Lin was sorely tempted to skip work today. Or at least go in a few hours late.
Kya had slept through Lin extricating her arm from beneath Kya's pillow, hadn't stirred when the shower turned on or when the kettle had whistled from the kitchen. But now as Lin was dressed and ready to leave, she was finally stretching her arms over her head, running a hand through her tangled hair—and paying no attention to the sheet that had fallen to her waist, leaving her breasts bare save for a few silver locks obstinately obscuring one dusky nipple.
Definitely tempting.
"You leaving already?"
So tempting that Lin found herself sitting at the edge of the bed—teasing, "We can't all lounge about in bed all day"—and sweeping the hair over Kya's shoulder. She brushed the back of her fingers down the side of Kya's breast and watched the nipple peak in response.
She was about to say work be damned and let her mouth follow in her fingers' wake when Kya said, "Need to go back to the island today."
Lin's hand retreated, her back stiffened.
"Of course."
Kya's arms wound around Lin's neck before she could move away. She kissed the side of her mouth, disturbing the frown that was already settling there. "Just for a bit," she whispered against Lin's lips. "And we'll visit."
Another, longer kiss coaxed Lin's lips apart—a nod and a mumbled "visit."
A steady stream of ringing phones, the monotonous clacking of keys as reports were typed up, punctuated with the periodic outburst of some perp who didn't take kindly to being arrested-when the monotonous sound of her officers fell to a hush and then a soft roar, Lin willed whatever—whoever—was out there away.
Her grip tightened around the pen in her hand.
She really wasn't in the mood.
"Trust me. You do not want to go in there."
Mako's voice.
"But I really need to talk to her!"
Lin rubbed at her clenched jaw and sighed, recognizing the other voice.
"It's important."
"You can't just go—"
"Dammit—Mako, just let her in!" Lin yelled.
Her door swung open to reveal a flustered Mako-and a smiling Korra.
"Chief."
"Avatar."
As soon as Mako closed the door behind himself, Lin went back to the report in front of her. "You have one minute."
"Okay," Korra began. "I know you've said 'no' in the past. That you're too busy." Lin glanced up, annoyed at the rambling only to see Korra staring down at the floor, seemingly fascinated with her boot. "But, well, Kya said you might consider—"
"Sometime today, Korra."
"I want you to teach me metal bending," the girl blurted in one breath.
Lin leaned back in her chair, swept a hand through her hair. This again.
"Su already taught you."
"Yeah, the basics." Korra settled into one of the pair of chairs in front of Lin's desk. "But I want to master it." Her bright blue eyes met Lin's. "Like you."
"Surely you can find someone else who has the time-"
"No one as good as you," Korra interrupted. "And Kya said to tell you that visiting the island would be good for you too. That you need to get away from the city more often."
Lin's eyes narrowed at Korra.
"Kya said that, did she?"
"Yes."
"That I should visit?"
"Yeah."
"When did you and Kya have this little chat?"
"This morning. At the dock. I was leaving as she was coming in," Korra explained. "And . . . I'm sorry."
"For what?" Lin was genuinely confused. Korra didn't often apologize, and never for barging into her office.
"I didn't know you were hurt that bad or I would never have left."
The concern on the young Avatar's face was so sincere that Lin had to smile—albeit just a bit.
"I was fine."
"Kya said she'd been here taking care of you."
Lin almost laughed.
Instead she stood up and brought her palms down flat against her desk and leaned towards Korra: "Tomorrow evening."
It was Korra's turn to be confused.
"Tomorrow evening," Lin explained, "I'll come to Air Temple Island and give you your first metal bending master class." Lin rolled her eyes at that last phrase even as she said it.
"Really?!"
The girl was practically bouncing in the chair. She had so much in common with that damn, drooling polar bear dog of hers—annoying and charming all at once, Lin thought.
"But the first time you goof off is the last time you ever get a lesson from me," Lin warned. "Are we clear?"
"I promise!" Korra was on her feet, grinning. "No goofing off. And no sass mouth."
Lin sat back down, looked at the still unfinished report in front of her and back to the Avatar. She was still standing there. Spirts, she hoped the girl wasn't waiting for a hug.
"Did you need something else?"
"No," Korra said. "Oh. I'll get going. See you tomorrow!"
"Close the door behind you, Korra."
The stack of reports on her desk was only marginally smaller than when she had started this morning, Lin noted resignedly. She rolled her shoulders until her neck cracked.
A particularly colorful insult about someone's mother rang out from the other side of her door—actually she caught her mother's name somewhere in the rant as it went on.
Right.
"Mako, show our guest down to the interrogation room. I think he wants to talk to me."