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“Upon further inspection it’s also been discovered that on top of the incident downtown, multiple engines have been found to have faulty hydrant assist valves. I hope you know that this is a serious matter and I can’t have you driving around this city in these obsolete vehicles. This is my company, and my family’s good name at stake.”
Korra sat grinding her teeth and saying nothing, keeping her arms folded and gaze turned slightly away from high-and-mighty Miss Asami Sato. Being completely honest she didn’t see the point in humoring her in the middle of her shift. The station's engines were fine. Asami’s father never hovered around doing secret inspections the way she was – ever since she’d taken over the company she’d been running a ridiculously tight ship, breathing down Korra’s neck as if she didn’t know how to run her own station.
“Look Sato, what happened downtown had nothing to do with any faulty assist valves –“
“The reports I read stated that when the second engine arrived at the scene it was unable to connect to the hydrant via the assist valve…call me crazy but I’m sure that warrants some blame, don’t you think?”
Korra raised her eyebrows incredulously, unable to restrain the scoff that slipped through her lips. She didn’t like Asami’s presence in her station, she didn’t like her tone, and she really didn’t like the smug way she spoke, tilting her head for inflection as if Korra were a child. On her left side she could see her marshal eye her nervously, shifting a bit in his standing position.
“Mako if you’re tired just sit” she snapped, not appreciating the fact that she full well knew he was expecting her to…well, to snap.
“I’m fine. Just a little leg cramp” he said hastily.
“Actually, Mako” Asami crooned, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward a bit, “do you mind giving me a moment alone with the captain here? If it’s no trouble?”
Mako sputtered in agreement, and the redness of his face was so obvious it was hard for Korra not to roll her eyes. It was no secret he had a thing for Asami – most everyone at the station did – but she’d been hanging around the long enough that he should’ve been able to tone it down a notch or two. And it kind of pissed Korra off to see the way Asami's attitude shifted from her to Mako; it was all long legs and batting eyelashes as opposed to the usual stiff-shouldered no-nonsense let-me-adjust-my-glasses-thirty-times-in-a-minute routine she shelled out to Korra.
Mako left, Asami turning in her seat to smile and wave at him before turning back to Korra (it was a shame she turned when she did, as she missed Mako blunder into the door frame like a dumbfounded kid).
“Okay, Korra…listen. I get the feeling that you think this is some kind of personal attack, when in reality this is a safety issue. You need new engines, and my company can supply them. Better ones.”
“If this is about the assist valves we can buy replacements. It’s simpler than buying all new engines. We don’t exactly have the money for that” Korra replied curtly.
Asami was silent for a minute before crossing her legs again and removing her glasses and setting them down on Korra’s desk, leaning forward and clasping her hands together like she was a high school principal or something. It was always something with the glasses with her.
“I’ve reviewed your annual budget, and to be frank, yes you can afford new engines, and you will be buying them from me. This here is more of a formality. This has already been decided with your chief and the state fire commissioner.”
Korra had to clench her fists under her desk to steady herself. So Raiko and his shitty commissioner pal had already made the decision and this was all a formality?
Asami opened her mouth to speak before Korra cut her off with an agitated hand gesture.
“A formality? Why bother to even come here then, Sato? If everyone’s just running around making plans behind my back what’s this formality nonsense for? Do you think I’m a child or something? You knew full well what my answer was going to be, so –“
“Korra please. Just listen to me –“
“Not to mention – why are you pushing so hard for us to buy your flashy new engines? This some kind of marketing ploy or something to save your plummeting company or what?”
Asami fell silent again, leaning back and breathing slowly through her nose, not breaking their held gaze. Korra could practically hear the gears turning in the other woman's head as she frowned ever so slightly at her. She had to admit she felt a bit ridiculous arguing with her supplier but fuck it all, Korra was furious. She didn’t like feeling like she was being played, especially by Miss Pinstriped Power Suit.
“These are good trucks, these are my father’s trucks, and –“
“Well your father’s not the chief anymore, is he?” Asami said curtly, “Raiko is, it’s his decision, and I came here to try and speak with you about this civilly as opposed to you finding out after the fact and getting worked up about it. Yes I knew what you’d have to say about replacing the engines but I wanted to show you a little respect and –“
“And give me the illusion of choice?”
Korra was now sitting with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed, just daring Asami to make some kind of comeback. Any second feelings she had about arguing were ebbing pretty quickly at this point; in fact she wanted to press the issue.
It came as nothing but a surprise then as Asami burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her hand and bringing her other hand to her chest, which was shaking in amusement.
What the hell is this woman’s deal…?
“Sorry…I’m sorry I’m not trying to be rude but -!”
She turned away, trying and failing to stifle her chiming laughter before doubling over the chair altogether.
“Really? I’m that funny?”
She said nothing but waved her hand at Korra, holding up a finger as she gasped for breath, still turned away. Despite herself Korra found herself simmering – just a bit. She had to admit it was kind of amusing to see tight-lipped Asami laughing like a fool.
Though she didn’t see what exactly was so funny.
After a few more moments of hushed laughter she turned back, wiping tears from her eyes with a sigh.
“Sorry – about that” she said “it’s just – you looked so defiant, like you were ready to jump across the table and fight me – you have to understand my usual meetings don’t go like this. It’s an…amusing change of pace.”
“Glad you think it’s funny. I don’t really share the sentiment.”
“Understandable. But I hope you can understand I didn’t come here to mock you or anything; I truly thought it’d be the better option than finding out next week when the new trucks are delivered.”
“…And what’s going to happen to the trucks here?”
“Well…they’re going to be destroyed of course. A fire engine is a bit too big to keep around as a keepsake, after all.”
Sighing, Korra passed her hand over her face and tried to let it all wash over her without causing a tidal wave. She didn’t even want to think about getting rid of her father’s trucks.
“Just be straight with me Sato” she said wearily, “tell me the real reason this is happening.”
Straightening out a bit and putting her glasses back on, Asami hesitated before admitting Korra’s earlier assumption about her company’s image was true, but it wasn’t the whole issue. “Future Industries could use the good press after the mess my father caused. Badly. Not just that though; there are renovations being made all over the city. I’m sure you know about this city’s rather poor reputation – steps are being made to turn this around, you see. It’s not just the fire department, the police force is being relocated to a whole new location…town hall is being expanded upon…it’s just the course of things. I’m sorry but there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
Korra sighed again and ran her fingers through her hair.
Well that’s that, I guess.
Losing her father’s trucks was bad enough, but knowing chief and the damn commissioner had gone behind her back on this was a pretty low blow. As much as she and chief Raiko didn’t get along she always thought he held her father in pretty high respects.
“Is there any chance I could keep one of the engines here?”
Asami paused and cupped her chin, looking a little confused at the question.
“I’m…not sure. It’s a bit of an unorthodox request, but I can certainly run it by the commissioner. May I ask why this is a priority for yours?”
“No thanks. Was there anything else you needed from me, Sato?”
“No, I think that’ll be it.”
“Good” Korra grumbled, rubbing her forehead. “Listen, I’m sorry for snapping at you. This is just a bit of a sensitive issue for me, yeah? It’s been a long day, I just need to get a drink.”
The thought crossed her mind to ask Mako to pick up a beer with her after their shift was over, but given his recent health kick she doubted he’d be game. Bolin maybe…no, he had work in the early morning, and so did Opal.
It’s fine, I don’t mind going it alone.
It would give her some time to brood and stew over being screwed over by her bosses in peace.
“What time’s your shift over?”
Korra glanced up and saw Asami standing up, lifting her coat from the chair and smiling brightly as if she and Korra had been having a pleasant conversation.
“What? Why?”
“Why don’t you come out with me? And pick up a drink. I was planning on going out tonight anyway.”
Korra’s mouth hung open slightly at the question, and at the sheer ease in which it was asked. If only Mako were there to hear; he’d evaporate in jealousy.
“Sato…listen. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? I’ll pay.”
“...So I just got done biting your head off and you want to take me up for a drink? Is this some other kind of ploy?”
Asami swayed her head from side to side a bit, and had an unreasonably warm smile on her face. “I just thought it would be fun…we could ‘bury the hatchet’ as they say. To be honest I don’t like the idea of you hating me so much.”
“I don’t hate you Sato.”
“Then let me buy you a drink tonight.”
Korra sighed, closing her eyes and weighing her options. Not that she was hurting for money, but she wasn't really one to turn a free drink down. Then again, after the whole fake choice bullshit Asami laid on her lap she couldn’t help but feel a little ribbed about Asami buying her anything.
But maybe it would be an alright time – she’d yet to meet anyone she didn’t warm up to after sharing a beer or two.
“…Yeah, fine. I’m off at eight. Do you want to meet somewhere, or…?”
“I can pick you up here, it's no problem.”
“No! No, let’s just meet up somewhere.”
Asami looked a bit confused by this, but no way was Korra going to have everyone at the station see her getting picked up by their much-adored supplier. They’d never let her hear the end of it (especially Mako, who had it the worst for Asami), and she dealt with enough of her coworkers shenanigans without adding any more to the list.
“So where do you want to meet, Sato?”
Korra had to admit she was surprised – very surprised – by the location Asami chose meet up at. It was just a regular bar, a bar Korra herself had driven by pretty frequently. It wasn't at all what she thought Asami had in mind (she pictured booth seating, low lights and pretentious patrons sipping flavored martinis and discussing some crap they’d heard on NPR).
A free drink’s a free drink…let’s get this over with.
Stepping in Korra saw her immediately; in a place like that it was hard to not notice a woman who you could mistake for a supermodel sitting at the bar wearing that blood red blouse and pinstripe skirt.
“You didn’t go home and change?” she asked as she sat on the stool to Asami’s left, unable to keep the amusement off of her face.
“You stand out like a sore thumb. Honestly I’m surprised a bunch of these guys aren’t swarming you” she said, gesturing to the bar’s populace (most of which were indeed looking like Korra’s seat was where they’d kill to be).
“Oh they were” Asami mused, sliding a tall glass of beer over to Korra, “they were. Over the years I’ve become pretty knowledgeable about how to keep men off my back.”
Sipping the beer, Korra figured it to be some kind of blonde ale – not really her speed but it’d get the job done. Looking at Asami up close she noticed she was still in full makeup, still wearing her tie up to her collar…she looked really out of place.
Pretty nice, but out of place all the same.
“Yeah, I can imagine looking like you do you’d have to beat the guys off with a stick” she murmured, taking a few steady gulps. She was a bit uncomfortable with how nervous she was feeling, around Asami of all people. The whole situation just felt a little weird.
“What do you mean?” Asami asked, tapping the side of her beer, “are you teasing me, Korra?”
“Stop fucking around Sato, you know you’re gorgeous.”
As soon as she said it she groaned internally. She hadn’t even finished her beer and already was saying stupid shit. She knew Asami wasn’t going to let her hear the end of it.
“I’m gorgeous, am I? Oh my goodness, Korra, you can be a real smooth talker when you’re not yelling at me!”
“Sato, please…”
“I mean pretty is one thing, but gorgeous? Do you have a sonnet in your pocket to show me, you lady killer?”
Korra chugged the rest of her beer to keep herself from saying anything in retaliation – Asami really knew how to push her buttons, that was for sure. Despite herself she could tell she was blushing, which was embarrassing as all hell.
“Just because you think it’s funny to get on my nerves, you’ll have to buy me another drink” Korra said, meeting Asami’s gaze and trying to seem as composed as possible. Not that she was planning on bleeding Asami's wallet dry, but Korra was curious exactly how far she was willing to go with this. From what she understood the Sato family wasn't exactly broke.
“No problem. That's what we're here for, after all.”
Asami ordered them more drinks (she ordered a bloody mary) and made a face of mock disgust when Korra ordered the house IPA.
“You actually drink that stuff? My God, IPAs are disgusting. I'd sooner chug turpentine than drink one of those things.”
“Says the woman ordering a blended salad with some vodka in it...”
“Its tomato juice. And it's very good, especially with Tabasco sauce.”
“Again, says the woman ordering a blended salad with cheap hot sauce and vodka in it. That's disgusting.”
Laughing, Asami playfully shook Korra's shoulder and let her hand linger there for a bit longer than necessary. Korra noticed this immediately, and her original feelings of nervousness and from the beginning of the night shifted directly into self-consciousness. Was Asami trying to pick her up or something? Was that what this was about? She didn't mean to be conceited, but really...
Not that she didn't find Asami attractive; that was pretty much impossible, but given their usual interactions this seemed pretty left-field. Although when she thought about it, Asami was never hostile towards her in any way, she was just...always around, asking questions, looking through reports...
As the bartender brought them their drinks and unabashedly grinned at Asami (who took no notice whatsoever and proceeded to immediately take a drink) the thought hit Korra like a ton of bricks.
Holy shit, is that why she's always at the station? Have I been reading her all wrong?
Downing a few gulps of her drink she sat and replayed all their previous interactions, every look Asami had given her that she'd always assumed was snobby and condescending, but really what if they weren't? What if those lingering glances were looks of interest?
Holy fuck...no way. Nooo way. I need another drink.
“You alright?” Asami asked, eyebrows raised. “You're uh, getting through your tar beer pretty quickly...”
“Nah – I mean, yeah, I'm fine, I'm just...thinking.”
“About the engines? Listen, I am sorry about that. The commissioner had mentioned you weren't going to be happy about it, but I didn't know it was such a personal thing for you.”
It was weird to think, but Korra was glad the subject of the engines had come back up. It was getting hard to look Asami in the face without...well, it was a welcome change of topic.
“Yeah, it's very personal for me. Those were my dad's engines.”
Taking another drink, she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Going out for some drinks was a good idea; the thought of those engines being destroyed was still bothering her, but the booze definitely took a lot of the edge off. The two of them sat drinking and making small talk until they downed them both and Asami asked Korra if she wanted another drink.
"Yeah sure. A scotch. On the rocks.”
“Okay. Getting into the good stuff I see. Two scotches please. On the rocks.”
“You drink scotch?” Korra asked, smiling at Asami as the bartender once again tried and failed to catch her eye. "You uh, don't strike me as the type.”
Asami rolled her eyes and shifted on her stool to face Korra, saying that she grew up around her father who, when he drank, almost exclusively drank expensive whiskey.
“It'd be impossible for me to not take a liking to it eventually. Or maybe I'm lying and I'm just trying to impress you with my ability to drink disgusting liquor.”
“Disgusting like IPAs?”
Asami laughed at her again, this time placing her hand on Korra's knee and and squeezing it a bit. Korra's heart rate skyrocketed as she glanced around the bar hoping to see the bartender coming back with their drinks. Asami’s hand was too warm and the thoughts bouncing around in Korra’s mind were threatening to veer into awkward territory.
She needed a distraction.
“You know” Asami said, sliding her hand off the edge of Korra’s knee and resting it on her own, “you can call me by my first name. We’re not at the station; you calling me ‘Sato’ feels like I’m speaking with someone at work. You can relax around me.”
Asami’s almost coy expression before she took another sip of her drink was enough to make Korra snort indignantly (although truth be told Korra wasn’t necessarily as relaxed as she wanted to come across).
“You think I can’t relax around you?”
“You just seem tense is all. Especially after going on about how heavenly I look.”
“Oh my God....”
“No need to be so defensive!” Asami said, widening her grin at Korra’s expense just a bit, “I just want to make sure you’re comfortable around me.”
“Listen, just ‘cause I think you’re hot doesn’t mean -”
Realizing she’d pretty much just shoved her fucking foot in her mouth, Korra cleared her throat and turned away from Asami’s wildly amused face and back to her drink, kicking herself internally.
They sat in silence for what was probably not even a minute but felt a whole hell of a lot longer.
Topic change, topic change, what the hell am I supposed to say now...?
Glancing over at Asami Korra was relieved to see she at least looked like she was over that embarrassing little slip up. Thank God.
“About the engines...”
Part of her thought it'd be pointless to go into the matter, but Korra was a bit drunk and felt like getting it off her chest regardless. And any conversation would be welcome to the horrible awkward silence brought on by her lack of control over what slipped out of her mouth.
“I guess they're not really my dad's engines, more like a...well a symbol of his work. The station was a complete and utter mess before he took it over. No one took their job seriously, all the equipment was outdated...not to mention the engines. Way more problems there than faulty assist valves.”
Chuckling a bit to herself, she took another drink and was fully aware of the way Asami was looking at her, and wondered why she had any reason to seem so sympathetic.
“There were times he'd told me about how the old hoses would do more water damage from leaking than the fires themselves. He had to fight tooth and nail with the city commission to turn that place around. And he was proud of it, even when he had to be away from home, even when he retired.”
The bartender returned with their drinks and Korra took a chug immediately, and coughed in surprise.
“Maybe you should slow down a bit” Asami suggested. “I said I'd buy for you but I don't want you getting sick on my good conscience.“
Korra ignored her and took a smaller sip, crinkling her nose at the taste. It'd been a while since she'd drank scotch, and she was starting to remember why.
“All those engines that're about to be destroyed” she said, “all those engines my dad had to fight for. I guess they might not be as great as whatever futuristic shit your company has cooked up, but when my dad finally got them it was a sign that things at the station were changing for the better. And now that I'm captain they're being taken away.”
She fell silent before moving to take another drink when Asami placed her hand over the glass, looking at her through furrowed brows. “Maybe you should take a break? Just a minute or two? Let's change the subject before you drink yourself to death tonight. Maybe we could get back to how gorgeous I am.”
Grinning a bit, Korra slid her drink away from Asami's hand and took one more sip before setting it down. She was a little tipsy, yes.
And Asami was pretty gorgeous.
“I dunno why I'm telling you all this shit anyway” she mumbled, sliding her drink across the bar from hand to hand, “probably 'cause I've been drinking. Feels good either way.”
“I thought we were going to talk about how stunning I am” Asami said, taking another drink. Korra smirked and finished off her scotch, coughing again. It was pretty harsh.
“Do you ladies need some, uh, water? Or food?” the bartender asked, leaning over the bar and looking at Asami with doe eyes. “Water is nice” Asami said, not bothering to turn to face him, which Korra thought was pretty hilarious, “and some fries? Do you like fries, Korra?”
“Obviously.”
“Water and fries it is. Thank youuu.”
It seemed like the bartender had finally picked up the hint as he walked off, looking more pissed off than anything else, and Korra could help but laugh.
“You know Sato, you surprise me a bit. I always thought you were a prissy snob. Uh, no offense.”
It felt a little embarrassing to say out loud but it was the truth. Korra may not have ever hated Asami, but she had to admit she was quick to judge her.
“Oh, no it’s... it's fine. It’s nothing new anyway.”
Asami put on a what-can-you-do type face before finishing her drink and tipping it to Korra.
“A lot of people see me and assume because of how I dress, or what makeup I decide to wear that I’m some sort of thoughtless sexy figurehead for Future Industries. You wouldn’t believe the ridiculousness I put up with on a near daily basis from all the stodgy old men at work...”
Asami stopped and considered, tilting her head a bit before amending her statement.
“Actually I think you’d understand perfectly. Firefighting is still a very male-dominated field. And I’m already painfully aware of Chief Raiko’s uh...views on women leading in the workplace.”
“Holy sh - don’t even get me started on that asshole. He’s always been a prick; even to my dad who I know he respected at least somewhat. When I made captain I knew he wouldn’t make things easy for me but I sure didn’t know the extent of his fuckery."
Asami burst out laughing, surprising Korra so much she jolted a bit.
"His fuckery - oh my God -!"
"I'm serious!" Korra said through her smile, unabashedly enjoying the laugh she was getting, "every time I see that man it’s a never ending struggle to not knock him on his ass. It's his condescending self-righteousness that really gets me.”
"He can be pompous..."
"That's putting it lightly. The man's an ass."
Somewhere between bonding over their mutual dislike of Raiko and shared drinks, conversation came surprisingly easy between them. Turned out they actually had quite a bit in common (other than minor discrepancies in their childhood stories – Korra was never poor but she sure as hell never went to any ritzy private schools or learned how to drive with her father's Rolls-Royce).
Halfway through the fries they decided to order one more round of drinks before calling it a night (Korra didn't have any plans to miss the last bus). It was a shame; she really didn't expect she was going to have as good of a time as she was.
“So you used to take self-defense classes?” Korra asked through a mouthful of fries.
“Going for the whole femme fatale thing, huh?”
She moved to take the last of the fries before Asami slid the plate towards her and stuffed them in her mouth.
“Hey! You just said you didn't want any more!”
“Things change when you make snide remarks” Asami responded after she'd finished them off.
“You shouldn't underestimate me, Korra. I bet I could give you a run for your money.”
“Ha! Yeah...okay...”
She couldn't really imagine Asami in self-defense classes though...she just pictured her in the suits she always wore to the station. It was kind of hard to imagine her in anything else.
Suddenly the thought shot through her head wonder what she looks like in nothing at all and Korra knew she might have had a bit too much to drink. She didn't want to circle back to those thoughts (Asami was kind of her boss, in a way...well maybe not her boss boss, but still).
The seed had already been planted though, and Korra couldn't help but check out Asami as she finished off her last drink...the curve of her throat, the flush on her cheeks...
Ah, shit...
Yeah, she had maybe a bit too much to drink, and finishing off her last beer maybe wasn't the best idea, but it wasn't like she had to drive home so...
“You said you rode the bus here, right?” Asami asked as she signed their receipt, keeping the total hidden from Korra’s view.
“Yeah...I never drive to bars. I mean, if I'm gonna get drunk...”
“Makes sense. How about you get a cab with me instead? Better than waiting at the bus stop and riding home with a bunch of smelly, creepy strangers.”
“Ha! Okay wow, that's hurtful of bus clientele. And you've already spent enough money on me tonight.”
“Okay, be my guest. I'll get an air-conditioned ride home and you can drunkenly walk to the nearest bus station. I'm sure it'll be fun. Big buff girl like you shouldn't have any problems fighting off the uh, usual types who hang around this town's bus stations around this time of night...”
“Are you being serious right now Sat- Asami?”
Asami turned and gave Korra a look she had a hard time not perceiving as suggestive.
She was too drunk, too off her usual game, a bit too into the whole smoky-eyed thing Asami had going on to be able to say anything in response.
Now just what the hell have I gotten myself into?
“I’m deadly serious” Asami said as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear in what Korra could only describe as a modest gesture. "Talking with you has been a lot of fun. I don't want it to be over right now, and tomorrow's Sunday. You're off on Sundays, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Am I making you uncomfortable by asking? I mean, I realize it's a little forward -"
"No, it's...I mean, yeah, tonight's been fun. Way more fun than I was expecting, honestly."
Korra noticed a bit of color rushing to Asami's cheeks and wondered if Asami wasn't as smooth and confident as she was trying to seem like she was.
It was honestly so cute.
“So do you wanna get out of here? With me?” Asami asked once more, smiling almost bashfully.
Korra opened her mouth to respond and was at a complete loss for words. Her mind was alternating horribly between moving a million miles a minute and coming to a complete screeching halt. What the hell was going to happen tonight? Was she going to go home? Or to Asami's place?
If she was being completely honest, ending up at Asami's place wasn't at all an...unfavorable option, but hell...before tonight Asami would've ranked 3 or 4 on her list of people she preferred to go without seeing and now she was drunk and horny as hell and Asami just looked so damn good and she was actually pretty cool and fun to talk to...
“Yeah. Sure.”
She could feel Asami's gaze burning a hole in her, she could feel the thick, unbearable cloud of tension between them and she was some kind of mixture of needlessly self-conscious and excited. This was so crazy.
“Well uh... I mean - thanks again for the drinks. I needed to unwind and breathe a bit. So, that was pretty cool of you.”
“You're welcome. Anytime. I was actually thinking I’d like to do this again. If you do too that is.”
“Yeah! That sounds cool. Sounds cool.”
She was fiddling with her nails (something she hadn't done in years holy shit she was acting like a kid) and sheepishly smiling at Asami, who had a pretty similar expression on her own face. The whole situation was nuts and it made her just a little giddy (and the booze wasn't helping).
The night so far had not been what she was expecting, in the best way possible. Thinking about seeing Asami again at work after tonight was enough to give her a sly smile.
As she and Asami stepped out of the bar to call a cab, Korra dug her phone out of the pocket to check the time and was surprised at just how long they’d been out. It felt like maybe an hour tops, but it was already after midnight. Spending the night was probably the best option at that point.
Smiling and pocketing her phone for the last time that night, she looked forward to whatever other surprises she had in store for her.