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 33: Here Comes the Hurricane (I)
Rika had a folder tucked underneath her right armpit, one hand clutching papers and the other holding onto the handle of an umbrella. Her dark hair was damp, sticking to her forehead and neck. The rain turned into a light drizzle. Shifting the umbrella from overtop her head, she spotted a ball of green on the back windshield of a car parked along the street. Taking a closer look, she noticed that I wasn't just a ball of green but a cabbage.
"Cabbage Corps," Rika whispered, smiling softly. She looked up along the row, quietly counting how many Cabbage Corps vehicles she spotted. "He still has followers."
A big gust of wind caught Rika's umbrella, turning it inside out. The papers in her hand fluttered wildly in the wind. Placing them in her mouth, she reached up and tried to flip the canopy of her umbrella back into its original position. Whimpering as the wind picked up strength, she tightly held onto the umbrella, trying to not let it blow away. Finally, when the wind died down, she reached up and flipped the umbrella's canopy back into its proper position.
Glancing up, she spotted a blur of white running down the opposite side of the street. Two figures were seated on top of it, bouncing along with each step. One was wearing blue clothing and the other was wearing red. Hatred raced through her body when she noticed the long dark hair flowing behind the girl at the rear.
"Korra, tell her to slow down," Asami called out with a laugh.
"Where's your sense of adventure?" Korra shouted in response. She let out a belly laugh as the animal they were riding picked up speed.
Rika rolled her eyes, scoffing as she pulled the papers out of her mouth. She plucked the folder from underneath her armpit and began to stuff the papers into one of the pockets. An even stronger gust of wind appeared, blowing a paper out of her hand and up into the air.
"No!" Rika cried jumping up. She tried to snatch the paper out of the air, but it danced and skirted through her fingers. Tucking the folder into her backpack, she ran after the paper, constantly shifting her eyes from the sky to the people around her, trying not to run into anyone. The contents in her backpack tipped from side to side with each step, threatening to cause her to tumble to the ground. Her open umbrella, held high above her head, slowing her down.
"Someone…please…" she panted, trying to quicken her steps. Her eyes widened in shock as the paper fluttered close to the ground, narrowly dodging a puddle. It came to a stop at the opening of a bus shelter. A hand reached out and picked up the piece of paper that stopped at a pair of feet.
Rika smiled, happily looking up at the cloudy sky. "Finally, something is going my way," she said quietly, slowing to a walk. Her eyes widened when the paper floated up from the ground and directly into the outstretched hand. A gentle breeze wafted around her ankles as she got closer.
"Is this yours?" a man asked, holding out the paper.
"Yes." Rika quickly dropped onto the seat next to him, retrieving the paper. Dropping her umbrella to the ground, she quickly opened up her backpack, carefully sliding the paper inside. "Thanks," Rika said shyly. She glanced over at the man, taking in his long flowing hair on his head mixing in with his beard. She noticed the scar along his eyebrow. He was dressed in grey robes, and his face was carved with exhaustion and winkles. His face was set and looked to carry many years of hardness and work. However, when she looked into his eyes, she just spotted compassion and worry, a drastic opposite to his towering build and the hard lines etched on his face. "You look familiar."
"I'm…an old friend of your Uncle's," he said quietly. "We've known each other for years." The man shifted in his seat, bringing his legs up and crossing them underneath him. He then clasped his hands together before placing them in his lap. "Went to the same school. I had heard what happened with his company. It's such a shame."
"Prove it," Rika insisted. Clutching her bag to her chest, she scooted away from the man. While his deep, gravelly voice was soothing to her ears, she still felt a bit tense, being the only person sitting with the man in the bus shelter. "…that you knew my Uncle. Nothing is stopping me from contacting the police."
"If you wanted to, you would have done so by now. You wouldn't have bothered to talk to me," the man answered with a raised eyebrow. Rika responded by reaching into her skirt pocket and pulling out her cell phone. Her thumb hovered over the Emergency Call button. The man half-smiled. "Your Uncle dropped out of business school because he believed he was wasting his time learning about business instead of making a business. He felt he could learn more out in the world than in a classroom."
Rika raised a challenging eyebrow while lifting her phone higher. "Anyone could have figured that one out just by reading up on him."
"He dropped out before he was kicked out," the main continued. "He was about to be expelled for running a business at the school, helping students cheat on their coursework, test, exams. Anything. He was essentially doing what he could to run a business before attempting to run a business." The man smiled. "Am I right?"
"Yes." Rika nodded slowly. She lowered her phone, but still kept it gripped tightly in her hand. Her shoulders relaxed a bit. "That's true. My mom told me stories about it."
"Things must have been hard…since his arrest." The man cleared his throat. "I'm sorry…about everything that has happened."
"Thank you." Rika smiled. "…and thank you for saving my work." She shook her backpack for emphasis before wrapping her arms around it, giving it a tight hug. "It would have been a major setback in my project. I have to have the best one."
"Well, I'm certainly impressed," the man commented. "High school senior, about to go and make big changes in the world. I took a brief glance at the paper. It's pretty advanced stuff."
"How'd you-"
"Your uniform," he interrupted. He lifted his hands from his lap and rested them with the posterior on his knees. Touching the tips of his thumb and index fingers together, he took a deep breath, momentarily closing his eyes. "The crest on the breastplate means you attend RITA. That's a fantastic school, and the styling looks like you're in an upper-class. I just took a guess from there." He shrugged.
Rika's smile slowly turned into a frown. "I used to think I could…change the world. I know I'm the best. No one else believes it though. My mom doesn't count. She thinks I'm great at everything…and it's just so much pressure."
"If you believe that you're the best, then you are." After inhaling deeply, he slowly breathed out in a steady stream. "Why bother comparing yourself to others?"
"You wouldn't understand." Rika glumly kicked her umbrella. It skirted a bit across the ground. The man breathed again, exhaling sharply. A sudden burst of wind blew the umbrella back towards her feet. "…there's only one thing standing in my way…and it caused so much pain and struggle for my family." A muscle in her cheek twitched as she clenched her jaw. "I want it to feel the pain I'm feeling."
"Then…karma shall have its way."
She snickered. "So far, it isn't working."
"New growth cannot exist without first the destruction of the old," the man said. Rika's eyebrows furrowed in confusion." Guru Laghima," he clarified.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
"Whatever you want it to mean," the man answered with a shrug. "…your Uncle has talked highly about you. I do believe you will be able to accomplish what you'd like to accomplish."
"…Thank you." Rika smiled. "It's been the first time…in a while, that someone has actually supported me." The man looked at her, jerking his chin in response. She frowned in confusion, before noting that his site was directed right over her shoulder. She followed his gaze and made a sound of recognition when she spotted a bus coming down the street. "That's my ride." Rika got to her feet. She re-checked her bag to make sure the paper she had recovered was neatly packed away. "I'd better get home, my mom will start to worry."
"Be safe," the man insisted. "…and don't tell your mother…about us meeting."
"Why not? She and my uncle are close, I'm sure she'd remember you."
"It's just…bad blood," he slowly answered. "Something happened, and I don't want to intrude on her life unless she lets me in…on her own terms."
"I understand." Rika finished gathering up all of her items before slinging her backpack over her shoulder. She closed her umbrella, gently shaking off the excess water. A small gust of wind blew the material dry. Rika turned and looked at the man, as he moved to tuck his hands into his pockets. "What was your name?" she asked. "I don't think you mentioned."
The man looked up at her, raising an eyebrow before offering up a gentle smile. "Zaheer."
"Right." Rika nodded in understanding. The bus pulled up and she stepped back from the curb as water sloshed up over the sidewalk. She moved to stand in front of the doors, waiting for them to open. "I'll see you later, then, I guess."
Zaheer removed his hand from his pocket, giving a small wave at Rika's back as she climbed up onto the bus. "Guess you will," he mumbled.
