The restaurant Asami had chosen was the same one she had taken Mako to in the original story, and it had all the ambiance of a high-end dining spot. The patrons spoke in soft voices, the music subtly complemented the atmosphere, and the place was spotless.
He just hoped they served real food and not something like the "gourmet dishes" from her previous life, which were only good for a bite.
How could that be called food if you leave still hungry? Weird…
Asami had been right—they had turtle duck soup on the menu, and Jin ordered a couple of additional dishes to accompany his favorite soup. The waiter looked at Asami as if to confirm the order, which came off as a bit rude…
While they waited for the dishes, conversation flowed smoothly.
"So, you ended up saving a pregnant mother and her daughter from a Fire Master?" Asami asked, surprised by the event, since such things rarely happened in her area.
"And the tailor," Jin added—the skilled old man couldn't be unfairly ignored—"They wanted to invite me to dinner with them, but we postponed it until tomorrow."
"They sound like nice people…" Asami said, sipping her tea in a more distracted tone.
"Asami?" Jin noticed she seemed to be lost in thought.
"Ah, sorry, the story brought back bad memories," Asami said, swirling her tea in the cup and pausing for a moment as she made a decision. "When I was little, my mother was killed by a Fire Master who broke into our home to steal."
Whew. Jin hadn't expected to bring out the heavy stuff on a first date.
"I'm sorry for your loss," he said sincerely, placing his hand over hers. "Losing a mother… I understand that pain."
"Thank you…" Asami's eyes widened suddenly. "Oh, Jin, I'm so sorry! I didn't—"
Only then did she realize that at least she still had her father for support, whereas for Jin, who had been trapped for decades, his parents had long been dead. He hadn't even been able to say goodbye properly; he just woke up and…
"It's alright, I already had a long talk about it with my sister," Jin reassured her after a moment of silence. "In fact, after going through an event like that, I'm surprised you didn't join the equalist movement."
Asami had encountered that reaction several times. From an external point of view, it would have been normal for her to hate Masters—or at least Fire Masters.
"Judging a whole group of people for the actions of just one…" Asami shook her head slowly. "If the thief hadn't been a Fire Master, he could have brought a knife instead," she shared her perspective on the situation. "I'll always wish the worst for that man and never forgive what he did, but I won't blame other Masters for his actions," she said, taking a sip of her tea.
Well, Asami had just earned Jin's respect.
That was certainly an insightful and mature approach—understanding that guilt lies with the individual, not the group they are perceived to belong to.
Too bad her father had a more classic approach.
A Fire Master killed his wife = All Masters in the world should disappear!
"Asami," Jin called softly, speaking in a serene voice tinged with curiosity, "have you ever tried to see if you yourself were a Master of any kind?" It was a question he had always personally wondered about. "How would you feel if you were one?"
He always thought that, even after what she'd been through, she should at least have tested herself with a few Masters if she had the aptitude. Sure, she was a non-Master now, but Jin could fix that.
"Me?" Asami was surprised by the question. "Well, no, I never tried," she admitted. "If I could do it, I'd probably have discovered it already, right?" she asked doubtfully.
"In fact, there are people who are Masters but never realize it throughout their lives because they never tried or don't know how."
He wasn't making it up. Unless you had considerable talent and instinct guiding you in certain situations of danger or emotion, that could happen.
One reason many people discovered they could bend an element was that, as children, they imitated the movements of other Masters when they saw them, and it eventually revealed itself. Or they just tried various moves at random and one worked.
Of course, after that it's self-study if you don't have—or don't know—a Master, but knowing you can do it opens up a world of possibilities. If you assume you can't, it's like putting a "non-Master" label on yourself and living accordingly.
"So… I could be a Master without knowing it?" Asami wasn't aware of that information.
She had always thought it was something that simply manifested. Having reached the age of eighteen, she hadn't given it much thought.
"Perhaps," Jin didn't commit, but leaving the door open could be useful later. "If that were the case, how would you imagine yourself with it?"
"Well, if that were the case, I suppose by inheritance I'd be an Earth Master or… a Fire Master," Asami considered carefully. She didn't think Jin would tease her about something like that—he had no reason to. "But if I had to be one, I think as long as I'm not a Fire Master, I could accept any other element."
Yes, that was the answer Jin had been hoping for.
The dishes arrived at that moment in the conversation, and as polite people, they set aside their words to eat in peace, commenting only occasionally on the flavor.
To be honest, the soup was acceptable, but Jin wouldn't give it a passing grade as real turtle duck soup. Whether due to cost control or insufficient skill, the chef had added too much water, and the spices were scarce.
As a result, the flavor was too diluted—it tasted more like something served in a hospital for a patient with a delicate stomach.
Fortunately, he had ordered two more substantial dishes; otherwise, they would have left hungry. When it came time to pay, Jin calmly covered half the cost of the dinner despite Asami's small protest.
Conclusion? The food, the ambiance, and the service weren't worth the price.
But the company had been priceless, and the conversation enjoyable, so he was happy.
"The Pro Control Arena match will start in twenty minutes," Jin said without turning, pointing to a metal-hand clock behind him. "We should start heading there."
They took the Satomobile with the chauffeur, who had been patiently waiting outside. Since he didn't want the man to go hungry, Jin had specially ordered a takeaway dish.
The chauffeur accepted the food in surprise, but the way he looked at Jin became much more positive.
"She's like Miss Sato, always worrying about her people," the man thought as he placed the food on the seat beside him.
He would happily eat it after dropping them off at the Pro Control Arena while listening to the match on the radio—it just so happened to be one of his favorite dishes!
It was clear Miss Sato had made her opinion known by suggesting they bring him food!
After dropping them off at the Arena, the chauffeur parked in a quiet spot, turned on the radio, reclined his seat, and enjoyed his surprise dinner with a smile.
"Mr. Hiroshi has nothing to fear; he seems like a good man," he thought as he inhaled the spiced aroma of the dish. "Oh?"—he noticed that a glass sake bottle with a note had appeared nearby at some point: Only open after returning home.
The chauffeur's eyes lit up at the sight of the sake.
Yes, he was definitely someone nice!
He carefully put it aside for later; as a responsible driver, he knew he couldn't enjoy such a gift at that moment.
Back at the Arena.
"Would it be presumptuous of me to offer you my arm?" Jin asked, extending his arm.
"I guess I can take it," Asami smiled and took it properly. "After all, wouldn't it be awkward if I refused?"
"Well, I definitely don't want that!"
They entered the Arena, where people had already begun gathering and taking their seats. Some had snacks in hand, while others settled for a drink.
"It seems the business model I set up is holding, no vendors in the stands; everything comes from the internal Arena facilities," Jin thought.
Asami had already changed before leaving the restaurant. It turned out that high-end places like that had dressing rooms for their clients. Oh, right—they had made a suit for Mako.
Asami's current outfit was one of the most common in the series—a red leather set with an outer gray jacket, probably her favorite: comfortable and durable.
After all, she even used it to ride her motorcycle!
Both of them were full from the restaurant, so they walked straight to the stands.
"Place your bets! The match starts in five minutes!" shouted a man with a simple megaphone near the betting station, while his partner took bets and handed out tickets.
Asami noticed Jin's attention shift in that direction.
"Do you want to try betting on the Fire Ferrets?" Asami checked the odds with familiarity. "The odds are 1.1 against them and 1.8 in their favor."
Clearly, expectations weren't on the side of the Fire Ferrets; people thought it more likely they would lose than win.
"I won't bet," Jin shook his head without hesitation.
The payout rate was too low to bother.
He knew that if he bet big, even though he would surely win after Korra joined the group, the Arena could use it as a legal loophole to nullify the bet and return only what he had given to avoid losses.
Besides, he never liked gambling that way; he knew it could become a dangerous addiction for many people.
Asami subtly nodded in approval; self-control and sensibility were attractive in a man…
After finding their seats and ignoring the odd looks Jin received, they could comfortably wait for the match to start.
The Fire Ferrets versus the Armadillo Tigers!