Re-forging the Soul (Pt. 2)
They stood before the mouth of a beast that held fire in its gape, a sweltering heat that melted their skin from a distance. Yee-Li could feel the cooling drops of perspiration slide below the neckline of her school jacket rolling over each of her vertebra and sending a chilling tickle to her brain. Her eyes squinted as they looked into the mouth of the forge made of brick. The air wavered and sizzled and possibly cook, if that were to be believed that something could be so hot that it could cook the air itself.
Her eyes began to dry and she was reluctant to blink, to look away, from that beautiful flickering color. The oranges and reds mixed toxically together. Yee-Li was mesmerized by the way the red flames would birth orange ones. It sounded like a dragon blowing snot; if that were possible for a dragon to get sick even with an internal heater?
A slick grinding noise of wheels on concrete as an anvil rolled over. On top of it were tongs and a cup the bottom of which was burnt black. A slab of metal and a round little mold no wider than a human finger. Asami wore a sleeveless black tank top; her pants thick leather and dust covered, with patches sewn over the knees were they ripped. When she turned to look her tools over Yee-Li saw there was one sewn across her bottom too. The comparison to her mommy could be made, sure but this was her Aunt and unless she was building something the woman had always worn exquisite clothing. Unlike her mommy who wore ratty things as everyday clothes, work clothes, and if she could she would probably wear them to parties too.
Sure that she had everything Asami turned to her niece and clapped her gloved hands together. They were thick brown leather and hideous unlike the arm length ones the woman wore to events in her honor. Yee-Li was particularly fond of the light blue ones wishing she could try them on just once to know the feeling, she was sure they would be soft and silky on her skin; Yee-Li rubbed her arms despite being in front of the heat.
"You ready Sunshine?" Asami asked as she came beside the young teen shoulder to shoulder, "its beautiful isn't it? I always find looking into it to be so soothing." The woman stared into the opening as her lips curved upward. She let her shoulder bump into her nieces in a friendly gesture. One that Yee-Li was grateful for. Because finally someone got it, got her, or at least connected. She found the flames to be quite breathtaking; she thought it weird to find such a thing appealing. Even the fire place held as much interest even though it didn't do much beside crackle but Yee-Li found it, and this, to be quite soothing like her Aunt apparently did as well.
Asami picked up the crucible holding it by its blackened bottom and deposited the metal ore inside the cup. More solid and heavier than the material it were melting Asami jingled the cup with the metal ore inside like it were ice in a glass. She then took out the hairpin which had been kept in her pocket until then, afraid to give it back for her niece to run away with. Pinched between thumb and finger Asami held it over. She gave the teen a last look to see if her niece had any reluctance. The woman's face sagged as Yee-Li stretched out her hand, Asami handed it over without hesitation.
Stuck in the clasp of the hairpin was a single hair. Brown, but Yee-Li never would have called it beautiful; Yee-Li plucked it and let it slip from her fingers, where did it land? She didn't bother to see. The innocuous object made a small clink when dropped into the cup.
Asami swirled the cup again and hid the knowing frown that wanted to make its way onto her lips. It's probably so impure it's going to vaporize during the process. Asami picked up the tongs laid across the anvil and taped them on it as a way of telling the object it was time to work. She pinched the cup and pulled the goggles hidden in her hair over her eyes. The lenses a blackish red made it bearable to gaze into the blazing fire. Fine skin broke into a sweat and the sweat began to boil as Asami quickly placed the cup into the heat, even such a heavy metal as it was made from began to glow orange.
Backing up a bit Asami let out a relieved breath as she pushed up her goggles. Rubbing her face the gloves left a smudge of black across the space between her brows and down the left side of her cheek. Letting her eyes adjust back to the usual dim light of her workshop Asami blinked them slowly at her giggling niece. There was a mirror that had a crack that crinkled like a lightning bolt shooting from the bottom up. Asami saw her state of affair and grinned at her reflection as she rubbed at the smudge and only succeeded in expanding it down to her chin, a dash had jumped on the tip of her nose; she left the uni-brow. Putting on her goggles again Asami peered into the fire noting the metal in the cup was starting to color orange and the outer layer began to shed as droplets of metal sweated off the block.
"It'll take about another twenty minutes before it's ready to pour." Hands clasped behind her back to keep from wanting to touch the cup within the heat of the fire Asami backed away a bit. The goggles pulled out a few strands of hair as she removed them and handed them to her niece.
Yee-Li tried them on, at first they slipped down the bridge of her nose one lens hung over her eye while the other slipped down to cover her cheek. Telling her to hold on Asami came up behind and adjusted the straps so they fit tight. It was slightly painful but the woman explained it was better than them slipping and Yee-Li didn't want to imagine what that might feel like. The room was near pitch black and she could see not a foot in front of her but when she looked into the fire there was a bright light more so than looking at the sun on a foggy day. Even with protection Yee-Li felt the need to squint. The fire held her attention while her Aunt held the teen at a safe distance by her bicep. "Wow," the teen gave a breathy reply. Heat baking skin and filling the teen with a pleasant feeling like lying in the sand on the beach. Soon it grew to warm and too soon Yee-Li stepped back, removing the goggles and blinking to remove the spots that danced like a waking dream in front of open eyes. Her body began to cool but it left a tingling sensation on her skin. Prickly, she shivered at the cool air in the room. Yee-Li bunched her skirt as she pulled up her mommy's pants which had slipped past her hips.
Tools clinked and a wrench bigger than Yee-Lis hand thundered as it hit the ground, spooking the teen. Her Aunt was rummaging through the drawers of her tool chest; which had more compartments than her vanity, both wide and tall it could touch the pointed chin of her Aunt. Lips rubbed together as a tongue vibrated inside her mouth the woman hummed as she hunted. The lost item so happened to be a small light brown pouch cinched up tight with a blue ribbon. The choice of color for the ribbon was odd since the food inside originated from a different nation.
"I have to say, he is a wonderful butler and all. Always on top of things and I never have a complaint about him, except that I'd wish he'd speak a little louder," Asami said as she unknotted the ribbon, "but-even so I probably would of hired Laurenz because he's the only person in all of republic city who knows how to make real, and I mean it sunshine, he knows how to make a fire flake. None of the pastry shops in this city can get the recipe right." Pressing her nose inside the bag the woman took a whiff sealing it around her nose to greedily not let any of the smell escape. It was a couple of days old, and cold, but the spices were still strong. "They remind me of my mothers." Speaking soberly Asami took the tongs and pinched the bag putting on her goggles again the woman walked closer to the fire. Asami reheated them by the magnificent and dangerous flame produced by the forge. When the pouch began to darken so Asami removed them less it went up in flames. Setting the steaming bag on the anvil Asami pulled her goggles onto her forehead the dark lenses making the woman look like she had another pair of eyes. A shudder caused the woman to flex her fingers out of one of the gloves. Careful she tapped the fleshy hide of the bag it sent a jolt of heat through her finger and made the woman drawback; to cool it down Asami stuck it in her mouth. The saliva helped to take the edge off and numb the pain. Sheepish the woman shrugged. Using the glove that she still had on Asami picked up the bag and awkwardly tried to open the top of the bag with the tongs.
As soon as the air hit the fire flakes they began to steam. Luscious red lips blew a couple of times until Asami soon felt that she could give it another try. Wiping a hand on her dirty pants she pulled a flake out, which was warm but didn't burn her, and ate it. The woman exhaled heavily through the nose quite pleased with the treat, and offered some to her niece after she had another.
They tasted stale and some had a charred texture. The heavily spiced flavor evoked a memory of a trip Yee-Li had taken with her mothers were she got to experience this same authentic style. Yee-Li held a smile for the same reason that her Aunt did the two of them reveling in memories linked to their parents; though her Aunts eyes seemed ill focused with the present, and somewhat misty.
Each enjoyed the snack while they waited for the block of metal to turn into a simmering liquid of pure molten color. At that point Asami was ready; her tone became crisp and authoritative as she readied the mold on the anvil. Instructing her niece to give her a wide berth the woman fitted her gloves back on and affixed the goggles over her eyes. Mouth serious and flat Asami picked up the tongs and all went quiet. Focus was the key. So was being quick about it before the metal had time to cool or else the casting would go wrong. With nothing between the forge and the anvil Asami fished the crucible out of the fire. With quick and mechanical steps the woman made it to the anvil and began to pour. The hiss was low as the usually solid material had been turned into a liquid and forced through the small opening. Some of the cooling orange liquid splashed over the side and Yee-Li held her tongue when her Aunt let loose a curse; only her momma had cursed in front of her just once; it was a bad memory to dwell on and was easily thrown away when it tried to come to the forefront of her thoughts after so much time past. The liquid metal quickly paled further thereafter as it lay on the anvil.
"The hard parts over," Asami wiped the sweat from her brow this time a streak of black left itself across her forehead. A gloved hand picked up the mold, "Don't worry its settled," the woman said with a smile to assuage the teens anxious stare and helped her hands to relax as they outstretched towards her Aunts held palm; for the teen was afraid that whatever may be inside was no doubt small and brittle. "Here," The mold was placed delicately in a trembling hand the weight of it heavy on the soul.
Asami stepped close leaving the object in her niece's hand she began to pull the mold apart. What tumbled out was small, round, and unpolished. A piece of dry metal clung to the ring like an ugly wart. Her Aunt laid the mold on the anvil, she'd put it back in the safe later. Maybe now Korra would want to make a copy of her own when she sees this. Lins given her a betrothal necklace and what has she given that woman in return...nothing. Korra had already given Lin the dog what much could a ring mean except to cement that Korra wanted to spend the rest of her life with the other woman. Even if Lin was off putting, uncouth, and Asami had been ticketed a couple of times for speeding and the woman wouldn't get the fine waved.
Impolitely Asami snatched the ring away as the teen turned it about there was a weird etching on the band that her mind tried to put together. Dragging a stool across the floor the squealing sound of which made the teen cover hers ears. Asami set the stool in front of a work bench, the ring clanged and spun round on its surface. Taking a pair of pliers she removed the metal clump leaving a ruff jag that didn't remain long when Asami took out a small tool with a cylindrical and gravely tip, when she switched it on the tip spun and when it met the jag on the ring it was soon ground flush. The tips were switched out for one that looked a little softer as Asami ran it over the ring the silver became clearer, more reflective and attractive even. As her Aunt worked Yee-Li watched over her shoulder fascinated for sure but also a little gleeful.
She was sixteen and had only a piece of jewelry when girls younger than her had more than enough to fill a box. The whir of the machine stopped with the inside being polished smooth for a perfect fit with no discomfort when slipping it on and off. Asami closed one eye bringing the ring close for inspection. Flipping it around between the fingers of her hands Asami studied it for imperfections. It wasn't made from anything fancy but it would last well enough if taken care of. Now Asami could show Yee-Li how to take care of jewelry; she felt a giddy rush concerning the idea.
The loop was held on the end of a short yet well manicured nail, "try it on." Asami said watching as her niece shyly took it off and slipped it on her finger. A giggle was bitten back as she saw the teen's eyes glow, stretching a hand out in front of her face closer to the light bulb in scrounged and dented fixtures above their heads.
Yee-Li could see the design much better now and her eyebrow rose curiously, "why is it a kite?" Had that been the reason her Aunt had never used the mold? Because it was rather silly?
"That's... your mommy never told you about the Great Spirit-Raava?"
"Nowaaa." The teen's jowls shook her vowels loose in awe yet confused as to why a spirit would have no face; even the carrot spirit had a face. She saw that the kite was composed of both curved and straight lines with a long tail that trailed around the outside of the band. Now that she had a better look Yee-Li thought it was a rather ethereal creature as she wondered who this Raava was, would her mommy take her to meet this spirit if she asked. Maybe Yee-Li didn't want to if it was supposed to be the Great Spirit. Had her mother met them before? Now more in awe of her mommy than ever for having the courage to meet someone so revered that even her Aunt Asami knew them. Because if Asami Sato didn't know you than you probably weren't all that worth knowing.
As Yee-Li continued to look at the ring which started to make her think more about who exactly her mommy exactly was rather than the just as the woman who raised her, but who she was to other people. Her Aunt pointed out that the ring was on the wrong finger. There's a right way to wearing a ring, Yee-Li pondered as her Aunt slipped the ring off her left hand.
Asami gave a chuckle as she saw the way her niece's eyebrows knotted rather cutely. The teen began to wear on her bottom lip as she tried to take in what her Aunt began to tell her, "This one's reserved Sunshine for...you know, the one. You put it on this finger." Switching to her right hand and slipping it on her index finger which flexed and felt the light pressure of the ring holding on. When she relaxed it moved but thankfully couldn't get past the second knuckle.
Took me two months because of Korra's crazy standards, we went through thirty-six separate designs till she picked this one. Which had been her first choice too, Asami grumbled internally. Reliving that period of time when she and Mako had received midnight calls from a hushed voice who wanted to talk about what might make a good ring. And in the end you chickened out because Lin beat you to it first. A beautiful ring that Asami hoped would elicit jealousy in her friend. It gave the woman the thrill of being young again. She wasn't trying to be cruel she just wanted to whack some sense into Korra and pay her back for all that work she had done for free and all of it having been for nothing. Yet as Asami saw her niece finally put on a genuine smile, one filled with happiness and her eyes gaining back some of their luster along with a natural rosiness to her cheeks, it was worth the wait to see the ring on someone's finger.
Striking, grown up, the ring felt like a lot of things and meant a lot of things; however, one emotion that was staring to win out as Yee-Li spun it and watched the Great Spirit fly around her finger and that was guilt about having something so nice that had come from an item with a lot of malice recently attached. This was a symbol that she had broken someone's heart. I should feel worse than this.
"Why should you feel bad at all?" Asami said to the teens shock; had she said that aloud?
Yee-Li stuttered, "I-thank you," first instinct when you get a gift was to thank the person as her mothers had always told her, "really thank you but," the teen sighed as she held her head as the room began to spin, "I shouldn't be happy to have such a beautiful ring-thank you," the words going on repeat a few times more as she tried to force her face into a frown. Her feet felt weak, torso swaying as the feeling of sickness gripped her strongly and concentrated in her stomach. She wasn't on a boat, or swinging around republic city of which she hadn't been able to do since she'd gotten taller and Yee-Li really missed doing that with her momma; but Yee-Li was sure she was about to throw up. Hand to her stomach as it ballooned from heavy breathes.
"Hey," the sweet voice was able to reach her as something touched the small of her back the other hand laid upon that bone over her heart and between her lungs. The calm way it rested on her sternum gave the teen relief, "that's life sunshine people walk over you sometimes, and sometimes-you walk over them," Asami winced at the choice of words but there came a thrill from speaking them too, "you've been through it, now let it go." Not everyone can let go of their baggage as Asami knew well enough. The things we don't let go of will follow us for the rest of our lives. This kid was young and it wouldn't be good to carry such a trivial guilt for that long a journey.
Sure Yee-Li wanted to let go, after all she wasn't in love with Xiu anyway. There was no feelings at all except for friendship which would have been a kinder blow than accepting Xius feelings and allowing the other teen to entertain such fantasies of love between them when Xiu should have had them for someone else. Now Xiu could and Yee-Li hoped that the person would care for her and love her like her mother's did each other.
"I wanted to love like they do." Yee-Li said wearily, as her Aunt sat the kid on the stool by her workbench. Her Aunt stroked the back of her head. Yee-Li closed her eyes and she started a thunderous and sporadic hum. The kind was anger and confusion was allowed to be vented. With it came the peace.
Till Asami had to correct one little detail, "they don't want you to love like they do," wrapping her arms loosely around her shoulders, "your mothers want you to love who you want too. I know that that is all they could ever hope for. You're their world and the moon and stars and everything else, including whatever may lie in the spirit world."
The humming stopped and Yee-Li touched the forearm over her chest. The skin felt more exquisite than one of the woman's many Ming vases. More polished and of a rarer quality both in what was on the outside as well as the inside, Yee-Li could feel the beating of a heart through the contact with her shoulder. It beat proudly behind those bones almost similar to how her mother's hearts felt.
. . .
Balls of light the way to the front door as footsteps echoed evenly on the stone, the walkway made up of simple rectangular patterns that repeated. Dead shrubbery stretched its limbs from the snow which covered them. Some large trees were lit from underneath to show off their white branches flecked with white. Statues of maidens held pitchers out of which nothing flowed into basins frozen over at their feet. One woman sat atop a graceful fox antelope among the snowy yard she rested herself upon its lengthy horns that jaggedly pointed towards the black heavens. Face somber; wandering the frozen yard with no one to talk to, no one but her fox antelope for company.
Adjusting his scarf tighter did not however, keep his breath from pluming in the air. Even if someone were using fire bending to keep warm there was always a way for the heat to escape. The leather gloves were tight over his knuckles as he clenched and unclenched them with a sticky stretching sound like flesh pulled taught. No worn leather or bald spots he had duplicate pairs of the same dark penny color. Cleaned and warm and handed to him each morning by his girlfriend's butler, the man was amazing even if he saw suspicion behind that smile. The man was tight lipped about his past before coming to serve his girlfriends father, and there was nothing to dig up in republic city. It was impossible to get any other law enforcement outside the city to share their criminal reports; he would have to rectify this. If everyone across the four nations could pool their knowledge together then they could catch criminals that had gone across borders, across oceans, anyone who might even be hiding at either of the poles; which was an easy place to disappear. Then maybe he might be able to find something on the man named Laurenz who served his girlfriend dutifully.
The double doors were solid though they looked to be made of wood but were sandwiched between a sturdy sheet of metal that could stop any bender in their tracks baring they weren't the avatar herself. The only hint that this was in fact the mansion belonging to the owner of future industries was the carved gears rising from a plane on each of the doors. No doorbell, of course for a stranger to even get this far they would have to get over the stone wall surrounding the entire property. There was security patrolling the outside and if anyone were to somehow get onto the grounds they'd have to deal with the owner. Asami kept an electric glove in her study and a mecha tank in the garage. May the spirits be merciful to any who would try to attack the Sato mansion.
A heavy dreariness overtook the man as soon as the doors closed. Hard not to drag the fatigue home though eased slightly with his coat hung on the coat rack. The scarf draped with care so as not to fall to the floor and get dirty. It was a gift to replace the one he had given his grandmother, or more accurately to be said returned. The man ran a hand over the dark gray material. A fine cotton heavy for the winter but he wore it even in spring and summer because old habits were hard to get rid of. When he got to work he'd shed it there at least to keep it safe and look proper. Then again how would he ever find the time to drag it into danger when he sat behind a desk all day listening to the voices that didn't come from inside his head but from his advisor and men? Wish I could at least wear a proper police uniform. Sure he had a nice dress jacket the same dark black as his men and a badge to go with it, but it wasn't meant for a fight, the man removed that too and slung it over his arm, underneath was a simple striped shirt with a gray tie, the collar still kept some of the warmth from the morning when Asami had fluffed it to make him more presentable, more aristocratic. Though that word wasn't one he would use to describe himself who had spent his youth on the streets stealing food to live.
Sometimes it was hard keeping the peace both tiresome and back breaking maybe even soul crushing if the man wanted to add in a third side to complete the triangle he lay underneath. Sometimes the good guys win; he tried to make that happen as much as possible. Other times the bad guys get off on a technicality. This had probably been because of witness tampering. His men would find out if this were true and put them behind bars for double the original sentence. Overtime had been approved to help make that happen. Lu and Gang wanted this as much as he did. They'd been fiddling their mustaches for answers the past couple days since the verdict came to figure something to convict on.
"The law is what binds us, it also shackles us." Someone he considered a mentor once told him about what it meant to work for the police in republic city, "we often see the criminals free but that was our fault isn't it? Because we made up the rules to this game and their cheating while we have to play it straight." The chief, his chief and she would always be chief not just Lin the wife of his friend had explained.
A loud slapping sound echoed in the foyer that grew lost as it ran down a few hallways. These thoughts were meant for the work place and Asami would not like it if her boyfriend dragged his work home. But it's ok for her to go on and on about her plans at the dinner table. The man grimaced as his caterpillar sized eyebrows wiggled their way into the middle of his face. Grumbling he walked to the staircase the glass globes were already lit and shining brightly in the statues hands. So was every other light in the home, as his girlfriend didn't have a very good understanding of where electricity came from; people like him. Would it kill her to turn off some of these lights? But it made Asami feel safe to be able to see into every room even those whose doors were closed and locked and no one could enter without a single key which Asami held onto. She won't give me one, the man could easily ponder why, or ask, but scars were better left to heal and not touched even so long after such a time because just dragging a finger along this one, that was especially delicate and always tender, could easily reopen the wound.
Half way up the steps he heard someone call out, it was muted, but the man turned to the voice and the person at the foot of the stairs, dreadlocks tied nice an neat behind his head a tray held in his hands. The fine china plates were empty with forks picked cleaned, napkins had been daintily used to wipe any trace from the pair of eaters lips. Laurenz had the same kind of nose as Korras, round and wide nostrils and deep ocean blue eyes. Though from the water tribe he was a non-bender like his girlfriend; the same as all the staff employed.
The man was staggered on the steps, but nodded at the butler descending a few to close the distance so that he might better hear Laurenz speak.
"Your home Mako, and not to late either, Asami is still wake." This first name basis with his girlfriend always raised the hairs on the back of Mako's neck. Every other staff member referred to Asami as Ms. Sato.
"Where is she?" Gruff, to the point, Mako was tired from a long day and wanted something to eat and to see his girlfriend.
Laurenz never missed a chance to smile exposing the plaque hidden in the edges of his teeth, unnoticeable to anyone but Mako.
"Where's is she?" Mako asked picking a piece of lint from his coat.
"She and her guest are in her study."
"Guest? She didn't tell me anyone was coming over tonight. Is it a business partner of hers? Should I make myself scarce until they leave?" Growing up on the streets shaped ones demeanor and usually that demeanor was that of being a rather unapproachable person, a wonderful trait for a police officer; the eyebrows also had a little something to do with it too as they tended to scare people of higher status more easily.
Laurenz had a knowing gleeful tone as he said, "No, I think the two of them wouldn't mind a gentleman's company. Would you like me to prepare you something to eat?"
"Na, I'll get something later." The man waved his gloves at the butler, "you said she was in her study?"
Laurenz inclined his body to confirm, the silverware sliding across the plates, and left Mako to his own devices as he walked to the kitchen to clean the dishes.
Mako went to the bedroom, the lights already on. The door on the left was his closet. Large and packed with many suits, ties, and other formal wear that had been a gift, there were so many pairs that he needn't wear the same thing twice. Stripping to his undershirt and boxers both a bleached white Mako threw the days clothes in the hamper. For a while he had just left them on the ground until Asami's nagging finally brainwashed him into doing it her way. A clean room was a happy room. That was her motto. Had she not seen the state of her own workshop or her desk? No one knew that the always orderly Asami Sato was in fact a secret slob.
The man slipped into something comfy, a green silk shirt was the first thing he put on doing the buttons all the way up. Mako would of been more contented to leave it undone and show off his tank top underneath, as he knew Asami liked, but they had a guest and he would at least dress nicely even if Asami though he didn't act that way sometimes. The shirt paired with a pair of matching pants before he made sure his feet were warm in the cold mansion with a pair of black slippers. Made of a nice material nothing cheap as Asami loved to spoil her boyfriend. It wasn't like he couldn't buy them himself it just wasn't really worth it to spend all that money when he could buy food, or bed sheets, or other supplies needed for basic living not that he needed to pay for any of that while he was living with Asami. Still it hit the man in the ego to learn how much his girlfriend was actually worth and here he was doing his civil duty and would barely be able to make ends if he were trying to live on his own. How had Lin ever done it? Even with Korra living there it wasn't like the Avatar received a salary or anything. Did she?
Mako descended the stairs but turned away from the hallway which leads to his girlfriends study, instead he took another root. A hallway lit brightly, the same as every other, but as Mako moved down it the air grew heavy and moist. He was alright with the heat what fire bender wouldn't but not the feeling as the moisture air clung to his clothes. Unable to get the fox antelope out of his head he thought he was hearing the sound of thousands of then galloping in the room as he entered. A wooden door held a frosted window with a tree of iron pressed into the glass. The glass had condensation on the inside that dripped down and swelled the wood. It was hard to close and harder to open during these colder months what with the heaters working day and night to keep the room at a certain temperature for their guests until summer came and they could go back outside.
A ruckus started as soon as the door wedged shut. They gave baritone calls; like their squeaker had a defect so instead of a nice high pitched quack it came out as a low...
Huack. Huack.
Cried the small ducks, there webbed feet propelled them to the edge of the pond. Lit from under the water shimmered and when the ducks moved it made a ripple effect as rhythmic light and shadow swelled across the walls and ceiling and Mako's face. Most were light brown, except for one. He or she, as Mako didn't know how to tell the difference was a beige color and his/hers shell had a chip from when a bird had tried to carry him/her off.
Mako greeted this particular turtle duck first. The creature bowed its head an allowed him the pleasure of stroking the dark stripe that ran from its bill to the back of its head; the feathers felt oily.
Huack.
Replied the turtle duck in warning before taking a nip at the fingers that petted him.
"Ok, ok I get it your hungry." Mako laughed as he took the container near the pond, opened it, and tossed a hand full of pellets into the water. There came a scramble as all the turtle ducks tried to push one another out of the way. Pecking with beaks or using their tiny flippers to push on each other's shells. One climbed overtop another and drove him under the water. The turtle duck disappeared beneath only to pop up a short second later bobbing and shouting its little lungs off in anger at the one who had dunked it.
Mako smiled as he threw them another handful. They ate and squabbled but everyone got their fill. There thanks shown by swimming away from the man to huddle around each other. Mako replaced the lid on the food then rose to his feet. The rushing sound of the waterfall was calming and made him weary, so he decided not to linger as he made sure that the door was firmly shut as he left so no one could chance a wander the estate.
. . .
Empty plates picked clean sat on a rounded tray supported by silver legs. No scraps of tart had been left. The dishes had even been licked clean by eager tongues hoping to keep the taste fresh in their minds.
Electricity buzzed in the lamps. There glow striking the room harshly keeping the cracks and crevices well lit so not a shadow was large enough to hide in. They sat in front of Asami's desk. The older woman had her legs crossed while Yee-Li had folded herself into the chair knees drawn to her chest. Now that dinner wasn't there to occupy her hands she fiddled with the ring feeling Raava circle her finger. The spirit was beginning to occupy her thoughts, more so than the day's events, but her Aunt didn't know much about the Great Spirit which was disappointing because it meant she had to wait for her mommy to get home before she could satiate her growing hunger for knowledge. For some reason, the teen felt drawn to the spirit as it felt familiar even though she had never been to the spirit world where she resided; a she for certain as Asami was very apt that Raava was a woman. By touching the ring Yee-Li felt a familiar heat in her chest like the love she felt for her parents. It was a very queer thing to feel for a stranger.
A thumb ran over the plate hoping to find some imperceptible scrap of the tart left. Asami brought it to her mouth and could only taste flesh and lotion that wasn't pleasant to her taste buds. It smelled wonderful, like honey blossoms, but wasn't good to eat. Exhaling through the nose Asami pushed the plate away it clinked against her nieces sending a shiver of dread through the woman who was afraid she had chinked her mother's china. They were fine and the worry quickly faded but Asami made sure to separate their plates. Her hand stilled as it returned back to the arm of the chair the joints in her wrist relaxed and it dangled closest to her thigh. Fingers' brushing the smooth material of her skirt the feeling pleasant as she began to scratch it with a nail. Short strokes that hardly sunk deep enough to hit muscle but the flesh responded and her foot twitched, near jumping off the other leg it was laid across.
As Asami smiled at her ministrations her niece gave a slight one in return. Then her mouth grew wide flexing around her tongue which stretched like a cat arching its back after a good nap. With a full belly and a heart that had a Band-Aid on it Yee-Li allowed herself this simple delight. Raising her arms over her head she rested on them as she wiggled deeper into the chair. Firm backed to mend ones poor posture but the teen was so drained that even it felt comfortable at the moment.
Knuckles rapped on the wood frame of the open door. His hands had used to be dry, peeling, and calloused; now with a pesky girlfriend they were smooth and in his mind unmanly. Feet making not a noise on the carpet as he walked into the room. He made way towards his girlfriend but kept his eye on the person slumped over. Curious as to whom their guest was as to give Laurenz that glowing smile.
"Yee-Li-you're here! Is everything alright with Korra and Lin?" The tone took on an edge when he saw the teens face, on a school night no less.
Asami resisted taking a bite out of the man's lips as he held the back of her chair and leaned over. They felt nice after a long day and Asami was glad that they weren't chapped when they parted. Mako had been a good boy at keeping up with applying the lip gloss she suggested he use. It'd make him look better when his photo was taken for the newspaper, less of a street rat and more the polish man who held a high position in a government office.
"Everything's fine Mako. Stop jumping to conclusions. Korra and Lin had to take care of some business." Asami said as she combed her ponytail, fingers grazing the golden ring which held it together. Solid, heavy, it kept the hair out of her eyes if she should ever have too...not that the future industries CEO who in the last year had gotten a dozen projects off the ground had any time for a fight. Unless she was sparring with her trainer; Mako wouldn't do it anymore after she trounced him a couple of times.
Yee-Li was at attention the sleep momentarily wiped from her mind as another fear set in that hadn't crossed her mind before. Her mothers were away on a trip. When the avatar was needed it was sure to be dangerous. The scars and bruises were sometimes small others hidden behind thick bandages. One such time Yee-Li remembers well when she accidentally walked in on her mommy in the bathroom. Blood tapered in drops from large to small over the length of the cloth that had once been around a gruesome hole. Thick yellowing pus oozed and the skin blackened like an evil spirit had infested it. Yee-Li found herself rubbing the spot on her forearm where her mommy had been injured.
They hadn't had any accidents since her momma had started going with her though. But there was always a chance that something bad could happen couldn't it? Always; and that kind of fear crawled into Yee-Lis belly and made a nest with no way to flush it out without seeing her mother's again; safe. She wouldn't settle for a phone call as it wouldn't even quell the beast of burden. Yee-Li began to spin the ring nervously and rock in the chair.
"That's a very nice...ring?" Mako paused as he saw the flash of silver and an unmistakable figure that was easily recognizable even when so small. Never could Mako forget being in the presence of such a magnificent spirit. That ethereal glow so pure, so full of hope, and so full of good it made him believe again.
"Aunt Asami made it for me." The teen said with her brows hanging low over her eyes a rumble coming deep from within her throat that made her uncle's grip on the chair tighten and wipe his brow nervously.
He had said something wrong, and looked to Asami who was giving him a stare. Yes, he had but what had he said...
"I'm sure your mom's are ok. Your mom had gotten herself out of some pretty bad situations..." This made the kids head sink lower and the man grab his arm and hiss in pain. The spot had two little indents and was red not from nail polish.
Asami started to raise her hand ready to lay it across her boyfriends arm. Hoping the pain would clear out his head when a chair rocked back on two legs reared up for a few moments before it settled down with a thud muffled by the carpet. This commotion stopped Asami as she saw that her niece had risen with her hands clasped and resting over her waist. She was fiddling with the ring and her head watched the floor. Sparing a glance to her Aunt and Uncle Yee-Li gave a short bow and asked to be excused for bed. Truthfully, so that she could seek out the quiet and pleasant world of her dreams.
"Okay, Sunshine." Asami said.
"Goodnight, Yee-Li." Mako reached out as the teen was leaving. To do what he didn't really know. This wasn't like one of his men. He couldn't pat them on the back. How do you say goodnight to a kid? How the memories of them had faded. His parents weren't around when he was older so Mako didn't know how they would have said goodnight then. Would they of done it the same way? At what age would his father stop stroking his head; his mother, would she still have kissed his brow? Mako would never know the answer to that. His hand fell to his side as his best friend's daughter left the room.
The footsteps of her nieces exit echoed in the hall and Asami waited till they were but a quiet whisper before she exacted her punishment. Her boyfriends shouts were a treat her ears. "Why-smack-do you-smack-have to be so insensitive. Spirits Mako why do you have to talk like that?" Asami jumped out of her chair and into Mako's face. Her finger pointed under his chin like a loaded gun.
"Like what?" The man threw his arms to the side, "What did I say."
The woman let her jaw go lax. She wasn't in the mood to get into a fight tonight. Not over someone else. They could do it over their own lives but not their friend's kid. The rest of Asamis fingers unfurled from their tight grip. There were indents in her palm. The woman bit her lip when she saw how bewildered she had made Mako by her sudden outburst. When her hands rested on his cheek and felt the smoothness of the skin Mako was even more confused. The hand that lay on his cheek gave it a pat. Asami leaned in and gave the man a kiss. Whatever confusion he had before had only doubled with this affectionate gesture. What happened to the anger? What happened to her being upset? Why was he asking this when it seemed like he wasn't going to suffer her wraith?
"I'm-sorry?" The man fancied that it wouldn't hurt to apologize. It was always good to get it out of the way and if he didn't say it now rather than forget later before bed. Then he might be paying for it tomorrow when he woke up on the floor. The woman internalized a lot and if she didn't get it off her chest she let it out in her dreams in mock fights with whomever it was to have gotten on her bad side that day. It was easier for Mako if Asami went to bed happy.
Another pat to the cheek and a smile that Mako thought looked good with the shade of lipstick she chose that day. When Asami leaned in to kiss it was wet and moist and deepened by clamping her teeth over his lower lip. This made the man's chest swell as he growled. Asami felt Mako wrap his arms around her waist. They laced together behind her back. A pressure there brought her flush with his body. They stared into each other's eyes lovingly.
Mako initiated the next kiss chaste compared to Asamis tease, only a moist peck on the lips. "You know Korras going to throw a fit when she sees the ring on her finger." Mako laughed some his mirth vibrating into Asamis chest.
Eyelashes batted the air as lips curved into a Cheshire grin. Something devious had been hatched in that brilliant brain. A plan or trick so foul that Mako was glad that he was not the one on the receiving end did make the man feel bad for his friend but there is one thing you don't do to a Sato and that is to make them work for nothing.
. . .
As soon as she entered the room Yee-Li had begun to pace. She had found that it was often good for stress. Her mothers had bending; she would pace. It was harder in her own room considering she could cross it in two steps before having to turn compared to a guest room in her Aunt's house which felt more like a short walk around the neighborhood. There were heavy chairs with thick cushions that looked very inviting as the girl weaved in-between them careful not to knock her shins on the cafe table. When she met a wall she turned and paced back the other way going in an opposite loop around the chairs on the return trip.
The fixtures were on a brass arm that was thin and looked rather weak to hold up such a heavy glass ball. When Yee-Li reached one she reached up and ran her hand along its curve. It felt cold for something that held onto a light that looked so inviting. The wall paper was a pattern of white diamond shapes on a blue background. Yee-Li touched the top of a wooden panel that covered the bottom half of the wall. Her finger slid on its waxy surface reflected by the quality of the craftsman.
Mind calmer, less cluttered by bad thoughts, or what if's, the teen is made for the bed where her things had been laid, her pack amongst them but the teen didn't feel like doing homework. To wide for one person the bed was lonely feeling. Unlike hers which she liked cause it only had enough space for her and her mommy when she would try to lay with Yee-Li and listen to the radio.
The head board had a scene out of a fairy tale. A large river of living wood that ran through it and trees heavy to one side across from the rivers bank. The leaves looked ready to be brushed from their branches if she were to breathe heavy enough. A woman rested with her feet in the lake a fox antelope by her side. She leaned against it, the two companions on a journey that Yee-Li didn't know about but was curious to find out. Knees bumping the bed she used it to support her weight as she leaned against it. A small duffle bag that looked to of been packed with the first things that her momma could find. Nothing had probably been careful picked so outfits neither matched nor looked to of been neatly folded. She at least hoped her momma had remembered to pack her underwear this time.
The zipper gave a fuzzy whoosh as Yee-Li opened the bag. Between the toothed mouth of the bag something stubby and lumpy and tan came sniffling out of the crack. His round black nose seemed to be sampling the scents of this new place and Yee-Li could see the shiny button that was his eye glimmer inside the dark crevice of the bag. She pulled the badgermole out and looked him over in disbelief. Nose to nose she held him close. A faint smell of metal and sweat made Yee-Li bury her face into the stuffed toy so that she may soak in it. And it wasn't her mind playing tricks on her when Yee-Li felt lingering warmth from hands that had carefully placed the stuffed toy that meant so much to the teen in the bag.
There was a note hastily scribbled in her mommas near illegible handwriting. Sorry we had to leave. Promise we'll be back soon. We Love You Squirt. The teen gave the badgermole another squeeze as she sniffled. That night in the big lonely bed Yee-Li fell asleep with the badgermole pressed tight under her chin
She had a dream while sleeping in that bed. Yee-Li was walking with an enormous badgermole by her side. He had one eye and never could resist the urge to prod the girl in a loving manner with a wet nose, coarse fur and beautiful stripes of darker brown on its face and smelling of jasmine and maybe a little bit of lilac too. Even though there was none near the river.
The leaves did fall in droves caused by a slight wind they scattered over the river to be swept downstream. The gentle pull of the water worked its magic on the teen and made her stray close, her badgermole parked nearby a little afraid of the sound. It was warmer than it should have been like a person's body pressed close but it felt so good on her feet. Yee-Li waded in to her ankles. Kicking pebbles in the river bed. The rivers pull went against nature at some point and urged the girl back to the rivers shore line.
Standing proud and a few inches shorter than the woman beside her the long robe she wore was left by Shu who used it as a blanket to sleep on and cover with dirt. Her mommy had been holding hands with her momma. The women smiled at their daughter as her momma jerked her head, mouth silently moving but Yee-Li knew she was calling her. Gleeful the teen kicked up water as she sprinted towards them.