Chapter Text
Korra sometimes envied Asami. She didn't have to live with the Avatar's power, because if something bad happened, no one could handle it on their own. Korra was infuriated by this injustice. Probably, this injustice infuriated everyone who had to bear the burden of the Avatar. Most likely, this is why her predecessor ran away at the right opportunity. Who wants to sort out the constant squabbles that sometimes arise out of nowhere? And they don't always give you all the information. And you have to dig everything up yourself, because you have to judge fairly. They found a supreme judge.
But it was impossible to escape from this. No way. And sometimes she wanted to…
Korra often sat in Asami's garage while the other created and constructed something there. The young mage was ready to watch this for hours. Asami understood her eternally tired state more often than others and did not torment her with moralizing like Tenzin or Mako. The girl preferred to distract Korra with completely trivial conversations, asking her to help with this or that invention. This evening was no exception to the rule.
"Hey, Asami. What are you doing?" Korra asked lazily, leaning against the wall. She wanted to shake Sato up a bit from his endless work.
"I'm not slacking off like some people. For some unknown reason, the engine refuses to work. And I want to know what the problem is. And you should go see Bolin if you're so bored."
"Who said I'm slacking off? Maybe I came from a pretty tough training session and want to rest a little. What's wrong with that?"
Asami straightened up and looked at her friend skeptically. Sato wasn't quite sure why Korra was avoiding Tenzin's advice when he really just wanted to help her, but the fact remained. The engineer didn't think the Avatar was anything special, because in reality, all the problems fell on the shoulders of the girl who had been given this burden. And she needed to study just like any apprentice. Although it was hard to compare engineering and elemental bending. Given that Asami didn't know much about it.
"Korra, if you're tired from training, then a change of activity will only do you good. Help me disassemble this old mechanism. I'm sure its parts will still come in handy." The engineer waved her hand at the rusty colossus, which was barely recognizable as a vehicle.
Korra, with a suffering look, dragged herself to the indicated unit, not imagining how to disassemble it. But she asked for it herself, no one forced Asami to hang around at her workplace.
"You'll have to use your hands" Asami chuckled, nodding her head towards the toolbox. "And your head. I don't need you to smash it to pieces. Take your time. You don't rush when you're learning bending, do you? Same here."
"Are you sure?" Korra wasn't so optimistic. "I'm not saying no, but listen, do you really need this? This thing still seems pretty unreliable."
"I need parts. They don't fall out of the sky, you know. Or appear out of thin air. So, forward and with the song." Sato replied, still smiling, knowing that she would have to help the Avatar. "I'll help you. Just finishing up a few things."
Korra had no choice but to pick up a screwdriver and a hammer. She didn't understand mechanics, but she didn't want to let her friend down. Hesitantly poking at what was left of the wheels, the girl tried to remove at least some of the bolts, since the metal parts were well preserved. The grinding sound told her that she needed at least a sledgehammer, or better yet, blueprints for this thing. But where to get one...
"Asami, what is this at least? This is the first time I've seen such a thing."
"This is a fifty-year-old machine. Varric dragged it from somewhere. Said he found it in the lands of the Land of Fire. The presence of the remains of the wheels suggests that it was a means of transportation, but I can’t remember them using such things back then. It’s all strange, but I have to investigate this." the engineer answered, digging around in the engine. "Maybe I’ll learn something new."
"So, you don’t know what this crap is either. Great…"
"Well, we have to disassemble it to understand what kind of machine it is. It’s unlikely that we’ll be able to determine what exactly it was used for, but if we understand the mechanism, then it will already serve us." Sato shrugged.
"Are we really talking about this pile of junk now?" the Avatar muttered, deciding to wait until her friend was free. Otherwise, she’ll destroy this artifact to the ground, and then listen to Varric’s lectures.
Asami pretended not to notice Korra's whining and glanced at the engine blueprints once again. She was far from her genius father, she realized it every time she couldn't figure out the problem right away.
"Asami, are you asleep there? I'm waiting for you, actually."
"If my memory serves me right, you're the all-powerful Avatar who mastered metalbending. So, use it to disassemble that old thing. And you won't need a sledgehammer."
"That's true..."
Korra had completely forgotten about her success in metalbending. And she was an excellent assistant here, eliminating the possibility of breaking the car. The girl looked skeptically at the object that she was about to disassemble into screws.
"Are you sure there are no blueprints anywhere?"
"You know, if they were there, they've already rotted. And it's not a fact that they were in the car itself."
"Varrick could have stolen them. I'm just saying that."
"That's possible too. But come on, don't shirk. - Asami smiled, seeing the Avatar's puzzled face."
Korra concentrated and imagined the whole thing coming apart piece by piece. Carefully, gently. The machine began to give in with excessive reluctance, as if it didn't like its integrity being violated. In principle, the top layer of metal came off without any problems, but then the problems began.
The inside of the machine was chromed, and for some unknown reason, it refused to be disassembled. Staring in amazement at this practically cast structure, Korra looked back at Asami for support, but Sato was in the same shock.
"Are you sure it can't be bent?" Asami asked in a whisper, in awe.
"You know, if I could disassemble it completely, it wouldn't be a problem. I can't even feel it with magic. I can the top layer, but I can't this chrome part."
"Maybe that's the reason it might still be functional. More specifically, why it survived for so long. Korra, if we can get it to work, it will be a huge discovery."
"Which Varric will appropriate when the opportunity arises." The girl chuckled in response. "This thing is not affected by magic. Or maybe I'm just not an expert in this field. I think I should show it to someone from Zaofu. What do you think?"
"Zaofu? That would be nice, but how will you drag this huge thing? Oh, I see. We can try, they are masters when it comes to metal magic. Although maybe we should also dig through the archives?"
"In the archives?" Korra chuckled. "It should work. All these mechanisms appeared quite recently, so we can assume who exactly could have made this colossus." the girl tapped on the case with a wrench.
Asami nodded. For now, they decided to silently disassemble the unit. It creaked, but gave in. Korra caught herself thinking that tinkering with the mechanisms was a more meditative activity than trying to find points of calm under Tenzin's watchful eye. No, she loved the elderly mage, but sometimes he was so boring that she wanted to hang herself. It was clear that he was trying to help her master the path of the Avatar, but his methods were completely unsuitable for a flighty teenager who liked to look for adventure in well-known places. True, now he could be pleased: her passion for adventures had exhausted itself after another, rather painful skirmish. But such peaceful gatherings with Asami made Korra think that not everything was so bad in this world. And let her have to argue with Varrick again, who would definitely come up with another plan, the implementation of which would involve the entire Team Avatar. Mostly, such events are more fun than truly dangerous. Although Asami sometimes disagreed. But she, an engineer, knows better.
"Listen, Asami, is it hard to learn how to use technology?" Korra suddenly asked.
"With due patience, anything is possible. Want to try?" the girl smiled. "But first, let's sort out the pressing problems. And then I'll be happy to help you."
The Avatar grinned wide and began working with the wrench with tripled attention. Here's a great reason to spend more time with her friend. And knowledge won't be superfluous: the world is developing so quickly that you don't have time to blink. Korra was already imagining these activities, which would definitely help her find peace of mind.