Author's Note: I must say, I'm really happy with the reviews and follows and faves I've been getting so far. Thank you everyone, especially my reviewers, because direct feedback is always appreciated. On a personal note, finals week just started for me. I really wanted to get this chapter up before things got too rough, but now I need to focus on my schoolwork. It's very likely that I won't be posting anything else until after I'm home for the summer, so don't expect any new updates for another week or so.
For this chapter, I made some very minor assumptions about things, like Asami's age. I'll change them around if I find out I was wrong in a later episode.
Finally, a special thank you to my friend and beta Mothface. Her help with editing has been invaluable, and she was also the one who came up with the title.
Happy reading!
Night was strange in Republic City. Back home, it always signaled the end of the day's activities. Doors and windows were shut against the cold, fires were stoked, and people returned to their families under an endless sea of stars. Korra quickly realized that, far from nestling into sleep the way the Southern Water Tribe did, the city came alive when darkness fell. Electric lights switched on, clubs and bars opened their doors, and droves of finely-dressed citizens flocked like schools of fish to the most popular venues.
She had been amazed at first by the brilliantly lit Bending Arena and the nightly tide of spectators that filled its seats. But now she was learning that the Arena was only the largest and most noticeable evening event. She was gaining a whole new perspective on the meaning of nightlife by walking through the wealthier sections of the city.
As she got closer to her goal, the buildings became taller and more extravagant. Each one shone like a beacon and flooded its surroundings with light, making it so that Korra had no trouble reading Bolin's directions. She felt as though she was walking backwards in time, turning the night back to day. The streets were certainly busy enough to feel that way.
Korra passed groups of young socialites dressed up in outfits so overly-wrought, they seemed like costumes. They traveled in packs from one club to the next, drunk and loud and brazen. She overheard a dozen half-shouted conversations, all centered around this or that scandal, or which dance hall played the best music. The festivities extended above the streets as well. Clusters of city's elite chatted together on the high balconies of the buildings that Korra passed. She looked up to spot men and women, young and old, leaning over beautifully carved railings, engaged in animated exchanges with their well-dressed companions.
If this is what Pema meant by 'mingling,' count me out! Korra thought grumpily as she dodged another group of intoxicated young men with oiled hair. They stumbled by, one of them turning to leer at her as she passed. He nudged his fellows and whispered something, and they all laughed raucously. Korra felt heat rush to her cheeks, but she kept walking and refused to acknowledge them. If she stopped to beat up every jerk she encountered, she'd never make it to the restaurant on time.
Then she heard a whistle behind her and she grit her teeth. I can totally take these guys. I have enough time, just one little fight and that'll be it. I'll just show 'em little firebending, maybe wrap their greasy heads in ice and... And probably ruin my new dress in the process. She sighed in frustration, tense with the need for action. And then Pema would kill me. With nothing left to do, she drew in a deep breath and forced herself to relax, focusing on putting more distance between herself and the idiots behind her.
Next time they won't be so lucky, she promised, throwing a dirty glare down at the dress she was wearing, silently blaming it for holding her back. The dress itself was black with accents of silver. It came up to her neck and ended in a silver collar that connected to the material in the back while leaving Korra's shoulders and arms bare. It was tight and form-fitting, but in a way that restricted her movements instead of freeing them. Pema had called it an evening dress and promised that this style was 'in' at the moment.
At least... Korra was fairly certain that this one was the evening dress. Pema had gone a bit... crazy earlier with the dress shopping. Korra had only wanted one, maybe two, in case she ruined the first one somehow (like by beating up a couple drunken pigs) but Pema had other ideas. Tenzin's wife had dragged her around all morning and well into the afternoon until they were loaded down with fancy new clothes – most of which Korra was positive she would never wear. She got the impression that Pema didn't get to do 'girl things' with Jinora and Ikki very often.
Whatever kind of dress it was, it made Korra feel like a completely different person. She had even given in to Pema's urging that she wear her hair down for a change. In fact, the only familiar thing about her whole ensemble was her arm band.
Korra checked Bolin's directions again, trying to place herself on the crudely drawn map with scribbled landmarks. Hmm, if I'm reading this correctly, then the restaurant should be right... woah. She rounded the final corner and came to an abrupt stop. Kuang's Cuisine rose proud and tall across the street. It was a highly stylized four story building, complete with covered balconies, ornate overhangs, and an elaborate sign reading "Kuang's" that shone golden in the building's glow. The entire edifice blazed with electric lights and dominated the corner it stood on. It looked even more expensive than Bolin had described.
Korra suddenly felt very self-conscious. I hope this dress is ok, she thought nervously as she stepped into the street. She waited for the trolly to pass by before crossing. Will anyone say anything if it isn't? She was in front of the building now. She ascended the stairs covered in a gold-trimmed red carpet, painfully aware of the smudges of city-dirt she left ingrained in the red fabric. They'll probably just laugh at me over their fancy meals. She stood outside of the main doors, staring up at the expensive and highly polished ornamentation of the lintel. I bet I look stupid. She looked down at her dress and at her Water Tribe arm band that now seemed out of place. Asami's going to think I look stupid. She let out a deep, resigned sigh. Oh well. Nothing I can do about it now. Better just get on with it. She moved forward, pushed open the heavy door, and stepped inside.
The red carpeting continued in the entrance hall of the restaurant. It was wall-to-wall and even covered the stairs that led up to the raised main floor. The railings were a dark wood, painstakingly polished so that they reflected the multitude of lights set in the ceiling. Vases of flowers in sleek stands were spaced evening down the hall. Modern works of art hung from the walls, brightly lit and geometric. Korra had never seen so much finery in her life. A prim-looking man in butler's attire was standing just inside.
"Ahh, welcome to Kuang's Cuisine Avatar Korra," he hailed her, raising his arms in the air and then bowing obsequiously low.
"Uhh... thanks," she replied, staring at his back as he held his pose for an uncomfortably long moment. She was used to getting respect for being the Avatar, but she wasn't used to people acting servile.
He straightened up again. "If you please, your table is this way." He turned smartly on his heel and strode off towards the stairs. Korra had to move quickly to keep up with him.
Man, the only thing I'm going to see of this guy is his back. They were climbing the stairs now. "Hey, can I ask you something?" Korra tried, hoping that she could get an honest answer from someone who knew how things worked around here.
Her guide stopped at the top of the stairs, whirled about, and nearly bowled her over as he bowed again. "You may ask me anything, Avatar. I am fully at your disposal."
"Right, yeah, so... I know you have to look fancy and everything for this place, and I guess I'm just wondering if... well, is my dress ok?" She waited nervously for his answer.
The doorman's lip twitched once in what might have been a smile. His long, thin mustache quivered with the motion, but his face remained otherwise neutral. "I assure you, Avatar Korra, that had your ensemble been inappropriate, I would have remedied the situation immediately upon your arrival. As it were, your dress fully meets the standard kept at Kuang's Cuisine. Now," He laid a hand on the door to the main dining area, "Let's not keep your hostess waiting any longer." He pushed open the door and bowed her through.
Oh... wow. If Korra had thought that the foyer was impressive, it was nothing compared to the high class luxury of the restaurant proper. The first thing she noticed was a live string quartet playing on a raised dais in one corner of the room. The elegant swells of their music softly underpinned the cultured murmur of voices from the various patrons. The room was softly lit. Much of the light was swallowed by the deep red of the carpeted floor and the heavy drapes that hung between each booth along the wall. The drapes were tastefully pinned so that they provided the illusion of privacy without actually closing off the guests from the room. More works of art lined the walls, gentler than the art in the hall. Korra saw multiple scrolls depicting flowers and other scenes from nature.
Black-garbed waiters flowed skillfully between the tables. They brought food, refilled cups, and took orders, but not once did they cross paths. It was like they were all moving along well practiced routes that kept them from bumping into one another. Korra knew that had to be intentional, but it was still amazing to watch. It also helped that the restaurant was far from full. Over half the booths and tables were occupied, but that still left many that sat empty. Kuang's Cuisine certainty seemed popular, but the empty tables kept it from feeling crowded. The Avatar had a feeling that was intentional as well.
Her guide was moving again. Korra followed after him automatically, still taking in the opulence of the room. Everything about Kuang's was foreign from her home and from what she had experienced so far in the city. Finally, she remembered where she was being led and who she was supposed to be meeting, and she looked quickly to the booths lining the far wall. She started in surprise to find that Asami had already spotted her and was watching her approach with an unreadable expression. Korra felt her cheeks grow warmer. Something about that steady green gaze was very disconcerting. Then Asami blinked and smiled, and the moment was gone.
"It's good to see you again Korra," Asami greeted her as the Avatar reached the booth and slid into her seat. The doorman bowed again and, before the bender could even thank him, quickly took his leave.
"It's good to see you too," Korra returned, "You look very nice this evening." It was true, more than true; the young woman looked stunning. She wore a dress like Korra's – sleeveless, with a similar high collar – that was deep red and showed the barest hint of cleavage through a vertical slit above her breasts. Her hair was loose, tamed only by a lone clip shaped like a flower. A single strand of hair was left free from the clip to frame the woman's face. I am such a liar. Korra berated herself. Nice, I said. Just like I told Bolin she was pretty yesterday. That's the understatement of the year.
Asami smiled, "You don't look too bad yourself, certainly a lot better than yesterday. Though I don't blame you, I'm not sure if anybody looks good after being run over." She hesitated and looked away for a moment, tucking the loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I did apologize for that right?"
"Once or twice," Korra said genially. "And really, don't worry about it. I was more surprised than anything else. If you spend enough time with earthbenders, you get used to being knocked down by large, fast moving objects."
Asami laughed and was about to reply when one of the waiters approached their table. "I beg your pardon," he bobbed in a half-bow, placing two porcelain cups in front of them and filling them with hot tea from the kettle he was holding. "Your first course should be along shortly." With another bob, he was gone.
"First course?" Korra blinked in confusion, "But I haven't even seen a menu..."
"Well... Kuang's serves the same first course to everyone," Asami explained. "It's a seasoned noodle soup, it's really good. Then usually you order your main course separately. But tonight... I hope you don't mind, I've been here a few times, and there's this one dish that everyone just has to try. Kuang's is famous for it. So I ordered it for the both of us. If you'd like something else, by all means," she added quickly, "I can call the waiter back..." she began to raise her arm.
"No! No, that's fine," Korra cut her off. "I was just... surprised... uhh again, I guess." She looked to the side and sipped at her tea as a slightly awkward silence fell over the table. Great, nice going Korra, now she knows you have no idea what you're doing. Of course Kuang's serves its own first course. She sighed. "Look," she confessed, turning back towards her companion, "If I do or say anything stupid or make any mistakes like that again... well, I'm sorry in advance. I'm not used to fancy dinners or big parties or anything. Things are a lot different in the Southern Water Tribe than they are here. Just let me know when I do something wrong."
"It's completely fine," Asami assured her, resting her hand on Korra's compassionately. Her hands are really soft. The Avatar tightened her grip on her cup and felt her callouses rub against the fine porcelain. "I'm actually surprised to hear that though," Asami continued thoughtfully, pulling her hand back to take a sip from her own cup. "I mean, you've been living with Councilman Tenzin since you got here, right?"
"Yeah but... what's Tenzin got to do with it?" Korra asked, confused now.
"Tenzin is one of the richest and most powerful men in the city," Asami stated in a tone that told Korra she wasn't trying to exaggerate. "He's Avatar Aang's son, the only airbending master in existence, one of the five members of the United Republic Council, and, by default, the owner of Air Temple Island." She paused as their first course was delivered, a small, steaming bowl of noodle soup, as promised. "I would have thought, seeing as you're the Avatar, that he would have started bringing you around to Council meetings," she smiled playfully, "Or at least brought you to some nicer restaurants. He can certainly afford it." She turned to her soup then, twisting the noodles around her chopsticks in a way that allowed her to take a single, dainty bite.
Korra took her own bite of the soup, albeit a far less graceful one. Several noodles slipped through her grip and slapped her in the chin, and she was forced to slurp them up. "This is really good!" Korra exclaimed. Asami smiled, and the Avatar knew she was being laughed at, at least a little bit. But this time she didn't mind. "As for Tenzin... I think he prefers to live simply. And I get the impression that he wants to keep me out of politics here until I've finished my training." If Tenzin had his way, I probably wouldn't even leave the Island.
"That's right, you're still learning to master airbending. How's that going?"
Korra sighed. "I'd like to say it's going ok but... to be honest, it's not going much of anywhere. I've been able to earthbend, firebend, and waterbend since I was a toddler, but not once in my whole life have I been able to airbend."
"That must be frustrating," Asami sympathized.
"You have no idea. The Masters keep telling me that every Avatar has one element that gives them trouble. 'Often the element that's the most difficult for the Avatar to master is the one most opposite to the Avatar's personality,'" she intoned stuffily, drawing herself up and deepening her voice in her best imitation of Tenzin. "Usually that's the element opposite to their main element," she continued, returning her voice to normal. "So, because I'm a Water Tribe gal, it should have been fire for me, but mastering firebending was only a little bit trickier than earthbending. Airbending just feels impossible." The waiter returned and refilled their cups before taking away their empty bowls. "So... what about you? I feel like I've been doing a lot of talking. What's your story? All I really know about you is that you drive a moped and you recognized me as a member of the Fire Ferrets."
Asami laughed warmly, "Well, those are two very important things to know about me! Let's see, I've lived in Republic City my whole life, I've been driving since I was a toddler, I'm going to be turning twenty soon, and my favorite color is red. Did I miss anything?"
Korra grinned, "You forgot to mention how you recognized me as a Fire Ferret. I'm guessing you're into Pro Bending?"
"That would be correct, Avatar Korra," Asami joked, mock-formal. She sat up a little straighter, "A lot of the people in my circle don't know it, but I am such a big Pro Bending fan! I caught all of the Fire Ferrets' matches this season."
"All of them?" Korra raised an eyebrow. I bet she means in person too."Wow. So... I guess you caught my first appearance in the Arena right?" Korra looked away self consciously. "Honestly, that's a match I wish you hadn't seen."
"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Asami ordered lightly, "The beginning was rough but you were amazing at the end. You really pulled through. Plus you've been training with your teammates since then, and I'm sure they've explained all the rules to you. I can't wait to see you in the tournament!"
Oh man, the tournament. I completely forgot about that. You're going to be disappointed Asami. "Yeah well... maybe next year," Korra hedged, wondering how much she should say about it. After all, these were the team's problems, not just hers. Maybe Bolin and Mako didn't want her going around telling everyone how poor they all were.
"What do you mean?" Asami asked, not sure what to make of the Avatar's sudden reluctance, "You made it in."
"It... just isn't going to work out for us right now," Korra said dismissively, still not looking at her companion. She felt Asami's hand on her own again, and she looked up to find her companion gazing at her, concern and empathy written across her features.
"Tell me," Asami urged, voice low and earnest. "What's the problem?"
Ugh, the eyes! I can't say no. What is it about this girl? Korra sighed. Sorry Bolin, Mako. I'm about to reveal all of the team's secrets. "We don't have enough cash to ante up for the championship pot," she admitted, "So... it looks like we're out of the running."
"That's not fair..." Asami sympathized. Whatever she might have said after that was interrupted by the arrival of yet another waiter holding two covered silver trays.
"Pardon me, Miss Sato," he excused himself, setting the trays down, "Your main course." He uncovered both dishes, revealing some kind of breaded fish entree, and whisked away.
Korra sighed again and picked up her fork, hoping that the meal was as good as Asami had promised. The talk had turned unpleasant rather quickly, and it was reminding her of all the things she was trying not to think about. What she needed now was a good distraction, preferably a delicious distraction. She picked up the knife as well and sliced off a piece of the fish. She was about to sample it when she realized her dinner partner was being strangely quiet.
She glanced over and saw Asami was looking back at her, brow furrowed slightly. "What?" Korra asked. Was I not supposed to start eating or something? She quickly put her fork and knife down, glancing around for the hidden signal she was missing. Still nothing. She looked back at Asami again. "Seriously, what? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You... heard what the waiter said, right?" Asami questioned tentatively.
"Yeah..." The Avatar drew it out, equally confused. "He said this was our main course. Umm... He said 'Pardon me.' What, did he forget the sauce or something?"
"No you..." Asami paused and smiled a strange little smile, "You heard him say my name right?"
"Umm..." Korra quickly cast back over the waiter's words. "Oh! Miss Sato? That's your surname, right? Asami Sato. Why... am... am I missing something again?"
"Wow." Asami shook her head. "I've never..." she laughed then, and it sounded strange. Relieved, almost.
What is up with her right now? Korra wondered, staring at Asami as she laughed to herself. "You've never..." She prompted, hoping that her companion would explain what the big deal was.
Asami stopped laughing abruptly and looked down at her tea. "I've never had anyone not recognize me after they heard my last name before," she said quietly.
"Oh." Now Korra's brow was furrowed in confusion. "Is that... all?"
"Is that all?" Asami exclaimed. "That's... amazing! It would be like if you... if you suddenly managed to airbend, right here and now, without even trying to do it."
"Ooh. I get it. So... it's good?" She guessed.
"Good..." Asami repeated, considering it. "Yeah. It's good," she confirmed. She smiled at Korra then, an open, genuine smile that wasn't hiding any laughter or trying to be polite. The Avatar had the strangest feeling that she'd passed some kind of test that neither of them had known she was taking. Asami looked down and chewed lightly on her lip. "Would you let me take you somewhere tomorrow afternoon?" She asked abruptly. "I kind of want to keep it a surprise, but I could come pick you up from the docks where the ferry lets off."
"Of course!" Korra agreed quickly. She was intrigued. She couldn't put her finger on it, but Asami sounded different now. More real. As though the Asami that she'd been talking with this entire evening had been an act, and she hadn't even known.
"Great!" Asami looked down at Korra's plate, noticing the fork with a bite of fish resting on the side. "I'm so sorry, I've been keeping you from the meal! I wasn't kidding when I said that this dish was famous. Go ahead, eat! You're going to love it."
"I'm sure I will," the Avatar concurred. They both dug in then, and the rest of the meal was spent talking about other things.