Money From Wolfbats
I am so hoping to have this up before the finale. I've actually got butterflies in my stomach waiting for it!
I also have no idea where to go next. I might do a crazy chapter for Amon, you know, just to torment him. But other than that, I'm not sure. Hiroshi Sato maybe? Mako is also still in the works.
Chapter 4: Korra
Avatar Korra sighed wearily and stared at the front of the fashionable high-end clothing boutique. She wondered just how she was talked into doing something like this. Tahno had approached her, and he had looked so forlorn that she wanted to do something to make him happy.
She had not expected to do something at the risk of making herself look stupid.
"When you walk inside, announce that you're the Avatar, and you wish to be clothed."
Korra scowled at the sound of Tahno's voice, but she had agreed to do this. She squared her shoulders, pushed the door open, and shouted, "I'm the Avatar, now clothe me!"
The young woman working behind the counter looked up, startled. She quickly regained her composure and smiled at Korra. "Of course, Avatar Korra. Are you looking for anything in particular?"
"Tell her you need something formal," Ming told Korra.
"I'm looking for something a little more formal," Korra said to the clerk. "I don't really own too many fancy clothing."
"Of course. Right this way."
Noticing Korra's expression on their monitor, Tahno took the microphone. "Relax, Avatar. You don't have to buy anything. There's no reason to be so tense." Korra opened her mouth to reply to him, but Tahno said, "Uh-uh. If you talk to us and she notices, then people might think you're a little crazy."
Korra clamped her mouth shut, ready to go back to the idea of ripping Tahno's stupid hair off his stupid head. Forcing a smile, Korra tried to turn her attention back to the saleswoman. She then recoiled at the pink creation the woman was pointing out.
"Pink isn't exactly my color," Korra began. "Can I see something... darker?"
"We should have made you try that on," Shaozu remarked.
"Do it and I'll kill you," Korra growled.
"What was that?" the young woman asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Nothing," Korra said, a little too quickly. She smiled and grabbed a gown off the rack randomly. "This is lovely," she said, sounding somewhat insincere. The clerk did not notice.
"Oh yes, that style is quite popular," the clerk began.
"Tell her if everyone else loves it then you don't want it," Ming told her.
Korra frowned and shoved the offending garment away. "I don't want something so... popular." she remarked.
"Oh," the clerk replied, looking crestfallen. "Of course." She gestured towards the back of the shop and said, "We have more original pieces that way. If you'll follow me."
"When you walk past the jewelry case, stop and say 'Oooh, shiny!'" Tahno said in her ear.
The jewelry case, slightly to Korra's left, was filled with sparkling jewelry. Gems of all shades of purple, green, red, blue, pink, and yellow winked in the light. Korra wandered over to it and said in a loud, carrying tone, "Ooh, shiny!" She fought back a smile as she heard the Wolfbat's laughter.
"Um, yes, our selection of jewelry is quite lovely," the now bewildered clerk said, "but perhaps you should pick out your formal clothing before finding accessories."
Korra shrugged and said, "You're the employee."
"Excellent job, Avatar," Tahno drawled in her ear. "You've made two hundred yuans so far. Now, when she shows you something, I want you to ask to see the purple, no wait, the green. No, wait, how about the blue? No, the black. No, let me see the purple again. Do that until I tell you to stop."
Korra, absently poking at the lacing on the back of a deep red dress, turned her attention to the sales clerk. She was removing a long, dark blue beaded dress from the rack. "Is this more to your liking?" she asked Korra.
"How about that purple one?" Korra asked, pointing to the first purple dress she saw. When the young woman reached for it, Korra said, "No, how about that blue one?" she pointed to a lighter blue gown near the purple one. "No, that black one over there. Can I see that one?" The clerk, confused and looking close to tears, reached for the simple black dress again. "No, wait a moment. I'd like to try the purple one again." The clerk grasped the gown, but before she could remove it from the rack, Korra said, "How about that green one? Or that burgundy?"
"OK, Avatar. That's enough. Looks like that poor girl is about to start crying. Tell her you want to see the menswear. All of these gowns are too girly for you."
"Can I just see the menswear? I'm sorry, but all of these gowns are just too frilly for me."
Even though Korra offered an apologetic smile, the young woman bit her lip to try to stop from screaming. She had no idea that Avatar Korra could be so demanding! "How about I get someone else to help you?" she asked.
"Grab her arm and tell her 'No, that's fine', then lead her to those tailcoats over there." Ming said.
Korra linked her arm with the other woman's and said, "No, that's OK. I like you. Now, let's go see those tails over there!"
"If you like," the woman said with a sigh. "Our tailcoats are made from the finest materials all over the world, and are designed by the top designers in the city."
Korra ran her fingers along the sleeve of a pale blue coat. At Shaozu's insistence, she asked, "Does Councilman Tarrlok shop here, by chance?"
The woman blinked slowly and said, "I believe so, yes. What does that have to do with anything?"
"Nothing," Korra began. "Just wondering."
"You've made it through the first round, Korra," Ming said. "You only have to do four more things, then you can leave. First thing I want you to do is tell the very helpful clerk that you're hungry."
"Hey," Korra said, turning her attention to the other woman. "I'm hungry. Have you got anything to eat?"
"No, I'm really sorry. We don't sell food here. There's a lovely restaurant down the corner," the clerk began, looking for a reason to get Korra out of the shop. She gasped in horror as Korra, per Ming's request, grabbed a nearby scarf and began to chew on it.
"This tastes like really bad seal jerky," Korra told her. She took the scarf out of her mouth and offered it to the clerk. "Want to try it?"
"No!" The woman cleared her throat and calmly said, "Excuse me, Avatar Korra. I just remembered I was supposed to call one of our designers about a suit they are working on for a client of ours." She bowed and hurried to the back of the shop.
Korra replaced the scarf on the rack, pushing it towards the back so no one would pick it up. "You guys are insane," she hissed.
"What can we say," Shaozu replied. "It cheers us up. For your final one hundred yuan task, go dive into that clothing rack over there. When someone comes along, I want you to leap out of it and declare, 'I am Amon, give me your bending!' and jab at their forehead."
Korra stifled a laugh. "Really?" she whispered.
"Really," Shaozu replied.
Korra wriggled into a rack full of discounted suits and waited. It was only a minute or two later when a young man wandered over. He thought he had seen the Avatar near the suits and was hoping to have a word with her. To his surprise, she popped out of the clothing rack and began poking his forehead. "I am Amon," she shouted. "Give me your bending, now!" The young man leaped back, knocking several hats off the hat rack he landed against, then scurried towards the door.
By that time, the clerk that Korra had clearly upset returned, along with her boss. "Speed round time! Hurry, before they kick you out!" Ming said. "You have thirty seconds. Grab as many clothing items as you can and carry them to the register. At the end of thirty seconds, I want you to shout 'I have no money!' before running out the door."
As Ming explained her final "assignment", Korra watched the manager warily as he approached her. "Avatar Korra," he began, only getting that far in what he had planned to say. Before he could even complete her name, Korra began racing around the store, grabbing clothing off the racks nearest to her. An armful of trousers were tossed onto the counter, followed by several shirts. She topped them off with a few vests, jackets, and a hat as the Wolfbats counted her down.
"Three... two... one...!"
"I have no money!" Korra shouted, then raced out the door, not looking back to see how furious the manager was. She raced down the street, then ducked into the alley where the Wolfbats had parked their Satomobile.
"I should seriously hurt the three of you," she began. "If that girl loses her job because of me – "
"You enjoyed yourself," Tahno said, handing her one thousand yuans. Before Korra could argue with him, he returned to the Satomobile with Ming and Shaozu. Before they drove off, he stuck his head out the window and said, "See you around, Avatar."