Water and Earth

Chapter 3

Lin awoke the next day dazed and confused. How had she ended up on her couch? Did she and Korra actually go out last night or was that a dream? As she began to sit up, her splitting headache gave her all the evidence she needed. "What happened last night?" She asked herself. She fell back onto the pillow and her eyes fell on the coffee table, taking notice of a small glass of water and two aspirin. She reached out to grab them, popping the pills in her mouth before washing them down with a large gulp of water. "I guess I was sober enough to know I was going to be suffering today." Lin had just pulled the blanket over her head when the phone rang. Presuming it was work, Lin forced herself to her feet and tried to ignore the searing pain in her head. "Hello?" "Chief? Did we die last night?" Korra's voice sounded hoarse. "No, I feel great I actually did a ten mile run this morning," Lin said sarcastically. "Really?" "No, I haven't moved from my couch. How are you faring? Was Asami upset?" "She was a little annoyed but everything's fine now. I think I need to go to the healer today." "For what?" "You're telling me you never went to the healer to fix a hangover?" Lin paused. "To be honest I never go to the healer. The best way to recover is to let your body heal itself naturally, at least that's what mom always told us." "I'm booking us appointments in an hour. Meet me at the station and we can go together." Lin was about to argue with Korra about how she was fine, but a wave of nausea interrupted her thoughts, sending her running towards the bathroom. "Chief? Are you there?" Korra asked as the line went quiet. She could hear Lin retching in the background before she picked up the phone again. "I'll be there," and the line went dead. Lin sat huddled on the floor of her bathroom, battling bouts of vomiting and repeatedly rinsing her mouth with mouthwash. She hoped she had gotten everything out of her system as she prepared herself to meet up with Korra, making sure to bring a pair of dark sunglasses with her. Taking one final drink of water, she squared her shoulders and stepped out into the sunlight.

As Lin approached Korra, she could tell the Avatar had a rough night as well. Her tanned skin looked pale and her face looked nearly green. The dark circles under her eyes made it obvious she hadn't gotten much sleep- presumably because she was also getting sick. "How are you feeling, Chief?" "Like a million yuan. You?" "Like I could take on Amon, Zaheer, and Unalaq all at one time." They shared a small smile and slowly began making their way to the healer. "So, last night..." Korra began. "Don't want to talk about it," Lin interrupted. "Okay... I was just going to say that I had fun," Korra mumbled. "Tell me about this healing process," said Lin, changing the subject. "Trust me, it's worth it. It's painless, fast, and you'll feel amazing after. We're almost there and just in time, too. I feel like I'm sweating straight fire whiskey right now." Lin nearly gagged at the mere mention of alcohol, but would never let herself show weakness in front of Korra, and played it off by pretending to cough. "Here we are," Korra pointed to a blue wooden sign hanging before them. Korra and Lin walked inside, thankful to be out of the hot sun. "Hi, we're here for our eleven o'clock appointment," Korra said to the woman at the front desk. "Names?" she asked, glancing down at a sheet of paper. "Korra and Lin." "Welcome, ladies. I'll go get your healers. Korra, you're going to be working with Remah today and Lin you'll be with Kya." Lin's stomach dropped at the mention of her name as a foggy memory of last night at the bar replayed in her head. Maybe it was a different Kya, she told herself. A young dark haired woman with striking blue eyes appeared and introduced herself as Remah to Korra before taking her back into a separate room. "Well, well, well," said Kya as she entered the lobby. "Why would the chief of police need healing today?" Lin's face turned scarlet and she cast her eyes to the ground, remaining silent. "Follow me," Kya said with a smile as she led Lin down a dimly lit hallway. Kya opened a wooden door to reveal a small room with no windows. It was completely  dark except for a few dozen candles that littered the room casting a warm light. In the center was a single plush blue mat. "Lie down," Kya instructed and Lin obeyed. "I'm sorry you had to see me... like that last night," Lin said softly as she lay down on the mat. "Are you sorry for what happened at the bar or what happened after?" Kya asked as she knelt down next to Lin. She produced a small orb of water from a small gourd slung around her waist and took the orb into her hands, causing it to glow. "I.... I don't remember what happened after the bar," Lin sighed. Kya brought her hands to Lin's temples and held the glowing water around the crown of Lin's head. "I helped you get home. Do you not remember that?" "I remember being told to get in a car," Lin said, feeling the healing already making her headache subside. "It was definitely an interesting night for everyone," Kya said with a smirk. "Did you have fun?" "A woman was apparently hitting on me last night and I didn't even know it but I don't know if that counts as fun," Lin said sardonically. "Wow, you really don't remember, do you?" said Kya. "Kya, I really don't-" Lin's mind suddenly felt clear as her memories came flooding back to her. The haze that shrouded her recollection from last night had been wiped clean from the healing. Lin shot up straight, catching Kya off guard. "Are you okay?" Kya asked nervously. "Yes. Fine. Are we done here?" Lin's face was flushed and Kya noticed she was refusing to meet her gaze. "Just about. One more minute, okay? Just relax," she gently touched Lin's shoulder, causing Lin to jump. "I think I'm actually going to go," Lin quickly got to her feet and was out the door before Kya could get a word out. Korra appeared to already be done with her appointment as she was sitting cross legged in the lobby glossing over a magazine. "Feeling better?" Korra asked when she saw Lin come storming towards her. "I'm fine. Let's go." "Is something wrong?" Korra asked, following Lin outside. "Nothing. Just police business. I'll let you know when we'll train again." Without giving her a second look, Lin continued her brisk walk alone, leaving Korra more confused than ever.

When she was sure she was out of sight, Lin broke out into a run- sprinting as fast as she could back home. When she finally reached her apartment, she slammed the door behind her and leaned her back against it, her breathing heavy and her heart racing. It had happened right there- she thought as she focused on the couch. Why had she done that? Why had she listened to Korra and gone to the healer? She would have been content to live out the rest of her days without the memory of what she had done. What was more confusing was how calm Kya seemed to be about the situation. Lin had kissed her and she asked for no explanation. Maybe she was writing it off as a drunk mistake. Maybe this type of thing has happened to her before- if someone kisses you it doesn't necessarily mean they like you in that way, right? Despite Lin's mind feeling clearer than it did this morning, she found it overflowing with questions now. Questions she feared may never be answered. What was she doing? Was she really feeling sorry for herself? She was the chief of police, wasn't she? If she had a question she was damn well going to get an answer. She took a deep breath and knew what she had to do.