As deputy financial secretary of Future Industries, Dae had a general understanding of Asami Sato's new hire. She'd needed to provide details for him to estimate an appropriate salary for the man, after all. It was hard to believe at first, a former aide of the Avatar, leaving not only her employ but also the storied White Lotus organization. But the heiress had vouched for Xing's credentials and also his abilities, emphasizing on the urgency to write up a competitive employment contract for him.

In the grand scheme of things, even if this Xing had turned out to be an incompetent charlatan, Future Industries would only suffer a month's waste of a personal assistant's salary before he was thrown out. However convinced Asami was, her father would be less tolerant of fools.

But Xing had matched the expectations placed on him. Dae had heard the rumors that had quickly seeped up the company's hierarchy, of a highly diligent assistant that not only shadowed Asami, but also kept on her good side throughout. He was professionally amiable by all accounts, but not in a brown-nosing way. In the two weeks of his employment, he'd kept up with his charge and supposedly provided her with an idea or two that impressed even Hiroshi Sato.

Even this suggestion of sponsoring a pro-bending team was Xing's idea, a move that made several marketing officers smack themselves for not considering such an obvious opportunity (though to be fair, none of the competition had beat them to it either). And better yet, he followed it up by offering prime real estate to Future Industries to further exploit the sponsorship.

The moment the pro-bending stadium was built, the commercial blocks opposite it had become a highly strategic location, and the shop owners knew that. Until now, neither Future Industries nor its competitors could open anything more than a kiosk near the pro-bending arena because every owner in the block thought that technology galleries required messy renovations that would affect the lucrative eateries and merchandise stores.

But Xing had somehow found an in within two weeks of working in the company, supposedly through knowledgeable intermediaries. It took a scorned and spiteful woman to finally give Future Industries the highly visible and potentially lucrative foothold that they wanted, and for a measly price at that.

Using the additional floors of the property to house the pro-benders was also a good move, though Dae wasn't as convinced as his colleagues over at Marketing were and he'd wait until the reports came in before celebrating the move.

Still, the move had highlighted Xing's competence, which made Dae confused and doubtful at first of why he'd leave his post working with the Avatar. Asami had said that they likely parted on poor terms, but surely the Avatar would value such an able aide, and surely Xing wouldn't give up such a prestigious post just like that? Granted they were both at a reckless age, but the disagreement between youths, especially those allegedly raised by the White Lotus, shouldn't be so ugly, right?

Dae's doubts were proven wrong the moment Xing stepped through the door to stand before Avatar Korra and her pro-benders. The Avatar's eyes immediately flashed with the deep anger of someone betrayed.

"Xing." She spat out the name with a scowl.

In contrast, Xing remained calm, offering a polite nod that at least seemed devoid of any ulterior sentiments. Maybe that was the point. "Avatar Korra."

"You're still here."

"I had the great fortune of being hired by Miss Asami when she found out about my resignation."

Tension and danger spiked and Dae and the rest of the Future Industries employees flinched as the Avatar snapped her furious gaze towards Asami. It was the wrath of a person who'd caught the culprit that had stolen a valuable possession.

Xing spoke up again before things could escalate, the jarring contrast of his almost indifferent tone cutting through the sudden tension. "You gave me the option to leave, so I took it."

Avatar Korra's wrath sputtered as her attention was brought back to Xing. "I didn't-"

"I couldn't put up with you anymore, and so I quit, just as you said I could," the young man interrupted, and then tilted his head to glance at the other wide-eyed pro-benders. "Unless I'm the only one who misheard that?"

Mako shook his head in wise silence, while his brother Bolin finally snapped out his stupor and actually tried to step in between Xing and the Avatar. "Uh, I'm sure Korra didn't exactly mean it…? Things were getting heated up and all that, and-"

Xing shrugged his shoulders and cut off the rest of Bolin's attempt at deescalation. "It's a moot point. I was given the offer to leave, so I left. Similarly, when Miss Asami generously offered to hire me despite my lack of qualifications, I took it."

The look on the Avatar's face morphed into something quite ugly. "Oh, so you went for the pretty-"

"She offered a generous wage along with challenging but not daunting work."

"So what?" Avatar Korra retorted, her anger rising again. "The White Lotus pays you as well!"

"They give me an allowance," Xing mildly corrected. "One that is meant to cater to both your needs and mine. I'm sure you recall the times I had to spend it on fishermen, paying for repairs, replacing provisions, or the ship ride here?"

And once more her wrath was stymied, but the man wasn't done yet.

"Besides, you've always complained about me spoiling your fun. I'd thought you'd appreciate your newfound freedom."

Avatar Korra's feature resolved into a stony simmer. "I do," she finally said through a half scowl and gritted teeth. "You being gone is the best thing that's happened so far."

Xing remained indifferent. "So it'd seem."

The Avatar seemed to finally rein in her anger as she poorly feigned aloofness. The heat in her eyes hadn't fully simmered down as she glared at him. "I'm just surprised you haven't gone off to stick your nose into crumbling scrolls and dusty tomes. With how much you like quitting from things when the going becomes tough, I expected you to be locked away in a library."

Finally some emotion seeped into Xing, though Dae wasn't expecting exasperation to be it. "I see Master Tenzin still hasn't gotten around to teaching you the value of discretion."

"I know what discretion is, Xing."

"But do you know the value of it?"

There were a few seconds of heavy silence as the Avatar glared ineffectually at Xing before she finally replied, the embers in her voice seeming to reignite again. "You think I'm stupid-"

"No," Xing smoothly slipped in. "Only reckless."

There was a mix of vindication and...something else as she reared back with a humorless laugh. "Well, I saved Bolin my way, and it went off well to boot! If I went about it your way, he'd have lost his bending by now!"

Xing's head tilted curiously at her words, and Dae was not the only one whose interest was suddenly piqued. Rather than engaging her about it, the young man gave a glance to Mako. "Lost his bending?"

"Err… It was a small thing…" The leader of the pro-bending team shrank back a little before the Avatar cut in with something approximating a growl.

"Yeah. Bolin ran into some trouble, and I helped rescue him. And it went off without a hitch too, without having to hear your whining."

Xing seemed to be taken aback, though likely for a different reason than what was making the Avatar grin. He then glanced back to Asami, who was keenly listening to the exchange between her aide and his former ward all this time. "We might have to invest in a security detail…"

"It's already in the contract," the heiress replied with a faint smirk. "Figured they'd need it anyway in case we have to deal with bookies."

Completely ignoring the glare of the Avatar behind him, Xing gave a half-bow. "Ah, my apologies for that oversight on my part."

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Asami rolled her eyes a little. "It's fine, you're still getting the hang of Republic City. Considering the other things you've already accounted for, I'd say you're doing a remarkable job as is. It's not like I want you gone, after how helpful you've been to me already."

Dae bit back the urge to retort when he saw the amused glint in her eyes. If she wanted to throw verbal jabs at the Avatar's way, she could at least try to be more subtle about it.

"Thank you, Miss Asami," Xing replied with clearly some additional ham in his tone, and as expected it kept the Avatar's annoyance on him.

"Hmph. You can keep your security," she scoffed. "We don't need it."

"Unfortunately, it's already in the contract," Xing responded with his usual indifferent politeness. "And the contract has been signed by all members of the Fire Ferrets. A security detail will be allotted to the team, the composition of which will be discussed at a later date…"

And then Xing's gaze shifted to a nervous Mako. "When we catch up about the incident involving Bolin."

He then returned his attention to the Avatar. "Unless you wish to terminate the contract now, while the 'second thoughts' exit clause is still applicable?"

"Second thoughts?" Bolin suddenly asked aloud.

"It should be near the end of your contact," Xing casually explained. "It allows the Fire Ferrets to end the sponsorship agreement within four hours of signing it, in case…new developments arise."

Silence followed as Bolin read through the contract again, and then meekly exclaimed, "oh right, there it is."

All three Fire Ferrets shared glances with each other, glances that were laden with silent questions. The atmosphere became tight with tension again as the Avatar returned to stare at Xing with a sense of finality.

"We won't terminate the contract," she finally muttered, releasing a wave of relief among both her Fire Ferrets teammates and the Future Industries representatives. But the Avatar wasn't done, jabbing a finger to hover right at Xing's face.

"But we won't accept you as our manager." Then she shifted her focus onto Asami. "Or her. That's not part of the contract, is it?"

"It's not," Xing easily admitted. "We'll present an interim representative tomorrow, until the proper stable of managers are made available for the Fire Ferrets to choose from. But during the announcement party, the Fire Ferrets will have to present a…cheery front to the journalists."

The Avatar folded her arms and nodded curtly. "Fine. I can live with that."

Xing glanced over to Asami, who nodded, and then gave a bow to the Fire Ferrets that would have been sycophantic if he hadn't kept up his mask of indifference. "Excellent. As we've no further matters to raise for the time being, we'll leave you to your training. Future Industries looks forward to a beneficial relationship with the Fire Ferrets."

The Avatar remained firmly unimpressed while the two Fire Ferret brothers offered awkward goodbyes. Dae only felt comfortable once they finally exited the stadium, though his superior broke into a wide, triumphant grin instead.

"Well done, Xing. That went better than expected." The grin melted into a grateful smile. "I know I said you didn't have to, but really, thanks for coming with us."

Her aide shrugged. "With Avatar Korra, it is better to be upfront with her about my presence. I'll agro- draw her dislike onto me, but she'll remain willing enough to continue working with Future Industries. From there, maybe the relationship can improve from reluctance into something more eager. Better than having her find out about my employment here later and then causing a ruckus that'd be bad for the company's image."

"Quite true."

"As a bonus, we didn't have to emotionally blackmail the Avatar into sticking with the contract…"

"Not overtly, anyway. She knew the stakes the moment you offered her the exit clause."

Xing nodded. "I'll have to follow up with Mako about the kidnapping incident, however. Probably tomorrow afternoon, after the Avatar has returned to Air Temple Island."

"Good, I'll leave it to you then. Hopefully we're not going to have to invest too much in bodyguards… Oh." Dae almost backpedaled in surprise when Asami's attention turned to him. "Dae, Xing's been looking through our roster for eligible candidates, and he noticed that your nephew's looking for a transfer from retail?"

"Err, yes, Miss Sa- I mean, Miss Asami?" Damnit, he almost made the mistake of calling her by her surname.

Thankfully, she didn't seem to care, and instead nodded. "Do you think he'd do well as a pro-bending manager?"

Dae blinked for a bit before he actually processed what she said. He glanced at Xing, who only offered a shrug and a faint smile. Then Dae bowed deeply, echoing older times of a vassal displaying gratitude to their liege. "If he doesn't, I'll make sure he learns quickly, Miss Asami."

This was not the kind of chance you simply let pass. Hanh was always complaining about working his way up the ladder, well now the lad would have his chance to prove himself. Dae would have to hammer home the importance of not fucking this promotion up to his nephew. Nevermind the Avatar, this was practically a new field for Future Industries. Hanh would be a pioneer in managing a pro-bending team on a corporate level. That sort of thing could open up new doors…if one left a good impression.

"You've been a dutiful employee to my father, Dae, I hope your nephew follows in your footsteps."

"I'll toss him out myself if he fails to meet expectations, Miss Asami."

"No need to be so severe," she replied graciously. "Now, Xing?"

"Yes, Miss Asami?"

Asami flashed a frown at her assistant before sighing. "Now, it's been two weeks already…"

Quickly recovering and remembering his part, Dae produced a slightly bulging envelope from his jacket and passed it to the heiress' hand.

"And I've got to say, I'm quite impressed by your work so far." Before Xing could reply, she passed the envelope to him. "Here, an early bonus."

Interestingly, the young man genuinely seemed totally caught off guard by the gift, looking a little lost. "I… But the sponsorship…"

Asami gave a light chuckle before taking Xing's hand and putting the envelope in it. "The bonus for the sponsorship will come later when it starts paying off. My father agrees that you've earned it for the little inventions you brought up to me, and for getting us that shop." She nodded over to a particular shoplot covered in bamboo scaffolding. "Oh…"

And Dae produced two smaller envelopes for Asami to pass to Xing. "Here's the finder's fee for Kai and Ren. I know they're too…young to handle such cash, so I'll trust you to look after them?"

After a moment of being dumbstruck, Xing nodded. "Of course."

Dae almost laughed at the reminder that the young man had come from the more rural South Pole. He probably was gawking at the sheer amount he now had in his hands, and didn't fully realize just how much he'd helped Future Industries save from getting a spiteful lady to palm the property off to them. And they'd get to put up a proper store in front of the pro-bending stadium, foot traffic was about the heaviest, and sans any of the usual competition in the area.

For all that potential, and for the hundreds of thousands Future Industries was willing to pay to achieve that potential, what was a few tens of thousands?

"I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of the day off," Asami finished with another grin. "Don't worry, I promise I'll be stuck in my workshop, and if I really need you I'll call you."

"Uh…"

Asami sighed and rolled her eyes with mock exasperation. "Just enjoy the break, Xing, and treat the kids to something nice."

Xing finally snapped out of it and bowed deeply. "As you say, Miss Asami. Thank you."