Story: The Truths We Fake
Genre: Drama/Romance/Mystery
Chapter 4: Truth And Lies
Korra handed Asami a folder from a tote bag which Asami just now noticed. The folders felt heavy in her hands and she knew it wasn't the weight of them that made her nervous.
She sat down on the couch while Korra spent her time pacing through the living room. Asami felt sick to her stomach and Korra's mumbling worried her even more.
"It's all my fault," she mumbled.
Asami wasn't sure how she was supposed to comfort her; they weren't friends and she kept telling herself that as the seconds ticked on. Yet, she knew her and Korra met for a reason. Fate drove them together and fate decided to have its way with them. She takes back what she said earlier about her and Korra being strangers.
"It's not your fault."
Korra's pacing came to a halt as she faced Asami. "What?"
"It's not your fault," she says again, more clearly this time. "You can't blame yourself."
Asami wills herself to spread the contents of the folder out on the table. She scanned over them, observing the written documents and photos. The written documents were written in cursive and the handwriting looked familiar to her. Where had she seen this before?
She held up one piece of paper that had her father's name on the top left corner. "Dear Hiroshi Sato..."
"I stole some records from Mako's office." Korra said, plopping down on the couch next to Asami. "Beifong wouldn't let me do anything outside of interrogation and scouting with Mako, so I searched through the desk draws for more info on who's involved in the case."
Asami stared looked back and forth between Korra and the papers.
"What's wrong?" Korra asked.
"These papers." Asami rubbed her face and sighed. No, she thought, it can't be. She still had the letter in her hands and she could feel her hand crunching it. She glossed over it once more and saw a name she never thought she'd hear again.
Lightning Bolt Zolt.
She threw the letter on the wooden floor and briefly scanned through the others scattered across the table. Each time, she saw his name scribbled somewhere. Asami picked up the folder from which they came and found no apparent date on it. The tab said, "Zolt, B. Lightning".
"I know him." Asami said. "I know him."
Korra reached over and grabbed a photo. She handed it to Asami, waiting for an answer.
"That place seem familiar to you?"
Asami peered confused at the photo. It was an abandoned building. Sure, she made deliveries to the Triads for her father, but she'd never been there. The Triads were the type to work in warehouses and this one was clearly a forgotten hotel. She turned the photo to look at the back of it. A note was scribbled in permanent red marker. "Triple Threat Triad Headquarters".
"I don't recognize this place." Asami says, eyes still scanning the picture. Beside her, Korra tensed and she realizes how close they are, but doesn't mention it. "They wouldn't be found here at all. They work in warehouses and the chances of ever finding them are..." she sits up straighter, giving Korra a smile.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Korra asks.
Asami turns away, observing more photos closer while at the same time ignoring the blush that's probably covering her cheeks. One stuck out and, thankfully, she recognized this one. She expected the files to contain only outside shots of the Triple Threats hideouts, but this particular picture was taken inside.
She picked it up and studied it closely. She felt Korra lean closer to get a better look. Asami's attention gravitated towards her and Korra hadn't even noticed her stare. Had her hair always been that short? Were her eyes naturally blue or did she use contacts? Was she from Republic City? Asami just had to ask—
"Asami, as much as I like the idea of a beautiful woman who's enchanted by me, we actually have work to do." Korra says, staring back at her. Their faces were a few inches apart, but that changes when Korra gets up off the couch, opting for a seat on the floor opposite of her. She doesn't mind because Korra's right. They had more important things to focus on.
"Right," she says, trying to hide her disappointment. "I have good news anyway. About the photo, I mean."
Korra perked up. "Really?"
Asami nodded. "At first I thought the police had it wrong—that this-" she holds up the picture of the abandoned hotel,"couldn't be one of the Triple Threat Triad Headquarters because it's the last place anyone would look. But that's just it. No one suspects them of being there."
Korra simply nodded.
Though Asami didn't know her well enough, she thought Korra would have said something in response.
The silence nagged Asami. This isn't right, she thinks. She stares at Korra who refuses to look at her.
She's lying.
And Asami's not entirely convinced that Korra came here for the reason she did.
"What?"
"Huh?" Korra's staring confused at her now.
"You're..." she doesn't want to say it.
"I'm...?"
But she does anyway, this time changing her statement. "There's something you're not telling me."
Korra bites her lip, nervousness getting the best of her. Asami wouldn't let it go.
She had to tell her.
"Mako's not going to die." she says bluntly. Shrugging, she adds, "I made that up."
"Why?" Oddly enough, Asami isn't angry with her. She just wants to know why because right now, that's the only thing she cares about.
Korra stands, walking silently towards the window. She looks down below, where cars fill the streets and civilians walk among the noisy automobiles. Her voice is a whisper.
"I wasn't lying—I honestly think he's going to die." She turns her body away from Asami, her voice cracking. "I overheard him and Beifong last night. They were discussing the murder. She said there wasn't a chance of him coming out of this alive. She wanted to send someone else, spare his life, but he wouldn't have any of it. He's too stubborn for his own good." A bitter laugh escapes her mouth and she feels the tears leaving her eyes.
She's still laughing by the time Asami gets to her. The laughs turn into sobs as Asami wraps her arms around her, Korra clinging to her, crying on her shoulder while mumbling apologies. Asami thinks strangers shouldn't act this way. But, her logic coming back full force, they're not strangers anymore.
And she doesn't mind it either.
'''
Korra isn't sure what time it is when she stops crying. She must of fallen asleep because she remembers standing near the window, not laying across the couch while the light comes from Asami's slightly opened bedroom door.
She swings her legs over and streches. One glance at the window and she's aware of how late it is. I was here since 11 AM, Korra thinks. It's well past that time now, possibly five or six o'clock.
It's when she's walking to Asami's bedroom, right outside her door, that she pauses.
What was she suppose to say? She thought a simple "thank you" would of sufficed.
Instead, Korra entered Asami's room and in a matter of seconds she was a stuttering mess.
Asami had on the same clothes from earlier, but this time, she sat cross legged on her bed reading papers with huge black framed glasses.
"I'm so sorry! I, I..." Speak you idiot! Her thoughts only flustered her more.
"You're up," she says, taking off her glasses. "Are you okay? I mean after what happened this morning—"
Korra cuts her off. "I'm fine."
"Oh," Asami goes back to reading her papers. Hoping to end this awkward conversation, she says, "You can leave now if you want."
The words tumble out of her mouth before she could stop them. "I can't leave because I owe you an apology." It was true after all that she did owe her one. She didn't want to leave on bad terms.
"An apology for you being upset or an apology for you lying to me?"
Wincing, Korra replies. "Both, actually."
Asami frowns. "I can't be mad at you for getting upset. If I were you, I'd feel the same way. As for what you said earlier, I'm curious. Just what made you think that lying was the best way for me to help you?"
"We didn't know each other well enough, Asami. How else was I was I suppose to persuade you?"
"I'm not that kind of person, Korra. If you needed my help, you should of just asked instead of jumping to conclusions."
Asami stands and puts the documents back in the folder. She hands them to Korra.
"Thought you might of wanted these back."
Korra shakes her head. "Keep them."
"Why? You need these for the case."
"I know," she smiles. "I'll come here again tomorrow."
Korra rubs the back of neck nervously. "If that's okay with you. I am sorry about what I did."
Asami takes the folder and places it on her bed. She contemplates what the other girl said. She doesn't know why she gets herself caught up with people like her. But such troubles wouldn't worry her anymore. What they had was fate. This all happened for a reason and she knows it.
So she's not wasting her chances.
"I accept your apology."
Korra almost leaves the room when she hears Asami ask her a question.
"Why do you need my help to solve the case?"
Korra freezes. She comes up with an answer.
"I'll explain more about that tommorow."
Asami doesn't get to ask Korra what she means because she's already left the apartment by the time Asami steps into the living room, seeing the door slam shut.
'''
The woman walks hurriedly down the hallway towards the chief's office, glaring at anyone who stares at her funny. Her black hair is tied in a neat knot, her green eyes cold, her brown coat and khaki's fitting nicely on her. She doesn't think twice about what she's doing. Her fair skinned hand turned the knob on the office door and her boots click against the linoleum tiles.
"Hello, Lin. It's been a while."
Lin Beifong's eyebrows furrow. "I wasn't expecting you around here for another week."
The lady shrugged and offered her best smile. "Oh, you know how people in Zaofu work."
Lin sat still at her desk, a pen in her hand. "My sister sent you too early. We aren't getting very far on this case and the only leads we have are the Triple Threats and Hiroshi Sato."
"That's all? Are you sure you're not too old for this job, Lin?" Her smile fades. "Saikhan would have solved the case by now."
Lin stood up, hands on her desk. "My team and I don't need your assistance so stop badgering me about it, Kuvira."
A frown crosses her face, though she sounds threatening. "Your teams consists of mediocre officers and a retired female war veteran—and you say my assistance isn't needed?" She scoffs. "I'm here on orders from your sister and she's appointed me as head chief in the investigation."
Kuvira pulls out a piece of paper from inside her purse and hands it to Lin who snatches it from her.
Kuvira smirks. "You do as I say until this case is solved, then I can leave you alone."
Lin makes a phone call, finger pressing on the numbers of her sister's phone number.
She's under Kuvira's rule.
The next day is filled with much disdain.
A/N- Special thanks to mick3y92 for the reviews! I do have some bad news. My internet won't be available for a few weeks. In the mean time, I'll be writing more chapters, but I don't know when I'll get the chance to post them. I'll try and figure something out!
Until next time,
~nerd