dance dance, we're falling apart to half time

[anatural]

When; Friday, January 18th, evening
Rating; PG
Characters; Korra and her friends and anyone who happens to be in the club. Come one, come all!
Summary; Korra decides to celebrate 6 months in the City by dancing.
Log;She'd been woken up that morning by a incessant beeping noise; it took her a full three minutes to figure out it was her device and how to turn it off (she almost breaks it in her frustration, but she doubts she'd get any sympathy from Chekov if she broke yet another piece of electronic equipment).

What was so important that her device felt compelled to disturb her slumber?

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SIX MONTH ANNIVERSARY!

Who sent it? How did they know? Korra doesn't bother wondering. Six months… At first the thought horrifies her…but it hasn't been all bad. She fingers the necklace that Chekov had given her.

She can either spend the day distracted and wallowing, or she can remind herself of the good things she has here.

She decides to go dancing.


-----------

It's clear no one ever taught her how to get dressed for clubbing; she's just wearing her "I Mustache You A Question" t-shirt and Chekov's necklace, a strange combination of casual and fancy. Somehow she makes it work. And it's a bit early in the night for the club to really be rocking, but that doesn't slow Korra down any. She's in the middle of the dance floor, being taught some new moves by the club's regulars and just in general having a grand old time.

Come join her?

Comments

[mortemscintilla]

[ There's very little Hei does on impulse. When he swings by the club, it's late at night. Perfect rush-hour to stay unnoticed -- to satisfy his curiosity at being invited. He's not Korra's friend. Certainly not someone she should allow into her inner-circle of kiddies. Part of him hopes she's not doing that Be-Nice-To-Him-To-Brighten-His-Fweewings thing some girls do. It'd be tragic if it were true. But that kind of misplaced thinking is instinctive. It's drilled into their sugary-spicy heads, so they do it by nature. ]

[ He's posing as 'Li' -- grungedout and gawky. But he blends in. He's a chameleon that way, always able to fit in, taught to go unnoticed by the best grifters. At the bar, which is up a platform of stairs, he purchases an overpriced bottle of water, and surveys the crowd. Spots Korra -- damn, where did she learn to dance like that? Amazing that she can, when she seemed to have so much on her conscience last time he saw her. ]

[ But that's not his business. He's just here to play Fly On The Wall. Enjoy the show. ]

[anatural]

[Korra doesn't do pity invites. If someone is obviously lonely, yeah, she might invite them to tag along. But she wouldn't seek out Hei's company just to make him feel better. She's nice to people when she likes them. She's rude to people when she doesn't. It's that simple.

As for where she learned to dance like that... when you're a pretty girl in a club, you're not likely to want for teachers. Her conscience is still heavy, but that only bothers her when she's still.

She spins, and her eyes pass over the crowd. She sees Li, but doesn't register him -- he's a master at blending in, and she wasn't expecting him to show up. She just keeps dancing.

Enjoy.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Simple. That's the last word Hei has ever applied to his life, or those in it. Everyone lies. Everyone has agendas and hidden motives. At this stage, he's not even sure he's capable of doing anything completely free from the intent to deceive. But Korra isn't like that. Most of what she does is because she wants to do it. Right then, and in that second. She's free in a way most people aspire to be, but can't, because they're fenced in by thousands of scruples and What Ifs. ]

[ (Free in a way Contractors like to pretend they are. But he knows better.) ]

[ The relentless beat is giving him a headache. The crowd isn't his style -- girls too young and tarted-up, boys too iced in bling, all swagger and strut. The music isn't by any band he's heard of, and that makes him feel old. Old and tired. Still, he stays. Sips his water. Watches Korra dance. There's a joy and innocence to her as alluring as the studied cool of the other girls. ]

[ (For a moment, sharp spikes of lust absent, he can pretend Pai would've had outings like this. Dressing up. Laughing with friends. Having fun. Doing everything she -- and he -- never had a chance to do.) ]

[anatural]

[The song winds down, and Korra decides it's time for a break. Breathless and buzzed, she heads over to the bar.]

I'd like a water, please.

[The bartender rolls his eyes.]

You ever gonna order anything else?

....why?

[He leans on the bar and looks at her.]

Because this is a business. If you're gonna hang out here, you're gonna have to buy something.

Oh. Uh. Okay. What's good?

[The man grins and passes her a water.]

Something good, coming right up.

[He's not going to make her anything particularly strong. He's just gonna make sure it's expensive.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei watches Korra breeze past him like he's invisible. Well -- he is. Just as she draws strangers' gazes, a perky cynosure, 'Li' melts into the background, dull and relentlessly average. Watching the bartender scam her into a pricey drink, he can't help a headshake and rueful almost-smile. Unfolding himself to his feet, he drifts closer through the surging bodies. Steps behind her, soundless, like he's risen out of the floor. ]

[ Leaning in, he murmurs into her ear, ] I hope you'll lay off the alcohol. It's bad for your legs. [ They don't swell; they spread. ]

[anatural]

Gack!

[She jumps at the voice in her ear. How does he do that?! She turns around to face him.]

What are you doing here? [Don't think she missed that jibe about her legs. Let's be honest -- the alcohol had just gotten her reckless enough to poke him. The rest of that night -- and the other two nights -- was the result of her sober (if not necessarily good) judgement.

Immediately after asking her question, she shakes her head. Idiot.]

I mean, you made it. [twitchy smile, exasperated and amused and glad to see him] I didn't think you'd come.

[mortemscintilla]

[ Whoa, jumpy. Keeping his expression mild, he edges closer as two clubbers sway drunkenly past him, arm-in-arm, drinks sloshing like they're on the AA's Yellow Brick Road. Crowds always make him feel like a werewolf at a full moon; hyperaware and on edge. Memory serves up scoops of so many kills he's made in clubs like these. A brush-pass. A slit of a dagger. A silenced gun. Each victim lurching and crumpling like a drunk, unnoticed in the darkness and strobing lights. ]

[ At her question, his mouth takes on a small quirk. Oh, Korra. You and words sometimes. ] You invited me. [ The reason for which he still isn't sure. But honesty is the best policy (unless it suits him otherwise). He adds, with a tilt of his head, ] Why?

[anatural]

[That's what happens when a guy materializes behind you and talks into your ear. She settles onto a stool to give him more room.

Why? Is he really going to make her say it out loud? It's obvious. It shouldn't need saying. (It's embarrassing to say.)]

Because I wanted you to come.

[What other reason would she have? She likes being around him (usually. sometimes. it's complicated). He's become a significant person in her life here. And that's what this night is about -- the important people in her life here.]

I didn't think you actually would, though.

[mortemscintilla]

[ There's a pause, before he perches on the stool beside her. Back curved, shoulders drawn in -- 'Li's body-language, even if the music's loud enough to disguise the difference in tone. Her reply is greeted with an eyebrow that could range from anything to dry surprise to drier amusement to That simple, huh? At the back of his mind, there's a flare of disquiet. Her being comfortable enough to invite him would be fine if she were a mark. A sign of growing complacency. A step closer to a goal. ]

[ Instead he's bothered. Three laconic and ill-considered flings don't make them friends. He's attacked her before. She's a liability to his identity. Yet here she is, all lit-up and smiling at him. He's not sure what to make of it (Yes, he is. But the implications that she considers him important make him equal parts angry -- with her and with himself. Idiot. You've let this get out of hand.) ]

[ Changing tacks, he says, mildly, ]

I didn't realize you'd be celebrating something.

[anatural]

[When you're young and hot, it's easy to forgive a lot of things. (Korra's hormones still make a lot of decisions for her.) But that's only a small piece of it. Korra can let go of a grudge as easily as she can hold onto it. After all, Tarrlok had beaten the crap out of her, locked her in a steel cage and all but left her to die in a frozen cabin outside Republic City, but after hearing the story of his childhood, all was forgiven. People have their reasons for doing what they do. She doesn't know what Li's are, but he has them. That's good enough for her.]

Not really celebrating. [Being trapped here doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd want to celebrate.] I just thought it'd be nice to have some fun.

[mortemscintilla]

[ That sort of convoluted understanding -- that rationalization -- isn't something Hei would comprehend. It's hard for him to forgive. Harder for him to forget. In his line of work, you don't turn your back on enemies -- regardless of tragic histories. You kill them. Rationale doesn't matter. Your own survival does. If he could read her mind, he'd tell her there's such a thing as being too accepting. ]

[ Forgiveness without a flipside, to him, shows a disconnect between impulse and cautiousness. It's dangerous -- to yourself and those around you. ]

[ But he can't say any of that. The bottled water is cold and moist in his palm. It cuts through his bleak tangent; he lifts it to nudge the icy edge against her cheek. ] Fair enough. [ Amusement shows more in the set of his eyes than his mouth. ] Should I buy you a drink?

[anatural]

[Forget? Goodness no. Korra doesn't forget. She still gets nervous in certain situations, when circumstances get too similar to times he's hurt her before. She just doesn't let it stop her. So far it's worked in her favor. The grudges she's held have been more dangerous than the ones she let go.

She makes a face as he brushes the frigid bottle against her cheek.] I've already got one, thanks.

[She means the water, but at that moment, the bartender comes over with her drink. And the price. Gerk. She pulls out the money in her pocket and counts it out. She really needs to be more careful about this. The move next week is going to cost a fortune. (It's so weird, having to think about money.)

She takes a sip of the drink.] Bleurch!

[Of course the bartender would decide to make a girly drink. A very super sweet girly drink.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ He won't deny that past cruelty leaves an impact. But it's discombobulating that she doesn't retaliate. Maybe it comes down to the degree of cruelty committed. Or maybe it just owes to different natures. Hei would nurse a grudge for years, let it concentrate into a cold hard axis of revenge. But he suspects it works differently for Korra, whose outlook is so unique from his. There's an intelligent intuition lurking beneath the girl's brashness that flashes, when he glimpses it, true as steel. ]

[ Lips twitching, he watches her sputter. What did the bartender give her -- a Cherry Coke? A Singapore Sling? ] Too sweet? [ His gaze lifts to peruse the beverage selection. This is the kind of club teenyboppers congregate to. The choices are typically pretentious. Screaming Orgasm. Knock Me Down & Fuck Me. Buttery Nipple. He signals to the bartender, ] Get her a -- [ what won't get a rise out of her? ] a Shirley Temple.

[bookbending]

[Jinora has managed to avoid getting kicked out... likely by virtue of staying quiet and out of the way. It's not like she's getting into any trouble.

Li doesn't escape her notice, try as he might. Jinora is still on the lookout for suitable Korra-dating candidates and, although Li has basically failed the test, he isn't completely out of the running. In stories, sometimes the weirdest people turn out to be the best couples.

She makes her way over to Li slowly, pausing occasionally to avoid drawing too much attention (it wouldn't do to get kicked out now). Is he watching Korra dance...?]

Hello, Li.

[mortemscintilla]

[ Jinora doesn't escape his attention either (tiny as they are, kids stick out like neon signs if they're buzzing around a nightclub. Especially if, as in Hei's profession, your focal points are prey and leverage). It helps that, by habit, he scoped out the crowd for familiar faces, reviewing the Guest List. The club isn't his style. But it's not a venue drug dealers and bootleggers hang out in, either. Jinora isn't exactly in the belly of the beast. ]

[ Slowly, he sips his water. Lets 'Li's schoolboy fluster slip in place. When Jinora approaches him, he starts, ] J-Jinora! Hello. [ Wide-eyed, he glances around a moment, ] Did, um, Korra smuggle you in?

[bookbending]

[Maybe that's why no one has bothered to give Jinora the boot. It's a relatively tame club, even this late; the same can't be said for the clubs in the Underground.]

No, it's okay for me to be here. [Or it was a few hours ago.] Aren't you going to dance?

[mortemscintilla]

[ It could be argued that the clubs Underground are real clubs -- if you want a good hook on scuttlebutt, goods or contacts. This isn't a nightclub so much as a highschool twit-house. ]

[ Which, naturally, he'll never say. ]

Really? The rules in this place must be very relaxed. [ A gentle intimation that it's past her bedtime. ] Dance? Me? [ He shrugs self-consciously. ] I'm honestly not much of a dancer. Places like these always make me nervous.

[bookbending]

[Like a ten year-old belongs in those clubs. Also, she's her own boss and can decide when her bedtime is, thank you.]

I'm not doing anything bad. [His admission of awkwardness makes her more sympathetic.] I don't really dance, either. I'd rather be in the library.

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei isn't one to talk. He spent his childhood learning a dozen different ways to kill, not different ways to dot his 'i's and cross his 't's. His concepts of what venues are inappropriate for children... ]

[ There are no concepts. ]

I know. You're just here to celebrate with Korra. [ d e r p ] Whatever it is she's celebrating, anyway. [ Her statement gets a fond smile. ] I know that feeling. Clubs and big parties aren't for everyone. I always want to be alone to unwind afterward. Or else I don't feel like myself. [ That, at least, is true. But not for reasons outsiders might grasp. ]

[bookbending]

I think she's celebrating mostly because things have been so bad. It's easier to ignore problems than to face them. [Now that Jinora is the closest thing Korra has to an airbending master, the girl is trying more than ever to be like her father. Dispensing zen-esque wisdom is all part of the job.]

Really? [And she's back to being ten. Jinora's opinion of Li isn't fully formed yet, but some of his earlier weirdness is forgiven by this confession.] I don't know a lot of other people who like being alone.

[mortemscintilla]

[ At Jinora's observation -- 10 year olds and drug-store philosophies -- he smiles again. It's more indulgent than patronizing. He'd call her precocious, but that's a four-letter-word for children these days, isn't it? Instead, mild-toned, he says, ] You're right. It's especially true if there're problems you can't solve with punches or diplomacy. Like the ones in a person's head.

[ The next statement, perhaps more appropriate for her age, is something of a relief. Jinora may have that wise-beyond-her-years thing going on. But she is, in the end, a well-adjusted and normal little girl. Not a child-soldier exuding ennui and opportunism. ] Well, there's all sorts of people like that. It's not that they dislike being around others, [ except he does ] it's just that they're content with their own company. Like someone with a good book? Except there's no book.

[bookbending]

Those problems are the most important to fix. They block the flow of chi. [It doesn't occur to her that not everyone is familiar with chi, or even believes in the existence of a life-energy.]

So you understand what that's like... [Jinora is pleased that someone gets it. Her siblings and mother are all incredibly outgoing and her father is a politician; sometimes she feels like the only person in her family who likes how quiet it usually is on Air Temple Island.] How it's nice to be alone with your thoughts.

[mortemscintilla]

[ After years of practicing hard and soft martial arts, he's more than familiar with the concept of qi. But he doesn't buy into the spiritualism. (Or if he does, he treats it with the same offhandedness as oxygen. There -- but not worth wasting words on. ) At her statement, his gaze goes dim and inward -- but only for a split-second. ] Some problems aren't as easy to fix as a leaky sink. Mainly because a lot of adults aren't sure what the problem is. They've accumulated so many, they're nothing but bad qi.

[ Realizing that sounds a bit harsh, he softens his next remark with a smile. ] I think lots of people don't get the difference between 'loneliness' and 'solitude'. That, or they just don't have the patience for books. [ It's true that he enjoys silence, if not stagnation. A peaceful evening. A good book. The trajectory of his thoughts when he turns the pages isn't always pleasant. But he appreciates the calm for the simple fact that it's not the volatile energy of conflict. ]

[ The energy he grew up in. ]

[bookbending]

Of course people aren't like leaky sinks, and there's no such thing as bad chi. [It's a neutral force and she will fight him about that. Her tone softens into one of curiosity.] Do you really think people can accumulate that many problems?

[Li is gaining points with Jinora. There aren't a lot of quiet book-lovers in the City... or if there are, they're hard to find.] What do you like to read?

[mortemscintilla]

[ He lets off a mild chuckle at her vehemence. ] I know. It's just a figure of speech. [ Pausing, he cards a hand through his hair. Tries to express his thoughts in a simple manner, the way he sometimes does for Yin. ] It's hard to explain. The world can be a cruel place. For some people, it's even crueler than for others. When you get older -- unless you've already learnt about it -- you might understand sha chi. Attacking Chi. It's supposed to be destructive energy. A threatening feeling, like you get in certain buildings? Or when people are always fighting? That sort of thing. [ His smile fades a little. ] Some people live in environments like those. And they grow up to carry that bad energy with them wherever they go. [ And there are some people who are just born evil. That, he doesn't say. ]

[ At her next question, the timid smile renews, ] Science fiction. Thrillers. Horrors. But nothing too scary. [ A pause. ] I should introduce you to Ken. He's a year or two older than you. Spends most of his time at the library. I think you'd get along.