Asami groaned groggily, slowly waking up from her slumber.
Aimlessly swatting her hand on the table bedside, she tried to turn off her alarm. When she finally managed to press the snooze button, she stared at the ceiling for a few minutes and took a deep sigh. Asami slid out of bed and found her way through the bathroom and showered quickly. She dried herself up and put on the clothes she had already prepared the night prior.
Asami was always ready. Her dad would always remind her that a good leader will plan ahead. And that's what she always did. Plan things ahead.
Give her a project to work on and leave it to the heiress to write down a list in bullet points on what to do first, how it should be done and when it should be finished.
Asami put on the purple turtleneck, slid the red tights on her long, skinny legs and top of it, a red skirt. She opened the drawer below the sink and revealed her makeup compartment.
It's been two weeks and four days. She counted. Of course, she counted. There's never been a day her mind wandered far away from Republic City and across the city down South. It was always the same. And she always wondered; What is Korra doing now? Is she having breakfast now? Asami laughed at the thought. Korra hated mornings. Does she still have nightmares? What is she thinking right now?
These are some questions living gratuitously in Asami's mind most of the time. But if she were honest to herself, it's Korra's mere thought that stayed in her mind. She can't get the woman off her brain. It's like embedded, imprinted. She's yet to see that face when she gets back if she gets back.
No. She shook her head on her train of thoughts. There she was again, getting lost in the moment just by thinking of Korra.
Asami started doing her makeup; foundation, purple eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, red lipstick. She puckered her lips in her reflection, cleaned the mess she made and put on her black buttoned-down jacket with red-colored sleeves. Her hand went for a container on the left side of the sink, hairpins. Asami picked up a blue hairpin and clasped it on the left side of her long, wavy raven hair. Blue. Of course. Everything reminded her of Korra.
Elegance and grace. That's what she was with the perfect features and height to prove a point. She looked at her reflection once more, but she feels like something was missing. She stared at those green eyes, and she can see the sadness seep through. There's something—someone missing.
Two weeks and four days. Oh, the self-control she had to muster on the first day after Korra left as she found herself writing on a piece of paper; Dear Korra.
She crumpled the paper and threw it away. Too early. That was too early. She was mentally slapping herself, thinking: What the hell is wrong with me?
It went on for days, and like a broken record, she had to remind herself, elegance and grace. And it was harder every day as she thinks solely of Korra and how lonely she feels without her. One slip and she isn't elegance and grace anymore, dejected and despondent more so.
She always planned things ahead and always knows what to do next. But now? Nothing. That's the effect Korra has on her. Again, she laughs at the thought. Elegance and grace.
Because she has no choice and remembering what Korra had said, Republic City needs her. And another point she predicted, President Raiko asked for assistance regarding a project for the city.
She sighed deeply and slipped on her above the ankle boots before going out of the bathroom. She got her shoulder bag hanging near the door and got out. Asami was greeted by her butler with a coffee in hand as she walked down the stairs of the marvelous Sato mansion.
"Miss Sato, looking as charming as ever." Dee greeted with a brief smile while handing the coffee to the heiress. "I assume no breakfast again this morning?"
Asami took a sip of her coffee and felt her insides succumb to the bittersweet taste. Just perfect. Her butler knows her too well. He wore the usual black slacks and black coat, with his glasses clinging almost at the edge of his nose, and the sleek mustache that is hard to miss. He was with the Satos since the heiress was still learning to walk.
Without missing a beat, she waved a hand at her butler as she quickly got the car keys on the tabletop. "Will try to get something on the way, I just have an early meeting with the President."
"Of course," Dee following the heiress with a paper in his hands, "I got today's paper for you as well."
She turned around, got the paper and smiled at the smaller guy, "Thank you, Dee. When you're finished with everything, you can take the rest of the day off".
Dee gave a curt nod, opened the door for the heiress, and responded, "Thank you, Miss Sato. Take care." Asami smiled and went out of the mansion. The air hit her face, and she breathed in the breeze.
She walked over to the garage and got in her favorite Sato mobile convertible. She quickly glanced at today's news as she settled on the driver's seat, bag on the opposite side. She scrunched up her nose with brows narrowing at the headline.
"You've got to be kidding me." She muttered to herself. The front page read with bold letters: AVATAR MISSING IN ACTION?
The picture they posted is the picture of Korra during Jinora's ceremony. She looked so small and so, lost. The article went on justifying how the world needs the Avatar now. With the commotion in the Earth Kingdom, the Avatar will need to get back to her duties quickly.
Asami folded the newspaper and put it on the back seat, not wanting to be near it.
She drove her way to the city hall. Feeling the morning air, she let herself get lost in the surroundings. She passed by Aang's statue along the way and can't help but smile. It reminded her of the water tribe girl once more.
-
"Come in."
Asami opened the door to President Raiko's office. She saw the man sitting across the table, scrunched up on his chair, signing stacks of paper laid messily. He only looked up when Asami was right in front of him.
"Ah. Miss Sato." Raiko stood momentarily to give a firm handshake and motioned to the chair, "please sit."
Asami took a seat and went straight to business, not wanting to stay in that office for a little longer. She remembered all the things he'd done and said to Korra. Banish Korra? Then he takes it back immediately after the girl almost lost her life to fighting off the Red Lotus. Asami wanted to roll her eyes and punch the man in front of her so badly but composed herself.
"How can I help?" She chirped.
Taken aback by Asami's bluntness, he looked at her with wide eyes but started to clear out his messy table in the process. He cleared his throat. "My advisors and I were thinking of rebuilding the city from the landscapes, buildings, and transportation." He gave the paperwork across the table to Asami, grabbed it onto her lap and started skimming through it.
"It's time to adapt to the world, especially with the vines rummaging in the streets. I believe you've pitched ideas before to work around the vines, but I shut it off." He paused, waiting for Asami to respond differently, but Asami just skimmed through the proposal on her lap. "And now I'm reconsidering it. I'm hiring Future Industries as the number one contractor to rebuild the city."
Asami finally looked up and stared at the man across the table. He looked sincere, and much of her dismay, it was a good idea. She wrestled her pros and cons in her head; It will be suitable for the company. We'll need to have extra employees and extra working hours. Etc.
She took a deep breath and nodded, "Okay, we can do that. My team and I already have some blueprints ready; I'll go over it with the board once I arrive at the office." She then went back to reading the papers, her engineer mind starting to work.
"Sounds good. I'll be sending the contract and other clauses to your company as soon as possible then." President Raiko responded. "Oh, one more thing."
He got another file from his drawer and laid it on the table for Asami to look at. "I was thinking of giving a token of appreciation for Avatar Korra."
That got Asami's attention. She wished her face didn't show much of what she was feeling right now. Just hearing Korra's name sends her into a helpless pile of goo, and her heart was pounding louder and louder.
"We will rename the park as 'Avatar Korra park.' Given what she's done for the city, it's only fair that she'll be commemorated as she deserves." Raiko shifted to his sit and Asami could only stare, "It may not be enough, so I'm open for suggestions to make the gesture more applicable..."
She shut out Raiko's words as she went back on her drive this morning.
"A statue." Asami suddenly blurted. Raiko looked at her like she was crazy. She continued, "A statue. Just like Avatar Aang's. I'll make sure I lead the team with this project, and you'll have nothing to worry about."
"I'm afraid the funds won't be enou—"
"Don't worry about it, Mr. President." She gave the man a genuine smile and started to gather all the files in her hands, "Is there anything else?"
The President stood up from his chair and put out his right hand, offering another handshake. "That would be all, Miss Sato. Pleasure doing business with you." Asami shook his hand and went out of his office.
Maybe the guy can be tolerable after all.
She also thought that this is another political agenda for the President to have a better image in Republic City, but the heiress couldn't care less. She has work to do, something to distract her. For the first time, she's looking forward to being in her office all day.
-
Her day went by swiftly, meeting with the board members, planning out the parts of the city to be rebuilt, talking to her team of engineers with the projects, and the park for Korra.
She didn't realize it was late when her assistant came in to check on her. "Miss Sato? I'm gonna go ahead." The lady was in her late twenties, has short black hair up to her shoulders, a light skin complexion, and just the right build. She is a firebender and came from a small town in the Fire Nation. She loved technologies and tinkering machines, so she came here to Republic City. Asami recently just hired her after the fallout of her father as CEO and most of the employees of Future Industries left. She had to build the company back up. And she did.
Asami looked at the time, and it pointed at 08:12. "Oh my, I haven't noticed the time."
Tin, her assistant, came in full view from the door and approached the heiress, "I can stay with you to close the office if you want."
Asami shook her head immediately, "No, no. I'm almost done anyway. Go home, Tin. Thank you for today." She smiled at her assistant and gestured her to the door.
"Okay, Miss Sato. I will see you tomorrow, bright and early!" She responded enthusiastically and left the office.
She smiled at the disappearing figure as she organized her stuff to bring home. That woman needs a raise. She was supposed to be done at five, but Asami wanted to get started with the projects right away. Her assistant offered to stay and help for a little longer.
She found her way to the parking lot and put all her stuff in the backseat. She got the newspaper from this morning and threw it in the garbage near her.
Asami rounds up the corner and into the streets, the lights from different restaurants greeted her. Crap. She forgot to eat. Quickly, she went to a takeout place to order her food and then drove home.
Asami parked at the garage and swiftly moved inside the mansion. Mako's family lived in the guest house, and she could see the lights still on. She didn't mind the company; in fact, she would be alone in this grand mansion without them. And it didn't even feel like home anymore in the first place.
She opened the door to her room, briskly removed her boots and jacket, then moved across the study table. Today was a tiring day. But a good one.
She opened her takeout food and ate the noodles she ordered. Seaweed noodles. She tries to convince herself that this has no meaning at all, but who is she kidding? Korra. Korra! She quickly pulled the drawer open, got a pen and a paper then started clearing the table. She can now write to Korra. Two weeks and four days. And she has something to say.
Dear Korra,
I miss you.
She stared at the paper. Was that too forward? She shrugs, oh to hell with it.
It's not the same in Republic City without you. How are you feeling? Things are going well here. I just got a big contract to help redesign the city's infrastructure, so I'll be keeping pretty busy for a while.
She thought of telling Korra about Raiko's decision to rename a park for her. And Asami planning on building her a statue. She decided against it.
Still, I'm always here if you need someone to talk to. I hope your recovery is going well. I just noticed that Republic City has a lot of new restaurants down Kuruk street. I'll be happy to show and bring you once you get back. I'll keep writing to you, I promise. You'll get through it; I believe in you.
Love,
Asami
She went over her letter once more, not sure if she should send it. Again, she shrugs. She neatly folded the paper, slid it on an envelope, sealed it and wrote a Southern Water tribe address Korra gave her. She stared at the envelope once more. Did I just ask her out on a date? In a letter? She groaned and quickly went out to drop it in the mailbox. She couldn't wait 'til morning. And hopefully, Korra comes back soon. If not, write back to her as soon as she gets the letter.
Asami was hopeful.
She started doing sketches for Korra's statue. Asami closes her eyes, and there she was, Korra, staring back at her, clear as day. And she draws. It scares her how she catches every detail of the girl from head to toe to the little curves and toned body. She finishes it and stares at the drawing. It was Korra.
She slept peacefully that night.
-
Korra didn't come back after a few weeks. Nor did she write back to her.
Thankfully, Asami's schedules were hectic. She was needed everywhere. The meetings went on and on until she stopped minding. She has three to four meetings every day, with rebuilding establishments, the train she has come up with her team of engineers, and the park.
Every morning before she leaves for work, she checks the mailbox thinking that Korra finally writes back, and then again at night before she goes into the mansion. Nothing. She scolded herself as she shouldn't build her hopes up.
Her confidence was already failing with her belief that the Avatar will come back.
So, she longs for the letter. For some reason, her mind won't stop. Every day she opens the mail wishing a letter from the South will appear, and every day her heart breaks a little.
-
It's been a month. A month. And she still counted. She suspected Korra wouldn't be coming back anytime soon, but she at least anticipated some news from her.
Asami kept busy with the projects. If she works hard enough, she forgets about everything. At least for a while. And that's okay with her. Days go on, and it's been two months. They started sculpting Korra's statue. They started planning for the rail system. And then it's been three months. She cries. Four months. Still no letters.
Yet she writes to Korra again.
Dear Korra,
The snowflakes were falling when I woke up this morning. I immediately thought of you. I'm sure the cold doesn't bother you as much as it bothers me. I hope you're doing well! I've been in the office more often than I am in the mansion. It feels lonely there. The rebuilding of the city is in the works now....
And it went on for a whole page. There's something therapeutic about writing letters to the Avatar. She pours her heart out and thoughts she never dares say to anyone. And she didn't mind.
-
Six months. The emptiness inside her kept getting bigger and bigger. It was swallowing her whole. There are nights she couldn't sleep, so she drives around to clear her mind. There are days she doesn't eat because she's too worked up with the projects or just too busy trying to distract herself.
Asami has lunch dates with the brothers now and then. They catch up, ask how their lives have been, and they laugh. But she knows something is missing. She remembers the days when the four of them would go out and eat. Korra was always beside her. Now the chair on her side is empty. She glances at it most of the time, and she swears she can feel the Avatar's presence, it's like mocking her.
She goes on with her day after lunch.
She writes to Korra again. She wishes her mind will stop sometimes, but to no avail, it couldn't. She never fails to check the mailbox. She never stopped hoping that Korra finally writes back to her.
Asami was hopeful.