Kya was lying on her stomach across Lin’s bed, idly flipping through a newspaper when Lin came home from work.
“Hiya, chief.”
Lin grunted in response.
“How was work?”
Lin grunted again and shrugged out of her armored jacket, placing it in her closet.
Kya rolled over and sat up on the bed. “Another headache?”
The earthbender nodded and closed the closet.
“Here, love,” Kay patted the space on the bed beside her, “lie down while I get some water.”
Lin obeyed, stretching out on the big double bed. Kya went out to the kitchen and filled a bowl with water. She went back into the bedroom and set the bowl off to the side.
“here, move down,” she told lin.
Lin once again obeyed and let Kya cradle her head in her lap. Kya bent the water to them and applied the healing energy to Lin’s temples. After a while, Lin’s headache receded.
“feeling better?” Kya asked.
Lin gave an appreciative groan.
Kya laughed lightly. She leaned forward and kissed Lin lightly on the lips. The earthbender reached up to hold her face, returning the kiss. The kiss deepened after a few moments, and then Lin broke it to turn and sit up, facing kya. They started again, but then there was a knock at the door.
Lin swore under her breath and touched her forehead to Kya’s for a brief moment before rising. Kya gave her a patient smile and leaned back against the headboard.
Lin opened the door to her apartment to find a bruised and teary eyed opal standing anxiously at her door. When the girl saw her aunt, she immediately threw her arms her in hug.
“opal?” Lin asked, “what happened?” she drew the girl the girl into her apartment and shut the door.
The girl, still clinging only shook her head and buried her face in the front of Lin’s shirt. The older woman was slightly uncomfortable at this, but was more concerned than anything. Lin gently lead her to the sofa and they sat down.
“kya,” Lin called out, “bring that bowl of water out here.”
Kya came out of the bedroom, carrying the bowl, her expression questioning until she saw opal.
“opal, what happened?” she immediately asked and came quickly over to them, setting the bowl down.
Opal only continued to cry into Lin’s shirt.
Lin pried gently at her shoulders, making her look at lin. “opal,” she said, her tone slightly stern. “tell us what happened. Let go of me so Kya can see to you.”
The girl blinked at her and then kya. “kya?”
Lin gently pulled opals arms from her, holding them out inspecting the various cuts and bruises all along them. Her clothes were torn and dirty.
Kya bent the water and began applying the healing energy to the young airbender. “tell us what happened to you.”
“we were just walking down this one street with all these small vendors on it. I was looking at some stuff in a stall next to one with a couple of metal benders.”
“were they cops?” Kya asked as she healed a large cut along the girl's arm.
Opal looked at Lin and nodded.
Lin’s eyebrows started to descend into a deep scowl. “go on.”
“I heard them talking bad about you. They were calling you an old maid and said you had no life.”
