My Duty [korrasami]

Chapter XLIII

Masking fear was a survival essential where she was from. So much that she didn't feel it often as others apparently do. She processes it differently, routes it through her actions instead of letting the more primitive brain do the choice-making. Sometimes that wasn't the best way to go about it, sometimes she had to pretend like she wasn't scared at all. But she was petrified and the walls to her mask were slowly crumbling away as they near the town. Even though she had grown up ignoring this feeling, it can still damage her. It can cause her harm in the exact same way as it does to others. The difference is, it shuts them down, but it makes her more alert, more adept. Stronger.

Her blue eyes landed onto the back of the hooded woman in front of her. Asami. Korra knew this was probably a bad idea, roaming through the streets when there could possibly be an assassin waiting for her by the market. Just waiting until Miss Sato takes those final steps closer to home just so they could sweep her away, she'd be gone forever if Korra couldn't keep up. And there was a chance that she might not be able to. The only way the assassin could watch Asami and Jinora were from the rooftops. The rooftops and daylight weren't a good mix at all. She would stick out like a sore thumb if she was jumping around up there, but she had to try. She had to try for Asami's sake.

Korra let out a slow controlled breath and attempted to loosen her body movements. She was walking like a clockwork soldier and that was no way to be in this situation. She gave her shoulders a wiggle and lolled her head in a circle, letting her stride slacken to a more causal pace. It was a decent effort, enough to fool Jinora at least. But to Asami, she was a walking advert for tension. Her blue eyes were moving with alertness and her hand remained clenched against her sheath by subconscious demand.

Asami sighed and slowed her pace so she could walk by Korra's side. The Sato's hands slithered into Korra's and she gave it a gentle squeeze. It relaxed the assassin but not enough to make her hand leave her sheath.
"I'll be watching from above, just to make sure you get there safetly." Korra muttered as she turned to the hooded girl beside her.

"Won't you be seen?" Asami asked, keeping her eyes forward. The town was almost in view.

"No." There was a high chance.

Jinora soon stopped her walking and turned to the two women behind her. The entrance to the town was a small archway in the large cobble wall, not many guards; they were mostly somewhere deeper inside the town.
"We are here." Jinora said as she gestured to the archway that was a few feet infront of them. However, something that had caught her eye made her lips twitch into a smirk.

Korra realised what the woman was looking at and quickly disconnected her hand from Asami. She moved towards the wall of the town and pressed her back to it, carefully taking a peak around. She needed to plan a route before the women progressed any further. Her blue eyes roamed around the few houses that were near by, an easy climb onto their tiles and then she was in a good position. But, of course... A guard. A guard that stood right where she needed to be.

"What is it Korra?" Asami asked, noticing the frown that dawned over her face.

Korra pointed to the guard standing by the ledge that she needed to get to.
"He's in the way."

"What do you mean he's in the way?" Jinora asked.
"You're not coming are you?"

"I'm keeping a look out from the roofs, I feel like Kai is around here somewhere." Korra explained, cracking her knuckles in the process. Looks like she had to deal with this guard the hard way.

Jinora pulled the assassin back before she took another step.
"There's no need for that. I'll distract him." She said and made her way over to the guard. She couldn't hear what she was conversing about, maybe something about a lost pet? Whatever it was, Jinora managed to move the guard away from the area Korra needed to be.