Water and Earth

Chapter 4

As Lin climbed the marble steps to the Soto mansion, she rehearsed what she was going to say in her head. She raised a hand to knock on the large wooden door, pausing momentarily to keep her nerve. She pounded the door loudly and could hear a faint echo from the other side. A few seconds later a man in a pinstriped suit opened the door, giving her a once over. "May I help you?" he asked. "I'm here to see Asami Soto." "Do you have an appointment to see Miss Soto?" "It's police business. Very urgent." The man paused, debating if he should allow Lin to enter. "I can also bring her downtown to the station if there's some issue," she pressed, gesturing a thumb in the direction of her cruiser. This seemed to be the right thing to say because the door swung open wider and Lin was ushered inside. She was led up an ornate flight of stairs as she marveled at the opulent house. They walked for a few more minutes until stopping in front of a slightly ajar door."Miss Soto? Chief Beifong is here to see you," the butler said, poking his head into the room. "Come in.". Lin walked into the room and heard the door close behind her. Asami was seated at a large dark wooden desk, various blueprints scattered in front of her. "What brings you to my office today?" She asked, gesturing to an empty chair in front of her. "Permits. Your building permits are expired." Asami raised an eyebrow. "You came all the way here for permits?" Asami crossed her arms and frowned. "Look, I don't want to be the bad guy, but if you don't get these permits-" "You know, it's funny you mention it. I happen to have copies of all my permits right here." Asami opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a stack of papers, holding them up for Lin to see. "Last time I checked, everything seemed to be in order. In fact, I saw you signed this just last week." She plucked a document out of the pile and slid it across the desk in front of Lin. Lin felt her heart sink and her face turned bright pink. "Do you want to tell me what you're really here for?" Lin bit her lip, choosing her next words carefully. "Promise you won't tell Korra?" This seemed to surprise Asami as her eyes widened but she nodded, encouraging Lin to continue. Lin took a deep breath. "What do you remember from the other night?" Lin asked. "You and Korra got pretty wasted and I had to pick you guys up. Oh, and you wouldn't get in the car." Lin shuddered. "I also remember where I picked you up from..." She trailed off. "Is that what this is about?" "Asami, I really hope I can trust you to keep this between the two of us, but I... well, the other night seemed to have raised some questions for me. When... when did you know?" If Asami was taken aback, she didn't show it for which Lin was grateful. "It's different for everyone. Some people know their whole lives and others figure it out later. For me, I think the signs were always there but it took me some time to put it all together. I was about sixteen when I really figured it out. There was this mechanic who worked on our Sotomobiles and I just wanted to be around her all the time. She probably thought I was an annoying kid who wanted to tag along, but I realized why I wanted to spend time with her so much. I had a crush. At first it scared me, but eventually I realized that this is just a part of who I am. Eventually I told my father and he struggled with it at first, but I think he really came around in the end." Lin kept her eyes fixated on the ground, refusing to make eye contact. "How about Korra?" Lin mumbled. "I can't speak to her experience, but I know her parents were very accepting. They did worry about us- that our lives would be harder because we're together. It seems the four nations are on different pages about where they stand. Unfortunately, the Earth Kingdom is the least open minded from what Kya told us." "Kya?" Asami leaned back in her chair, connecting the dots in her mind. "Chief, do you maybe have... feelings for someone?" Lin stood up abruptly, knocking the chair to the ground. "I'm done here," she said as she turned to leave. "I can help you, you know," Asami called after her, causing Lin to freeze. "I know this is all uncharted territory for you and I understand how scary it can be. You don't have to give me an answer now, but I can help." Lin slowly turned to face Asami once more. "You can never tell Korra, or anyone for that matter. Do you understand?" Asami nodded. "I promise I won't tell a soul. Please, have a seat."