Stressed Out

Chapter 10

Korra looked around the room in awe.There were a number of sound booths being occupied and people running around with coffee. The walls were decorated with records and pictures of successful artists.   She followed Tarrlok to an empty booth and sat down in front of the mic.

"Okay Korra, all I need you to do is play. This is sound proof, so no outside noise will be picked up while you record." He shut the door behind him and sat behind the soundboard. Korra gripped her ukulele and let out a breath. She put on the pair of headphones and waited for Tarrlok to give a thumbs up. "Could you play something? I need to see if anything needs adjusted."
Korra complied, playing a few random chords as Tarrlok messed with the soundboard before him. After he got things situated, he started to record. Korra's fingers were shaking as she began strumming. As she played, she snuck a look at Tarrlok. A wide grin spread across his face as he listened and he motioned for someone to join him. An older man stood by him. He pushed his glasses up as he peered into the booth. Korra had thought he looked familiar, but she couldn't put a name with his face. The song ended and she came out to join the two men.

"That was wonderful, Korra! We just need to edit a few things and then add some vocals." he tapped his chin as he thought. "Maybe some backup vocals as well. What do you think, Mr. Sato?"

Korra's face paled. Mr. Sato? As in Asami's dad? She shouldn't be surprised, they shared a last name for Raava's sake. But Asami had never mentioned him before.

"A little work will have to be done, but overall it sounded great." Korra blushed at the compliment. Hiroshi offered his hand. "I'm Hiroshi Sato, head of Future Industries and co-owner of Republic Records." Korra shook his hand and nodded. "I'm sure you're excited to finally get behind a mic and start your career, but before we dwell into the good stuff, I would like to have a talk with you in my office."

"Um, yeah. Sure." She stuttered. Hiroshi smiled. Had Asami told him something bad about her?

"You're not in trouble. I just have a few questions is all. Follow me."

His office was at the end of the hall. They passed other sound booths, some of which were occupied. Korra recognized the WolfBats, one of her rival bands back when she was on the Fire Ferrets. Their lead singer, Tahno, had made more than one move on her. She shuddered at the thought and fought the urge to knock his dumb looking face in. Instead, she followed Hiroshi into his office, which was huge. As soon as she walked in she was greeted by sunlight, which shone through the giant window behind his desk.Korra expected the room to be cluttered with papers, but it was surprisingly clean. In front of his desk sat two leather chairs. She took a seat and waited for him to start talking.

"I bet you're wondering what the head of Future Industries wants to do with a music company." He asked.

"It had crossed my mind." Korra agreed. "They're two very different types of industries."

Hiroshi nodded in agreement. "That they are. I've always enjoyed trying new things and challenging myself, which is what I'm doing here. Finding new talent and setting them up with the best equipment money can buy so their dreams can come true. Talent such as yourself, Korra." He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a stack of papers. "I know you signed a contract with Tarrlok already, but that was just for the small stuff." He handed Korra the papers and a pen. "You aren't signing your life away. This is just for the big things. Concerts, equipment, and such."

The words were small, and boy were there a lot of them. Korra tried to skim through the fine print but gave up on the second page. She signed them and set them on the desk. Hiroshi returned them to the drawer.

"My daughter has said quite a bit about you." Korra froze. This was not good. "After you asked her to join the band, she was the happiest I had seen her in a long time." He said solemnly. Korra relaxed. Asami had always seemed happy to her. And she never told Korra about her family. What if she had, but Korra didn't pay attention? "I just wanted to thank you." Korra relaxed at his words, though she shouldn't be thanked. She was just doing what was right.

"It was no problem, really. I enjoy her company." Korra assured. Hiroshi smiled warmly.

"She enjoys your company as well." Korra's face reddened. She was flattered that Asami would even mention her to anyone, let alone her dad. She could feel her heart beat. Hiroshi tapped his fingers on the desk and stood up. "Well, I don't want to keep you. If you have any questions in the next few days, don't be afraid to ask." Korra got to her feet.

"Thank you, I will." She responded. She had a lot of questions, but they weren't for him.

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The sound of pans falling made Korra fumble with her keys. She rushed to the kitchen. A grin formed on her face as she watched Asami pick up the fallen pans.

"We aren't going to tell Korra this, right girl?" She patted Naga's head.

"Not tell Korra what?" Asami jerked her head up at the sound of Korra's voice. Her hair was disheveled and there were dark bags under her eyes. One of her tank top straps was slipping down her shoulder as she attempted to clean up the bar. Korra raised a brow.

"You weren't supposed to be home until three." Asami whined. Korra laughed. "I just wanted to make dinner, but it's easier said than done." She held up a recipe sheet to Korra and pouted.

"You were trying to make macaroni? Oh jeez..." Korra sighed. Asami hung her head in defeat, though a smile was evident on her face. "Well first off," She grabbed the sauce pan and turned on the stove. "Boiling water is like, the basic first step to cooking anything. You know it's ready when the water is bubbling." Asami handed her the box of macaroni and watched intently as Korra worked. Korra was aware of the older girl's stare but shook it off. They were just cooking., no problem. They watched a the water boiled, then Korra poured the macaroni in. "Could you get a spoon? Second drawer on your right." The older girl complied. She handed Korra the spoon and watched as she stirred.

"So how did Republic Records go? Did you get to see some famous people?" Asami asked. Korra smirked.

"I did actually. You don't happen to know a Hiroshi, would you?" Asami froze.Korra tsked."That's what I thought. Why didn't you tell me you're dad owned Future Industries?" Silence filled the room. Maybe Korra had gone too far. But Asami released a shakey breath and hopped on top of the bar.

"I guess I should've told you. I just didn't want you to think differently of me because my dad owned a successful company." She rubbed her arms and continued. "I wanted people to know me for me, not for being Hiroshi Sato's daughter. I don't want to rely on my father's wealth all my life." 

Korra felt empathy for the girl. Her heart hurt as she registered what Asami had to go through to make a name for herself without having help from anyone else. She joined her on the bar but was sure to kept her distance. Asami scooted closer and leaned her head on Korra's shoulder. Korra's body tensed. Asami's perfume filled the air as they sat.

"I understand." Korra murmured. "I couldn't imagine having all of that pressure on me." Korra's parents were always supportive to her no matter what she did. She had no worry of impressing anyone. "But you don't have to worry about it now, okay?" Asami lifted her head to look at Korra. Those eyes...

"Korra, is there supposed to be smoke?" Korra snapped out of her daze and rushed to the stove. The macaroni was burnt. Really burnt. She quickly disposed of the pot's contents as Asami turned the stove off.

"Okay, so that was totally planned." Asami gave her a look. "It was a test, and you passed. I guess it's a take out night." Korra said sheepishly. Asami was already on the phone.