Chapter Text
Live music used to be something Asami Sato endured. Charity concerts to show support to a symphony orchestra sponsored by Future Industries. The occasional opera to schmooze potential business partners and investors. Her attendance had always been expected by her father, and she was never one to disappoint. They weren't terrible experiences, per se, but the mere requirement of her very presence zapped away any potential pleasure she could have derived from it.
Outside of opera and classical music, Asami had never been to a concert. And as far as she was concerned, this still didn't qualify. The music venue was decently filled, but it was hardly the size of a stadium. They had arrived late, and the opening act looked well into their set. The scattered crowd appeared to only be half paying attention. Some were gathered in small groups, talking, drinks in hand, while others passed the time on their cell phones.
Opal pulled on her wrist to follow. "Come on. I want to be closer to the stage."
Asami had to raise her voice over the mediocre music. "Does it really matter? Proximity won't change the quality of the music."
Once they were close enough, she dropped her wrist. "I've seen The Fire Ferrets twice, and both times I got stuck in the back," Opal said. "I'm not making that mistake again."
She glanced around the two-story venue. "You've already been here twice?"
A song ended, and the crowd gave cursory applause and a few half-hearted whistles.
"No," she shook her head. "I've seen them twice, but it's always somewhere new. They usually play on or near college campuses. Also, the drummer is seriously built."
Asami rolled her eyes. "Are we really only here so you can moon over a drummer from some run-of-the-mill college band?"
"Why else does anyone see a band?" she posed seriously. When Asami didn't respond, Opal burst into laughter and clutched her wrist like before. "I'm kidding! If you would relax a little, you might actually have some fun. Besides, they're actually good. I think you'll like them. Why else would I bring you here tonight?"
Asami shot her a silent, knowing look which Opal pretended not to notice. Opal dragged her anywhere and everywhere when their schedules allowed it. Being roommates in college didn't guarantee a lifelong friendship. Their classes and majors were completely different. And when Asami wasn't in class, she was studying in the library or their dorm. Opal made it her own personal mission to get her to socialize more. Guys were constantly checking her out, but the few who were bold enough to make a move, were always elegantly let down; Asami claiming to be too busy. Nobody was too busy to date, Opal continuously stressed.
Once the opening act left the stage, the crowd began pushing forward, and the anticipation became palpable. Nobody was on stage at the moment, but the previously empty spaces around them were quickly being filled by bodies. Smokers who had passed the time outside had also pushed in, bringing along the cigarette and somewhat sweet aromas of anything else they might have been smoking.
Without preamble, the band took the stage one by one. People started shouting and clapping with an energy that had been absent before. Judging by the sticks in his hand, and Opal's reaction, the first guy out had to be the drummer. His grin was wide and he waved to the crowd with his sticks. Even from this distance, Asami could make out the bulge of his muscled arms beneath the long sleeves on his forest green sweatshirt. Yes, Opal definitely had a type. The second guy out was taller, and leaner with a more serious demeanor. He approached the keyboard on the opposite side of the stage.
"I love you, Mako!" someone yelled.
Bands were mostly dominated by men, so Asami was pleasantly surprised when he was directly followed on stage by a striking girl with a chestnut electric guitar strapped around her. She wore a formfitting blue muscle shirt which displayed her dark, sculpted arms and a tattoo. Even her long brown hair was alluring. Asami found herself moving forward until a couple of girls nearby squeezed in front of her and Opal to get closer to the stage. The guitarist noticed their adoring stares without looking directly at them, and Asami was able to pick up on a slight shake of the head and an amused smile.
And finally, the fourth member of the band came on stage, and this guy had such a slow swagger about himself that Asami couldn't help herself. She laughed. His over styled black hair seemed appropriate for the lead singer of a band because it begged for attention. When he reached the microphone at the center of the stage he cupped it between his hands.
"Hello you beautiful people," he drawled out.
Asami regretted laughing at him now. There was definitely something very seductive about his voice. The crowd cheered louder around them and she found herself clapping along.
"We're The Fire Ferrets," was met with more whistles and hoots. He adjusted his long fingers to the black bass strapped around his shoulder. "And this is about to be the best night of your lives."
Some gigs were better than others. Sometimes Korra wasn't in sync with Tahno. Sometimes the reaction from the audience was lukewarm. Sometimes she simply felt like she was going through the motions of playing along on her guitar, but her mind was elsewhere.
Then there were those nights where everything just clicked. Tahno would occasionally lift his heavy foot off the gas and allow everyone else in the band a chance to not only contribute, but showcase their individual talent. Sometimes the crowd would be electric. She would be in the zone and nothing could touch her. As much as everyone loved the rare times she sang along with Tahno (she hated admitting how well their voices jibed together), she loved feeding off of Bolin's ardent drumming style much more. They would go back and forth and she could tell he was just as energized by her riffs on the guitar.
This was one of those rare spellbinding nights on stage. It was the greatest high she had ever experienced.
They were three songs into their set when she finally took her first real look at the gathered crowd. Korra was always nervous right before the four of them took the stage - the size of the prospective audience made no difference. Ten people? Five hundred? It honestly didn't matter. One of her hands would always shake a little right before. But as soon as the first note rang out, she was completely composed. Even so, she made it a point to avoid direct eye contact with everyone. She didn't want to take the chance of recognizing a pair of eyes. It would make her lose focus. As strange as it sounded, she felt much more comfortable with the idea of playing for strangers as opposed to someone she knew. And lately, she had become "acquainted" with plenty of pretty girls after one of their gigs.
Korra didn't actively seek them out, but she wasn't above shooting them down either. On the rare occasion she found herself indulging in the flirtations of a guy instead of a girl, Tahno did his best to cock block her, or he'd storm off. It didn't make a lick of sense. She hooked up with girls left and right, but when she considered entertaining the opposite sex, Tahno was…challenging.
She had just finished a brief solo when she made the mistake of locking eyes with a girl in the audience.
Korra didn't know why she was so surprised to find the girl watching her. She was on stage performing for fuck's sake. Of course people were looking her way. But she was only one part of a quartet. The audience should've been staring at the leader: Tahno. Or Bolin, the charismatic drummer. Even the perpetually stiff Mako was easy on the eyes. Why had she been watching her? It was the longest she had ever maintained eye contact with someone from the audience.
She tore her gaze away to refocus. One song transitioned into another and Korra's lack of self control had her seeking out the same girl from before. She wasn't directly in front of the stage, but she was pretty damn close. When Korra saw those same pair of eyes still trained on her, she tried like hell not to smile. It was hard to make out the details of the crowd with the stage lights blaring, but she zeroed in on her, hoping to commit her to memory. She had every intention of tracking her down as soon as she could.
Those long raven tresses perfectly complemented the simple red dress she wore. Korra was bothered by the fact that she couldn't make out the length of the dress from her angle on the stage. She had been in the zone earlier, and now she felt a new raw energy swirling inside her chest. Who was this girl? What was her name? Was she single? Did she have a sense of humor? And was she…smiling at Korra?
Yeah. She was definitely smiling at her. Korra beamed back as she picked away at the strings on her guitar. Korra shook her head and looked away as the song continued. As much as she wanted this show to end so she could finally approach her, she was enjoying this part too: locking eyes over and over again.