| By AvatarAang7 | Genre | Rating | Reviews | Updates |
| More from AvatarAang7 | Romance/Drama | M | Positive on FFN and AO3 | Irregular |
Tuesday
When the morning came, the women had barely moved from the positions they fell asleep in: Korra was still in Asami's arms. In truth, the businesswoman didn't mind one bit to wake up like this either. At some point in time, one of them had managed to pull the blanket over the both of them, shielding them at least somewhat from the bitter cold air in the loft.
On the plus side, the news had at least been accurate to a certain degree, because the blizzard had died down again.
She opened her eyes, trying not to disturb the sleeping callgirl. Asami knew she'd probably be exhausted having recounted and reliving such a trying part of her life, so she decided just to let her sleep for now and instead work her arm free as discreetly as she could.
Much to her own surprise, she managed to do this without waking Korra up. The businesswoman had to get back to her hotel, though. People there were probably wondering where she was, or even that she'd gotten trapped in the blizzard. Finding her phone was a bit tricky, as she couldn't really remember where she'd put it last night, but once she'd found it next to the couch, she went to the narrow stairwell so that she could have her conversation in peace.
"Plaza Hotel Ushuaia, how may I help you?" The receptionist said when she'd picked up.
Asami hesitated for a moment. "It's Asami Sato, I'd like to ask for a car to pick me up. Is Koda Nasak already on shift?"
"Miss Sato! Where have you been? We were about to send out a search party!"
Boy, talk about overdoing it. "Relax, I'm fine. I spent the night at the gym, the same one Mr. Nasak dropped me off yesterday. Could you send him to pick me up?"
"Of course, Miss Sato, I'll send him on his way immediately."
After the necessary directions, Asami went back into the loft, where Korra had also woken up. "Morning," the businesswoman softly opened.
"Hey," she replied, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Thanks for listening to my crap last night."
Asami sat down beside her, taking her hand again. "That wasn't crap, don't you ever say that again. I think..." She paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to phrase it. "I think you're really brave, that you soldier on like this. You didn't let anyone beat you down, and you made the best of a bad situation."
A small yet very sincere smile appeared on her face. "Thanks, Asami." Korra chuckled. "Took me a while, though. At first, I was scared. Scared that those guys Unalaq sent for me would actually come for me, to kill me. Got these," she said, turning around and bunching up her short hair, revealing a small tattoo behind either ear, "to make sure the world would know who I am if they actually did." One was a blue Water Tribe symbol with 'Tonraq' written in it, the other a heart with 'Senna' written in it.
"Those are your parents?" Asami asked.
She nodded. "Yeah, so if anyone would take a close look at me or something, someone might ask questions. Over the years, I've gotten slightly less paranoid, and it was just to remind me of them." Korra let out a dry chuckle. "Keep forgetting which one is on which side though, so I guess it didn't really work," she admitted, and Asami smiled too.
"That's really sweet of you, Korra, even if it didn't have the desired effect."
The callgirl stood up and patted herself down. "Come on, I'll make you a cup of tea."
Asami followed her to the small kitchen unit and informed her of the car she'd ordered. It wouldn't be too long before it'd be here, which seemed to disappoint Korra. "How long have you got left in Ushuaia?"
"Until Thursday," the businesswoman answered, feeling that familiar pang of sadness set in. She hadn't really thought about it until now, but her business trip/vacation was almost over already. In hindsight, it had gone by quicker than she would have thought, Korra playing no small part in that.
It also means my time with her is coming to a quick end.
-About damn time, she's not good for you.
Unless...
-Don't you even fucking think about it.
Asami sighed. She was sitting on 36 billion yuans and a company that employed 300.000 people worldwide, not counting sub-contractors and other partners, and yet she was just going to sit on her hands with Korra?
If I can get her out of here...
-You'd be smuggling a person! That's not just a petty crime, it would land you some serious jail time! Plus, what if she's lying? You'd really stick your neck out for someone who could have just made the whole thing up?
I don't think she's lying, it seemed sincere.
-Kuvira seemed sincere for those six months, and all she left you with was a broken heart and a surplus of ammunition for me. She's a prostitute, lying is what she does for a living.
For once, her voice of reason had a solid point. So far, when it came to Korra, her judgment was clouded. If she was going to do this, she'd need to look at the situation objectively, preferably get a second pair of eyes on it. That was going to be tricky, because that pair of eyes needed to be unbiased, and it would need to be subtle.
"You okay there?" Korra's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "You were zoning out for a minute."
Asami shook her head, clearing herself up. "Yeah, I'm good, I just have a lot on my mind. If I can't fix that deal with Unalaq before I leave here on Thursday, it's going to cost my company a lot of money."
The callgirl handed over a cup of steaming tea and scoffed. "Honestly, I'm not surprised he didn't sign your deal."
"What do you mean?" the businesswoman asked, taking a sip.
"He's my uncle, I know him. He's not just a cruel bastard, he's a bigot on top of everything else. Chances are he knows about you swinging for the other team, and that has a part to play with his refusal."
This made Asami smile, but she didn't fully agree. "Let's get one thing straight: a man who kicks puppies is cruel. What he did to you and your parents, that's pure evil. Personal grievances aside, we're both professionals, do you really think he'd let something as petty as my sexuality get in the way of meaningful progress for both the Tribe and my company?"
Korra though for a moment but ultimately nodded. "Probably. Asami, he is very smart, but he's also proud, it's a trait that runs in the family. He's committed himself against homosexuality for years, and he would sooner pull his eyes out through his own asshole than admit he was wrong about that. Agreeing with your deal means submitting to you, something he'd never do."
The businesswoman's hatred for the chief was growing exponentially. Normally, she was perfectly capable of separating her personal opinions from her professional enterprises, but he was really starting to push her buttons now. "Fucking marvelous," she sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have come down here myself."
At this, Korra didn't really know what to say, and they finished their tea in silence. Right before Asami could finish hers, she heard the beeping of a horn, and when she went to check, it turned out to be Koda's Bentley.
"Listen, Korra, thank you for everything. I think we'll see each other again before I leave, at least, given how much time we've spent together so far, I'm not sure what else to expect."
Her slanted smirk grew. "I'm working shifts for the rest of the week, so you can always order me online," she said with a deliberate sense of morbid sarcasm. "Take care, Asami."
The businesswoman quickly made her way down the stairs and to the waiting 4x4, where she spent most of the ride profusely apologizing to Koda for not calling him yesterday. Once she calmed him down and he'd driven her back to the hotel, it was time to set her plan in motion. "Nikita?" she asked when her assistant picked up her phone. "I need you to patch me through to Jinora Gyatso from Legal, we have something to discuss."
"Certainly, Miss Sato, hold for just a minute."
55 seconds later, the line switched. "Jinora Gyatso, Future Industries Legal Department."
"Hey, Jinora, it's Asami. Are you busy?"
"Not very, why?"
"Dump all your work on an intern, I have something else for you. Something off the books, that will test the bounds of your discretion. You think you're the right person for the job?"
Jinora chuckled and thought for a moment. "Sounds right up my alley. What is it?"
"I need you to do a background check on four people: the Amaroks."
"The Southern Water Tribe's ruling family?"
"That's the one. I need you to check on Chief Unalaq, Tonraq and his wife Senna, and their daughter. Can you get me something by the end of the day?"
On the far end of the line, there was the sound of Jinora's nimble fingers rapping over a keyboard, clearly already searching. "Why would you want me to do checks on the Chief and two criminals? Tonraq and Senna are incarcerated for drug smuggling in the Northern Tribe."
That's a promising start. "Don't ask unnecessary questions, just do it. Call me when you have something, and don't forget about the daughter."
Jinora briefly doubted. "What are you working on, Asami? Nothing illegal, I hope?"
"Jinora, I came to you because I believe I can trust you. I was hoping you would trust me as well, and believe me when I say that what I ask you to do, is the right thing."
The legal expert sighed. "Alright, but if I suspect foul play from you, we no longer have a deal."
"Sounds fair enough. Let me know what you dig up." Asami hung up and sighed. That girl was too smart for her own good sometimes. Jinora Gyatso was brilliant, and Asami had to use all of her persuasive powers (not to mention a heap of money) to keep her at Future Industries instead of losing her to some fancy law firm.
Instead of moping on the issue all day, the businesswoman decided to make herself useful, take a quick shower, and catch up on some badly overdue paperwork that she hadn't been able to get to yesterday. And unlike yesterday, it actually served as the perfect way to distract herself now. She was getting through it nice and quick, taking some good steps to ensure the stack of unfinished work on her desk wouldn't reach to the ceiling when she got back to Republic City.
It was about time for her to provide herself with some dinner in the shape of another glass of that excellent 32 year-old whiskey when Jinora called. "Okay, Gyatso, what have you got for me?"
"Well, quite a lot actually. At first, it seemed pretty straightforward. Older sibling commits crime, gets locked up, younger sibling takes the throne, case closed. Now I'm not going to insult your intelligence by presuming you didn't already know that. I'm also going to assume you're not interested in Unalaq's marriage with Malina and the twins that came from that marriage."
"You know me too well," Asami sarcastically replied.
Jinora chuckled. "Why thank you, means I've done my job properly. Anyway, the first part of the lives of all the people you asked me to check on is fairly straightforward, not a lot going on there worth mentioning. It isn't until the trial for the drug smuggling that it starts to become interesting. You see, at first, I thought it was just that. It seemed conclusive, because everything was right there; drugs, money, manifests, all in a place where Tonraq and Senna could easily reach it. But then I started digging in a little deeper, and that's where the holes started to form. Tonraq was a general in the army, reaching that rank by the age of 40, which is impressive. But here's the thing: he doesn't fit the profile of a criminal. At all. Normally, their records show one of two things: either it's an inch thick for people with those crimes, or it's clean as a whistle, because they bribed or killed the right people."
"That's not the case here?"
"Nope, he has things like parking fines and speeding tickets, even a charge for an unlicensed firearm, but that was a clerical mistake. It was a hunting rifle, and the license had expired because of sloppy bureaucracy. Nothing to worry about. Also, when I read up on the unofficial stuff about him - pre-trial, that is - there wasn't any sign of him being corrupt. I think he's clean."
This had Asami confused. "But he did get locked up. Are you suggesting he was framed?"
"I am. Whoever did this, was thorough, making sure his wife was out of the way as well, implicating her on the same charges to make sure she couldn't fight back any more than he could. Same story with her, by the way. Her file is relatively clean, but not spotless. Now you're smart enough to figure out who my suspect is, so yes, this whole case stinks like hell to me."
Now we're getting somewhere. Unalaq was the one who framed them.
"Did you find anything on the Chief and the daughter?"
Jinora chuckled again. "Well, the Chief does fit the profile I mentioned: his record is clean, far too clean if you ask me. Again, the pre-trial stuff I found suggested he's smart enough to come up with something elaborate like this, yet Tonraq wouldn't be smart enough to figure it out. Now here's something interesting: Tonraq was a general, making 200 grand a year, and Senna had her own therapy practice, making a nice little salary for herself. From what I've been able to dig up, they were living to the extent their salaries suggested. If there was extra income, what were they doing with all that money?"
"It didn't exist." Asami was kind of amazed that this had been overlooked, and that she did as well. Hell, Korra even said it: they never really went on vacations. "Can you prove any of this?"
She heard Jinora sigh. "No, not indisputable at least."
"So it's a dead end."
"Not necessarily, I'd just need more time to pull on this thread and unravel the entire thing. There's only so much I can get through in one day's work."
Again, this holds promise. "Sounds good, but hold that off for now." Asami suddenly realized something. "Did you find anything on the daughter?"
There were a few clicks, indicating Jinora pulling up a different file. "Ah, the daughter. Korra Amarok, only child, born in November 1989, knack for ice hockey, you know the drill. Again, this doesn't get interesting until the trial." The legal expert took a deep breath. "Asami, she doesn't exist anymore."
"What?"
"She fell off the grid, it's like she just vanished into thin air. No one reported her as missing, she didn't go into foster care, there isn't a single record of her after the trial. It's unlikely that she's dead, because there wasn't a death certificate, not a single morgue reported someone who fitted her profile, so honestly, everything I could tell you about her after the trial would be speculation."
Based on this, I have a pretty good idea where she can be. Asami slowly nodded from force of habit, but she knew she had everything she needed. "Alright, Jinora, this is good work. Send me everything you got, I need a little bit of bedtime reading anyway."
There was an audible sigh from the other end of the line. "Asami, I don't like this. You're up to something, and somehow, I have this feeling it's going to land both of us a lot of trouble."
The businesswoman chuckled. "Not if everything goes according to plan. Look, it's better for the both of us that I don't share this over the phone, but I promise you this: I'll make everything clear to you when I get back to Republic City. Okay?"
"Alright, you should have it in a few minutes. Have fun reading." With that, Jinora hung up, and Asami waited impatiently for the file to arrive. Of course, the whole thing was just a diversion, all she really needed was proof of Korra's existence.
When it finally did come, she wasted no time and immediately began scrolling through the file. Jinora had done a really good job pulling up information on all four of them in such a short amount of time, but what Asami really needed was something indisputable.
And there it was: a school photo. It wasn't a very high resolution picture, but the girl in the lower left corner was unmistakably a younger version of Korra. She had long hair in the photo, tied up in three wolftails, but she had the same ice-blue eyes and that same slanted smirk, which Asami now knew was something she already had before Unalaq got to her.
There, satisfied?
-I still don't like it, what you want to do is criminal, and not a little bit.
She was telling the truth, not to mention that with everything she's been through, she deserves a break.
-Don't say I didn't warn you if this comes to bite you in the ass.
Duely noted.
With that, the businesswoman picked up her phone, scrolling through her list to call Korra again. "Can you come over?" she asked once they had gone through the greetings.
"I'm sorry, Asami, I'm on my way to a client now. If you want me to stop by, you'll have to call Wushu, I need this now. Over the past two days, I haven't made a dime, and that's something I can't afford. I'll go straight from his place to yours."
Asami felt a pang of jealousy go through her. In reality, she knew this was bound to happen, she knew Korra was on a shift tonight, and she knew exactly what that entailed.
Didn't mean she had to like it, though.
"Alright, I'll make the appointment. But Korra, do know this: don't stall, this is very important. To both of us, if things go according to plan."
It was briefly silent on the other end of the line. "Okay, I'll be there in an hour, hour and a half at most."
Asami hung up and prepared to dial for Wushu's Escort Service again, making a quick mental note to ask for Sapphire, not Korra.
Fast forward two hours
She'd read through the file Jinora had sent her at least five times and spend the rest of the two hours since her phone call with Wushu rehearsing the speech in her head, knowing it was all or nothing. After the hour mark had passed, she was slowly starting to get worried. Surely Korra would have let her know if something had come up, right? At the knock on her door, Asami shot up from her seat like a bow from an arrow.
The sight that greeted her when she opened the door though, shocked her.
Korra was leaning against the doorframe, looking like she was barely able to support her own weight. There were fresh bruises on her face, and a small cut on her eyebrow. Her arms displayed a similar pattern, while the rest was covered up with a pair of leggings, boots with high heels, a pair of booty shorts, her trademark armbands, and a form-fitting blue tank top.
"Jesus Christ, what the hell happened to you?!" Asami exclaimed in shock.
"Rough client..." she heaved, her voice raspy, and she shifted her support from the door to Asami's shoulder.
The businesswoman quickly helped her in, sitting her down in a comfortable chair, and moved to the tray to prepare a makeshift icepack and something big with a lot of alcohol in it. Korra gratefully took both of them, pressing the ice against her eye and clogged half the drink back in one swig.
Impressive. That's a 45% brandy.
"How did you let it get this far?" Asami asked after a while. "Korra, with your arms, you can fight back The Hulk, and yet some guy leaves you looking like this?"
A dry chuckle escaped the callgirl's throat, followed by a raspy coughing fit. Once it had finally died down again, she spoke up. "He was a bastard, one who got off on beating hookers. I could have said no after the first hit, but I needed the money, so I let him." She coughed again, and the businesswoman noticed something else.
"Look up," Asami ordered. Korra reluctantly complied, and all it revealed were more bruises on her neck. "He choked you as well?" She nodded, a hint of shame in her eyes. "Jesus..." she slowly swore. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"A few bruises, but nothing to worry about." Another coughing fit escaped her. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
The businesswoman doubted. She couldn't really throw everything at Korra now, not while she was like this. On the other hand, this was one hell of a good reason to get her out of here, to a place where she could be safe. "It can wait," she ultimately decided. "You can go take a shower if you want, and you're staying here for the night."
The callgirl chuckled again. "Yeah, kind of figured that, though I can't guarantee quality like the last times."
"Korra, I don't want to have sex, as per usual, I want to talk to you. If you want money or not, I leave that up to you, but first, you go clean yourself up a little."
A smile broke across her face, one that quickly turned into a grimace as she stood up. "Thanks, Asami. I... I appreciate that." With that, she went into the bathroom, and it left Asami pondering. Could she tell her everything now, now that she had already had such a rough day? She might be prone to making rash decisions, not to mention that two out of three things they needed to discuss would make her feel even shittier.
There was one important factor though: time. She would only be here in the South Pole for another two and a half days, and then their window would be gone. That wasn't a lot to make such a big decision for Korra, and even if she made it immediately, it wouldn't leave a lot of time to make the preparations and smuggle the callgirl into the United Republic.
It had to be now.
Asami knocked on the door of the bathroom. "Korra? Do you want to borrow some more comfortable clothes?"
At first, there was no reply, but then came a sigh, one that was even audible over the running water of the shower. "Yeah, that would be nice."
It made the businesswoman chuckle, and she went to her suitcases to pick out the most comfortable outfit with what was left, which turned out to be a pair of trico pajama pants, a simple T-shirt, and a hoodie. She left the clothes outside the bathroom, and after instructing Korra about this, waited patiently for her to finish dressing herself.
Asami made them both another drink, this time finishing the 32-year-old bottle of scotch, but it would be worth it. The sight of Korra coming out of the bathroom made her chuckle though. The clothes were a complete mismatch on every count, for she was wearing white hotel slippers, red and white-striped pajama pants, a green shirt, her blue armbands, and the hoodie in hand. Couple that with the vibrant colors of the elements on her left arm, and it was like she crashed through the wardrobe of a circus performer. "Elegant," Asami deadpanned while raising a sarcastic eyebrow.
"Your own choices," the callgirl evenly replied, taking the seat across from her client. "Besides, I'm not here to win any fashion contests. These bruises are going to put me out of commission for at least three days. No one wants to fuck a hooker who looks like another man's punching bag."
The businesswoman took a deep breath, surprised that Korra was so nonchalant about it. "Has this happened before?" she asked while sliding the drink over the table.
"A few times, though it's more hearsay than that it actually happens to me," she said, taking a sip of her whiskey. "Hmm, good stuff. Anyway, the prevailing theory is that when men get their eye on the guns" she flexed her free arm at this, "they tend to change their mind." Asami laughed, and it briefly fell silent. "Why did you want me here tonight, Asami? You've been dancing around the issue ever since I stepped through that door."
She took a deep breath. "I have a few things to tell you, some of which you're going to like, others that you definitely won't."
A raised eyebrow from the callgirl was all she got out of this in terms of an emotional reaction. "Like what?"
"I did a background check on you, Korra. You, your parents, and your uncle."
Her expression changed slightly towards the angry, but still inquisitive. "You didn't believe me?"
Asami sighed. "I did, and that was exactly the problem: I wanted to believe you, I want it all to be true, so that what I have planned is all justifiable." Korra allowed it to fall silent, and for the businesswoman to finish. "Korra, I want to offer you to come back with me to the United Republic."
At this, the callgirl nearly choked on the sip of whiskey she was savoring in her mouth. After a few good coughs, she managed to speak again, tears forming in the corners of her eyes from choking. "What?!"
"I'm flying out on Thursday. If you come with me on my plane, back to Republic City, I can help you out of this life, and far away from characters who leave you looking like this," she said, gesturing to the newly formed bruises.
Korra looked a little insulted at this again. "Asami, I already told you, I don't want your pity. I have a plan in place, and I'm very nearly ready to execute it."
"It's not pity, I'm offering you an opportunity." She hesitated. "I didn't want to tell you this last night, but your plan of visiting your parents isn't going to work. I already thought this as soon as you told me, and what I found out today only confirmed those suspicions. Tell me, what do you know of the world outside the Southern Water Tribe?"
"Not a lot," she admitted. "I tend to stay away from the news. Too many familiar faces," she chuckled, and Asami smiled too.
"Let me sketch for you how it would probably go: the smugglers you pay would rob you blind when you want to get out of the South, and then you'll end up in the Southern Earth Kingdom States, which is pretty much the poorest region on the planet. Even if you can make it to Gaoling, you'd be back at square one: no contacts, no money, no place to stay... I think you'd end up falling right back into prostitution, only in a region where there is no figure like Unalaq to beat the worst criminals back into line, even he himself is the worst of criminals. Now let's say for argument's sake that you can cross that hurdle and make it across the Earth Kingdom States, and make it into the Northern Water Tribe. That still wouldn't do you any good, because then you can't get into the prison, because you need a government issued photo-ID for that. And last but not least, even if you manage to avoid all that, it still wouldn't work, because your parents are in maximum security and aren't allowed any visitors. Neither of them."
This clearly was a lot for Korra to take in. It was fairly obvious to Asami that she hadn't thought that far ahead, nor would she have been able to. Jinora knew exact who to ask for certain information, and Korra didn't. "How sure are you about all that?" she eventually asked, voice wavering.
Asami took her time. "Most of it is speculation, but it's balance of probability. All but the visitation, that much is certain."
The callgirl's eyes were watering. "So they're alive?" she said, a surprising amount of relief in her voice.
The businesswoman smiled and nodded. "They are. Your father got beaten up a few times, apparently, but he had backup. There are still people loyal to him, and once I get back to Republic City, I am going to do everything in my power to get them out of there."
It was exactly what Korra needed to hear, and she burst out into happy tears, pulling Asami into a tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered into the crook of her neck, before a groan escaped her. "Okay, this may have been a mistake..."
Asami got a quizzical look on her face. "What do you mean?"
"Just a rib," the callgirl smiled painfully. "Got a little busted tonight."
"God, Korra..." There wasn't much else Asami could say. It fell silent, and the two women could mostly just share a very meaningful look. For the businesswoman, it meant that Korra understood what was at stake here. "You get in bed now, I'll join you in a minute."
Asami quickly went to the bathroom, changing into her pajamas, brushing her teeth and removing her make-up, only to find Korra still pondering the issue in her bed. She was fidgeting with the hem of her armbands, and it was a strange sight. The cocky, confident callgirl had been turned into an insecure mess, but the businesswoman knew it was because of the massive emotional draining that had transpired over the past couple of days. She worked her way under the covers as well, taking one of Korra's hands into her own. "Are you okay?"
The callgirl rolled onto her side, a grimace on her face. "I'm tired, Asami. But I want to go with you."
A wave of relief washed over her. "That's good to hear."
Korra pressed a sweet kiss on her lips. "Thank you. For... for everything that you've done for me." Another wince crept over her face as she moved back again. "Okay, I'm sleeping on my other side, this hurts too much. Goddamn ribs."
Asami couldn't suppress the chuckle that escaped her, earning her a quasi-angry glance from Korra. "Sleep tight," she whispered, crawling just a little closer to the callgirl, basking in both her warmth and earthly scent. "I'm glad you're coming with me."
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