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She wasn’t a fan. God no. Of that crap? What Tahno and his fans called “music” was more akin to a pile of synthesizers being put in a blender. Korra preferred real music, thanks. They were only here because Asami’d insisted they catch one of his concerts while they were in LA looking for a record deal.
And it wasn’t exactly a very pleasant surprise when Asami revealed only after the concert when Korra wanted to go home and get the ringing out of her ears that she had been so thoughtful as to get them backstage passes to go backstage and meet the great Tahno. Much as Korra begged for her friend to please just go on without her, Asami managed to convince her that maybe getting acquainted with some big names could further her career a bit.
Whatever, Korra told her. Let’s just make this quick.
But by the time they’d made it past the throng of screaming fangirls to the velvet rope behind the stage, nobody was being let back.
Asami, still determined to no end, asked a bodyguard why no one was getting through.
“Tahno’s tired,” they were told. “He doesn’t want to talk to anyone today.”
Well that sounded like grade-a-assholiness to Korra, and she tried to explain this to Asami who was actually feeling sympathetic for the guy, but at that very moment Tahno chose to walk out of his dressing room.
The screaming was nearly deafening, and amplified by the lazy wave Tahno threw over to them. He wasn’t so great, Korra thought. Up close you could see how heavily his hair was gelled and that he had way too much eyeliner on. She watched as his eyes combed the crowd and finally land on her. One of his eyebrows quirked up in a way she was sure drove most girls crazy, and he gestured for her to come to him.
Korra glanced around; he was looking at someone else, right? But a bodyguard was taking her arm and tugging her under the rope already.
“But I don’t even want to - ”
“Tahno wants to talk to you, miss. He gets what he wants.”
And then suddenly she was standing in front of him. With her best glare, she spat at him, “What do you want, pretty boy?”
That eyebrow rose further still and he let out a small chuckle. “I noticed your guitar. You’re a musician.”
“I am. More of a musician than you’ll ever be at least.” Crap. Shut up shut up shut up.
He tut-tutted. “So rude to me, amateur. But let me let you in on a secret. No one,” he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “wants to hear anything from wannabes with acoustic guitars anymore.”
A million comebacks came to her lips, but she held them in. She couldn’t ruin her career before it even started.
“But, you know,” Tahno murmured, still at her ear, “if you want to know how a real pro plays, I could give you some…private lessons.”
With an angry gasp, Korra pulled away from him. What she really wanted to do was punch him right now, but with all his bodyguards around, that seemed like a bad idea. Instead she settled for a furious “In your dreams,” and stomped off to see if Asami would please just take her back to the hotel.
Korra figured she was home free and let Asami’s cascade of “What happened?”’s and “What’s he like?”’s drown out the screaming girls for a little, until she was stopped again by another one of the bodyguards.
He pressed a piece of paper into her hand and said “Mr. Tahno would appreciate it if you called him sometime.”
Korra glanced back to where Tahno stood. The idol actually had the gall to drop a guy-liner-covered wink in her direction.
Making sure he was looking, Korra took the piece of paper, ripped it in half, and threw it over her soldier.
“Tell Mr. Tahno that he can call me when he wants his own private lessons.”