incident last year?"
"No, you don't." They both cringed. "But the contact information on the assistant is on that sheet of paper. Maybe you should talk to her and see if you can meet up one day."
Asami opened the paper and looked at the name at the top. "She graduated last year. I heard she was training to join the Metal Clan in Zaofu," she commented.
"Oh, she is." Bataar Sr nodded. "But she's working at the school part-time as a TA and we think she'd be perfect to assist you."
"If you say so." Asami shrugged. She folded the paper back up and shoved it into a side pocket of her bag. "I will turn in the form as soon as possible." He nodded once more. "Have a good weekend, sir." She smiled before heading down the hallway.
"You too, Ms. Sato. Enjoy the tournament."
"Oh, I will," Asami said.
"I also hope you'd be able to attend RITA's Family Weekend festivities going on this weekend," he added. Asami stiffened before turning back around to face him. "I will be out of town for Fall Break with the rest of my family, but I think you would be able to make some great connections with alumnae and legacy families there."
"I'll think about it." Asami gave him a swift nod before continuing down the hallway. She waved to a passing teacher before breaking into a run. She sent Mako, Korra, Bolin, and Opal a quick group text message before hopping into her car. She placed her phone in to the cup holder as she headed towards her apartment to get changed.
About halfway there her phone lit up. Asami quickly took her eyes off of the road and gazed at the screen. She expected a text message response but was surprised to see a giant phone symbol fill up her screen. After taking a look at the road, she scanned the phone number. Her hands tightened on the wheel.
"You can call all you want, but I'm not going to answer," she muttered.
"I think you may have gone overboard, Asami," Opal commented as Asami slid into the seat next to her. Pabu was sitting on her shoulder and nuzzling her cheek. A pair of red and white pom-pons rested in her lap. Asami looked down at her clothes and laughed.
"Okay, maybe I did," she admitted. Asami was wearing a bright red hat turned backward so that the adjustment strap rested on her forehead, her Team Fire Ferrets jacket, a black tank top, white skinny jeans, and red high tops. "I'm just really into pro-bending."
"Whatever you say, Asami," Opal chuckled. She jumped up and cheered loudly as the tournament started. Asami quickly turned her cell phone off, she wouldn't be able to hear anyone over the cheers anyway, before joining Opal in her cheers. The two screamed and jumped around as the Fire Ferrets stepped onto the court. "I'm so ready for this."
"Let's go Fire Ferrets!" Asami cheered.
The Tournament ended later that night with Future Industries' Fire Ferrets narrowly beating out the Wolf Bats. Opal and Asami hugged each other and shrieked as they watched Korra, Bolin, and Mako step out onto the court to accept their medals and trophies. The two didn't even apologize as they bumped and jostled with a few people around them. "That was so cool!" Asami commented. She grabbed Opal by the wrist and pulled the two of them out of the stands and into the lobby of the arena.
They chatted excitedly, recapping some of their favorite moments of the tournament. Pabu suddenly jumped off of Opal's shoulder and rushed around the large crowd. Opal lost sight of him before she could move but didn't seem to upset that he disappeared. "He probably noticed Bolin and took off after him," Opal explained when she noticed Asami's worried look.
Asami nodded in understanding. She looked up when she heard shouts and the clicking of numerous flash bulbs. A dark brown hand was holding the tournament trophy high into the air. Asami looped her arm with Opal's before steering them in the direction of the crowd.
"I still can't believe they won," she gushed.
"It was very close and it was obvious that the Wolf Bats paid off the referees," Opal added.
"Well don't sound too surprised, Opal," Bolin commented as he pushed his way past the press. Mako and Korra appeared by his side a few moments later. They were shining with sweat and looked exhausted but their bright smiles and shining eyes said the opposite.
"You know we're the best," Korra said while flicking the medal around her neck. "It just so happens that everyone else agrees with us." She loudly kissed the trophy in her hands. She then passed it to Mako who did the same, and then Bolin. "You guys have to kiss it too. We wouldn't have been able to do it without our cheering section."
Opal and Asami kissed the top of the trophy, a small stature of a probender, before handing it back to Korra who held onto it tightly as if it were her security blanket when she was a child.
"That was amazing," Opal said while giving Bolin a hug. She hesitated for a second before kissing him on the cheek. Bolin had a goofy smile on his face. Opal giggled before reaching up and rubbing bit of her lip gloss off of his cheek.
"Great job you guys," Asami rasped out.
"Whoa, you're voice," Korra commented.
"I know." Asami reached up and rubbed the base of her throat. "I'm losing it. I was screaming too much."
"We both were," Opal added.
"We know," Mako laughed. "We heard you. You screamed so loud even the announcer in the booth pointed it out."
"Oh my gosh, Opal, we're famous," Asami over exaggeratedly gushed. She cleared her throat twice. "Who's ready to celebrate? I know a good restaurant that opens late."
Korra shared a look with Mako and Bolin before frowning. "Oh, we can't. We have to finish packing for the South Pole. We leave in the morning."
"What about you, Opal?" Asami turned towards her. "Do you want to come back to my place?"
"I'm leaving too," Opal said slowly. "My family is going back to Zaofu for the break."
"Oh," Asami said softly.
Korra quickly picked up on her demeanor change. She placed an arm around her shoulders before jostling her around a bit. "Are you sure you can't come?" she asked. "My parents would like to meet you. I can show you all of the great things to do like the FireSpirits Festival."
"It's okay. I really need to work on my senior project anyway," Asami muttered. "Besides, I'll see them when during your school's Family Weekend and Spirit Week," she reminded her. She forced herself to smile. Korra looked at her for a few more moments before shrugging.
"Okay, we'll see you later." Bolin lifted her off of the ground in a hug. Mako embraced her with one arm. Although it felt kind of awkward, Asami didn't hesitate to return it whole heartedly. Opal wrapped her in a tight hug before gabbing Bolin's hand. The two walked left the group, chatting excitedly about their win.
"Goodnight," Asami said to Korra.
"Text me when you get back," she instructed. Asami nodded once before taking a small step forward. She held her hand out at the same time as Korra who lifted her arms. The two chuckled a bit before switching, with Asami holding her arms out and Korra sticking out her hand. Asami laughed before grabbing Korra's hand in a firm shake. She then tugged lightly and pulled Korra into a hug. Her eyes widened a bit when she felt the darker girls strong embrace.
"Text me when you get there," Asami called over her shoulder as she walked away. She powered on her phone as she walked back to her car. She paused when she felt her phone vibrate for about thirty-five seconds. She looked down at the screen and saw that she missed twenty-seven calls and twelve voice mails.
Asami pursed her lips at the phone number. It was the same one that had called her earlier that morning. It was the same number se had been avoiding for the past few months. It was the same number that had called her when her father had been arrested. She gazed at the list of missed calls for a few more seconds before dialing her voice mail and listening to her last message:
Asami,
I know you haven't been returning my phone calls, which most likely means you haven't listened to any of the voice messages I left either. In a way, I understand. I won't be able to change what I've done in the past but I would really like to talk to you. It is getting close to the weekend. You and I both know the significance of this time.
I would really like it if you would come and visit me. I know you haven't dealt with this time too well in the past and I fear that without my guidance things could get worse. I may be viewed as a terrible father to you, but I still love you and care about your well being.
Asami replayed the message once more before pressing the delete button. She then went into her phone log and brought up the last number that had called. She pressed her cell phone to her ear.
"Hi, dad?" Asami said into the phone as the other line picked up.
AN: I decided not to describe the fighting scenes of the tournament because with what I had planned, it would have taken a long time to write out. Plus, fighting scenes are really hard and I didn't like anything I wrote so I just highlighted on the end result of the tournament. As for Korrasami, with each chapter we're getting closer. Now I understand why you all want it to start so badly. With what i have planned i just want to get to the Korrasami already. I just want everything in between to be already written and posted so the story can progress. I'm just excited to see everyone's reaction.
Has anyone figured out the "hidden reference" yet? Also, did you all pick up on some of the reasoning behind Rika not liking Asami? If you're a little stumped, I'll give you a hint: it has to deal with a certain vegetable, made popular in the Avatar world. :)
