Water and Earth

Chapter 7

"Did you have a good... trip?" Bolin asked tentatively as Lin walked down the ramp off of the blimp. "I was never here," Lin replied, tossing a tethering rope to Bolin as she passed him. It was bad enough Asami had some insight into Lin's personal life, but Bolin knowing she had visited her mother was more than she bargained for. "Chief!" she heard a voice call as she tried to slip quietly back into her office. She turned to see Asami walking towards her, much to her dismay. "Do you have a minute?" Asami asked. Lin rolled her eyes and gestured for Asami to follow her into her office. "What can I do for you, Asami?" Lin asked as Asami closed the door behind them. "I know you're a busy woman and I think going forwards it'll be best if we don't show up under false pretenses," Asami started. "How's it going... the thing you came by my house the other day to talk about?" Lin sighed, running her hands through her silver hair. "Long day?" Asami asked, taking note of Lin's slumped posture. "I need a drink." "It's nearly five and I happen to know a place," Asami offered. Lin was too tired to argue and without another word, followed Asami outside.

"Do you know where you're going?" Lin and Asami had been walking for nearly twenty minutes, taking various turns seemingly at a whim. "We're almost there," Asami said as they took another sharp right. They arrived at a dead end alley that was all too familiar to Lin. "No." "Lin, come on. I promise it's pretty empty on Thursdays anyway." "Can't we go anywhere else?" Asami ignored Lin's request and marched towards the stairs that lead to the bar. Lin took a quick glance around the alley to ensure they were alone and begrudgingly followed Asami. They waited until the familiar set of eyes appeared from behind the wooden slat and were quickly ushered inside. Lin was relieved to find the bar nearly abandoned and followed Asami over to a dimly lit corner booth. "I told you we were going to be safe here," Asami said, gesturing around to the empty bar. Lin crossed her arms and frowned, not letting her guard down. "Kai!" Asami suddenly shouted across the bar. Lin cast her eyes down as Kai made her way over to the pair. "Good to see you Asami! I see our friend is back in better shape than I last saw her. Welcome, Chief," Kai said with a smile. "About the other night, Kai, that was really out of character for me and I sincerely..." Kai put up a hand to stop Lin. "No need to explain- happens to the best of us. Would you ladies care for a drink?" Asami and Lin ordered their drinks (Lin made sure to avoid the fire whiskey and opted for a jasmine gin cocktail) and Kai hurried over the bar. "So tell me how things have been," Asami said as soon as Kai had dropped off their beverages. "There's not much to tell, really," Lin said. "This is very unfamiliar territory and unfortunately our history together complicates things." "What history?" "I mean we grew up together basically. We all were super close- not to mention the fact that I dated her brother." "Lin, that was so long ago. I'm sure that won't even be a factor." Lin chewed on her straw thoughtfully before taking a sip. "I may be overthinking this..." she said almost to herself. "A little bit," Asami said with a small laugh. "I think I need to face this head on.... How do I do that?" Asami leaned back against the plush upholstery and raised an eyebrow in thought. "I think that means being honest, if you want to 'face this head on.' Just tell her how you feel." Lin's eyes widened and shook her head. "I don't think thats a good idea." "Lin, even if she comes to you and asks you out herself eventually you're going to have to be honest about your feelings for each other. That's kind of how relationships work." "What if she says no? What if she doesn't feel the same way and I look like an idiot?" "What do you have to lose?" As she was thinking of how to respond, something caught Lin's attention. She nearly spit out her drink- Kya had just walked in. "What's wrong with you?" Asami asked, noticing Lin's obvious distress. She turned around to see what Lin was gawking at and smiled. "Now is the perfect time! Go talk to her!" Asami nudged Lin, who was now slurping her drink down at an alarming rate. "I don't want to bother her," she muttered. "This is the perfect time, Lin. No one is here, she's alone- you got this." Lin swirled the remaining ice cubes around in her glass before gathering all the courage she had and stood up. She took a deep breath and marhced straight towards Kya, the words of her mother echoing in her head. Kya was seated at the bar staring intently at a small leather bound notebook in front of her. Occasionally she would scribble something in it and take a sip of an aqua colored drink. Lin scooted over next to her, hoping her presence alone would grab Kya's attention. Much to her disappointment, Kya didn't even glance up. Lin twiddled her thumbs for a minute before clearing her throat. Kya's eyes flitted up from her notebook and widened in surprise to see Lin. "Didn't expect to see you here," Kya said dryly, snapping her notebook shut. "What can I say, I'm full of surprises," said Lin. "What brings you here?" "Asami invited me. Thankfully Kai was kind enough to allow me in even after my last... eventful visit." Kya smirked. "What about you?" "I was just going over my schedule for the next few days. I like to come here when it's pretty quiet and just go over my list of things to do." They sat in silence before Lin said, "Can I... buy you a drink?" "I'm not really done with this one, but I appreciate the offer." Lin took a deep breath and pushed her fear to the back of her mind. "Maybe I can buy you a drink Friday night if you want to go out... with me?" Lin could feel her hear hammer loudly in her chest and willed herself to not break Kya's gaze. Kya smiled which did little to settle Lin's nerves. "Sober Lin finally plucked up the courage that drunk Lin had all along," she smirked. "I think I can pencil you in for tomorrow night. Pick me up after work around six?" Lin silently nodded as Kya opened her notebook up once more and wrote something quickly before tearing the page out and handing it to Lin. "I figured you should probably have my number too," she said with a smirk. "See you tomorrow." Kya gave her a quick wink before getting back to writing in her notebook. Lin slid off the barstool and all but ran over to Asami. "Well? How did it go?" Asami asked. Lin stuffed the small paper into her pocket and sat down, trying her best to suppress a grin. "We have a date tomorrow," she mumbled. "That's great Lin!" Asami beamed and raised her glass to Lin. "To facing fears," she said as Lin gently clinked her glass against Asami's. "Now, a serious question. What are you going to wear?"