Chapter 8: The warehouse
Jin had been reluctant to go back to the warehouse, scared that digging up the memories of the night she spent there with Zuko would be too much to cope with. Unconsciously she had avoided the area in the weeks past, taking slight detours or taking a different route altogether each time she was nearing it. However, she couldn't think of an excuse to not show Emi the place. Well apart from the truth, she couldn't think of a convincing story not to, and the actual story wasn't something she'd like to share with her. So it didn't really take much effort on Emi's part to persuade Jin to show her the place one morning when they were heading to work.
They wouldn't have much time to inspect it before their shift started. This was a plus. Jin though as, the two of them stood in front of the heavy wooden door. It was about time to get over her short liaison anyway, she might as well tackle this by directly confronting it. She took a deep breath and pushed the heavy door open.
The last time she had been inside of the building it had been dark except for the light Zuko had created with bending. Jin had never been too keen on visiting dark places but with him it had felt warm and comforting. Now it felt cold. It was paradox, really, since the place wasn't as dark time. The dim lighting provided by the sun shining through the front door and cracks in the walls and roof actually allowed her to see more of the interior. Back with Zuko she could only rudimentarily spot bits that were illuminated by a tiny flame.
The old printing press took up much of the space. Stacks of paper, old boxes with cans of paint and other junk that had been left inside were piled up next to, creating narrow spaces almost like aisles leading to the office at the back of the building.
"Wow", Emi whispered with the glee of a five-year old. "I can't believe were sneaking around in here. This is so exciting!"
The two girls moved past the heavy wooden press and the junk surrounding it, one after another, the stale air and the smell of old paper and lumpy paint rising to their noses. Jin climbed over the last box barring their way. Dust whirled up as the fabric of her long skirt brushed against the stuff lying around, the particles glittered in the rays of sun shining through the door.
A violent cough disrupted the silence. "Sorry… the dust." Emi leaned over, placing her hand on her side supporting her quivering chest.
"Do you want to go back outside, get some fresh air?"
"No…", Emi got out. "So how did you find this?", she continued once she had collected herself.
"I didn't…. someone showed me." Jin confessed. "Let us inspect the back of the warehouse real quick and leave. We need to leave soon anyway or else we'll be late for work", Emi nodded in agreement and signaled her to go on.
The covered printing press obstructed most of the sunlight that had made it inside, resulting in a relatively dark rearward part of the warehouse. Jin hadn't thought of bringing a lamp, to light their path, and there was no firebender accompanying them this time.
Emi folled Jin slipping past the parawan and almost bumped into her when they entered the dark office behind it.
"Sorry, about that. I didn't see you standing there."
"No worries, it's alright", Jin could barely see anything herself, the parawan shielded this corner of the warehouse from any sunlight light making it this far.
Jin's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and she began to scan the area. The oil lamp was still placed on the desk and the blanket under which they had slept was rumpled on the settee, exactly as Zuko and her had left it, as if no one had been here since then.
Emi lowered herself to sit on the settee. Jin just stood, rooted to the spot, next to the parawan and watched her friend cautiously, who was looking around. Emi's shoulders sagged a tiny bit as she let out a sighing breath. Having her eyes directed at blanket next to her Emi spoke up.
"So…" she paused. "You've been here with him, haven't you?
Jin followed Emi's eyes. "Yes…. But no one can know…", she stopped before saying too much.
"Especially your mom, I assume?", she heard Emi guess while she herself was still deliberately trying to evade her friend's questioning look by keeping her eyes fixed at the rumpled fabric next to her. Being glad for the turn the conversation took with Emi's assumption, she went with it and just nodded. Mentally she added, and basically anyone who would be interested to learn more about a firebender who used to live here under a fake name.
After a minute Emi continued: "You don't need to tell me anything, but… would you mind if I stayed here? It gets kinda cramped up at home sometimes."
"No, it's ok", Jin mumbled, shaking her head. She wasn't even lying or trying to mask uneasiness. Maybe having Emi here was good thing, an opportunity to start and brand this and any other place that reminded her of Zuko with new memories, a chance at fresh start.
"Perfect!", Emi exclaimed as her eyes lit up. She jumped from the settee and happily bounced towards Jin. "I would have come up with something else, if you weren't comfortable with me being here, you know."
"Yeah, I know", Emi's excitement was endearing.
It was getting little late, so they girls were headed back outside. But before stepping through the entrance door into the bright daylight, Jin halted. "You know what….", Jin turned to Emi and pursed her lips, forming a mischievous expression. "I might join you sometimes", with that she crossed the threshold.
Hurrying to the laundry, Jin heard Emi declare: "I've missed this Jin", and Jin herself had to concede, she had missed this part of her too.