She'd passed that alley every day for the last year. It was always empty, just a long stretch creeping back towards an old factory. Asami had considered buying that patch of land more than once, and turning it into something useful. Something nice. Maybe something to help better the city. A lot of people were out of work, and everyone was struggling, even Future Industries. Reinvigorating the area could help not just the people who lived here, but her company as well. It was something she'd have to plan very carefully - the wrong move could put her under and she took enough flack as it was for how young she was.

Tonight, the alley wasn't empty. There was a blanketed figure huddled in the snow, a burned out fire in the lid of a trash can. She slowed her car. It was a dangerous prospect in a neighborhood this beat down, but she couldn't help herself. She stared at the figure, then sighed and got out of the car. She doubted the person would survive the night in this weather.

Fingering the taser in her pocket and glancing around in case someone decided she made an easy target, she approached the person slowly. "Hello? Sir? Miss? Are you okay? It's freezing out here."

The person inside the blanket peered out, and Asami was greeted with the brightest blue eyes she'd ever seen. They were set into a dark face and she realized that this girl was about her own age. She knelt in the snow, afraid of spooking the girl. "Hey there. I'm Asami. Are you hungry? How does a hot meal sound?"

The girl frowned. "What would I owe you?"

Her voice as pleasant. Asami bit her lip. "Not a thing."

"... Okay." She shuffled to her feet, the blanket and her hood falling back to fully reveal her face She was dirty and scuffed up, and one of her eyes was bruised.

Asami had to resist the urge to gently touch it. "So lets get something to eat, okay? My car is this way." She gestured towards it.

"It's the only car here," the girl grumbled. It was expensive looking. She didn't know car brands very well but Asami was clearly in a class of her own.
She put her bag in the trunk and once she was inside the car, she wrapped her arms around herself. She waited for Asami to get in, then said cautiously. "I'm Korra."

"Korra." Asami let the name roll off of her tongue. She smiled at Korra, then flipped her hair off of her shoulders. "It's nice to meet you. What are you in the mood for?"

Korra blinked at her, wondering how anyone could have such perfect hair. "...I could really go for some Texmex right now." She didn't know what she was getting herself into, but the car was warm, her stomach rumbly, and the prissy woman in the seat next to her seemed genuine. She missed genuine people.

In the better lighting of the restaurant, Asami could get a good look at Korra. Her clothing was thin and threadbare, and her shoes had seen better days. The only thing that as remotely in good condition was her jacket. That blanket needed to be burned.

"Uhm, get a seat, I'll go..." Korra gestured in the direction of the ladies room. "Clean up."

Asami nodded, having the waiter give her a seat in a quiet corner. "Can you bring out some hot tea?"

"Of course."

"Thanks." She fidgeted with the watch on her wrist, wondering if it would make Korra uncomfortable. Asami was obviously well off, and she didn't want Korra to feel like less of a person in comparison. The car was bad enough.

She was trying to decide how to convince Korra to let her buy her some clothing when the woman came back. She'd washed her face and hands and the front of her shirt was damp, like she'd tried to clean that too. Her hair had been pulled into a messy ponytail. Asami felt her heart clench in empathy. "I ordered some tea, it should help warm you up."

"Thanks." Korra sank into the booth, like she was trying to hide.

"If I was a serial killer you'd already be in trouble," Asami joked. The tea arrived, and she busied herself with sweetener, before pushing a menu towards Korra. "Order whatever you want."

Korra eyed her, then glanced down at the menu.

"I'm not asking for anything in return. If you're too proud to accept charity, consider it taking advantage of a naive rich girl."

The homeless girl's lips twitched and Asami had to stop herself from beaming. "Oh no. You're having a good time. How terrible."

"I'm not too proud," Korra muttered, flipping through the menu. Truth was, she'd reached a point where she was getting desperate. She'd run out of places to turn and she didn't know the area well enough to know the safe places. It scared her.

Asami stopped herself when she reached to pat Korra's hand. She didn't want to intrude on her personal space, but she also thought that the other woman could use a hug. "If you want, I could help you find a job."

Korra laughed. "Yeah, sure. Like anyone would even look twice at me." She busied herself with her tea, letting the warmth fill her in a way she could barely remember existed.

"That won't be a problem." Asami smirked as she sipped her own tea. "But order up, and then I'll explain my idea. Just listen. You don't have to agree to do anything you don't want to do."

She wasn't sure that she wanted to be some kind of fixer-upper project, but the prospect of food made her willing to give it a shot. It didn't hurt that Asami's voice was nice to listen to. She hadn't talked to anyone that made her feel this welcome in months.

It was unclear to Asami how to get Korra to open up. She thought maybe if she talked about herself it might make her feel more comfortable, but she didn't want to sound like a braggert. Korra solved this dilemma by bluntly asking, "So what do you do?"

"You mean like my job?"

She nodded, then dug into the meal that she'd ordered. It was a hearty breakfast, with eggs and bacon, sausage and toast. There was a side of pancakes, an extra egg, and hashbrowns, as well as some fruit. Asami took in the sight with some amusement, but she didn't point it out. She could afford it, and Korra looked under nourished.

"Well, I'm an engineer. Though that's kind of a gross oversimplification of what I do. I also have to manage people and projects, and look over books and budgets." She had people to do some of that but she liked to have a hand in it herself. "And on the side I like to tinker with cars. Especially fast ones I can race."

"That would be fun to see."

"Me racing?"

"That too. You're kind of uhm…" Korra waved a hand. "Well kept?" She wanted to say prissy but she didn't want to insult her. "I almost can't picture you getting all greasy under a car." And then she could, and the thought made her flush so she stuffed more food into her mouth to hide it.

"What about you? What kind of things did you do? Or like to do?" Turquoise eyes peered out curiously at Korra.

She looked away and shrugged. "I don't really… do anything. Not anymore." She didn't want to talk about it, mostly. But something about Asami made her want to open up. Korra wasn't used to opening up.

"Nothing you consider fun?"

"I liked to snowboard." Korra's smile was lopsided, but it faded quickly. "But I can't really do that any more." She looked down at her plate, which had been completely cleaned of it's contents. She felt full. It was a strange and uncomfortable feeling, but still a good one. With her plate empty, she thought that this was it. This nice, pretty girl was going to go on with her life, and probably pat herself on her back for doing a good deed for the day.