The Fine Art of Diplomancing (And the Hard Art of Keeping Korra out of Trouble) (LoK SI)
- Thread starter SharkGlue
- Start date
Tabi
Expert Jissou Abuser
Oh, I'm pretty sure th energy requirements won't be an issue.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
How much older is Kuvira than Korra? Also how old is the SI?
I honestly don't know. I never did find any age, though I always pegged her as mid twenties vs Korra's 21 at season end.
As to our Intrepid
Weero
Taijiquan Initiate
Damn the modern education system, getting people stranded in different realities!
Part 15
AN: Thanks once again to Xonmiac for helping his fic be a lot better than it otherwise would be. As usual, thoughts and criticisms are welcome
After the emotional rollercoaster that was the past few hours, I was fucking tempted to just go and sleep the rest of the day off. Just write the whole goddamn day off and spend it recoverin in the blissful throes of sleep.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a real option for me. Tonight was the Public Relations event for the Zaofu metalbenders A chance to show off to the public that Republic city was taking its concerns seriously.. In other words, it was time for me to go hunt for something a little snazzier than my jacket/shirt pants combo I've been rocking the past few days.
Honestly, it was something I wanted to do. I mean, wearing a suit back home was purely in the realm of the rich professionals. The humidity alone there made going out in even shorts a guaranteed sauna, let alone going out in a suit. Still, it wasn't the first time I wore or even bought one. The tricky thing was looking for one that worked for me.
It took a bit of asking around the street, mostly asking for a tailor really, but in the end I had managed to find a tailor located not too far away from the park. Run by one Mr. Tan, 'Tan's Tailoring' had all the hallmarks of what I'd come to expect out of a tailor. Neatly packed bolts of cloth in the back, all of varying types and colors, a couple of display outfits, and of course Mr. Tan himself in a cool and clean suit, with a length of measuring tape hung around his neck and a wispy little mustache.
"Welcome," Tan greeted warmly, hands outstretched in greeting. "To my humble shop. Can I help you with anything?"
"Yeah, I'm looking for something… smart." I supplied, stroking my chin in thought. "Seeing as I haven't been issued a formal uniform by the boss yet, I figure it best to go and dress up for tonight."
"Any… particular ideas in mind sir?" he asked as he began eying me. Probably picturing in his head what works and what doesn't.
"I'm thinking, navy blue coat, long sleeved collared shirt inside, sky blue, and khaki pants."
"Hmm…" the man replied, carefully twirling his mustache as he circled around me, presumably thinking about the look. "Yes… that'd work. With gold buttons, though that'd be quite a bit of work."
"How... much are we talking here?" I asked hesitantly.
"Easily 2000 yuans. Especially if you need it tonight."
I winced on hearing the amount. That would be a fuck load of money…. but still, a good suit is a good investment. People respond well to well-dressed individuals better than some guy in an every day getup. Makes everything they say a lot more valid.
"I dunno," I shrugged. "For something this simple, I'd think 800 yuans would be appropriate for the whole thing."
"Sir, that would be true if I only used shoddy materials," Tan responded, eying me warily. "This would also presume that I only spent a few minutes stitching it all up together."
"Then what's the lowest price you can give me then?"
"For you sir, I'd saaaay… 1500."
I winced again. He probably caught sight of my first one, and smelt my weakness. I'm sure he could've gone down to 1200 if I hadn't winced. Ah well, arguing wouldn't get me any further here. "Fine." I mumbled, fishing the money out of my pocket.
"A pleasure," he smiled after taking the money. He briefly took a moment to count it, and then after being satisfied he had the right amount, motioned for me to follow him to the back.
What followed was a rather boring hour of me getting measured from top to bottom. It was rather tedious really, with me being forced to stay still and only move when instructed. The only interesting part was during the initial sketches he made, asking me for little inputs like the number of buttons or the pattern of cloth..
At the end of it all, Mr. Tan assured me that the entire thing would be ready by tonight. He did recommend that I find a good pair of shoes to go with it as well. My rather beat up second hand pair I got from the Temple simply wouldn't do after all. To that, he recommended another store not too far away.
Getting shoes didn't take anything nearly as long as getting fit for an outfit though. I was lucky in that the shoes I had spied out, a rather comfortable pair of black leather shoes, turned out to be my size. They had cost a pretty penny though, and at the end of my little shopping spree, I had ended up with just enough cash on hand to pay for a late lunch.
__
The rest of the day after lunch was rather uneventful. A simple lunch of rice and fried fish followed by a quick nap ensured that the rest of the afternoon prepped me for the big night.
I took the time to freshen up and prepare for the event, having finally gotten my suit from Mr. Tan. I had to say, I was impressed. The suit fit just right, not to mention the fact that the fabric he picked was that perfect mix of warm and comfortable. All in all, I think I cut a fine figure in it.
By the time I had arrived at the hotel they were hosting the event, I whistled at the sight before me. The city council had certainly pulled out all the stops for this, judging from the banquet table alone. The band playing something light and happy helped too. The venue itself was rather swanky, glittering chandelier, marble flooring and tiles, everything all nice and shiny.
In a sense, I kinda felt like home. Just for a bit. It was kind of like visiting the homes of old friends who were old money. I smiled sadly at the memory, those were better times before… well this among other things.
Well, anyways, once I took my eyes off the surroundings, I started hunting for signs of any familiar faces. Tenzin and Chief Beifong would definitely be here, but I couldn't catch a whiff of where they were. I hadn't seen any sign of the Zaofu metalbenders either, which was probably all part of the plan, as the gala was for them. They were probably up the stairs or something, being drilled by some PR team. No sign of Korra either… though I did spot a familiar pair of faces. Though, strictly speaking, I could only act in such a way towards one.
"Hey there Mako," I waved as I walked over to him and his companion. "What are you doing here?"
"Vic," Mako greeted, as cold a fish as ever. "I heard about your new job from Korra. Congratulations. As to why I'm here, Vic, meet Asami Sato, my..." The firebender's composure broke slightly as he fumbled. "Uhh…"
"Date," she finished, extending her hand towards me. Real smooth there loverboy. "A pleasure to meet you." she smiled, in warm inviting way that made me smile back in return. I mean, she was the picture of loveliness. Wonderfully silky hair, rose red lips, snow white skin, those charmingly inviting lime green eyes, all accentuated by her choice of an elegant black dress. A veritable Snow White now that I thought about it.
"Vic," I replied, shaking her hand in return."General layabout that somehow found himself in a job I personally think am highly unqualified for."
"That's rather…" Asami struggled, a little surprised at my admission I guess.
"Honest?" I supplied.
"Blunt would be the word I'd use," she countered, having regained her composure.
"Well at least you're trying to be nice about it, I suppose," I conceded. "Though I have to ask, what brings a lovely lady such as yourself to something as dull as this?" I finished, waving my hand at the sight of everything.
"Mostly my father," she responded after a brief giggle. "He is afterall, the head and founder of Future Industries, the biggest conglomerate in Republic city."
"And thus, dragged into the drudgery of all this pomp," I droned.
"He's also sponsoring the Fire Ferrets, so if you could be a bit more polite?" Mako prompted touchily.
"Don't worry Mako, I don't mind," Asami countered mirthfully. "Not everyone here is all business."
"I'll have to take your word for it I'm afraid. Even back home these kinds of things were real boring for me, though it might have been because I had no one to talk to."I lazily replied.
"And that is where you will find differences. Here you can talk to Mako and I ," she finished with a smile.
"True," I conceded before something caught my eye. "Though I'm afraid I see the boss calling me." I apologized, having caught sight of the Chief giving me a glare. It said 'come up here, now. Or else.'. Well, shouted, really, if I was being honest with myself. It's amazing how much can be said with body language eh? "As I'm sure you know, she's rather…"
"Stern?" Asami once again supplied.
"Not really. More like she has her jimmies perpetually rustled." I smirked, "I hate to leave so abruptly but duty calls. Thus, I bid you two adieu." I finished with a bow and flourish. Before I left, I shot a devilish smirk at Mako. Have fun, pretty boy!"
I hastily made my way up the stairs to Chief Beifong. before he could respond,
"Took you long enough," Chief grunted. "Good to see you had the sense to dress up" she added after a quick inspection. "You may be a deputy, but that doesn't mean that I have to give you a uniform. Now come on, we're about to do the reveal and I need you with me on this."
"Yes Boss," I replied as I followed her lead.
We quickly found our way to some holding room up top. Pretty muted fare all considered, especially compared to what was out back Could've mistaken it for a lobby really, what with the couches and large plush looking chairs. Nevertheless, Kuvira and the Zaofu contingent looked like the consummate professionals they were. Relaxed, though not too relaxed, like they could go on and kick ass in seconds if needed.
"Captain," Lin started. "It's time."
"Of course Chief," Kuvira replied with a smirk and a sharp salute. "Men," she said with a sharp about-face. "Let's move out."
They all replied with their own sharp salutes, and quickly fell into a formation of sorts behind their leader. Heck even now I could see how she could become the Great Uniter. She had that aura that seemed to scream leader.Guess it was something some people were born with.
As we all marched down towards the ravenous crowd that was the press, I couldn't help but think about how things had been going for me here. I had a job, a place of my own, friends, and even a rather interesting life outside my job. Too interesting, to tell the truth. Eh, you gotta take the good with the bad. At least I had a job.
I was more or less running on autopilot, just smiling for the camera as the Chief and Captain gave out their speeches. All I needed to do really was to stand there and look pretty and official. Though I did notice a few familiar faces in the crowd. Tenzin, The Bastard Tarrlok, Mako, Asami and just entering towards the end... Korra.
By the time the speech had ended, someting about unity sharing of knowledge hopes to teach as well blah blah blah, I was ready to go and collapse of boredom. Kuvira and co were still all alert and at attention while I felt myself struggling to keep my eyes reasonably open. Any longer really, and I'd have been at real risk of dozing off.
So the moment they dismissed us, I navigated my way to the crowd to go and catch up with Korra. She'd really gone all out with her outfit too, dressing in presumably formal Water Tribe attire.
"Hey," I greeted. "Nice to see you back."
"Yeah," she quietly replied. So… unlike her, quiet, almost shy really instead of that vibrant force of nature she normally tended to be. "About… about yesterday."
"It's fine," I waved her off. "You had every right to be angry and all."
"Even after-"
"Yes, even after the … incident by the cliffs." I shrugged.
That got a giggle out of Korra. "You know what Vic? Thanks."
"What, for the lies?"
"No," she laughed, lightly slapping my shoulder. That is to say, making me lose all feeling in my arm. "For… for well being you I guess. YOu're a real nice guy you know? I.. understand, or at least I think, that whatever you do, you do because you hope it makes things better."
"I'm nowhere near that altruistic I think,"I replied as gravely as I could as I tried to return feeling to my deadened limb.
"I just don't think you give yourself enough credit."
"Neither do you for that matter."
"Maybe…" Korra quietly replied. "Look, I've got to go. I can see Tenzin looking for me."
"It's all right," I replied. "Take care, and if the press starts asking questions, remember the magic words."
"... no?" she replied a little more confidently than before.
"Followed by comment. No matter how they rile you up. Just don't." I replied in the most serious tone I could muster. PR is still a powerful thing here, and the wrong words said could still make things incredibly difficult for her.
"Alright Vic. Oh, and good luck."
"With what?"
"With her," Korra pointed at a certain Captain making a beeline towards me.
"Bye Korra," I smirked. "Please don't do anything involving Amon, at least without me there."
"Worried about me then Vic?" she quipped.
"I'm more worried about wherever you go. Chances are there won't be much left of it when you're done, or of me when the Chief finishes chewing me out!" I countered before waving her off into the crowd. I then turned around to find myself facing the famous Captain Kuvira. Again.
"Deputy Vic," she greeted.
"Please Captain, while we're not working, can't we just call each other by our proper names?"
"Very well, though I'd like to ask more about you. I imagine that since we'll be working together a lot more, I'd need to know you better. So where are you from?"
"Some town you've never heard of." I truthfully responded. "Mom, dad, eldest of three. Never really too close to them. The one who listened a lot. Picked up a thing or two from watching, including my sums."
"All that yet you can't read," she replied, her brow furrowed in suspicion.
"They always did say I was wasting myself on games, and not applying myself to the task at hand." I shrugged as calmly as I could before an unexpected, not to mention unwelcome savior came in.
"Captain Kuvira," greeted the slippery eel-faced bastard who shall be henceforth recognized as Tarrlok. "Good to see that Zaofu is sending their best to share techniques. You are, after all, Suyin's apprentice, correct?"
"I am indeed." Kuvira responded stoically, her expression betraying nothing .
"And you must be the liaison to this fine group," Tarrlok said as he turned to me. "My my, to think I'd never even heard of you before a few days ago."
"Trust me suh, I don't know how I got the job either. But it pays the rent and I seem to be performing adequately, so I won't complain." I quipped as smoothly as I could.
That got him laughing. It was a nice laugh, a friendly laugh that was most likely explicitly designed to curry acceptance and trust. Luckily, I was raised with a natural distrust of politicians. Family taught me that loooong ago. Oh, and I actually knew he was a bastard in more ways than one. That helped.
"Good to see you adapting so well to it though. And to think you're an illiterate non-bender, just climbing up society," he continued after he had his laughs. " Though when this is all over, I think you'll be out of a job."
"True enough sir. I imagine we all lose our jobs at one point or another." I replied deadpan.
"But the thing is, I can give you a new one right after." He replied with one of his winning smiles. Probably Smile # 3, the Schmoozer. "What say you? It'll come with all sorts of perks, a satomobile, a new apartment and even some schooling to help with that…"
"Illiteracy?" I supplied
"Well yes. I need someone of your smarts to read after all," he laughed goodnaturedly.
"I promise to think about it suh." I replied with my own smile. "Though if you excuse me, It's getting rather late and I do have other duties."
"Of course, of course," Tarrlok replied, waving me off. "A well-rested mind is an alert mind. Go get your rest, son. I'm sure the rest of us can go on well enough without you."
I simply smiled and bowed as he left to mingle with the other guests.
"I trust you don't buy into that snake-eel oil he's selling, correct?" Kuvira questioned flatly.
"Oh-hoh, not even for a second, lady." I replied, my rictus smile never leaving my face.
__
The walk home wasn't anything special really. The weather was certainly getting chillier, and I had even elected to button up a bit to help warm myself up. Being from the tropics was certainly showing itself to be a real disadvantage here.
Otherwise though, the night was rather peaceful. It was late enough that there weren't any people on the street, and thanks to my lesson I had also only a few bits of cash on me. So even if I was robbed, I wouldn't be at risk! Take that potential future mugger!
I was still calmly walking home when I heard a sound come from behind me. I turned around, only to catch sight of a pair of green goggles. Running on pure instinct, I turned around and made a break for it, only for a moment of blinding pain to take over as something shocked me.
My last conscious thought was that this was Murphy making sure I still knew my place.
Well fuck you too Murphy. Fuck you.
After the emotional rollercoaster that was the past few hours, I was fucking tempted to just go and sleep the rest of the day off. Just write the whole goddamn day off and spend it recoverin in the blissful throes of sleep.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a real option for me. Tonight was the Public Relations event for the Zaofu metalbenders A chance to show off to the public that Republic city was taking its concerns seriously.. In other words, it was time for me to go hunt for something a little snazzier than my jacket/shirt pants combo I've been rocking the past few days.
Honestly, it was something I wanted to do. I mean, wearing a suit back home was purely in the realm of the rich professionals. The humidity alone there made going out in even shorts a guaranteed sauna, let alone going out in a suit. Still, it wasn't the first time I wore or even bought one. The tricky thing was looking for one that worked for me.
It took a bit of asking around the street, mostly asking for a tailor really, but in the end I had managed to find a tailor located not too far away from the park. Run by one Mr. Tan, 'Tan's Tailoring' had all the hallmarks of what I'd come to expect out of a tailor. Neatly packed bolts of cloth in the back, all of varying types and colors, a couple of display outfits, and of course Mr. Tan himself in a cool and clean suit, with a length of measuring tape hung around his neck and a wispy little mustache.
"Welcome," Tan greeted warmly, hands outstretched in greeting. "To my humble shop. Can I help you with anything?"
"Yeah, I'm looking for something… smart." I supplied, stroking my chin in thought. "Seeing as I haven't been issued a formal uniform by the boss yet, I figure it best to go and dress up for tonight."
"Any… particular ideas in mind sir?" he asked as he began eying me. Probably picturing in his head what works and what doesn't.
"I'm thinking, navy blue coat, long sleeved collared shirt inside, sky blue, and khaki pants."
"Hmm…" the man replied, carefully twirling his mustache as he circled around me, presumably thinking about the look. "Yes… that'd work. With gold buttons, though that'd be quite a bit of work."
"How... much are we talking here?" I asked hesitantly.
"Easily 2000 yuans. Especially if you need it tonight."
I winced on hearing the amount. That would be a fuck load of money…. but still, a good suit is a good investment. People respond well to well-dressed individuals better than some guy in an every day getup. Makes everything they say a lot more valid.
"I dunno," I shrugged. "For something this simple, I'd think 800 yuans would be appropriate for the whole thing."
"Sir, that would be true if I only used shoddy materials," Tan responded, eying me warily. "This would also presume that I only spent a few minutes stitching it all up together."
"Then what's the lowest price you can give me then?"
"For you sir, I'd saaaay… 1500."
I winced again. He probably caught sight of my first one, and smelt my weakness. I'm sure he could've gone down to 1200 if I hadn't winced. Ah well, arguing wouldn't get me any further here. "Fine." I mumbled, fishing the money out of my pocket.
"A pleasure," he smiled after taking the money. He briefly took a moment to count it, and then after being satisfied he had the right amount, motioned for me to follow him to the back.
What followed was a rather boring hour of me getting measured from top to bottom. It was rather tedious really, with me being forced to stay still and only move when instructed. The only interesting part was during the initial sketches he made, asking me for little inputs like the number of buttons or the pattern of cloth..
At the end of it all, Mr. Tan assured me that the entire thing would be ready by tonight. He did recommend that I find a good pair of shoes to go with it as well. My rather beat up second hand pair I got from the Temple simply wouldn't do after all. To that, he recommended another store not too far away.
Getting shoes didn't take anything nearly as long as getting fit for an outfit though. I was lucky in that the shoes I had spied out, a rather comfortable pair of black leather shoes, turned out to be my size. They had cost a pretty penny though, and at the end of my little shopping spree, I had ended up with just enough cash on hand to pay for a late lunch.
__
The rest of the day after lunch was rather uneventful. A simple lunch of rice and fried fish followed by a quick nap ensured that the rest of the afternoon prepped me for the big night.
I took the time to freshen up and prepare for the event, having finally gotten my suit from Mr. Tan. I had to say, I was impressed. The suit fit just right, not to mention the fact that the fabric he picked was that perfect mix of warm and comfortable. All in all, I think I cut a fine figure in it.
By the time I had arrived at the hotel they were hosting the event, I whistled at the sight before me. The city council had certainly pulled out all the stops for this, judging from the banquet table alone. The band playing something light and happy helped too. The venue itself was rather swanky, glittering chandelier, marble flooring and tiles, everything all nice and shiny.
In a sense, I kinda felt like home. Just for a bit. It was kind of like visiting the homes of old friends who were old money. I smiled sadly at the memory, those were better times before… well this among other things.
Well, anyways, once I took my eyes off the surroundings, I started hunting for signs of any familiar faces. Tenzin and Chief Beifong would definitely be here, but I couldn't catch a whiff of where they were. I hadn't seen any sign of the Zaofu metalbenders either, which was probably all part of the plan, as the gala was for them. They were probably up the stairs or something, being drilled by some PR team. No sign of Korra either… though I did spot a familiar pair of faces. Though, strictly speaking, I could only act in such a way towards one.
"Hey there Mako," I waved as I walked over to him and his companion. "What are you doing here?"
"Vic," Mako greeted, as cold a fish as ever. "I heard about your new job from Korra. Congratulations. As to why I'm here, Vic, meet Asami Sato, my..." The firebender's composure broke slightly as he fumbled. "Uhh…"
"Date," she finished, extending her hand towards me. Real smooth there loverboy. "A pleasure to meet you." she smiled, in warm inviting way that made me smile back in return. I mean, she was the picture of loveliness. Wonderfully silky hair, rose red lips, snow white skin, those charmingly inviting lime green eyes, all accentuated by her choice of an elegant black dress. A veritable Snow White now that I thought about it.
"Vic," I replied, shaking her hand in return."General layabout that somehow found himself in a job I personally think am highly unqualified for."
"That's rather…" Asami struggled, a little surprised at my admission I guess.
"Honest?" I supplied.
"Blunt would be the word I'd use," she countered, having regained her composure.
"Well at least you're trying to be nice about it, I suppose," I conceded. "Though I have to ask, what brings a lovely lady such as yourself to something as dull as this?" I finished, waving my hand at the sight of everything.
"Mostly my father," she responded after a brief giggle. "He is afterall, the head and founder of Future Industries, the biggest conglomerate in Republic city."
"And thus, dragged into the drudgery of all this pomp," I droned.
"He's also sponsoring the Fire Ferrets, so if you could be a bit more polite?" Mako prompted touchily.
"Don't worry Mako, I don't mind," Asami countered mirthfully. "Not everyone here is all business."
"I'll have to take your word for it I'm afraid. Even back home these kinds of things were real boring for me, though it might have been because I had no one to talk to."I lazily replied.
"And that is where you will find differences. Here you can talk to Mako and I ," she finished with a smile.
"True," I conceded before something caught my eye. "Though I'm afraid I see the boss calling me." I apologized, having caught sight of the Chief giving me a glare. It said 'come up here, now. Or else.'. Well, shouted, really, if I was being honest with myself. It's amazing how much can be said with body language eh? "As I'm sure you know, she's rather…"
"Stern?" Asami once again supplied.
"Not really. More like she has her jimmies perpetually rustled." I smirked, "I hate to leave so abruptly but duty calls. Thus, I bid you two adieu." I finished with a bow and flourish. Before I left, I shot a devilish smirk at Mako. Have fun, pretty boy!"
I hastily made my way up the stairs to Chief Beifong. before he could respond,
"Took you long enough," Chief grunted. "Good to see you had the sense to dress up" she added after a quick inspection. "You may be a deputy, but that doesn't mean that I have to give you a uniform. Now come on, we're about to do the reveal and I need you with me on this."
"Yes Boss," I replied as I followed her lead.
We quickly found our way to some holding room up top. Pretty muted fare all considered, especially compared to what was out back Could've mistaken it for a lobby really, what with the couches and large plush looking chairs. Nevertheless, Kuvira and the Zaofu contingent looked like the consummate professionals they were. Relaxed, though not too relaxed, like they could go on and kick ass in seconds if needed.
"Captain," Lin started. "It's time."
"Of course Chief," Kuvira replied with a smirk and a sharp salute. "Men," she said with a sharp about-face. "Let's move out."
They all replied with their own sharp salutes, and quickly fell into a formation of sorts behind their leader. Heck even now I could see how she could become the Great Uniter. She had that aura that seemed to scream leader.Guess it was something some people were born with.
As we all marched down towards the ravenous crowd that was the press, I couldn't help but think about how things had been going for me here. I had a job, a place of my own, friends, and even a rather interesting life outside my job. Too interesting, to tell the truth. Eh, you gotta take the good with the bad. At least I had a job.
I was more or less running on autopilot, just smiling for the camera as the Chief and Captain gave out their speeches. All I needed to do really was to stand there and look pretty and official. Though I did notice a few familiar faces in the crowd. Tenzin, The Bastard Tarrlok, Mako, Asami and just entering towards the end... Korra.
By the time the speech had ended, someting about unity sharing of knowledge hopes to teach as well blah blah blah, I was ready to go and collapse of boredom. Kuvira and co were still all alert and at attention while I felt myself struggling to keep my eyes reasonably open. Any longer really, and I'd have been at real risk of dozing off.
So the moment they dismissed us, I navigated my way to the crowd to go and catch up with Korra. She'd really gone all out with her outfit too, dressing in presumably formal Water Tribe attire.
"Hey," I greeted. "Nice to see you back."
"Yeah," she quietly replied. So… unlike her, quiet, almost shy really instead of that vibrant force of nature she normally tended to be. "About… about yesterday."
"It's fine," I waved her off. "You had every right to be angry and all."
"Even after-"
"Yes, even after the … incident by the cliffs." I shrugged.
That got a giggle out of Korra. "You know what Vic? Thanks."
"What, for the lies?"
"No," she laughed, lightly slapping my shoulder. That is to say, making me lose all feeling in my arm. "For… for well being you I guess. YOu're a real nice guy you know? I.. understand, or at least I think, that whatever you do, you do because you hope it makes things better."
"I'm nowhere near that altruistic I think,"I replied as gravely as I could as I tried to return feeling to my deadened limb.
"I just don't think you give yourself enough credit."
"Neither do you for that matter."
"Maybe…" Korra quietly replied. "Look, I've got to go. I can see Tenzin looking for me."
"It's all right," I replied. "Take care, and if the press starts asking questions, remember the magic words."
"... no?" she replied a little more confidently than before.
"Followed by comment. No matter how they rile you up. Just don't." I replied in the most serious tone I could muster. PR is still a powerful thing here, and the wrong words said could still make things incredibly difficult for her.
"Alright Vic. Oh, and good luck."
"With what?"
"With her," Korra pointed at a certain Captain making a beeline towards me.
"Bye Korra," I smirked. "Please don't do anything involving Amon, at least without me there."
"Worried about me then Vic?" she quipped.
"I'm more worried about wherever you go. Chances are there won't be much left of it when you're done, or of me when the Chief finishes chewing me out!" I countered before waving her off into the crowd. I then turned around to find myself facing the famous Captain Kuvira. Again.
"Deputy Vic," she greeted.
"Please Captain, while we're not working, can't we just call each other by our proper names?"
"Very well, though I'd like to ask more about you. I imagine that since we'll be working together a lot more, I'd need to know you better. So where are you from?"
"Some town you've never heard of." I truthfully responded. "Mom, dad, eldest of three. Never really too close to them. The one who listened a lot. Picked up a thing or two from watching, including my sums."
"All that yet you can't read," she replied, her brow furrowed in suspicion.
"They always did say I was wasting myself on games, and not applying myself to the task at hand." I shrugged as calmly as I could before an unexpected, not to mention unwelcome savior came in.
"Captain Kuvira," greeted the slippery eel-faced bastard who shall be henceforth recognized as Tarrlok. "Good to see that Zaofu is sending their best to share techniques. You are, after all, Suyin's apprentice, correct?"
"I am indeed." Kuvira responded stoically, her expression betraying nothing .
"And you must be the liaison to this fine group," Tarrlok said as he turned to me. "My my, to think I'd never even heard of you before a few days ago."
"Trust me suh, I don't know how I got the job either. But it pays the rent and I seem to be performing adequately, so I won't complain." I quipped as smoothly as I could.
That got him laughing. It was a nice laugh, a friendly laugh that was most likely explicitly designed to curry acceptance and trust. Luckily, I was raised with a natural distrust of politicians. Family taught me that loooong ago. Oh, and I actually knew he was a bastard in more ways than one. That helped.
"Good to see you adapting so well to it though. And to think you're an illiterate non-bender, just climbing up society," he continued after he had his laughs. " Though when this is all over, I think you'll be out of a job."
"True enough sir. I imagine we all lose our jobs at one point or another." I replied deadpan.
"But the thing is, I can give you a new one right after." He replied with one of his winning smiles. Probably Smile # 3, the Schmoozer. "What say you? It'll come with all sorts of perks, a satomobile, a new apartment and even some schooling to help with that…"
"Illiteracy?" I supplied
"Well yes. I need someone of your smarts to read after all," he laughed goodnaturedly.
"I promise to think about it suh." I replied with my own smile. "Though if you excuse me, It's getting rather late and I do have other duties."
"Of course, of course," Tarrlok replied, waving me off. "A well-rested mind is an alert mind. Go get your rest, son. I'm sure the rest of us can go on well enough without you."
I simply smiled and bowed as he left to mingle with the other guests.
"I trust you don't buy into that snake-eel oil he's selling, correct?" Kuvira questioned flatly.
"Oh-hoh, not even for a second, lady." I replied, my rictus smile never leaving my face.
__
The walk home wasn't anything special really. The weather was certainly getting chillier, and I had even elected to button up a bit to help warm myself up. Being from the tropics was certainly showing itself to be a real disadvantage here.
Otherwise though, the night was rather peaceful. It was late enough that there weren't any people on the street, and thanks to my lesson I had also only a few bits of cash on me. So even if I was robbed, I wouldn't be at risk! Take that potential future mugger!
I was still calmly walking home when I heard a sound come from behind me. I turned around, only to catch sight of a pair of green goggles. Running on pure instinct, I turned around and made a break for it, only for a moment of blinding pain to take over as something shocked me.
My last conscious thought was that this was Murphy making sure I still knew my place.
Well fuck you too Murphy. Fuck you.
Evillevi
A Pikachu for everything - Shadow Pikachu,2015
So I don't think Korra would ever leave Vic alone again.
Evillevi
A Pikachu for everything - Shadow Pikachu,2015
Something interesting about this part is that Mako seems to be very stiff in this while Asami is confident and took control of the conversation. More to the point it says something that Mako only chose to respond to the reply that would actually be relevant to the Fire Ferrets.
Ignoring Waifu wars I don't think that Asami would ever get along romantically with Mako bar some major character Development. Mako's too focused on a fair few things and that not even trying to involve himself into the conversation says something about him
Also @SharkGlue you're missing a " at the end there
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Oh Murphy, Murphy, Murphy...
Good to see you.
Good to see you.
Murphy been Vacationing in Avatar Dimension for years on an off it's He's Vegas.
Generalissimo
Generalissimo of SufficientVelocity
- Location
- Tropico, Tropico
Murphy shares the sentiment and is willing to give it back to Vic in spades.
Evillevi
A Pikachu for everything - Shadow Pikachu,2015
Also who here thinks that Vic is caught in order to be bait
- Location
- The word mines
Sucker bet, I fold.
Vic: : "Argh blargrl fargle"
Evillevi
A Pikachu for everything - Shadow Pikachu,2015
That makes absolutely no sense what soever
Equalist1:"...You did set it to 'Stun', not 'Deep Fry', right?"
Equalist2:"I did."
Equalist1:"Okay, mind if you explain the scent of burnt meat dumplings, then?"
"i waaaas in a bit of a rush. I did hear something about testing"
"so this poor sod's a test subject?"
" I figure."
"poor bastard"
- Pronouns
- He/Him
TBH my assumption is that Tarlock is genuinely impressed and thinks you would make a good minion or useful pawn. You did, after all, go from an illiterate non-bending nobody with no prior history or record whatsoever to being associated with and working with some of the biggest players in the city in a short time. That is gonna raise some eyebrows, especially as the actual explanation of "was befriended by the Avatar, stumbled through several random encounters, stood up to Lin Beifong, offered good advice that Lin wouldn't have thought of for personal reasons" isn't one anyone would believe. Speaking of, how much time has passed so far in the story?
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Winged One
Not the Simurgh
- Location
- definitely the ground
- Pronouns
- They/Them/It
Honestly, an extra crispy Vic is probably better Korra-bait than regular Vic, though it might force Amon's Suckers to step up their time table if he's actually dying.
