Hey guys I'm very sorry for the long absence, I've been so swamped with school work and real life stuff that this just got put on the back burner but one of my classes was an early out so I will have more time again. Thank you all for the reviews and the new followers. I hope you all look forward to updates because it might start getting exciting here soon, hint hint. Also this chapter is a little shorter than originally intended but I really wanted to get something out there for you all.
Updated for Grammer etc.
It was Tuesday morning. The world outside the apartment was quiet at ten AM with only the occasional voices of people walking by down on the street. The silence in the apartment was comforting, as Kuvira had woken up early, as she usually did, and her sister had yet to wake up, also in typical fashion. The smell of coffee brewing wafted through the air prompting Kuvira to leave her perch on the couch to refill her cup from the second pot of the morning. She returned to her spot on the couch and retrieved her textbook from the coffee table, and flipped through the pages to where she left off. After a few more minutes of silence the sounds of Opal waking from her slumber could be heard down the hall in the form of unintelligible grunts.
Kuvira watched Opal pad down the hallway and into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee over the top of her textbook. "Good morning. I'm amazed you're a functioning adult with how much you sleep."
"Pfft, if sleeping in 'til ten in the morning is amazing, Korra's sleeping skills would truly mesmerize," Opal replied dryly before taking a seat on a barstool.
"I'm sure they would," Kuvira answered, looking down at her book when a realization hit her. "Hey, you haven't heard from Korra in the past week have you?" she asked, not looking up from her book. She glanced in Opal's direction without turning from her book to find Opal squinting accusingly back at her.
"No… why?" Opal answered, her voice hard and assertive, still staring a hole into Kuvira's forehead.
"Well I gave her my phone number the day you had her show me to the campus, you know, so that we can talk, we're both adults… What is this? I don't need to defend my giving Korra my phone number," Kuvira sputtered, out trying not to look directly at Opal.
"Yes, yes you do. I told you not to do this, didn't I? Neither of you needs that, especially Korra!" Opal said, almost shouting.
"Oh my god! What now I can't make friends? Kuvira fired back, getting up from the couch and walking hastily towards her bedroom door.
"You can't fool me. You don't make friends, you make acquaintances then fuck them," Opal answered, rushing up behind Kuvira and planting herself between Kuvira and the bedroom door. Kuvira recoiled at Opal's remark, a look of shock permeating her features for a moment before she regained her footing.
"That's just rude. We're family, you're supposed to be nice to me."
"That's bullshit. This is real talk Opal right now. Don't you dare do anything stupid, and before you ask, you know exactly what I mean," Opal said bluntly, finger pointed up towards Kuvira's face.
"Don't wag your finger at me. I just want to know where I can go to the gym, okay?" Kuvira said, after backing away from Opal and leaning her shoulder into the wall.
"…Fine, but just remember… you've been warned." With that, she unlocked her phone and handed it to Kuvira. "Copy the number. I have to get ready for class," Opal said, walking through the doorway to her room and closing the door. Kuvira stood for a moment looking down at the phone with an arched eyebrow.
The familiar sounds, the steady rhythmic thudding of her fists into the bag pinned under her is intoxicating. Sweat, beading on her skin, being thrown into the air with each blow to the punching bag. Occasionally it streams into her eyes, stinging, but she tries her best to ignore it. Everything has disappeared. For now all there is in this moment for her is the unfortunate bag, receiving the brunt of her anger, and the music pounding her eardrums. The music is suddenly interrupted by the text message tone and vibration from the phone strapped to her bicep.
She pulled out her phone with one hand while undoing the Velcro of the other with her teeth. After throwing aside one glove she unlocked her phone to see the new message. She had gotten a few over the past week from Opal checking up on her, so she figured this was just another to make sure she was alive. She looked down at the phone with a feeling of guilt as she saw Kuvira's name on the text.
Kuvira: Hey, just thought I would check in on you. I never got a text from you and I've waited very patiently.
"Patiently, huh?" Korra thought to herself. What was it to her if Korra did or didn't text her immediately? Why wouldn't everyone just leave her alone? "I'm not answering you, you seem too self important…." Korra whispered. "But on the other hand she is hot and Opal's sister," she said, looking out the windows from the second story of the gym, out at the street where the sun was threatening to peak out from behind the clouds. She had been avoiding any contact outside of tolerating the people in her classes for the past week, which she really couldn't justify. "Time to come up with a convincing lie, or at least one that gives me deniability," she thought to herself.
"Oh hey, I've just been so busy with the start of the semester. What's up?" She responded and set her phone on the floor next to her. After a few moments had gone by, which Korra passed throwing a few more fists into the bag she had pinned to the floor, her phone buzzed again. She reached for the phone with a little too much haste and read the message.
Kuvira: I need a gym to attend. Thought you might have a suggestion.
I suppose that I could help her out with that. "Yeah sure. Meet me at the coffee shop we were at last week and we can go from there." Of course Korra would have to run over there and then come back, but it wasn't so much trouble, she figured. Korra packed her bag and left the gym for the coffee shop.
The sky had cleared up, just as she feared it would, and the sun was now bearing down on her with all its might as it turned to midday. It was not that she disliked sunny days, she just really liked the smell of rain, the ambiance, and most importantly, it reminded her of other times. She loved rainy days, but they also had a solemn kind of effect on her.
Korra had been waiting in front of the coffee shop, her gym bag slung over her shoulder and holding two coffees, for five minutes when Kuvira appeared around the corner. When her eyes met Kuvira's she was able to discern the moment of recognition in Kuvira's facial expression followed by a smirk that pulled at the taller girl's lips, which in turn made Korra smile unconsciously.
"Hey," Korra said, smiling and extending a coffee towards Kuvira as she approached. "Coffee the way you like it, medium roast, cream, no sugar?"
"Hi back. Yes, and thanks for doing this. I hope I'm not inconveniencing you too much," Kuvira answered, taking the coffee Korra presented.
"Oh, don't mention it. I wasn't doing anything important anyway. Thanks to shitty scheduling I only have two classes today, one early in the morning one in the afternoon, so I have time to kill," Korra answered as they walked to the gym. They entered the gym and approached the front counter where an attendant was propping his head against the counter top with his elbow.
"I'd like to open up a membership here, if that's not too much trouble," Kuvira said, looking down at the young man.
"Sure thing," He responded without looking at her, grabbing a clipboard from below the counter and handing it to her.
Kuvira got to work filling out the paperwork on the clipboard. Korra aimlessly walked around the atrium of the building looking through the windows outside when a corkboard hanging against the wall caught her attention. She glanced over the various fliers for upcoming events and help wanted advertisements and noticed a job-opening flier for gym staff. "Hey Kuvy, come check this out."
Kuvira snapped her head towards Korra with a quizzical look on her face, "What did you just call me?"
"Just get over here and look at this. You were looking for a little work right?" Korra responded, pointing to the board. Kuvira read the flier and quickly turned back to the man at the counter.
"Also, I'll be applying for this position."
"How lucky there was an opening at the very gym you were going to sign up at. It's almost like it was destiny, get your exercise and work done at the same time," Korra beamed too excitedly as they worked their way towards Korra's apartment. "Do you want to hang out a bit before I have to be at my next class?"
"I would love to, but I need to get back to reading for my classes. I would hate to get behind this early in the term," Kuvira replied, looking over at Korra who was looking at her hopefully. "I'm really sorry, but I will totally take a rain check," she offered when Korra's smile began to fade.
"It's no problem!" Korra rebounded, realizing how she must have looked, her cheeks darkening. "Maybe some other time, don't worry about it," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. They walked in silence a few more yards before Kuvira spoke again.
"Korra can I ask you something?"
"Sure thing, shoot," Korra replied.
Kuvira opened her mouth, but stopped herself thinking about Opal and her warning. She exhaled as she thought about the unopened letter in Korra's room, Opal walking on eggshells around Korra, and Korra's old girlfriend having a new partner. This was probably not an ideal time to ask her about her personal life. Who knew what the reasons were for their breakup and why the Sato woman was over it so quickly. Maybe Korra was a crazy girlfriend, Kuvira didn't need one of those… or maybe Sato was a first rate bitch, who knew?
"You just gunna stand there with your mouth open, or you gunna ask your question?" Korra said, crossing her arms and leaning to one side. Kuvira snapped her attention back to Korra's face.
"Oh no, never mind, sorry. I have to get going though for now, but I will text you later!" Kuvira said, turning the corner and running towards her own apartment, leaving behind a bewildered Korra.
