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 43: Pillow Talk

Kai grunted as he was thrown into a dark room. He quickly tensed up, bracing himself for impact onto the ground, but found himself cushioned by a gentle breeze. He opened his eyes as his feet were gently placed onto the ground. Hands reached behind him and made quick movements, and soon the pressure of the rock handcuffs was released.

Reaching up and rubbing his raw wrists, Kai squinted in the dimly lit room, eagerly soaking up the dim lighting from a small fire in front of him.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"It's okay, you're safe here," a voice insisted. A large gust of wind blew around in the small room, stoking the fire with energy. Kai took a few steps back, blinking against the bright light. As soon as his eyes began to focus, he was able to see that he was in a small one room house. A woman wearing blue clothing wrung out a damp washcloth and moved to scrub at his face. Her face was covered in a blue dragon mask.

"What happened?" Kai asked.

"We just saved you from the Dai Li," a young female voice said from across the room. She was seated on the floor, stirring a bowl of soup, occasionally blowing on it. Her face was covered in a red dragon mask. "You put up a good fight but got knocked out from a swift blow to the head." She stood up and offered him the bowl of food.

Kai looked at it, suspiciously, until his stomach let out a loud growl. He quickly snatched up the bowl and began to consume its hot contents, ignoring the burning sensation on his tongue and throat. "What about-"

The door behind them opened and Jinora was careful ushered through the door by someone wearing all black. Jinora looked frightened as she glanced at the four people wearing masks. She then let out a cry of relief when she spotted Kai. She wrapped him in a tight hug before accepting the bowl of food he thrust into her hands.

"I thought you escaped," Kai said.

"I did, but then this man told me to follow him," Jinora answered. "I was scared at first, but a spirit appeared and re-assured me that he was safe."

Kai turned to face the two men, and two women wearing masks. He glanced carefully at their clothing. Each were donned in a different nation's respective colors, but the gear looked more advanced than traditional wear. "Who are you?" he asked.

"…We're just a few people who love this planet and are trying to rescue it," the man in the green dragon masked answered.

"How did you get past the Dai-Li?" Jinora asked. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, raising her shoulders sheepishly.

"This room is sound proof," the blue dragon mask said. She motioned towards the bowl, before pointing to a small pot on the ground by the fire. Jinora nodded once, and the woman quickly refilled the bowl. Bowing gently in thanks, Jinora turned and offered the bowl to Kai, who dismissed it with a gently push from his hand.

"Hou-Tang and the Dai-Li may know a lot about this Kingdom, but not every nook and cranny," red dragon mask said. She then nodded to the orange dragon mask, who turned and faced the two young airbenders.

"It has come to our attention that the Avatar is in great danger. You, the descendant of Aang, will have a bounty over your head."

"What does the Earth Queen want with Korra?" Kai asked.

"It's not the Earth Queen who is of the greatest threat," he continued. "We can protect this city, and this nation. The Avatar needs to focus on protect the whole world. She can't do that here with danger close to striking."

"We need to leave Ba Sing Se and get back to Republic City as soon as possible," Jinora stated. "We'll be safer there."

"That's good to hear," blue dragon mask said.

"Will you have enough room on your ship?" red dragon masked questioned.

"There's plenty of room," Kai said, his words laced with confusion. "Are you saying you would like to join us?"

"Not us, but some who, unfortunately and suddenly, got tangled up in all of this mess," the orange dragon mask said. He then suddenly stomped his foot twice into the ground. Kai and Jinora shared a confused look before jumping at the sudden sound of movement. Three large squares in the walls began to move, as well as five strips of rock from the ground.

Numerous pairs of eyes stared back at them.


Hou-Tang placed herself on her throne and crossed one leg over the other. She turned to the Dai Li agent closest to her and beckoned him forward. "Have you heard any more about the Avatar and the rest of her group?"

A male and female Dai Li agent both looked at each other. The silently urged one another to step forward and answer their queen's question. Hou-Tang's frown deepend the more the were silent. She reached out and began to tap a finger against the arm of her throne. The female Dai Li agent gulped loudly, before reaching out and smacking the male Dai Li agent, on the back, sending him forward.

The male Dai Li agent loudly cleared his throat. "They're leaving Ba Sing Se and taking the airbenders with them." The more he spoke, the faster his words tumbled out of his mouth. The volume of his speech declined as well. "We don't know exactly where, though."

"She's going to destroy everything I worked so hard to build!" Hou-Tang slammed her fist against the armrest. The female Dai Li agent moved forward and pulled the male agent back by his elbow. "I want them brought back immediately. A reward for anyone who aides in their capture."

The male and female Dai Li agent stopped and shared another look. The female agent tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Do you want the whole force to-"

"Yes! I need more people out looking for the Avatar!"

"But that will leave you unprotected-"

Hou-Tang got up to her throne, and quickly scurried down the stairs, her golden robes fluttering behind her. "Go get my benders, if you value your life," she hissed. Both Dai Li agents gave a short salute before turning and rushing out of the room. As soon as the large doors slammed shut, Hou-Tang reached up and rubbed her temples. "It's like I have to do everything myself around here," she sighed.

While making her way back to her throne, the doors behind her slowly began to open. The creaking sound that emitted from the old doors echoed all around the large room. Hou-Tang turned, taking in a deep breath to prepare herself to yell at the intrusion, but was blown back into her chair by a large gust of wind. The throne room doors slammed into the wall, leaving a large dent behind the door-handles.

Hou-Tang quickly adjusted her golden robes away from her face as Zaheer slowly walked into the room. She brushed small amounts of dirt off her silk clothing before settling herself in her seat. "How dare you let yourself into my throne room without proper agreement. What is it that you want?" she demanded.

"A moment of your time." Zaheer performed a low bow. "I know where your airbenders are being taken to." Hou-Tang raised an eyebrow and sat up straighter in her chair. "You would like them back into your possession, would you not?"

"Listening in on royal entanglements is grounds for imprisonment," she snapped. "But I am in a generous mood and will cut you a deal." Hou-Tang got to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest. "I will let you freely walk out of this room, and you tell me what you know."

Zaheer smirked. "That's not going to work for us."

"Us?"

"We are looking for a change in the world, where there isn't one ruler. Were everyone would be able to make their own choices, their own destiny. We're aiming for the greater good. You see, we don't believe in the monarchy, in rules, in people holding the most power."

Zaheer waved his arms around in the air, creating a string of air. He watched, unblinkingly, as he wrapped the air around Hou-Tang's head. Her eyes bulged, and she desperately clutched her beck, gasping and wheezing for a breath. Her skin faded to a pale brown, before her arms fell to their sides. Zaheer dropped his arms, and Hou-Tang dropped to the ground, her eyes staring blank at the ceiling.

"The world needs to know that the Red Lotus has risen again," Zaheer said as Gazhan, Pl'i, and Ming-hua entered the throne room behind him. "I will take out all who stand in my way, including the world leaders, just to get the Avatar. I want the Avatar brought back here so that I can rid of her myself."


Asami was seated in the corner, squeezing and molding a pliable piece of metal in her hands, watching as Tonraq and Kya tended to the wound on Korra's head. Hermes was seated on her shoulder, watching as the metal was moved into different shapes. Lin was glancing out the window, keeping an eye on the permiter of the airship. Tenzin was seated on the floor meditaing, whereas Bumi was seated next to him, attempting to meditate as well.

"Dad!" Jinorah cried as she emerged from the lower level of the airship. She quickly ran over to him and gave him a tight hug around the waist. Kai entered the room behind her, continuing to rub at the welts on his wrists.

"Are you two alright?" Bumi questioned.

"We're fine, now," Kai answered. He moved over to Kya, holding out his injured wrists. Kya nodded, mentioning that she'll tend to him in a moment. ""There are more airbenders here. The queen was capturing them all to use them for her army," he announced.

"That's horrible!" Kya commented.

"People who just discovered they had special abilities kidnapped from their homes?" Asami asked. "Their lives? And for what? To protect a horrible ruler whom only cares for herself?"

"Where are they?" Korra asked. She pushed Kya's hands away from the cut on her forehead. She moved to stand up but was quickly pushed back down by Tonraq's hand on her shoulder. "We must go rescue them."

Jinora stepped out of her father's embrace, looking up into his face. "…They're all downstairs."

"How did you accomplish that?" Lin asked, an impressed look set on her features.

"That's a long story, and we'll have to explain it later," Kai said. "We must get out of here as soon as possible."

"Why?" Asami questioned. "What's going-"

Everyone in the room grunted and placed their hands over their ears as the loud screeching of microphone feedback split the air. Next came the sound of two thumps from tapping onto a microphone, before Zaheer's voice pierced through:

Attention all citizens of Ba Sing Se. The Earth Kingdom is no more. The Earth Queen has fallen. We have brought great change to the nation. No longer must you rule under a hierarchy. We are the creators of our own lives and destinies. Stand with the Red Lotus, and assist with changing the world, so no one will have more power over the other. The Avatar will not be viewed as the messiah and will no longer take rule over the world. The Red Lotus will eradicate all who stand in our way.

"He won't stop with Ba Sing Se." Lin shook her head. "It's likely he'll move to other parts of the nation, including Zaofu."

"Is there any place we can hide Korra until then?" Tonraq asked.

"Hide?" Korra shouted. "Who says I'm hiding?"

"You're recovering from a head injury. Or at least you would if you sit still." Kya said, before clicking her tongue and pushing Korra back down again. "It's best for you to rest right now. I agree with Tonraq, until your back to normal."

"But, won't we be sitting ducks if we go back to Republic City?" Asami questioned.

"What other options do we have?" Tenzin asked.

"There are always options." Asami began to move the metal in her hands, faster and faster. "There must be." She winced, stopping and shaking her hand. A small bit of blood began to slide down her finger.

"I understand that you're nervous but fidgeting with metals you're not used to isn't going to help this situation," Lin said. She quickly bent the metal out of the engineer's hands, placing it into a small cupboard across the room.

"I wasn't fidgeting, I was tinkering," Asami answered with a huff. "Anything to keep my mind busy."

Kya placed a small bandage at the top of Korra's head before moving to tend to Kai. Korra got up from her seat and placed a hand on Asami's shoulder, gently shaking her. "Take it easy, Tinkerbell," Korra instructed. "Pillow?" she asked.

Asami gasped lightly. She dropped her arms, her eyes widening in shock. "What'd you just say?" she whispered.

"I said, 'pillow'?" she repeated. Asami smiled brightly before stepping forward and throwing her arms around Korra's neck. Korra chuckled a bit before returning the hug. She then broke away when her father stepped forward. Tonraq gave Korra a kiss on her forehead before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side.

"Why are you talking about pillows?" Mako asked. "What does that mean?"

Korra looked at the two of them and burst into loud laughter, as everyone else in the room smiled or tried to hide their amusement. Mako quickly tried to remove as much of the feminine clothing he was wearing as possible. Bolin, on the other hand, was taking a long look at his reflection an airship window.

"Why are you wearing women's clothing?" Kya asked with a laugh. "Not that there is anything wrong with that."

"We lost our passports," Mako admitted.

"Our passports got stolen," Bolin corrected. He then pointed his thumb in Mako's direction, shaking his head. "They got stolen, so our cousin helped us find clothes to fit in and gave us fake passports to be able to come back to the Upper Ring."

"Cousin?" Asami repeated.

"We'll explain later," Mako insisted. "We heard some news about airbenders in the city."

"They're all below deck," Tenzin explained. "Jinora and Kai brought them back with them."

"So, then, what does that have to do with pillows?" Bolin asked. He then gasped loudly. "Do we have to share rooms? Is there a pillow shortage?"

"It's an inside joke," Korra answered, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. She glanced at Asami and sent a wink in her direction. Asami quickly looked away, glancing down at her pant legs and brushing the dirt off. Her dark hair flowed around her face, hiding her reddening cheek bones.

"So, your memory is back?" Mako asked.

Korra frowned. "…I don't know if all, but some definitely is. At least, I think it is?" she shrugged. "I've felt like I've been walking in a cloud this entire time, and some of it has cleared out."

"Come on, everyone," Tenzin said. "We should get back to the city."

Korra reclaimed her seat by one of the windows and looked out at the city of Ba Sing Se. The sun had begun to set, casting an orange glow along the streets and the buildings. Everything seemed to be still, until small movement caught her eyes. She squinted and pressed her face against the window, spotting a lone figure ducking down into a small alleyway as Dai Li agents ran in the opposite direction. "The Kingdom may have fallen, but it's in safe hands." Korra peeled her face away from the window and let out a sigh. "At least for the time being."

"What about Zaheer?" Kya questioned.

"And the rest of the Red Lotus?" Tonraq added.

"Right now, we need to protect the airbenders," she said. "They're the start of a new era. But, when the Red Lotus strikes again, and they will, we'll be ready."