Everything was running smoothly. Infiltrate the Triple Threat Triad's headquarters, capture Lightning Bolt Zolt, make a swift and silent escape. Step by step, each task went through without a hitch; that was, until the Avatar arrived. The chi blockers didn't know who tipped the Avatar off and had to improvise their plan to accommodate.

Trailing behind the van on their motorbikes, six chi blockers were assigned as back up to guard the cargo. The extra hands were usually an unnecessary precaution. Typically, their only purpose was to scare away the few daring thugs. Each of the chosen blockers was skilled in several martial arts and held high rankings from their years of training. It was easy to say that the non-benders were more than capable of holding their own with one-on-one combat. Even the avatar wouldn't stand a chance. After all, the Avatar without bending was just another common Joe. As long as they could get in a few precise hits, the mighty bender was just like one of them.

The silence of the night was swallowed by the revving of engines as chi blockers expertly dodged bursts of heat. Never missing a beat, they steered their motorcycles to avoid any rockbent pavement. They were quick to realize their disadvantage as long as their opponents rode that mighty beast so they made a quick decision to dispose of it. Tripping it by tying its legs together, the bending-happy passengers were flung high off of its back.

Now these are odds I like, a particular chi blocker found herself thinking. With a couple of backflips, two guards found themselves taking on the benders while the rest of the crew went to deliver the package. Each able body leapt over a blazing fists with ease and diverted any flames that came close to their bodies. Every throw directed at either of them was promptly deflected.

There! the female blocker finally found an opening against the Avatar. With perfectly aimed jabs she attacked major pressure points. It became apparent that the few hits weren't going to be enough. The powerful bender still had enough access to her chi to show any affects. It was clear that the Water Tribe native was not going to go down without a good fight.

It has been a while since the blocker had an actual challenge and caught herself grinning under her mask. Sweat built up as her body burned through her energy than at any of her practices. Her breathing started to grow heavy and found herself enjoying the tango for two. Each hit was blocked with her arm, not letting her opponent get in a proper punch. Each heavy blow chipped away at her stamina and soon the Equalist found that she barely had enough time to remember to breathe. Minutes passed by as waited for the perfect opening. When the opportunity finally presented itself, she threw body weight behind a powerful kick. With a hard shove to the chest, the Avatar collapsed onto her back with a loud thud.

Without a doubt, Amon would be pleased if the Avatar were to be delivered to him. Bolas in tow, both chi blockers swung their weapons around their heads, ready to catch their prey. With each step, they saw victory inching closer and closer.

"ROARRRR" the polar bear dog threatened with sharp teeth bared. The two offenders were forced back by the powerful beast's aggression, left with no choice but to retreat. Throwing a smoke bomb, the two sprung back onto their bikes, deserting the two limp bodies on the pavement.

Once the masked pair was safe back at headquarters, they removed their disguises. Long, dark locks, finally freed from the headgear, flowed down the non-bender's back. Green eyes were worn and she stretched her sore body before she threw herself into the nearest seat. Craning her neck, she held that position until she heard a few satisfactory pops. Rubbing at her temples, Asami let out a heavy sigh.

"I hate animals."

Zooming down through the roads and trying her best to abide by the laws, Asami gripped at the handles of her moped. Luckily, she was an expert and experienced driver. The teen was running a bit behind in her schedule since she had been caught up making adjustments to her car. By the time that she had noticed the time, she had to rush out of the door. And since she knew that their leader didn't tolerate tardiness, she had to nothing short than teleport there. Recently assigned to the committee in charge of their latest schemes, Asami was already skating on thin ice. Not being able to stop the Avatar on the night of the Triple Threat Triad's kidnapping was a huge smudge on her record. On top of that, the Avatar had made another loud and disrupting appearance at their bending purification rally.

The Avatar's latest run in with the Equalists had put a rather large strain on their plans. Now that their underground operations were unearthed, they needed to react, and quickly. The Equalists were a well planned organization that went through great lengths to make sure everything ran as smoothly as possible. Their revolution had been in the rising for years but were only able to gather a substantial following in the last several months. Unfortunately, with more people meant less secrecy. They knew sooner or later the press would catch onto their operation and news of the revolution would spread like wildfire. The law enforcement right behind.

Thoughts of the Equalist revolution occupied Asami's thoughts as she maneuvered through traffic. Sometime between mapping out the afternoon rush hour and calculating the number of stoplights, she was completely blindsided when a man stepped out into the road. With a sharp left, she slowed the vehicle down, hopefully enough to prevent fatal injury.

Asami dashed to the felled pedestrian's side in attempts to help him up when she got a clearer look at who was in front of her. He wasn't quite a man as so much as a teen. She knew that he couldn't have been much older than she was and her mind worked in overdrive to formulate a plan. She needed to find the easiest way to get out of the predicament. Releasing her hair with a seductive wave, she turned on the charm.

"Oh, no. I'm so sorry, I didn't see you," Asami said in the sweetest voice she could muster.

Make extra physical contact, she told herself as she guided the boy to his feet. His body was well built and she could feel well-defined muscles through his jacket. He was definitely sturdy if he could take a hit like that and was still able to stand. When the boy stood straight, he was just a bit taller than Asami but had broad shoulders. He was without a doubt physically attractive. Though, his clothes and hair did give off a vibe of "I survived the night in a bush."

It took a few moments, but Asami was finally able to place where she had seen these distinct, sharp eyebrows before. Flashes of the underdog pro-bending team came to her mind and she recognized his was the face of the captain of the Fire Ferrets.

With the turn of events, it turned out that running late had been a blessing in disguise. The Equalists had been looking for a way to infiltrate the pro-bending arena for months but couldn't find a way. Most pro-benders would never knowingly associate with one of their kind. To be fair though, it wasn't as if they were dying to be besties with a probender either.

"Let me make it up to you, somehow," Asami offered. She knew that she needed to create an opportunity to interact with him more. She needed to devise a plan get closer to this stranger.

It wasn't anything new for Asami to throw her money and her hair around to impress people. It had yet to fail her and results have never been less than satisfactory. The gestures were nothing more than flaunting what she had and she was more than willing to do so. From experience, it was the easiest and quickest way to get anything done around men. Lusting for power, money, fame, and women, men have always been easy for the heiress to figure out . Keeping those key points in mind, Asami already started brewing a plan. With a slick new suit, a fancy dinner, and a light touch here and there, the firebender wouldn't stand a chance. Asami was confident that in no time, he would be all hers.

"I mean, it sucks that we finally get a new, able waterbender and we all to pull out because of something so stupid," Mako continued his rant. Asami had to fight against the urge to roll her eyes.

Dinner at her favorite date spot seemed simple enough to impress the firebender but since she had expressed interest in pro-bending, he found it to be a safe topic to talk about. Asami was forced to feign interest throughout dinner but his incessant ramblings about the games were chipping away at the facade. "She's nothing spectacular, but she brings a whole new element to our game. I mean that literally!"

Asami gave a polite chuckle at Mako's attempt to be funny and listened in silence. "You know, you'd think that the Avatar would be too busy to deal with something like probending. I mean, there are Equalists running around town destroying peace."

A pale hand gripped her cup and her knuckles whitened. "The Avatar?" Asami asked; her pristine mask was cracking with interest. This boy runs around with the Avatar?

"You haven't heard? Korra is the Avatar. She came to Republic City a few weeks ago and agreed to help us out. We really lucked out there."

"How does she find time to play for you guys?" Asami dug deeper. "Shouldn't she be worried about that revolution that masked man has been talking about?"

"She-" Mako thought for a moment, "she doesn't seem to be too bothered, now that I think about it. Whenever we ask her, she either blows it off or changes the subject. Maybe she's not going to get involved in ridiculous problems like that."

"Ridiculous? The uprising doesn't scare you?" Asami asked while wondering what this firebender be without his bending. The boy would be nothing more than a vagabond begging for his next meal on the streets. Benders had it lucky; they didn't have to work hard for to make a living. They could earn money from just flaunting their bending around an arena or take it by force as the Triad did. Benders knew nothing of being suppressed. They were born with an unfair advantage at life. They were born privileged.

"I mean, yeah, of course," Mako amended with his pointed brows knitting together. "I couldn't imagine not being able to bend. It's really the only thing that Bolin and I have going for us. But, if Korra and the council aren't concerned, there isn't anything we can do about it" he continued with a shrug. Although the rally had ignited a small flame of fear within him but he had more important things to be worried about at the moment.

"So, tell me about the Avatar. Is she really all what she's cracked up to be? You know, the master of all four elements, protector of the people?" Asami changed the subject to something less sensitive and more informative. A revelation dawned on the heiress; this was the kid that had tried to stop them from kidnapping the Triple Threat Triads. This was the boy that had fought along side the Avatar the night of the kidnappings.

"Korra? Nah, she's just another hot headed teen if you ask me." Mako's voice was tinged with just the slightest of irritation. "She's reckless and careless and doesn't think before acting. She's as cocky and proud as she could be, really."

Warm laughter filled the air as Asami tried to picture the image that Mako was painting. There had been news about the Avatar's arrival earlier that week but the only picture of the girl that she had seen was one of an awkward looking girl at a press conference. "Are we talking about the same person? From the press conference, I gathered her as more of the shy type."

"Oh, no. Believe me, she's anything but," Mako continued to express, "She's brash, overly self-confident, I just-" he said as he let out a light laugh. Despite his berating words, there was a hint of mirth in his voice. "I just want to knock her down a peg or two to show her some humility. Don't get me wrong, she's good, I mean like, really good. She knows her stuff inside and out, but she needs to get off her high horse."

Asami knew of a move or two that could bring her down, quite literally in fact. A quick jab to her arm and she'd be rendered without waterbending. A swipe and a hit would knock her off her feet and goodbye earthbending. A perfectly placed attack to her neck and she would be out like a baby. Asami smiled as she envisioned different scenarios as she looped her arm within Mako's. Leaning her head against his bicep, she smiled. "I'm sure she's not as bad as you make her sound."

"Absolutely not," Hiroshi's stern voice echoed. Despite the loud machinery in the satomobile factory, he was still heard across the room. A few workers attending the assembly line turned their head but it was still loud enough to drown out most of the personal conversation.

Asami was not surprised to hear his forbidding disapproval. Even though they were the wealthiest family in a 100 mile radius, 30 thousand yuans was still a lot of money to just throw away. Not to mention, the money would be going to support the one thing they stood against. Bending.

"Think about it, Dad," Asami reasoned, trying to convince him to cover the ante for the championship in form of a sponsorship. "This is our chance. If we pass this up, we'd be passing up unlimited access to the team and the arena."

Hiroshi stroked at his mustache as he took a second to think. Resting her left hand on her hip, Asami betrayed her calm demeanor with a grunt of impatience. Future Industries had more than enough cash to burn and she saw no problem. Taking this opportunity would be yet another a way for the Sato family to prove their alliance to the movement.

"I just don't like you gallivanting around the city with-"

"I don't actually care about him." Asami cut her father off before he could say another word. Just the thought of being with a bender, let alone a firebender, disgusted her beyond belief. They were the enemy; all benders were. They always were and always will be. They used their unfair advantage to take whatever they wanted, never thinking twice of who got hurt in the process. "You will never have to worry about that."

Hiroshi's jaw tightened as he considered his daughter's plan. Not once had she ever let him down and she always thought things through to the end. It was clear that she had a plan and that she had her mind set on going through with it.

"Don't make me regret this, Asami. If their new waterbender is really the Avatar, you're going to have to keep your guard up. Don't let her get into your head, alright?"

With a small hug, Asami kissed her father on the cheek. "Don't worry, Dad. I got this."

Emerald eyes concentrated on her lips as she painted them with deep crimson lipstick. With the help of some concealer, Asami covered up the fading bruises that she still sported on her arm. Although they seemed to be healing nicely, she was sure that wouldn't have been able to get to the end of night without a few concerned glances. Asami stretched her back and took a final glace over her makeup to make sure everything was perfect. She smoothed a comb through her locks and fluffed her curls before she was finally satisfied. She would be meeting the legendary Avatar Korra face-to-face at last.

The clicking of her heels against the marble floor was lost in the loud chatter around the gala. Even the band struggled to play over the hundreds of voices celebrating the Avatar. Slender fingers held on to Mako's elbow as the couple walked through the room with an air of supremacy. The heiress was accustomed to being an accessory to men at formal events like this. Status was everything in her world. But, despite the athlete's "humble" background, the firebender walked through the room with pretension. Asami swallowed her slight disgust and dismissed it.

Flowing from crowd to crowd, Asami greeted her father's associates with poise and grace. It was odd to introduce Mako as her boyfriend but it seemed to please everyone, especially the pro-bender. The heiress kept her calm, collected disposition through it all, but when she finally caught a glimpse of the esteemed guest of honor, she faltered.

Although, technically, Asami has seen the Avatar face-to-face once before, this was the first time she got a clear look at the girl. She looked nothing of the one she saw in the papers. In person, she looked much smaller and younger than she had imagined. The fitted dark blue dress loudly displayed her Water Tribe roots while her long dark hair was pulled into a half bun. She looked quite elegant as she stood next to Councilman Tarrlok. The glint in her eyes caught her attention but the young girl looked somewhat worried with her brows knitted. Asami couldn't help but take a keen interest in what she and her father were discussing.

"Hey- wait," Mako interjected. His conversation with the Bolin was cut short when Asami started tugging him away.

"Introduce me to the Avatar, sweetie," Asami cooed with her voice as sweet as honey. She gripped his arm eagerly and walked him towards the distressed looking bender. Something about this girl intrigued her.

"Hey, Korra," Mako greeted with a smile. The power couple of the night stood at Hiroshi's side and Korra's eyes narrowed at them and she crossed her arms. Asami could read the girls emotions like a children's book. With her sudden grumpy disposition along with her pout, Asami was all too familiar the expression that the Avatar wore. Korra was jealous. The Avatar, 'master of all four elements,' 'the bringer of peace,' was jealous of a simple non-bender like herself. Asami could not suppress a smile.

Asami grew up in a world where the Avatar was worshipped by everyone. Ever since Avatar Aang saved the world and created Republic City, he was known as a legendary hero. His name forever became synonymous with peace. It was truly a sad day for the peoples around the world when he died but the grieving process was cut short once the news of the new Avatar was born. Every child growing up knew of the stories and myths that surrounded the spiritual being. As kid herself, even Asami was curious about the world she longed to but could never join. Although benders and non-benders have lived along side-by-side in peace, the two groups saw the world from completely different standpoints. It was easy to say that Asami's and Korra's worlds would never overlap. Only as opponents would they ever cross.

The tiny non-bender spent most of her childhood as a nobody. Hers was a plain face that blended with the rest of society but her world was completely flipped after the Sato family came into money. And although many things changed for the better, there were many unwanted changes as well. After that pivotal point in her life, the seven-year old was trained to wear a perfect, painted smile. She was forced to flawlessly hide any 'inappropriate' emotions. She was to become the perfect representative of a future industry that commanded respect.

To all, the Avatar was one born to be respected and worshipped. At least, that was Asami's impression. Strangely, Korra was nothing like the almighty being she had fantasized. Standing in front of her was just an average teenager. It had been far too long since she had seen such open and honest expressions on anyone and it was a bit unsettling. If she were to be completely honest, she found it quite refreshing.

True to her emotions, Korra didn't hold back on expressing her discomfort around Asami. Taking the cue, the strategist made a move to release Mako's arm but was mindful to stay close as to not give warning. She was confused when the small furrow in Korra's brow refused straighten out even after her attempts. Out of ideas, she could only conclude that it had to do with what Tarrlok was discussing with her earlier. Asami took a mental note to dig into that matter later. Just as she was about to open her mouth, the Avatar was called away for her duties.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the gala had all been a set up by the Water Tribe councilman. The upper class and powerful always manipulated others like that and Asami to fight down a fierce frown for the public. Proud of his trickery, the councilman boasted that The Avatar was officially going to be on his task force. There would be a crack down on all Equalist campaigns and she knew the rebellion would have to be carried out with great precaution. As each reporter bombarded her with numerous questions, a trained ear paid close attention to the bender's responses. She was going to have to stay close to keep tabs on her.

"You know, thought you'd be happy that the Fire Ferrets would get to play in the tournament," an elegant voice broke through the spider cricket's serenade. Curious sapphires glance up from the ground to be matched with emeralds.

"Oh, you," Korra brushed off with a scoff. Being confronted by her crush's girlfriend was not what she needed at the moment, especially not after being tricked into joining Tarrlok's task force.

"Don't be sound so pleased to see me," Asami laughed as she took a seat next to the brooding girl on the stone bench. Asami kept her arms close to her body in attempts to keep warm in the chilly night. It amazed her how the other girl didn't seem to be fazed in the slightest. She guessed growing up in the Southern Water Tribe had its advantages. "What are you doing out here all alone? I'd assume that you'd be in there celebrating. This whole thing was held in your honor, you know."

"Don't you have some elbows to rub or something?" Korra grunted in irritation, purposely trying to ruffle Asami's feathers and get her off her back.

"Nah," Asami leaned back and slouched her shoulders. Loosing up her posture, she wanted to appear more open and relaxed to the girl.

She needed to earn her trust. She needed to become someone that the Avatar could confide in and she knew that it wouldn't happen if she came off as an uptight priss.

"These parties get tiring after a while. Pretending to be interested in the officials and their improbable plans isn't exactly something that I would label as 'enjoyable'."

Asami was greeted with silence and she didn't let it bother her. It wasn't like she expected to become best friends right off the bat. "Korra," she called as she turned her gaze from the sky to the other girl's face. "Try not to worry too much about the press. They don't get any more pleasant, but I promise you do get used to them."

Painted lips restrained a grin as Korra's eyebrows arched with interest. Her shoulders fell and she relaxed out of her uptight posture. Bingo. Hook, line, and sinker.

"There you are!" Mako called out from the gazebo. Just as Korra was going open her mouth, she shut it and all the walls around her flew back up. The younger girl's foul mood returned with the drop of a hat

The raven-haired heiress had to swallow a sigh as she got up from her spot. Walking up to her boyfriend, she greeted him with a small peck on the lips. She wanted to laugh at how Korra made no attempts to hide her disgust as her face contorted.

"You guys, I'm sitting right here. Couldn't you wait until you were alone?"

"Sorry," Asami apologized with slight blush and put her palm to the firebender's solid chest. Strong arms pulled her closer into his body and she leaned her head against him.

"We should be heading home soon," Mako turned Asami around in his arms and kissed her forehead once more for good measure. It seemed as if he was flaunting their relationship off in front of the other girl to get a rise out of her. It irked the both of them.

"We'll talk some other time, alright Korra?" Asami asked as she moved her hand to the girl's bare shoulder.

The warmth that she radiated sent an odd feeling down her spine and Asami wondered if it had affected the seated girl just as bizarrely. The muscles in Korra's shoulder stiffened under her touch. For one reason or another, Asami found herself not being able to pull away.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," Korra dismissed with a roll of her eyes. With a sharp yank, she pulled shoulder out from under the foreign touch and stood from her spot. Pushing past the couple, she made an obvious effort to make a show and stomped away to leave the two with their privacy.

"You're dad's waiting for you at the entrance," Mako smiled. His unconcerned reaction made it seem as if he were unperturbed by the encounter. It took an exceptional amount of effort for Asami to match his reaction.

A bit confused, Asami took his hand and let Mako lead the way.

A/N: Wow, you actually read this? Thank you so much! Recently I've been pretty obsessed with the idea Equalist!Asami so I wanted to add another fic to the small existing pool. I know you might think Asami may be a bit OOC, but you gotta keep in mind that this is an AU. This chapter was unbetaed but I've been reading though it so many times that I just wanted to get this out for now. Let me know if you catch anything and I'll comb over it again and make amendments. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and that it wasn't too long for the first chapter. Let me know what you think in a review and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Thanks a billion!

PS, for those that follow Little Talks, I have not given up on that. I'm pretty attached to it but Korrasami has consumed my soul for the time being. Hang in there!