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Asami's sleepy eyes blinked once. And then twice with more force to try and erase the fog over her sight.
What had happened?
Sitting up, hazel irises took in what should have been skyline of Republic City, from the view point of her room.
Her real room back home.
Not this fake one belonging to the owner of the castle. After being dropped off here last night, countless questions filtered into the heiress's mind.
So what was suppose to happen now? Was this her new prison? Was there a certain schedule to follow?
She didn't know anything other then the fact that she was alone. And that this new housing was a hell of a lot nicer then the dungeon upstairs.
While it didn't have the deep maroon and tan coloring of her own estate, but the room was far from shabby.
The walls were colored in navy blue and white accents to decorate the top and mid moldings. And below the shadow boxes along the bottom half, was a perfect shade of snow white paint that fell until it reached the deep colored wooden flooring.
The pristine, soft, white rug also made it so her feet didn't have to touch the probably cold underneath.
The design reminded her of the sky overhead of a perfectly untouched winter morning. It also was a little Water Tribe-y in the layout, but the young woman couldn't be sure.
Sitting up, Asami re-slid on her boots, that had been aggressively tossed aside against the closet door.
The furniture was quite impressive. While not 100% modern in design, the rich brown mahogany chic style that complimented both the doorway and the decorations everywhere, were rather beautiful.
So pretty in fact that the pale girl almost felt kinda bad for chucking her boot at the craftsmanship. Almost.
No matter how stunning the room or the castle seemed, it still wasn't what she had prayed to see.
Nothing could replace the hole in her heart.
Sighing as she stood, the nonexistent lighting from the bay window told the heiress that it was probably well into the night by now.
Asami recalled having cried to the point of exhaustion and after being escorted by Bolin. Having collapsed into her new bed while mumbling obscenities about her new 'master'. Then lazily shrugging off her jacket and shoes.
Besides the green eyed boy, everything here was just making the heiress sad/angry.
Everything! But then again...she did feel kind of bad for being so cold to the servant.
Poor boy had been so excited to show her around and she had just blown him off...
Then again, she had been far too sleep deprived at the time to even consider a tour, but now that she was rested her curiosity peeked. Perhaps if she was lucky enough she could run into someone who was willing to show her around.
Opening her door cautiously, the pale girl cringed at the small squeak of the hinges echoing off of the lit hallway.
Wait lit?
Eyes widening, the heiress found herself pleasantly surprised to see that unlike the night before, there were now lanterns alighting the walls and corridors.
Allowing her to see where everything was as though it was still day time.
The master of the house couldn't have possibly ordered for the previously out of use lights to be lit because of Asami...could she?
Brushing off the slight pang of guilt she felt for skipping dinner, the heiress moved slowly to try and recall where exactly she should be going.
She knew there were at least two flights of stairs in the castle. And one of them should be around the far corner.
"Ah hah!"
Correct she was.
Rushing to now hurry to the main level, Asami was stilled in her excitement when a VERY familiar face came into the dim stair lighting. A face that should most definitely not be in this castle.
"V-Varrick?!"
The tall man had been in the middle of eating his midnight sandwich when he heard his name being spoken.
Turning to face the newest member of the house, he smiled widely and took a bow of hello. Not even caring that he accidentally let his snack fly off the step railing because of the gesture.
"My spirits! Asami right? Nice to finally meet you!"
The heiress's mouth moved, but no sound came out.
"I gotta say you caused quite the fiasco at dinner when you didn't show, but the second little Ms. Scar heard how tired you were she settled like it was no one's buisness! Only here a few hours and you got the master wrapped around your finger ey?"
Asami couldn't even properly force herself to understand the words spewing from the man's mouth.
How was it possible for her father's business partner be here?! She had specifically talked to him before setting off in search of Hiroshi.
"I-I you? You were back home! I talked to y-you and-and..."
Waving his hand slightly, the eccentric gentleman nodded in understanding while lazily dropping his plate to the floor with a clank.
"Well of course you think you did, but that my dear is where all your expensive school training falls short!"
Using his foot to push the plate aside, Varrick began to walk back down the stairs, with Asami hot on his trail.
"I am a very busy man Ms. Sato you of all people should understand that. However hectic or not, multitasking is a CEO's best friend! The Varrick you spoke to back home was one of of my many trusted advisors that I had attain plastic surgery and years of training so they could appear as me! I am everywhere and no where at once! That is what I like to call Varr-I-Tasking!"
The young woman's eyes became creased as she effortlessly fell into step by her 'associate' and supposed guide. Her mind could already sense the headache approaching.
"If that's guy back home wasn't...wait then how do you know who I am?"
"Great question!"
Silence.
"...aren't you gonna answer?"
"Oh right! You see I regularly keep in contact with all my doubles through letters, so that I don't have to physically step foot out of this grand ole place. Trust me when I say a lot of careful looks into your past records was done, before I even considered signing the okay to join your business."
Rushing to follow the taller man around a sudden corner, the Sato girl frowned.
"I don't understand this..."
"No one does that's the beauty of it! While my workers handle all of the troublesome stuff all I have to do is sign the occasional paper and BOOM Varr-I-Tasking! There is no need for the actual me in the outside world so I get to use my priceless skills here! And come on, what is more fulfilling in life then serving as a handyman for someone of such HIGH importance while making millions with no more then the occasional signature? Hint, the answer is nothing!"
"High importance? Wait do you know who the girl here really is?"
Completely ignoring her question, the black haired man made a sharp left and opened up a heavy metal door before starting down another set of stairs. This was deeper into the estate then Asami had been before.
Making another turn to go down even further into the estate, the heiress noticed that there was a light coming into view.
"I have heard so much about you and your father from Varrick #4, but I'm thrilled to meet you in person now. True I know everything about you both already, like I met you both without actually ever meeting either of you, but either way a drink is in order."
"It's nice to meet you too. The real one I guess since...um your...double has been doing business with us for years now?"
"NOW you're getting it kid! Varr-I-Tasking!"
The basement type area at the bottom of the stairs was a lavish living style that rivaled that of the upstairs. Countless furs, paintings, and expensive looking objects laid everywhere. Along with more doorways that told Asami that there was also probably a bathroom and perhaps even a couple of bedrooms to spare.
What came as a shock though was the fact that there was a young woman in a business suit typing away at some kind of typewriter in the far corner. She barely acknowledged either of the two and gave them a half hearted nod.
The crazed man poured two glasses of chardonnay, before handing one to Asami while gesturing for her to sit on the red couch.
"My assistant Julie over there handles all the mail and updates I recieve, but as far as I am concerned the whole system has been flowing flawlessly. I have doubles in the North Pole, South Pole, Republic City, Ba Sing Sa, Omashu, The Fire Nation Capital, and even two of them who just wander around for small business opportunities!"
"...You're insane."
"Aren't we all? Truthfully I prefer the term selective in my genius."
Setting down her glass, the heiress gently rubbed circles into her temple and tried to focus on anything but the pounding behind her skull.
But nothing would help her headache until some questions were answered.
"If there are so many of you though how do you know they aren't lying or using your looks and connections to trick you? Don't people notice there are more then one of you and why even stay here of all places when you could be out there keeping a closer eye on your workers?"
The real man took his alcohol down in one gulp and then moved to take Asami's. With a smile he finished both before throwing the glass onto the marble flooring. Not even flinching as they shattered.
With a flourish the tall man gestured for her to stand and follow him upstairs again.
"Sato you worry too much for someone so young. Of course things have gone wrong in the past with that kind of shit, but they were learning experiences! With the help of Julie, I have selected the most trustworthy men in the world to take my place and help better my company. They have no reason to steal, I pay them more then enough!"
Closing the door behind them both, the psychotic business tycoon once again began to lead the way for the pale woman.
"As for if people notice all the me's out there all I can say is who cares? Nothing I have done is illegal, as far as I know, and I am making a nice profit without having to cause trouble with travel. There is no flaw."
In the Sato girl's eyes there were actually hundreds of flaws that could put every Varrick's entire livelihood in jeopardy, but the fact that he had once again avoided her last question made her eye twitch.
Why in the spirits name would someone as well off as him stay in a place like this to serve a girl who clearly had more then enough staffing?
What could make her so worth of even Varrick's loyalty that he had to create doubles of himself just so he didn't have to leave her?
Before she could properly ask him to explain himself further though, they reached the kitchen.
"I don't know about you kid but I'm starved!"
The migraine forming from trying and failing to understand anything that had happened within the last 20 minutes was ignored. Asami had to admit she was famished.
"Actually yes I am too."
"Well great! Come on in and I'll introduce you to Pema. Sweet lady, could make it as a top notch chef in the real world if she could stop having kids every other year."
Pushing open the double doors, the tall man sauntered into the kitchen.
But it was as he struted that the young girl finally took notice of the emblem etched onto the back of his high class jacket.
It was exactly like the black one she had seen the other Varrick wear back home, but with a large flower of sorts engraved in white across the back.
It looked so familiar, yet so distant and unreal.
"PEMA!"
Rushing in so she didn't lose the only chance of a guide, Asami moved to enter the kitchen.
There was a tired looking woman standing before one of the many large stoves surrounding two of the walls.
"Damn it Varrick I told you one sandwich per, oh? Hello."
She smiled sweetly when she saw Asami, but before she could speak two excited children ran to stand before her. One was as bald as a new born, while the other had two twin balls of wrapped up black hair sitting atop her head.
The girl had to be maybe 7 while the boy looked 4? Maybe 5?
"Hi!"
"You're pretty!"
They both spoke at once, causing the heiress to blink in surprise. Whether her shock was over the fact that there were actual kids here she'd never know.
"Oh um? Hi"
"Are you here to break the curse?"
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