"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."
― Audrey Hepburn
Chapter 4 – Peaceful Chaos
The hands on the clock ticked past midnight, darkness filling the Sato estate. Sleep alluded one inhabitant whose thoughts were running rampant in every direction and wouldn't stop.
Upon arriving home, the couple walked into their room, exhausted from their respective days and providing Beifong with a statement about their night. The scene around them obviously wasn't an accident. There were no other reported incidents similar to theirs. In fact, it was a slow night. They searched the area again, but all they came up with was parts of Asami's car.
Not a single clue as to who or why. The only thing for certain was that it was clearly an earthbender. And a strong one at that. Seeing as they weren't getting anywhere, Beifong arranged an escort for them.
Korra fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Asami wasn't as fortunate despite the heaviness in her eyes.
An hour ticked away. Then another. No matter what position she was in, her body and mind refused to yield to the unconscious. On her back. On her side. On her other side. On her stomach. Korra wrapped up in her arms. Back turned to Korra.
Nothing worked.
Giving up, she tossed the blankets off and threw her legs over the side. She opened the bottom drawer of her nightstand as quietly as possible, grabbed the next sequential letter, and walked over to her bay window. The slumbering Avatar faced away from the window and was not at risk of a bright ray of moonlight striking her eyes. Asami maneuvered between the dark red curtains containing the rays of moonlight and rested on the illuminated plush bench seat.
The bay window was her favorite feature in her room ever since she was a little girl. Overlooking the large pond and lush, dense forest on the perimeter of the mansion, it attracted all kinds of wildlife that she watched for hours and let her escape reality. If she was lucky, families of turtle ducks took up temporary residence and she'd spent parts of her days playing with them.
Now, the moonlight reflected off the pond, casting a spotlight on the lone Sato, perfectly capturing all the emotions running through her eyes and mind as she digested more of her father's words.
Asami,
I'm not sure how much you remember about your mother, but she was the most beautiful, caring woman in the world. I always thought we would grow old together, and one day, you'd be on our doorstep with your own kids – the next generation of Satos. Like me, I know she'd be proud of the strong, independent woman you've become today.
She was only visiting Republic City with a friend when I first met her. No words were exchanged as we passed by each other on a busy street, but she locked her stunning, golden honey eyes with mine long enough to hypnotize me. A breathtaking smile graced her lips. She passed me without a second glance, but those eyes and that smile left me paralyzed in the middle of the street. I smiled like a lovestruck little boy with his first crush and waved at her passing form like an idiot. Without thinking, I chased after her. I had no plan, but I could not let her slip through my fingers.
For the remainder of her trip, I spent every free moment I wasn't in the office with her. I apologized profusely to her friend for making her a third wheel, but she was happy for your mother. She especially liked it when I sent them back home in style in a brand new Satomobile.
Your mother, bless her heart, argued that it was too much. But it wasn't. I'd only known her a few days and there was plenty I didn't know about her, but I knew we had formed a connection. A connection I never expected to form in the middle of a busy street with a complete stranger from out of town.
Our arms were wrapped around one another beside the car, foreheads pressed together, delaying her departure. Being a gentleman, I began to pull away from her, but imagine my surprise when she pulled me down and sealed our lips together. That was the first of many kisses between us. I cherished every kiss, every touch from your mother, but she deserved so much more and I wish I could have done more for her.
A year later, she returned to Republic City permanently. She uprooted her life in her hometown to be with me and have a family. She grew up in Sanmyaku, a town on the most western part of the United Republic that's mostly farmland and surrounded by mountains. It was one of the first colonial settlements from the Hundred Year War. There's even a spring there – Heiwa Springs – that she absolutely adored. I visited Sanmyaku several times with her, but after her death, I could never bring myself to return there. Sanmyaku never came up in conversation between us afterwards, but you had visited several times when you were little. I am mortified I never took you there after her death so a small piece of your mother could be with you. With us…It is one of my greatest regrets.
Love,
Dad
Shame filled Asami, hands dropping into her lap. Gazing out at the pond, she realized how true it was. After the investigation of her murder, it was rare that her mom ever came into conversation between the two. Between him getting swept up in the business as Future Industries expanded its product offerings and growth, her self-defense classes and regular education, and their father-daughter time in the workshop, Yasuko wasn't a part of the tangible equation. However, she was the driving force behind everything.
They'd visit her grave a few times a year, and for that little bit of time, that was when he reminisced about their time together as a couple and as a family. The older she grew, their visits together and reminiscing dwindled. For years, he was silently fuming and shifting the blame from one person to the next. He buried himself into his legitimate work, but also Equalist work.
She chose to conceal all the memories she had of her, protecting them from getting distorted, but in the process, some of them seemed to be lost forever. She vaguely recalled Sanmyaku, but beyond the name, nothing else came to mind.
The longer Asami thought about it, the stronger the tightening of her throat became. A shudder ran up her spine followed by a restrained cry. She brought her hand to her mouth, closing her eyes, narrow streams of tears falling down her cheeks and onto the fabric of the seat. In her haze, she'd forgotten that releasing all the pent-up emotions was the point of reading her father's letters.
Asami always held her emotions in, focusing on others and helping them. She wasn't accustomed to thoroughly processing her own emotions most of the time, but especially when they concerned her parents. The last time she'd felt such riveting emotion was when Korra was gone, and she was left to process those feelings by herself, unsure if she was genuinely concerned about her friend who suffered a traumatic event or genuinely catching romantic feelings for her.
In the panes, a conflicted woman stared back at her, quiet tears streaking her cheeks. She wiped away all of the evidence, taking a moment to compose herself and study the almost broken reflection. She peeked past the curtain to see Korra fast asleep and oblivious to her late-night thoughts. Seeing her made her feel a little better. She knew she'd have to tell her about it, she wanted to, but it was late and they both needed sleep.
Asami took a deep breath, preparing to vacate the bench seat and out of the moon's watchful eye. Korra remained fast asleep as Asami returned the letter to her nightstand and slipped back under the covers. Needing to feel connected and comforted, she curled up against her back and wrapped her arms around her waist.
"I love you, Korra," she whispered into her hair, laying a soft kiss there.
And at long last, the CEO drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
The following afternoon, Asami met with Zhu Li and discussed the progress of the many construction projects of Future Industries. At the rate it was going, by the end of the year Republic City would be better than it ever was thanks primarily to Asami. An urgent call came through near the conclusion of the meeting so they ended prematurely.
On her way out, she waved to Zhu Li's other assistant, Kaida. She came on board shortly after Bolin, but despite her short tenure as one of the President's assistants, the Earth Kingdom woman fit right in and complimented Zhu Li perfectly.
However, at the moment she appeared to be irritated with whoever was on the other end. That wasn't a good sign for the president. Before Asami could turn around, Varrick emerged from some dark room and wrapped an arm around Asami's shoulders. That nearly got him punched in the jaw.
"How's those plans for our invention?" he questioned, guiding her through the halls. "I thought of the perfect name for it! The Hybrid Sato-Varrickobile or HSV for short!"
"I made some adjustments to your initial prints, but haven't completed them. You can accompany me to my office if you'd like. I was going to grab some lunch first."
"Great, I'm famished! There's this great new place downtown I've heard of. Best roast duck around! It's prepared Fire Nation style so you know it's going to be spicy and hot!"
"Asami!" A frazzled Bolin shuffled from behind Asami with a stack of papers in his hands.
"Bolin, how're you doing?" she greeted, hugging him.
"Oh, you know, it could be better," he answered nervously. "I haven't gotten a hold of anyone Zhu Li or Varrick needs to talk to. What's the point of Zhu Li having two assistants if neither of us can accomplish anything? Kaida's been on the phone all day, and I've been running around town all day. I don't think I thought this job all the way through."
"Give it a little more time before you make any major decisions," Asami suggested, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "How about you join me and Varrick for lunch to get your mind off of things?"
At the mention of food, Bolin cheered up and readily agreed, needing a break from the endless calls and running around town. After getting situated and ordering at the restaurant, Bolin filled her in on his chaotic day until Varrick changed the subject again about his and Asami's collaboration.
"I'd like to put my name on that list! It'd be so much easier for me to visit Opal then. I can take her on a private romantic cruise on the waves during sunset then see the city lights that night without needing separate boats and cars."
While the HSV was an interesting topic, there was a more important topic Asami needed to discuss with Bolin. She recalled the events of the past few days to them, but more importantly, the previous night. Bolin's mouth hung open at the revelation while Varrick twiddled his mustache, deep in thought.
"Is it possible a few of Guan's soldiers escaped? Or maybe Sheng has associates on the outside? We do have the tendency to make people mad when we capture their leaders."
"I'm certain we gathered all of them, but an associate of any of them is plausible. What I don't understand is why I felt it one night, but Korra didn't and vice versa," she sighed. Threats were no stranger to them, but only one of them sensing it at a time was new. "I'm thinking our lull in action is coming to an end, and Team Avatar will be called to action."
"No one is getting in the way of Team Avatar! But most importantly, no one is splitting up my favorite couple!" Bolin cheered enthusiastically and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing a smile to Asami's face. "Congrats on officially moving in together by the way! How's that? Is Korra hogging the bed every night now? Oh wait! I know! You get to wake up with Naga giving you smooches in the morning every day."
"Everything's perfect," she answered, a light blush taking residence on her cheeks. "I get to wake up every morning to the woman I love and kiss her whenever I want. I never knew life could be like this with her. So long as I get to spend the rest of my life by her side, I'll accept whatever the world throws at us. Korra's the Avatar, the world needs her. When she's with me, she's just Korra, but when she needs to tend to her Avatar duties, I'll be right by her side, whether she needs emotional support or an extra combatant in battle. Anything she needs, whenever she needs, I'll be there."
Bolin swooned at Asami's passionate speech, fanning himself. "Who could've imagined all this when we first met? Geez, even last year, I never would've imagined working for Zhu Li and indirectly Varrick."
A flash of a memory from years ago came to mind. Asami leaned her elbows on the table and brought her face closer to Bolin's like she was going to tell him her dirtiest secret, grinning from ear to ear. "You want to hear something funny?"
"Always!"
"When we stayed on Air Temple Island after my home was declared a crime scene, Korra was leading me to my room with Ikki who asked a little too nonchalantly if I knew Korra liked Mako. Then she was her awkward self, obviously trying to avoid what Ikki just said. If Tenzin hadn't interrupted us, she probably would've rambled on about the weather."
"Woah, woah, woah! How come you never told me this?"
"I kind of did. When we were searching for Korra, in that hideout. Mako was dead set on finding Korra and lashed out at me. I asked you if Mako liked Korra because of that and the seed Ikki planted in my head."
"Well, thank goodness my brooding brother didn't come between any of us, but especially you two. Look at you! Successful, drop dead gorgeous, powerful owner and CEO of Future Industries and dating the Avatar! Do I hear wedding bells in the air anytime soon?" Bolin lightly jabbed Asami's in the ribs, but Asami's mind was otherwise occupied.
Marriage. That was a big step. Hell, Korra moved in only a few days ago. Although, she was at her home more often than not so not much changed besides Naga being there every day and having more of Korra's favorite foods stocked. But marriage? They'd only been dating a year though it felt like years.
Asami's silence troubled Bolin. Eyes outcast to nothing in particular, deep in thought. Sensing the potential sensitive subject, he changed the subject.
"I'm going to need to hear Korra's side of the Ikki story. Immediately. I am going to speak with Mako and tonight we're going to welcome you with our presence for a delicious dinner catered by your chef. I will also personally deliver a lovely gift. Are you allergic to any flowers or plants?"
Asami snapped out of her marriage induced brain. "You know it's more likely Naga will consume and/or throw any plant you bring, Bo. Having dinner with you and Mako would be more than enough."
"Hey, your mom was from Sanmyaku?" Varrick interrupted, clearly not listening to their conversation, but Asami confirmed. "I visited there back in the day! Zhu Li and I backpacked on those mountains. Well, more like Zhu Li carried me to the top of one of the mountains. Beautiful, calming spring too. Cleansed my skin and opened up all my pores. You kids should go there! Clear your head of all this nonsense happening here, and you'll figure out how to enticed consumers to do the thing!"
Both of them laughed at Varrick. Anything could come out of his mouth at any time, but his suggestion wasn't that bad. It was along the coast so there was potential for market research.
Outside, they were met with bustling streets filled with citizens. Bolin wrapped Asami up in a tight bear hug and lifted her off the ground, promising to her that he and Mako would be on her doorstep before she blinked. Varrick patted her shoulder, and left with his signature "do the thing!", following Bolin back to Zhu Li's office after deciding she probably needed him more.
After powering through the rest of her day, Asami walked through her house to find Korra in the kitchen munching on some blubbered seal jerky. Lately, it seemed to be appeasing some sort of Water Tribe food craving.
"You better not eat too much of that, Bolin and Mako are coming over later for dinner. I suspect it'll be more like Bolin's coming and dragging Mako over," she informed, kissing her cheek and taking a seat next to her. "What was the all-mighty Avatar up to today? I hope it wasn't consuming our whole food stock."
"Ha, ha," Korra flatly replied with a tiny grin. "I was actually productive. Took Naga around the city for some exercise and then went over to Tenzin's and sparred with a few of the airbenders. How about you?"
Asami sped through her meeting and regular daily activities at work, focusing on her lunch with Bolin and Varrick. Then she delved into the letter, explaining that since she couldn't sleep, she decided to read the next one though it wasn't her smartest move.
"I already knew most of what he wrote," she quietly revealed, flicking a non-existent crumb from the table.
"But?" Korra sensed there was something else, but she was hesitant in finishing her thought. Grabbing her hand and threading their fingers together, she continued, "You know you can tell me anything, 'Sami."
She sighed heavily, but continued on. "He said I never brought up Sanmyaku, and that's why he never mentioned it up or took me there. It's true. I never brought it up." Asami stared at their intertwined hands. He meant no ill-will phrasing it like that, he was simply stating facts. Facts that Asami didn't want to admit. "I'm embarrassed, humiliated I kind of hid a lot of the memories of my mom inside myself. It wasn't often we talked about her openly because I guess it hurt both of us too much."
"There's nothing wrong with missing your mom. If you want to talk about her, we can. If you don't, that's okay too." In an attempt to comfort her, she brought up their hands and kissed the back of her hand.
Asami sighed again, appreciating the little gesture. "My dad didn't explicitly write it, but it sounded like he wanted me to go back to Sanmyaku, experience it to have a part of my mom with me."
"Then let's do it," Korra replied with a grin and no hesitation at all. "A little weekend getaway. We could even invite Mako and Bolin if you want to. A little Team Avatar excursion. The four of us haven't relaxed together for a while. You can have a piece of your mom with you while we bond as a team away from Republic City."
Selflessly, Korra made yet another selfless proposal like last year. Bolin's earlier words crept into her mind, but thoughts of doubt didn't register. Not that any did, but doubts about the timing. Their love was something special that most people would never understand.
Someday they'd be married.
Just like he promised, Bolin and Mako showed up on Asami's doorstep with a large houseplant. Bolin had the biggest grin on his face when he presented it to them, and Pabu stuck his face through the massive plant and chirped. Mako shook his head at his brother's antics.
The noodles and dumplings were delicious as always. Bolin and Korra seemed to be engaged in an unspoken eating contest as those two had eaten eighty percent of the food. That left Asami and Mako quirking their eyebrows at each other across the table, wondering who was going to become acquainted with the toilet first.
Thankfully, that never happened. One of the housekeepers cleared the table before Bolin went in for the kill.
"So, Korra," Bolin began slowly, leaning one elbow on the table, looking suggestively at Korra.
"So, Bolin," she echoed, a little perplexed with his body language.
"I hear a little airbending kid chirped to Asami years ago that you liked Mako at the time and you were being awkward. What's your side of this tale?" He wiggled his eyebrows, excited for a story.
Korra's jaw dropped, astonished. Based on the flustering of Mako's cheeks and Asami trying to hide her giggles and smile behind her hand, they were remembering those times.
"I-I was not being awkward!" she stuttered, looking at her girlfriend. "I was being perfectly normal considering Ikki opened her big mouth. I was just hoping you wouldn't kick me in the face or you had that glove hidden in your bag."
"And damage the Avatar's precious face? Never," she cooed, leaning over and pinching Korra's cheek. "Besides, we may not have known each other as well then, but I clearly remember you being awkward. It was written all over your face you were uncomfortable."
"I could've hurled Ikki through the roof if I knew Tenzin wouldn't have yelled at me," she muttered. "Is it any consolation that there were no pesky airbending kids around when I realized I liked you and I wasn't quite as awkward?"
"You've still got your awkward moments, sweetie. Doesn't matter who you're with in that regard."
"Can we move onto another subject, please?" Mako piped in, not comfortable visiting those old memories.
Asami and Korra eyed each other mischievously, understanding what the other was thinking of for their next move. Both ladies came around the table to Mako's seat. Bolin sat quietly, enjoying the show while Mako was confused. Asami and Korra began an assault on Mako with their lips peppering his cheeks jokingly.
"What are you doing?" he shouted, throwing his hands out at them. "Stop it! Korra! Asami!"
"Come on, Mako. We're all past that. It's just fun to joke about it now. Don't you think?" Korra said as she and Asami returned to their seats. Mako was profusely rubbing his cheeks from his assault.
"Oh, I know! Let's find Mako a lady friend!" Bolin suggested and bounced in his seat. "I bet Opal knows a few single ladies on the island. Asami, I'm sure you know a few single engineers at Future Industries."
"No, absolutely not!" Mako countered, glaring at Bolin. "Besides, with the kidnappings and increased robberies, I don't have time to entertain a girl."
"Robberies?" Korra asked. The kidnappings were a daily segment on the radio these days so unless one lived under a rock, everyone in the United Republic knew about them.
"Small scale thefts. Nothing that's been stolen is of much value which is what's strange. Why go through the effort of breaking into someone's house, someone's business without taking any cash, jewelry? It's mostly been clothes, food, possessions that're left out in the open."
"Triads?"
"No." He shook his head. "We already checked them out because of the kidnappings. They're bad news, but they don't kidnap kids or adults. They lure them in with money, get dirt on them, wrap them in their convoluted webs and trap them there. Everything with the thefts and the kidnappings have been dead ends so far."
"This is getting ridiculous. I think it's time I step in to this. I should talk with Beifong anyway because of the other night."
Asami remained quiet as they discussed the case in more detail. Kidnappings. Robberies. A direct attack on her and Korra. They all had to be connected somehow, but how?
Then it hit her. Asami remembered when she witnessed Korra touch the spirit vines and knew where Wu was being taken then again at the train station. She interrupted them, asking, "Do you think you could connect to someone's energy that's been kidnapped through the vines like you did with Wu?"
Korra chewed on her bottom lip, contemplating the possibility. It wasn't a bad idea at all. "I'm not sure. I've only ever used it on people I've known or met. Toph taught me how to connect people's energies, but it wasn't exactly a year-long course. I could give it a shot at least." Mako agreed. Something was better than nothing.
Before the brothers left for the night, Asami brought up her proposal to which they readily agreed to the following weekend. Mako had a late shift that night so they'd leave late on Friday and get to Sanmyaku sometime in the morning.
The next morning, Asami went in early while Korra slept in. Only after the sun was fully risen did Korra travel to the police station. Korra got on Lin's nerves often, but she was internally thankful for the extra pair of hands. Between the kidnappings, thefts, blatant attack on her and Asami, and other rising crimes, the police were being pulled in every direction.
"It's not only here in Republic City, but the United Republic. Several other provinces are experiencing kidnappings that are more sporadic. We're the hub of it." Lin carefully laid out photos of identified victims so far, none of which were familiar to Korra. "I have another team of officers investigating a lead about a possible black-market supplying mecha suits and weapons from Kuvira which may have a connection too. Whoever they are, they're good at not being tracked."
"They have to slip at some point, right? There has to be a few dozen moving pieces if it's spread out all over the United Republic. Someone is going to slip up if we don't locate them first, and bam! We take them down."
"You'd think, wouldn't you?" she countered, taking a seat. "There's been no evidence. When you and Asami were targeted, that's the best lead we've got now if they're connected. An earthbender. It's something, but not a lot for us to work with."
Korra huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, examining the photos closer. "None of them are airbenders. Skewed towards children. And these are only photos of families who are wealthy enough for photos."
"They're likely avoiding airbenders because you're close to most of them. Plus, that would draw a lot more publicity than it already has. The kidnappings are in all wealth classes, but those stolen from upper classes aren't prominent figures."
"Why?" she muttered to herself. "Is there a hidden message?"
"That's what we need to figure out. That's the key to solving this case and connecting all the dots."
In downtown Republic City, the spirit portal shimmered in the bright rays of the sun. It was a magnificent, beautiful sight that not many were privileged to observe firsthand on a daily basis. Spirits of all sizes and colors circled the portal and others rested among the vines, basking in the human world peacefully. That was until a gust of wind shot upwards, disturbing the peace and scattering some spirits.
"Damn it! Why can't I do this?" Korra groaned loudly, leaning over the vines. She fisted her hands, frustrated with herself. "I created this portal, but I can't find a missing person?"
"Life's never that easy, Avatar. We have to do it the old-fashioned way," Lin attempted to console and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You said you don't exactly have practice in this skill."
"And you said it might not be possible either last night," Mako chipped in from Korra's other side. He was given the esteemed honor of driving the chief and Avatar to the vines. "Concentrate again. Where are Tenzin, Bolin, and Asami?"
Korra closed her eyes and opened her palms, releasing a breath and connecting to all three of them. "Tenzin's in a meditation session on the island, Bolin's in his office, and Asami's in hers along with Varrick."
"To be able to use this power, you need to know who you're searching for and have a connection to that person. It doesn't have to be a strong one like when you found Wu, but a brief encounter at the least," Mako concluded, sounding more like Tenzin than himself.
"When did you become so smart?" she teased, lightly punching him in the shoulder.
He shrugged nonchalantly, a little smirk on his lips. "You know, facing death and travelling with the Avatar and face of the Air Nation, being a detective on the force, at some point, some of that wisdom and knowledge has to rub off."
The remainder of the week and following week flew by and before any of them knew it, they were all walking aboard Asami's airship along with Naga and Pabu. All of them gazed out the windows, taking in their last glimpse of Republic City for the weekend.
Korra lingered a moment longer, wishing she could do more to help locate the missing people, but eventually turned away from the bright lights of Republic City and took a seat on the couch, cuddled up to her girlfriend who was otherwise envisioning what her mom's hometown was like.
Later that night on the other side of town, it was quiet at the police station. Those stuck on the graveyard shift were talking quietly to one another about anything except work. Graveyard shifts could be one of the best times or one of the worse times to work. This night appeared to be the former.
Two of the dispatchers were roughhousing with one another when a single call came in, breaking the casualness of the night. He went to answer it, taking down the address and the situation. Another minor robbery while the occupants of the house were out for the night. The dispatcher moved to alert an officer, but a muffled crash penetrated the door. The other dispatcher that was roughhousing went to investigate.
That didn't prepare anyone for the rumbling explosion right under their feet, lighting up half of Republic City.
Posted: December 28, 2020
Happy holidays and happy early new year! I'll see you all in 2021!
