It might be a few days before I can update again so here's a slightly longer chapter :)
It took all of Korra's willpower to refrain from yanking off her boots and massaging the soles of her feet right in the middle of the gala. Technically her gala. She could easily picture Tenzin's disappointment at the mere thought of kicking off her shoes. And the press would probably have a field day about her etiquette; headlines about a barefooted Avatar running around the gala would grace every paper in the morning. So she shifted from foot to foot, hoping that the movement would relieve some of the discomfort. "What are you doing? Walking across hot coals?" she muttered as Tarrlok dragged her towards a spectacled man dressed in dark red and black.
For the past hour, her feet had been tingling unpleasantly. It couldn't be her footwear that was causing the problem. She glanced down at her comfortable, gray, hide boots to make sure, once again, that she wasn't stepping on actual pins and needles, only to find her irritated face reflected back at her in the polished, marble floor. It must be her soul mate torturing their feet, then.
Tarrlok came to a halt and introduced her to Hiroshi Sato, who was apparently an industrial titan based here in Republic City. She'd just greeted him when somewhere from behind the wealthy man, a familiar voice called out, "Hey, Korra."
Mako strode forward out of the crowd behind Mr. Sato, gussied up and in a suit that he couldn't possibly afford, but damn did he fill it out nicely. Even his loafers looked new and polished. Korra found herself staring at his feet. Maybe the shoes were too tight and crushing his feet. Maybe that's why her feet hurt. Maybe, she hoped once again, the spark she'd felt was real and Mako was her soul mate. Her head tilted back up to smile at him, but froze when she saw he was escorting someone.
On Mako's arm was a gorgeous girl in a red dress that made his suit look like it was bought at a secondhand store. The red silks hugged her figure perfectly, like it was tailored for her—which it probably was—and it presented enough of the girl's pale skin to be eye-catching without being risqué. The dark red sash around her middle accentuated her slim waist and curves. Even her wavy, jet-black hair spilled over her shoulder, effortless yet perfect.
A golden flower pendant flashed around the girl's neck and a sliver of jade, dangling delicately from the bottom of the flower, matched the shade of her green eyes perfectly. Her makeup was flawless and Korra was sure many men and women alike probably found it enticing. If she wasn't hanging off of Mako's arm, Korra thought she might be in awe of it, too.
She looked the other girl up and down, narrowing in on the strappy burgundy heels that made the girl complement Mako's height. They looked like death traps, constricting the paler girl's feet in rough, hard looking material. A scan around the room revealed that high heels were definitely the style among Republic City's female elites and Korra was once again glad that the styles (and climate) in the Southern Water Tribe necessitated comfortable, cushioned shoes.
Mr. Sato introduced the girl as his daughter, Asami. A gorgeous heiress to the most successful industrial company in the city? Great. Korra didn't stand a chance against her. Not that it was the girl's fault. Korra tried not to immediately hate her for who she was when the girl smiled at her sincerely and leaned forward to greet her, but ultimately failed when she saw Asami's grip tighten infinitesimally around Mako's arm. When Korra responded, she couldn't keep the edge out of her voice, and spit out, "Really? Because he hasn't said anything about you at all. How did you two meet?"
A thought occurred to her that made her feel even worse: this girl could be Mako's soul mate. Maybe they ran into each other and now they were hopelessly in love. Whether she and Mako shared a spark or not, she couldn't compete with a soul mate. Blood pounded in her ears as Asami looked at her with innocent eyes and a stunning smile, while Mako gazed at the heiress with clear-cut infatuation.
Not her fault, not her fault, Korra chided, and was almost thankful when Bolin threw an arm around her and babbled something about Mako being hit by Asami's moped a few days ago. Wait. "What? Are you okay?" She uncrossed her arms and almost reached out to touch him, but faltered at the sight of Asami looking to him.
Korra struggled to recall the past three days, trying to remember if she'd felt any outside hurt, but all she could remember was her pride-bruising run-in with the ancient airbender training device. Maybe her own pain—because getting slapped like a bug by a rapidly spinning board of wood did hurt—overshadowed any of Mako's. If she even felt what he experienced.
Mako beamed at her. "I'm fine. More than fine." Okay, what did that mean? "Mr. Sato agreed to sponsor our team…"
The buzzing in Korra's head easily drowned out the rest of what Mako said. So the Satos were anteing up the championship pot for their team? Fantastic. Now she was indebted to this beautiful, elegant, generous, rich girl that might be Mako's soul mate and all she could do was stand there and take it. Her eyes burned but she would not cry, not here. The Avatar could not cry about crushes at her own gala. She swallowed hard, trying to ignore the tightness in her chest.
Asami leaned into Mako's side. Korra noticed she was no longer smiling and was idly stroking the bare skin just above the golden pendant. Then, her red lips pressed together in a tight line upon seeing Mako's elated face as he continued to rave about the tournament with Bolin. Something about this was odd to Korra, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Before she could ponder it further, Tarrlok's hand was on her shoulder as he beckoned Chief Beifong over.
The police chief's steely gaze and critical tone made Korra feel ashamed for coming to this lavish party because the older woman was right; she hadn't done anything to deserve this attention, aside from simply being born with the Avatar spirit. As if the moment, couldn't get any worse, her feet throbbed dully, and Mako and Bolin excused themselves to go sit down with Asami, the three of them talking animatedly about new gear for the team. That left her alone with Tarrlok, who wanted to introduce her to some more important people across the room.
She let him steer her through the crowd but peeked over her shoulder to watch Mako, Bolin, and by proxy, Asami, get farther away. She was surprised to find Asami staring back at her, glancing over her own crimson silk-covered shoulder, the small frown still in place. Huh. At least the girl looked almost as upset as Korra felt. She tried not to enjoy Asami's discomfort (if she really is Mako's soul mate, it's not her fault; it's the universe's, she repeated to herself) as Tarrlok introduced her to another stuffy, rich business tycoon. Though tonight started out as a glittering and exciting party, Korra got the feeling that the sourness seeping into her now would only increase as the night wore on.
Twenty minutes later, she was proved right as she stood in front of the press with Tarrlok's arm around her shoulder, adamantly approving her promise to join his task force. The icy feeling in her chest swirled around as she realized what she'd done; she was going to have to face equalists head on now. In the crowd, she spotted Mako, concern easily apparent on his face. Asami, clinging to his arm with both of hers in what looked like need of support rather than affection, had a stiff smile, too, which, despite the abysmal turn of events, made Korra's stomach flip. As to why, she didn't understand and couldn't fully process, not with the new weight of her task force duties she'd just burdened herself with.
As cute as these heels were, Asami regretted choosing to wear them after the first half hour of wandering around the Avatar's gala. Now, they were over an hour in, and she'd spent most of the time mingling with fellow heirs and heiresses as was expected of her, though it was less tedious since she was able to parade Mako around; he was refreshingly honest, blunt even, in the few times he spoke up.
And he was so accommodating tonight, not even once complaining about how often she leaned on his arm to take some much needed pressure off her feet. Currently, she was at the point where her pinky toes pulsed angrily. Surely, if Mako was her soul mate, he would feel it, too. "We've been walking around for over an hour now. How are your feet?" She wriggled her toes in the tight confines of her footwear and winced.
Mako laughed. "Better than yours."
"Very funny." She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, though. Those are hardly broken in. They must be stiff."
One sharp eyebrow rose and he pursed his lips. "I'm fine, Asami. These loafers are nice. Like walking on clouds." To make his point, he shifted from foot to foot, like he was psyching himself up for a pro bending match.
"Lucky you." Asami sighed.
If it were physically possible for her heart to sink into her stomach, it would have. Little moments like this were making it clearer that perhaps Mako really wasn't her soul mate. Unless of course he was nearly immune to pain to the point where he couldn't feel an ounce of the torture in her soles. Without meaning to, Asami let a deep frown settle across her face.
A warm, large hand touched her shoulder gently. A wisp of diluted cologne hung in the air. Mako's eyebrows rose and his mouth turned down. "If your feet are really bothering you, we could sit down." He nodded towards the round tables at the back of the room, which were mostly occupied by liver-spotted, gray haired men and women, too old and arthritic to stand about and socialize.
Telling him that it wasn't her shoes that ruined her mood but the fact that he didn't seem to share her distress wasn't something she was eager to do, nor fair to put on him, so instead, she said, "No thanks. And I haven't even seen the Avatar, yet. She's supposed to be here shortly, right?" Councilman Tarrlok told her father that Avatar Korra was supposed to arrive at seven, a good hour after everyone else so as to allow for preparation, but also to give her entrance a greater impact, Asami suspected.
Clamoring came from the gala hall's entrance as people rushed to crowd around the doorway in a half circle. Clapping started shortly after, though Asami could only catch a flash of blue in the center of the crush of bodies. Councilman Tenzin was easier to spot. If the airbending master was here, his charge had to be, too. Asami inched closer. Ever since she was a little girl, and heard about the Avatar was a girl about her age, she'd wanted to meet her.
"Nice timing. Don't worry," Mako said as he linked arms with her again. "I'll make sure you get a chance to meet her. She's my teammate, after all."
"Yeah!" Bolin, whom Mako asked if he could tag along to the gala, appeared beside her, his mouth stuffed with some kind of quiche. "Korra's great. You'll love her! Hey, I think she's going over to talk to your dad, Asami."
Asami's eyes flickered to the spot where Bolin pointed. Her father stood beside Councilman Tarrlok and across from him was a dark skinned girl, no older than her, in a simple, but elegant water tribe dress. "Let's go over and say hi." She tugged Mako along with her.
Winding through fancy suits and dazzling dresses would've been much easier without these heels, she thought. Mako didn't have trouble though as he suddenly took the lead, tugging her forward, a grin plastered on his face. As they drew closer, the Avatar came into full view, and Asami couldn't help but stare at the girl Tarrlok was introducing to her father.
Asami was simultaneously underwhelmed and overwhelmed. On the one hand, it was hard to believe that this girl, barely a year younger, a few inches shorter than her, smiling like a mischievous child rather than a world figure, was the all-powerful master of four elements. (Or three, remembering Mako talking of walking in on airbending training a few times.) But on the other hand, she was strikingly pretty.
Korra's brilliant blue eyes were a stark contrast against her smooth, brown skin to the point where they practically glowed. The air in which she carried herself exuded strength, as did her exposed arms. Asami could see the taut, defined muscles of her forearms and biceps, and the sharp lines of her collarbones, though they hidden beneath the high collared dress. And the dress: dark blue and white that, despite its modesty, showed off the Avatar's strapping, yet feminine silhouette. And though some of her hair was pulled back and hidden in a bun atop her head, the lovely dark locks flowing on either side of her face looked soft. Idly, Asami wondered what it would feel like to run her fingers through the fine strands.
It struck her then that the Avatar must have a soul mate, too. Had she met her match yet? Perhaps they played with Korra's hair. And what would that be like, destined to be the Avatar's other half? To have the Avatar be your other half? Everyone knew Avatar Aang's and Katara's story, and Asami had always pitied Katara when reading the waterbending master's accounts in history books because she often spoke of the severe magnitude of Aang's pain. As bad as her pains were sometimes, Asami found relief in knowing that she hadn't had to share in Avatar-level agony.
"Hey, Korra." Mako's voice jolted her out of her thoughts and she realized they'd reached her father's side.
Suddenly, blue eyes met her face and Asami watched as the friendly grin flashing pearly, white teeth disappeared in a blink, replaced by a petulant pout and crossed arms. Even if she weren't good at reading people, Asami would be able to tell that Avatar Korra's first impression of her was less than stellar.
Somewhere beside her came her father's deep voice, introducing her. Asami leaned forward but quickly gripped Mako's arm a little harder when the weight shift sent another spike through her screaming feet. It was easy to ignore, though because she was finally going to meet the powerful girl she'd only ever seen in news stories or from her father's private box at the pro bending arena. Her stomach fluttered.
"It's lovely to meet you," Asami said, trying to keep her voice measured but pleasant, eyeing the girl that stood no more than four feet from her. "Mako's told me so much about you."
Avatar Korra winced, rolling her weight from one hip to the other. Her beautiful eyes flashed to Asami's arm looped through Mako's, frowned, and her eyebrows slanted sharply downward. "Really?" Her voice was as tight as the corded muscles in her crossed arms. "Because Mako hasn't mentioned you at all. How did you two meet?"
Asami's eyes widened. Was it envy saturating the girl's tone? Anger? Asami replayed her words in her head again. Had she greeted the Avatar incorrectly? No one mentioned any sort of protocol or specific customs when it came to addressing the Avatar. Should she have brought up the girl's title? Mako hadn't, but they were friends. Asami tried to think of something to say to prevent the girl from glowering at her further.
However, Bolin sidled up to Korra first, and told her of the embarrassing moped incident, then retreated back to his brother's side. Narrowed eyes expanded, eyebrows shot up, arms dropped and a brown hand reached towards Mako tentatively. "What? Are you okay?"
Asami glanced at Mako as his face lit up. "I'm fine. More than fine. Mr. Sato agreed to sponsor our team…" He grew more animated in his gestures as he explained about the championship pot and Future Industries' involvement.
She was about to chime in when a breathlessness overtook her, settling deep in her chest. Smiling at Mako's excitement was a chore, as well as distressing; he was happy, so why should she feel this ache in chest? The nagging voice in the back of her head said it was because he wasn't her soul mate, but she wasn't ready to listen just yet. Without meaning to, she caught herself brushing the spot where she felt the twinge.
In the span of a few seconds, the Chief Beifong was staring Korra down, the two nearly butting heads and exchanging glares that could kill before Beifong stormed away and Korra completely deflated. Asami felt bad for the girl, wanted to reach out and lay a comforting hand on her shoulder, because she hardly seemed to be having fun at a party meant for her. But at that precise moment, Bolin accidentally stepped on Asami's already sore toes in his flailing about the tournament. She bit her lower lip, swallowing the yelp that almost escaped as her toes throbbed in time with her heartbeat.
"I think I'd like to sit now," Asami managed through gritted teeth. "Do you think Korra—"
"I think she's got to make the rounds," Mako nodded to Tarrlok, who was starting to pull Korra away. "C'mon let's go. You'll see her again soon. Your dad's sponsoring her, remember?"
Asami nodded and was grateful for the supporting arm Mako wrapped around her waist. "True. I'll have to get her measurements for her new uniform."
Bolin's eyes lit up. "New uniforms? Awesome!" He threw out a couple of ideas about getting Pabu's face stitched on the back or maybe a sleeve, though Mako shot him down almost immediately.
As the brothers bickered, Asami turned to see where Avatar Korra went. Blue eyes stared back at her, curious but guarded. At least she wasn't scowling at Asami anymore, though that didn't lessen the pressure floating around her sternum. Sitting down for several minutes at a table procured by Bolin did wonders for her feet though. When she stood to see Korra answer the gathered press's questions twenty minutes later, it was her heart, not her toes that concerned her.
The twinge in her chest burrowed a little deeper and spread as she watched Korra fall into Tarrlok's press trap and commit herself to rooting out equalists. The poor girl clearly never dealt with reporters or politicians before. Asami clung to Mako, each passing minute leaving her sinking further and further into whatever was consuming her heart. A minute later, displeasure crossed Korra's face as she stepped away from the flashbulbs. Asami couldn't blame her; she'd be upset, too, if she were coerced into making a bold, but very brave pledge to protect the city.
Watching Korra trudge away, head hung, made Asami vow to try and make Korra feel better somehow, even if the girl wasn't particularly impressed with her. She would win Korra over with a better second impression; show her that there was more to Republic City than duplicitous parties and sneaky councilmen like Tarrlok. And maybe, just maybe, she'd get to see Korra smile at her.