Chapter Text
☾ 3:45 PM ☽
Ah, the café, reminds me of home…
She located the bathroom to put her hair up and wear her work attire that she took out from her backpack. Once she was satisfied with how she looked, she left the bathroom, carrying her backpack. Once she walked to the other side of the bar, she placed her backpack below the protruding granite of the bar while she stood behind the cash register.
Opal greeted Korra with a smile, “Hey Korra! Glad you could make it!” She was in charge of brewing various kinds of coffee. Her hair didn’t was pulled up to a small bun and on top of her head was a visor cap.
Jinora, the manager, walked in with her hands behind her back, and said, “It’s nice to see some of my favorite employees working!” She adjusted her glasses and gave her award-winning smile to the ladies.
Korra snorted and crossed her arms, facing her, “The flatterer here, are we?” Jinora elbowed her and pouted. She responded with a question, “Why can’t you accept a compliment?”
Korra rolled her eyes, but was amused, “Shouldn’t you be working, Ms. Manager?” She asked with a with a smirk. Jinora’s eyes widened. Her hands came out to her front so that she could fidget with her fingers. Korra knew that her recent promotion always got her feeling bashful as well as embarrassed. Some employees weren’t exactly fond of her promotion, believing it to happen because of favoritism as her father does own this cafe. However, Korra knew Jinora was a hard worker and she earned her position.
Jinora sighed and said, “Well, I will, but I came here to tell you guys that I’m enrolling to Republic City University,” with an eager grin, fisting her hands in the air.
Korra and Opal glanced at one another and squealed. Opal jumped and grabbed Jinora’s hands, jumping with her, “Oh my gosh! We could be study buddies, make friends, share college experiences, tease Korra together… We should totally party!” She said rapidly.
Jinora giggled, “I think Ikki is beginning to rub off on you!” but she also nodded her head with excitement.
Korra rolled her eyes and chuckled, “You’re just making an excuse to go party.” They stopped jumping and Opal elbowed her, which made her pretend wince in pain. Opal immediately felt bad, forgetting her own strength sometimes. Korra chuckled because the jab was really nothing.
Jinora smiled, “I think a party is a great idea! We should go to…”
Opal cut in and said with her index finger pointing up to the air, “Umami’s Bar and Restaurant!”
“I bet you want to go there to check out the bar man again. You gonna talk to him this time?” Korra said with a chuckle.
Jinora eyed between the two, completely unaware of what their first venture there was like, but showed sudden interest. Opal crossed her arms and groaned, “I see that I will have to as you won’t ever live this down.”
Korra grinned, “Oh, then I’m definitely down. I’d like to see how this will end.”
Jinora giggled, excited for this party but she eventually put on her professional mask and said, “Alright you two, chop chop, these orders aren’t going to do themselves!”
*** Some time later ***
Korra gave the approaching customers a big smile and voiced an enthusiastic cheer, “Welcome to Wan’A’Latte! How may I help you?” The first customer looked like a business man, waving off her cheer and stated his order.
The next customer looked like one of the students from RCU because of their sweatshirt with its logo on it. She knew that the university was nearby, so this was a hangout for many college students. They looked tired and exhausted, so they asked for a shot of espresso.
The customer that followed after looked like a tired mother who had children clinging around her, pulling her limbs, but she had no energy to really stop them. Korra asked, “How may I help you?” with a big grin, but that grin vanished once the mother yelled at her children as they jumped on her last nerve. The children stopped and stood up straight as if they were soldiers.
Korra couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking her head, as the woman gave her an order, who then apologized. Korra shook her head and told her not to worry about it. Once Korra handed the mother a receipt, she went over to give a note of her order to Opal, she exclaimed to the next customer without looking at them, “Welcome to Wan’A’Latte where we like you a…” she looked at the customer, who was looking down at their phone, but Korra froze simply because of how this one glowed, “…latte…”
The customer jumped a little, only just realizing where she was as she looked around. Then her eyes settled on the cashier before her. Her eyes widened but she composed herself again, putting her phone in her purse and pulling down the hem of her shirt, dusting off anything that was on her. She cleared her throat and said, “Hello there,” with no emotion at all.
Korra could’ve sworn she heard a hint of frustrating in her voice, but she shrugged it off by showing a lopsided grin. “How may I be of service?” The customer before her looked her dead in the eyes, as if she was trying to read something, which only got Korra nervously sweating while remaining frozen in her grin. That and her eyes were even more green than the crystals of the catacombs that she encountered during her travels to here.
The customer raised an eyebrow and said slowly, “I’d like a latte with the special sugar.”
Korra sighed with relief and nodded her head, as the customer handed over the change. The “special sugar” was explained to help with fatigue and wasn’t fattening. This customer was in her business attire, hair pulled up to a high ponytail, but she also looked like she was a student from RCU, but Korra couldn’t really put her finger on it. Something about her was familiar.
The customer was about to find a table, but she looked at the cashier, eyes looking up and down the cashier, gradually. She then smiled, but it looked forced, “It’s nice to meet you…” her eyes target the tag on her chest, “…Korra.”
Korra’s heartbeat paced a little bit faster, hearing her name roll out of her smooth and delicate voice. She smiled and thanked her, attempting to hide any sign of blush. She would’ve asked for her name but she figured she should remain professional and there were more customers behind. There was no time for idle chit chat. However, the customer smirked and said, “My name’s Asami,” then walked away.
Korra raised an eyebrow but judging by the sway of her hips and that smirk, she had a feeling this won’t be their last encounter. Something about her triggered a sense of adventure but also heightened her suspicions.
Her thought train crashed into a wall when someone tapped her shoulder. She jumped and looked to her left to locate the source, “Korra? You okay?” Opal looked up at her with worried eyes.
Korra shook her head, “Don’t worry about it, Ope. I’m good.” However, Korra felt far from good. Just the way this… Asami acted, her mind immediately went back to what happened earlier with Kya. She knew she wasn’t exactly safe and everyone around here could be a suspect.
Opal pursed her lips, uncertain on whether or not she should believe her friend, “It’s just… you kind of spaced out there for a bit.”
Korra looked away and said, “I told you, Ope, don’t worry about it.” She then turned back to look at Opal in the eyes and gave her, her winning smile.
Opal’s lips formed a straight-line, failing to believe her, but she sighed and went back to work as she rubbed a mug clean with a rag. While her attention was back at her station, she thought about how pointless it was trying to get anything out of Korra. She remembered their first encounter and how they became close. She smiled at the memory…
*** Flashback ***
Opal wore a hood over her head. She scanned the area under the moonlit sky and was very grateful with her night-vision. She was in a thicket that was right next to Avatar Park, one of Republic City’s famous places. However, it was 3 in the morning so not a lot of activity was happening around here. The city was still active, but people were doing their own things, not at all interested in what could be happening in the park.
She sighed with relief as she found an open space that was encircled by tall trees. She put her backpack down and walked to the center. She cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders, imitating her older sister, Kuvira. She focused all her concentration to converting into her other form. It was excruciatingly painful.
Her blood was boiling, her skin was tearing apart slowly. Think angry thoughts. She thought of how she was neglected from her family, from her city, forced to run away. Think about how they mistreated you… how they looked at you with disgust… how some saw you as dinner, licking their lips… how they’d secretly talk about you even though they were right in front of you… how they’d taunt you with high pitch sounds… how they treated you like an animal while living a lavish lifestyle… She began to feed herself imaginations, believing them to be memories, only to enrage herself.
Her teeth slowly became fangs as her body slowly enlarged. Her voice that shouted with agony and pain, slowly turned to growls. However, the process immediately stopped when she heard slow clapping. She immediately jumped and ran away, hiding behind a tree. She turned around, poking out to see a tan-skinned beauty, who sat down in a lotus position.
“Don’t worry, I’m not a vampire. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Opal didn’t move a bit, unsure of whether or not she could trust this stranger.
“Let me just say, how you tried to change is not the best.” She scratched her chin, careful with her words, “In fact, you could lose your control if you centered your focus on anger only.” She shook her head and sighed, “You wouldn’t want to do that, trust me. You could hurt someone. Even if your body takes over, your conscious mind is still there and it will remember everything. So, after your energy runs out and you become human again…” Her eyes soft as she looked into Opal’s, amazing her with how she managed to locate her.
“You’ll remember it all and later regret it. You’ll begin to hate yourself, blaming yourself.”
Opal could tell she was being sincere but she still wasn’t sure if she was being fooled or what. She really hasn’t trusted anyone before because anytime someone tried to be nice to her, it was either out of pity or through manipulation.
“I can see you have a hard time trusting me and I can’t blame you. I see pain in your eyes, that very feeling is one I’m all too familiar with.”
Opal started tearing up a little, whimpering. She tried to push away all the negative thoughts and remembered one person who managed to make her feel welcomed for the time she was home… or whatever it was called. It certainly didn’t feel like home to her. Her mother and her unconditional love.
The stranger decided to clap her hands together and stand up, gracefully. She smiled, “Alright, so I guess I’ll have to do this to convince you!”
Opal slowly turned back to human when she succumbed to her humanity. She noticed the stranger was already a wolf – a huge and magnificent glowing white wolf with light blue markings on her back. Her eyes were magnificently blue too, full of life and control. To prove that she was still conscience, she bowed down before Opal with her eyes closed.
Opal sighed with relief because this stranger was no vampire nor human. She was a werewolf like herself. She walked up to her, slowly, out of the thicket. She approached the bowing wolf who looked so peaceful below the moon light. She was hesitant and cautious, afraid of the possibilities. She imagined her hand being bitten or her being mauled, but she had to shake these thoughts away. She had to be brave, for once.
She closed her eyes and clenched her fists, standing straight and tall. Then, she opened them again to show a face of courage. She softened her expression and brought out her hand, slowly, after she finally reached a few inches before the magnificent beast.
She slowly touched its snout and rubbed it. She closed her eyes, feeling its warmth and honesty. She felt a connection, something very special. She took her hand off as the creature before her reverted back to its humanoid version. She noticed all the white sparkles that raised from the ground, encircling her and shining to hide the process.
Then all the light slowly disappeared as it revealed the tan-skinned girl before her, one knee down to the ground while the other knee was up and out front, still bowing down to Opal. Then she raised her head and showed a lop-sided grin, “Name’s Korra, it’s a pleasure to meet a sister!”
Opal’s shocked expression shifted to happiness, a feeling so foreign to her that she doesn’t remember the last time she was ever this happy. It felt like she finally met family, an experience she doesn’t recall ever having. She said with cheer, “My name’s Opal!”
Korra smiled, “Well, Opal, it’s clear you’re still new to this. How would you feel with me training you? In return, you can show me around here, give me an idea of this place.” She stood up straight and rubbed the back of her neck, sheepishly, which Opal couldn’t help but giggle in response to since it was a complete contrast to the person she was before. Korra added on, “I’m kind of new here and this place is so much more different to where I come from,” said with a chuckle.
Opal tilted her head and nodded, “Of course, Korra. I’ll need all the help I can get.” Then she said nervously, with a hint of sadness, “I don’t think touring around Republic City would really make up for all of it…”
“Nonsense, I’m basically an alien here. It certainly will make up for it, if not, more,” Korra cut her off, disagreeing with how Opal underestimated herself. She then put her hand on Opal’s shoulder and said with confidence, “It’s a clear sign for us meeting here. The one thing we both have been searching for is someone to depend on, to trust, a friend. I’m an advocate for the whole ‘I do things not wanting something in return but because I want to’ so don’t bother seeing this thing as a deal. It was just an excuse to get you to help me understand this place!”
Opal sincerely smiled at the girl before her, “You’re right. Thank you!” She was almost driven to tears just knowing that there was finally someone there for her. This city certainly is magical.
*** Ending Flashback ***
Opal learned with time from getting to know Korra that she was a closed book. She respected that as she, herself, has hid many secrets from Korra too, but she has informed Korra of her hardships. She figured that if she shared a piece of her life to her, then Korra would relax, knowing that she was trusted. What she knew about Korra, however, must have made Korra feel like told Opal too much, so she didn’t elaborate.
“I’m a monster – I eat like one, I breathe like one, I act like one… I was raised to be one.” And she said that all because I cried, saying I was one. What makes this genuine and honest person more of a monster than me? She has seen me our first night, she saw the fury and inhumanity within me, yet somehow, she believed she could top what she saw?
Opal turned around to take a look at Korra, who was keeping up with her usual act, smiling at customers who approached her with their orders. She was rubbing a plate with a small towel while she thought about how amazed she was by how Korra did so well with people yelling at her or ordering her around. She was so tolerant and when she thought of how people ordered her around, she was obedient. There was something in her, behind that mask that could easily fool anyone, that always got Opal wondering, what are you hiding?
Korra took orders from the following customers with her enthusiasm, but she felt like she was being watched. Her eyes quickly side glanced to her left, while she grinned at the next customer. She noticed it was that lady from earlier, sipping her cup of latte. Once their gazes met, her eyes were shooting daggers into Korra’s. What is it about her?
She shook away her thoughts and focused on her job. No place for distractions. I must carry on my tasks. She reminded herself that other customers would stare at her so this one shouldn’t be any different than the others. From there on, her performance as a cashier and waitress, when needed, was flawless. She grinned when the crowd in the café started to thin out.
No customer approached the bar, so she leaned against it, while counting how much they’ve made for today. Then her concentration was disturbed after she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder, past the bar that separated her and the stranger. That was when she acknowledged it was that lady... Asami. She smiled and said, “Thank you by the way, I really appreciated the beverage…” with a sultry voice “a latte,” added by a wink.
At first, Korra stood there, dumbstruck. However, she quickly recovered and giggled, “How punny… Please, no need to thank me. What we do here at Wan’A’Latte is a group effort…” Asami handed over a generous tip, which silenced and shocked Korra. She took a look at the roll of cash that was given to her and said, “This… this is a bit much…” believing it to be a mistake or something.
Asami shook her head and smiled, “Please, keep it. It was nice meeting you… Korra.”
Then, Asami turned around and left the café, just like that. She walked with an extra sway to her hips, but Korra immediately looked away. She felt shameful for looking so she directed her attention to her hand, taking a look at the wad of cash, Gee, she must be rich if she’d flaunt her riches like this. She rolled her eyes, not fond of people like that. Although, she tried to keep in mind that this… Asami… may have given it purely out of good intentions, she was still not fond of pity-tipping or those who felt the need to show off their “superiority” or “class.”
Suddenly, her mixed feelings about the gesture came to a halt when she felt someone hovering over her shoulder. Her head moved quickly to look over her shoulder. It was Opal… smirking.
Korra shook her head and said, “It’s not what it looks like.”
Opal chuckled, “So, a customer didn’t just show up, get your attention, who was also staring at you, then gave you a bunch of cash while leaving with… such a sway?”
Korra looked at the floor and said, “Ok, so maybe it is what it looks like…”
Opal shook her head and said, “Your suspicions are showing literal steam out of you, Korra. Chill, girl. She probably just wanted to befriend you.”
Korra sighed, believing that Opal could be right, “I guess so.” People left the café as the blue skies of noon slowly transitioned to a mix of oranges and pinks of evening painting the city, “But, there’s something off about her. I mean, it felt like she didn’t exactly like me… but then there’s… This is really hard to explain.”
Opal rubbed her forehead with the heel of her right hand’s palm, “Listening to this makes my head hurt, but I get it. Though, forget the mystery customer. We have a party to prepare for!” she said as she rested her hand on Korra’s shoulder.
Korra smiled, respecting the topic change, and responded, “Thanks Ope.” Opal grinned, then walked away, leaving Korra to clean up the counter before their shifts came to an end.
After their shift was over, Korra couldn’t shake away the feeling that she was being watched, so she looked around, trying to smell anything that reeked ‘vampire’ but nothing. She shook her head because her thoughts may have products to her paranoia after what happened earlier with Kya.